"Solo: A Star Wars Story"~I've Got a <insert?> Feeling About This

For the movie Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), I did not have such a good feeling about it at first. Although Rogue One was a quality story, I wasn't sure how this movie would play out. It took me a year to finally get around to this film. Read here what I thought and how it shakes out to the rest of the franchise! Spoilers may follow.

A young Han is attempting to escape an oppressive planet controlled by the empire. He makes it but his love, Qi'ra is caught. He joins the empire to become a pilot, so he can come back for her.

Let's start with acting. While each actor is not better than their original actor, they still perform very well. Alden Ehrenreich playing Han Solo is a tough act to achieve considering how iconic Harrison Ford made the role. He surprised me by being so similar in personality. He brought the same suave demeanor. Also, Donald Glover is marvelous as Lando Calrissian. He is similar in personality and brings more screen time for the character than we have gotten in the past.

The Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke as Qi'ra is exceptional. She is great as the female lead and is one of the better ones for Star Wars. Paul Bettany is a quality antagonist as well as Woody Harrelson in his role being quality. I really want to point out the cinematography. It was incredible. Anytime Ron Howard directs a movie, it's going to look great. I would have understood if this movie was nominated in this category. The plot is simpler, and it works. It's thieves doing their job involved with love and more. Also, I'll point out that the film's editing, sound, and CGI are great.

For negatives, I really only have one major issue. It is L3-37. This droid character is insanely annoying with no redeemable qualities. She has a strange storyline of having feelings for Lando which is just awkward. I don't understand why they spent time on this. The droid revolution was interesting I suppose but not needed. Cut her character and save fifteen minutes of screen time. This does have a large impact on my grading. It could have been a letter grade higher.

Overall, the movie is better than I expected. It didn't need to be more than what it was. Is it better than the original six or Rogue One? No. Is it better than 7 and 8? By a long shot. My movie rating is a B-.