I’ve long said that Han Solo is my favorite movie character. Cool, capable, and played with a perfect roguish swagger by Harrison Ford. He is someone who you know is dangerous and has been through it all, yet still retains a heart. Solo gets all of the best lines in the original Star Wars trilogy, and he gets the girl too. It’s no surprise that the “Han Solo-type” character has become a modern archetype and go-to example of an antihero: a bad person who does good for selfish reasons, or a good person who is pushed to do bad (both could apply to a certain Corellian pilot at different points in his arch).

It’s also no surprise that Disney turned to Han Solo as the first choice to helm the franchise’s first character-driven spinoff film. The character has built-in, proven appeal, and makes as much sense as any other Star Wars character to lead a movie. Unfortunately the main news story surrounding the film’s production was a change in director halfway through filming, which lent the idea that the studio was unsure of how to proceed. A lack of confidence in direction points toward a messy movie.

A secondary, and I must admit more personal, concern was more esoteric: could anyone portray Han as well as Harrison Ford? Ford completely inhabited and elevated the character, to the point that he pretty much embodies Han in every subsequent appearance. It’s understandable that Disney would recast, as Ford is now 75 years old and people want to see Han in his prime. While I didn’t have anything against eventual cast Alden Ehrenreich, I have to admit that I thought…is it worth it? Can you have Han without Harrison?

It turns out, yes – mostly. Solo is a fun, engaging movie that fills in some backstory while expanding the universe; pretty much exactly what you want from a spinoff. Let’s get this out of the way first: Ehrenreich looks a LOT like Ford, to the point where several times throughout the film I almost had to do a double take to make sure it wasn’t a young Harrison. He has the smirk, he has the classic flyboy look. But can he act? Again, yes, mostly. It seems that at some points Ehrenreich consciously evokes Ford’s manner of speaking, but that can be credited to performing an already established character, like different actors portraying James Bond. There was a lack of a certain joie de vivre that Ford’s natural charisma evokes, but I don’t think we could have expected a better outcome from a new, young actor with huge shoes to fill. If you take away the impossible standards, you get a pretty good portrayal of a young…Han Solo.

In this film, which takes place a good 5-10 years before the original Star Wars, our young Han is less experienced and a little less jaded. He’s still cocky, but plays things with a slightly more “gee-whiz” mentality that shows that he has much growing up to do between now and when he meets an old man and a boy inside a Mos Eisley cantina. The story starts on Han’s homeworld of Corellia before fast-forwarding three years. From there, the main story centers on Han putting together a heist with a motley band of thieves, while also contending with a galactic crime syndicate and attempting to get back to a lost love who he was forced to leave behind on Corellia.

The pacing and action of the movie reminded me most of an old Star Wars video game, one that I would play with my brother after going for a swim in the 1990s or early 2000s. Being chased around the rugged streets of some planet in a speeder, shooting troopers on top of a twisting train, sniping pesky Imperial probe droids on the fly – all of these evoke moments from Rogue Squadron, or especially Shadows of the Empire. That 1996 game takes place in between Episodes V and IV, in which the player takes control of Dash Rendar, a Han Solo stand in, to help Luke and Leia track down the frozen real Han. This was pleasing. So much of my Star Wars experience was shaped by getting into the expanded universe of books and video games outside of the actual movies, and it was fun to see the filmmakers pay homage (whether intentionally or not) to a pillar of the franchise that kept the flame burning before this modern onslaught of new installments.

As such, there’s not too much story – Solo is truly character driven, the story mostly an excuse to go to cool places. Over the course of the film you visit out of the way, dangerous locales swarming with creatures that would sooner shoot you than let you pass. These areas are mostly dark, with winding corridors through a mine, an inner city neighborhood, or a supernebula. The sense of place adds to the feeling of depth of the Star Wars universe, one that existed ever since we met the motley patronage of the Mos Eisley cantina. The weird aliens and bizarre gadgets are never shoved in your face, just accepted as part of the world. Part of the fun is simply watching Han and Chewie navigate the situations they find themselves in, which is fun. One of the most endearing aspects of the character originally is how he always kind of stumbles into being the hero and always comes out ahead.

It’s no surprise that Chewbacca brings the real heart to the film. It’s obvious that you can’t tell a Han Solo story without his loyal friend Chewbacca, and in this story we get to witness their first meeting. Chewie doesn’t show up until about a quarter of the way through the movie; I honestly almost forgot about him. It says much about the character that the most audible thrill from the audience in the theater came when the Wookie first appeared on stage. The film does a good job of establishing the dynamic between the two friends, and seeing the innately likable and noble Chewbacca take to Han does much to win the audience over to him as well.

The only real criticism I have against Solo is the over-reliance on cheeky references to the original movies. Look, I know Star Wars has always been pulpy and a little self-aware, but part of the fun of these spinoffs is to see our favorite characters in cool new situations. Keyword, new. We know the cool things we’ve seen Han do in other films – now show us more! Relying on our love of the series to create humor and pathos takes away from the film as a vehicle in an of itself, and ultimately cheapens the experience. Almost every single iconic Han line was referenced (“I know,” “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” “under 12 parsecs,” etc.), either verbatim or changed in a way to wink at the audience. Other times, entire situations and scenes were recalled.

Hey, Disney! We want to see this movie because we are already fans of the series; you don’t have to win us over again! Stop relying on what’s already been done and develop new memories! Not everything has to be tied to the Rebellion!

The one time the referencing worked was when Lando Calrissian, played with laid-back relish by Donald Glover, accidentally mispronounces Han’s name (Haan instead of Hahn) then subsequently does so on purpose. Over the course of the film, Lando’s mispronunciation signifies distrust, then kidding respect. By the time they meet in Cloud City years later, it signifies old (albeit guarded) friendship. This detail was not flaunted, but did serve the character development and explained a small detail from the original movies. I did always wonder why Lando says Han’s name differently! I assumed it was Billy Dee Williams not giving a damn, but it’s cool that they made it meaningful.

Is Solo the best Star Wars movie ever made? No. But it doesn’t have to be. All it has to do is present a fun, cool adventure with Han Solo and Chewbacca that develops more of their underlying character and shows us some Star Wars aliens. On this front, it delivers. This new megafranchise that Disney has made is big enough to house both epic blockbusters and more niche affair. It was never going to outsell the recent main title entries, and I think that’s cool. The ongoing anthology series is so far entertaining my expectations much more than the sequel trilogy (the pleasures of that series notwithstanding). You need a “Han Solo type” character. Some one to buck authority and tell it to you how it is. In fact, this film brought in Woody Harrelson to play a “Han Solo type” character in order to teach the young Han the ropes. Like a video game, this film allows us to be Han as well, if even for a couple hours. And as it should be, Han is a good time.