THIS week, just six months on from Episode XIII: The Last Jedi, we return to the Star Wars universe in Disney/Lucasfilm’s new Han Solo origins film.

In Solo: A Star Wars Story, Alden Ehrenreich takes on the role made famous by Harrison Ford and is accompanied on screen by Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke, actor-comedian Donald Glover, Westworld’s Thandie Newton and Three Billboards’ Woody Harrelson. It’s a terrific cast for this latest jaunt to the galaxy far far away, marking an adventure much lighter than The Last Jedi and Rogue One before it.

Incorporating the first meeting of Han Solo and - everyone’s favourite Wookie - Chewbacca, the film has been described as a ‘space western’ and fun is certainly the watchword. That this bon viveur has actually been achieved with Solo is something of a miracle. When Solo’s original directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, were sacked by producer Kathleen Kennedy, talk of a troubled production led to doom and gloom denouncement from critical spectators. The announcement that Ron Howard was the fill the gap left by Lord and Miller and complete the film offered little by way of encouragement. The man behind The Da Vinci Code and last year’s The Dark Tower is a safe pair of hands, rather than an exciting one.

And yet, in part due to the sheer charisma of Ehrenreich in the driving seat, Solo: A Star Wars Story is a heartily entertaining blockbuster, perfect for summer viewing.

Also out this week - aimed squarely at youngsters - is Show Dogs, a canine escapade from the director of Beverly Hills Chihuahua and The Smurfs. The film sees Ludacris, of the Fast and Furious franchise, voice a Rottweiler police dog called Max who goes undercover with his human partner Frank (Will Arnett) at a prestigious dog show to stop an animal smuggling activity. Oddly, the dogs can talk in this world - indeed, they’re voiced by the likes of Jordin Sparks, Gabriel Iglesias and Stanley Tucci.

In spite of its US setting (specifically Las Vegas), Show Dogs was filmed and produced in Wales’ Pinewood Studios. It underperformed at the US box office, where it opened alongside Deadpool and Book Club - which is out next week in the UK.

Show Dogs is zany enough to please tots but may prove a bit of a stretcher of patience for parents. Not quite a dog’s dinner but far from best in show.

-Toby Symonds