I rented the Han Solo movie and it’s great!

Don't let the suckiness of the last two Star Wars movies fool you. Solo is worth renting.

This summer, the Star Wars franchise came out with a Han Solo prequel called “Solo: A Star Wars Story.”

For the most part, folks were super critical of it. And it didn't get nearly the hype that the last two films received.

Now, though I like the first two original movies, I’m not much of a Star Wars freak. And after suffering through “The Last Jedi” and “The Force Awakens,” I wasn’t interested in the Han Solo movie at all.

In fact, back when I reviewed “The Last Jedi” I said, and I quote:

I hear now they’ve come out with a movie about a younger Han Solo.

Whoop-dee-doo.

The odds of me renting that one are about as good as the odds of me sprouting a horn in the middle of my forehead.

Well, cover me with fur and call me a unicorn because I not only rented “Solo” yesterday, I absolutely loved it! It leaves the other two recent films in the dust.

First of all, it’s an action-packed wild ride. But the characters aren’t flat and forgettable like the ones from "The Force Awakens" or "The Last Jedi" -- you know, like what’s her name or that guy.

Maybe it’s because Han Solo is my favorite character from the original Star Wars series that makes this movie so appealing to me. And the actor who plays Han does a good job of subtly incorporating some of the mannerisms from Harrison Ford’s version of the character. It wasn’t in your face. There were just a few times that he copped an attitude or made an expression that made you think of Ford’s Han Solo.

Plus the “how Han met Chewbacca” scene was excellent.

There’s a story that you can follow even if you never saw any of the other Star Wars movies.

And nothing about “Solo” feels like a rip-off of the original series – something you can’t say about either “The Force Awakens” or “The Last Jedi.”

In a way, “Solo” reminds me of the Joss Whedon series “Firefly” more than it does the Star Wars franchise.

Now, I’m not going to give away the plot. Suffice it to say there’s nothing about the Force in this one. And the evil Empire is barely a blip on the radar.

Instead, "Solo" is more of a rollicking adventure tale.

Now, the opening sequence introducing Han Solo and setting up the plot took a wee bit longer than I would have liked. And midway through that sequence, I wasn’t certain I was going to like the movie.

But it more than made up for the plodding opening once it got underway.

It might not have been worth it to pay fifteen bucks to see it in the theater, but “Solo” is definitely worth renting – especially if you’re a fan of the original films.

I’m sure a lot of you, like me, wrote off Star Wars because of their recent crappy films. But don’t let those duds stop you from renting this one. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.