Yeah that Spielberg connection was well-known.
I still think Alden E was decent. Probably better than most of their options. But it was a pretty thankless job he was doing.
(Please nobody start bringing up Anthony Ingruber. James Bond actors don't get hired based on their Sean Connery impressions.)
Ehrenreich still adopted a lot of Ford's characteristics for the role (Ford's use of fingerpointing when he's displaying anger or trying to make a point, his speech pattern and inflection). So to say he didn't do a full-on impression ignores that Ford's mannerisms and acting style were aped to some degree by Alden. Also, no one seemed to mind that Glover was trying to do a Billy Dee Williams impression (quite the opposite, as his performance was very well received). I know some of those choices were made at the behest of the studio, but it's still how they performed their roles, and movie goers responded to it, either favorably or unfavorably.
I wasn't upset that Alden wasn't trying to do a Ford impression, it's that the character of Han Solo has been established by Ford, including his appearance as well as his mannerisms. To cast an actor that is pretty much Carrie Fisher's height, has a less commanding voice than Ford, in addition to having more "delicate" features (for lack of a better term), makes it a lot harder to believe that he's supposed to be the same character, only a bit younger than Ford in the original film.
For a different example, River Phoenix played the young Indiana Jones in "The Last Crusade," and I wouldn't say he looks that much like a young Ford, but he managed to capture more of the character so that it felt more believable that he was a younger incarnation of Indy. He also didn't have to carry an entire movie.
For the record, I liked the Solo film (more on subsequent viewings than when I originally saw it), and thought Ehrenreich did a decent job, but he still never quite felt like a young Han Solo to me. As an exampke of another actor that I could see in the role, I think Adam Driver could've done a good job as Han, if he hadn't already been Ben Solo. He doesn't look or sound like Ford, but shares some characteristics with him, plus being an outstanding actor. There's a lot of other actors out there, so to say Ehrenreich was one of the best choices for the role feels like a vast overstatement.
