15 reasons why Star Wars is a perfect family holiday movie

It’s not just the main films…

As we mentioned earlier, there have been several new additions to Star Wars canon since Disney acquired Lucasfilm in 2012 and revived the franchise for a new generation.

We’d perhaps argue against watching Rogue One over the holidays, since it is just so sad, but if you’re going for continuity over happy endings, then we wouldn’t put you off. That ending scene leading into A New Hope is nothing short of a Christmas present from director Gareth Edwards in itself.

But the one you should watch is a film that has perhaps been unfairly maligned since its recent release this summer. That’s right, we’re talking about Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Disliked by some because it feels too much like we’ve seen it before, liked by others for exactly the same thing, Solo felt like it was off to a bad start before it had even come out, with a slow-to-appear trailer, a directorial change,and a beloved main character with a difficult legend to live up to. But whilst it is a pretty standard adventure heist in the style of writer Lawrence Kasdan, it’s also really fun, enjoyable, and it does exactly what it says on the tin.

And sometimes that sort of film is exactly the sort you need over the holidays: a guaranteed good time. Plus, as Michelle Buchman over at Nerdist points out, Solo is like a cinematic enyclopedia, with many direct references to old Hollywood Westerns and war films (Grease even gets a mention).

So really it covers all of the quiet holiday movie vibes for when you’re full of mince pies and not sleepy enough for a nap. Enjoy a good old adventure movie instead (and this one has Han Solo in it!).