So I was really worried that this movie wasn't going to be very good, but it got my vote for one of the top current Star Wars movies. Han Solo was always my favorite character, so I was EXTREMELY excited when they announced this movie, and I was even more excited when I left the theater and I wasn't in a bad mood. Anyways, here are my five reasons why I loved this movie.
***SPOILERS***
1. Unreal performances by the cast
Honestly, I had no idea who Alden Ehrenreich was before this movie, but I personally enjoyed his portrayal of young Han. You really see the same mannerisms that Harrison Ford used in the original trilogy. Gambino was an unreal Lando. I fear that people won't like it because he's different from the Lando we meet in Empire, but I think it's a great portrayal because it shows how he matured from this film into the Lando we meet in Empire. And there are a bunch of other characters, Woody Harrelson was great, and a bunch of other actors and actresses make this film great in my eyes.
2. It shows just how much Han has been through
He's seen a lot, and that's what has developed his character, and you definitely see that in this film. It starts with him as a young kid in this child slave ring, I don't know it's weird, but that is just one of the ways you see how he has developed from this young soul into this seasoned smuggler.
3. The connection between all other Star Wars movies
For starters, they explained the freaking dice. So a lot of people were up in arms about these dice after The Last Jedi being like "What the hell are these dice we've never seen these before!" But they were there in the cockpit of the Millenium Falcon in the original trilogy. So we see these dice a lot and it truly shows how much they connect to Hans and his story. They also connect some other characters into this movie, one of Saw Gererras thugs is in a group that Han faces, we see Darth Maul at the end of the movie, overall I just loved all the connections.
4. The addition of many new details about Han and other characters
One of the big things is how Han gets his full name. He escapes this child labor ring and signs up for the Empire (I know, shocked me too). So when he's doing this the Empire official asks for his name and he says "Han" and the guy responds "Han what? Who are your people?" and Han tells him that he's alone and he doesn't have any people. So this random Empire officer gives him Solo as his last name. The creation of an icon.
Another thing that I loved is the expansion of Chewbacca's character. He starts as a prisoner of the Empire who they call "The Beast" They throw Han in the pit with Chewie and, long story short, they help each other escape. Later, the clip from the trailer about Chewbacca being 190 is shown so that's a funny spot. Then the last thing that I'm going to say about Chewie is that they bring more Wookies into the story. When the crew goes to a planet for a job, they cause a revolution and there are a bunch of Wookies that Chewie connects with. Very cool part of the movie and I'll leave the rest of it for you to see.
5. The Kessel Run
Dude, I mean, come on. This scene was dope. I was extremely glad that they put this in the movie considering it's such a big part of the franchise That's what makes the Millenium Falcon the Millenium Falcon. I know that a bunch of people won't like this scene but I try not to hate on too much when I watch movies and try to stay optimistic, but I loved this scene.
Okay overall, I loved the movie. Obviously, it has some flaws and I'll get to that, but I think it's a very good movie. The big thing for me was the coloring. And I guess that it is supposed to be in the past but I just found the whole thing to be dull and just it kind of forced you to focus on the stuff going on and blah blah blah but that was really the only thing I thought could have been better.
For me though, I'm staying with my gut, 8.5/10.