Rogue One was the first Star Wars film that I didn’t see on opening night. Still, I saw it opening weekend. And again, later. (In 1977, I was 13 – the perfect age for that film, and I saw it again, and again, and again …)

Solo was the first Star Wars film that I did not see in theatres at all. I wanted to, kind of … maybe. But they’d made stupid changes to Millennium Falcon. They seemed to just be retelling everything we’d heard before, without bringing anything new to the table. And I didn’t like the new Han. I kept debating whether to see it or not.

I only knew one person who had seen it, and he didn’t think much of it.

So I let it pass.

This week, i finally saw it. It was much better than I’d expected. I wish I had seen it on the big screen. If only for the visuals – the train job, the desert scenes. Some of it was hokey, and some was contrived – mainly things involving Han or Chewie directly.

But there were a lot of nice moments: L337 was a great addition; Lando acknowledging a debt to Beckett; every scene with Dryden Vos; Val’s heroics… Like Rogue One, it was best when it had room to breathe.

I could have done without most of the Kessel Run, which seemed from a cinematic standpoint only to be there to ensure that the Falcon’s pretty paint got beat up.

Overall, I was pleased. But I think I’m glad there won’t be a sequel. I didn’t need Darth Maul’s return. His story ended nicely in Rebels. And all of the interesting characters are dead.

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One last thought: Having seen how much the interior of the Falcon deteriorates between Solo and Star Wars, either Han is a terrible cleaner or Wookies are really dirty.