Star Wars has always been a major part of my life, I simply cannot remember a time without spaceships jumping to hyperspace, Jedi and Sith battling with lightsabers, or the incredible and mystical binding powers of The Force. Almost everything about Star Wars, from John William's legendary fanfare to Baby Yoda, has changed the movie industry and had an undeniable significant impact on our popular culture for over forty years now, and will most definitely outlive us all. While it may be that Star Wars isn't the best cinema in motion picture history, some movies of the saga really are innovative and spectacular films, while others are...less great.
Since I'm a fairly young nerd, I don't have any major "nostalgia goggles" that would influence the ranking in this listing. So, here is a record of every Star Wars movie (so far), ranked from worst to best:
12. The Rise of Skywalker
The Rise of Skywalker is pretty impressive...as far as under-achievements go. This was to be the final installment and the epic conclusion to the Skywalker Saga, over four decades in the making, and yet it was just a miserable movie and undoubtedly the worst Star Wars ever. Doubling down on fan service and nostalgia, sidelining and replacing main characters like Rose and Hux, pointless subplots rushing from planet to planet chasing this-or-that, and retconning practically everything that happened before in The Last Jedi, the movie was desperate to please literally everyone, from first-generation Star Wars fans and Reylo shippers to the global market, but failed epically. Instead of triumphantly crossing the finish line, the movie stumbled towards the end credits, leaving many more unnecessary questions than answers. While the return of Emperor Palpatine was a great surprise for fans, it was completely unnecessary and poorly executed, almost like the entire Sequel Trilogy.
11. The Force Awakens
When the Walt Disney Company acquired Star Wars in 2012, the rights to make new content (and tons of money) were theirs. And so, with the controversial reception of the Prequel Trilogy, Disney played it safe, launching the Sequel Trilogy with J. J. Abram's The Force Awakens, which is a structural remake of the original Star Wars movie, A New Hope, complete with stormtroopers, desert planets, and an oversized planet-destroying laser-gun. While it was a rehash, it did deliver the entertainment and feeling of Star Wars that fans wanted and offered fresh characters, skillful visuals, and the potential of a great new story. Even though it was nothing original, it still was a fun journey back to a galaxy far, far away.
10. The Clone Wars
George Lucas wanted the premiere of The Clone Wars to receive a wider audience and released the film in theaters, but the reaction wasn't what he expected. It was a four-episode story arc rolled into one movie, just not the movie fans were anticipating, and it is severely underrated. It had a solid plot, helped to expand the lore of the Star Wars galaxy, and introduced new characters that soon became fan favorites like Ahsoka Tano, and also the starting point of many spin-off shows. If it had been launched off the big screen, it probably would've performed better. The Clone Wars is better thought of as the starting point of some of the most acclaimed Star Wars and probably one of the best shows ever.
9. Attack of the Clones
8. Solo
7. The Phantom Menace
6. The Empire Strikes Back
5. The Last Jedi
With Abrams' The Force Awakens being a refashioned repeat of A New Hope, Rian Johnson shattered all expectations by delivering an original, bold, and invigorating movie. Instead of modeling The Last Jedi after The Empire Strikes Back as expected (though there were some suspicious four-legged walkers on a white planet), the movie leaves familiar territory and gives us something spectacular. Johnson utilizes the characters to develop the themes and the themes develop the characters. The Last Jedi is about looking to the past and forging your own path, not following exactly in your idol's footsteps or clinging to what has ended, but to learn from your mistakes. Yoda said it well: "The greatest teacher, failure is...we are what we grow beyond." And Adam Driver's phenomenal performance as Kylo Ren helped greatly to drive the theme, "No, you're still holding on! Let go." Ren is genuine with Rey about his offer to start anew, without letting the past defining their future. The Last Jedi showed that anyone is capable of being a hero if you just rise to the challenge, like the humble sisters Paige and Rose Tico show you can have a big impact on everything, and Finn is willing to sacrifice himself to save everyone else and keep hope alive. The Last Jedi proved your heritage or wealth doesn't mean anything, as Rey finds out she's just "nobody;" no daughter of Skywalker or Kenobi or Binks, just another person trying to do good (and similarly how Snoke had no backstory, he was just evil). Not only all this, but the way the movie is plotted is masterfully done, with epic jaw-dropping space sequences and new interesting planets to compose the backdrop, and challenging what it means to be a hero all the way. If the extra half of the plot with Finn and Rose was more thought out, the movie would rate higher on this list, but Johnson still has truly captured the essence of Star Wars in The Last Jedi.
4. Return of the Jedi
3. Rogue One
The Force Awakens was largely praised, despite the fact that it was a complete copycat of A New Hope. Meanwhile, The Last Jedi was widely despised and rejected just for being too new and breaking out of the Star Wars mold. Rogue One, however, is both of these at the same time: very familiar, yet very different. And that is the secret to success when making successful spin-offs. Rogue One stands out with fresh new ideas expertly combined with classic Star Wars.
And many other things make Rogue One stand out (besides the deaths of every single one of the characters we met in the movie), like the thrilling ground battle on Scarif and the fast-moving spaceship clash above, the terrifying power of the Death Star, and Darth Vader's gruesome hallway massacre, which all make the first Star Wars spin-off as great as the real thing.
by expertly combining classic Star Wars with fresh ideas; the Rogue One Crew aren't like the standard Star Wars hero archetype, like Jyn Erso being a criminal and Cassian Andor a dark and dirty spy, Death Troopers were an elite stormtrooper Secret Service, and K2-SO is a resourceful and more sarcastic version of C-3P0. Who can't help but wonder, if Solo hadn't flopped, what other tales would we have from a galaxy far, far away?
2. Revenge of the Sith
While the first prequel pair were inherently good movies, they suffered from misjudgment and were doomed by fans with impossibly high expectations; but Revenge of the Sith masterfully brought everything together and delivered an immersive and emotional portrayal of Anikin Skywalker's tragic fall from grace. Unlike Disney's Sequels, which relied on nostalgia for all their big scenes and emotional power, the Prequels created their own impactful moments. The movie stands out from the entirety of Star Wars with William's majestic yet haunting score, fantastic and engaging acting all around, beautiful visuals and settings, with the unraveling of the entire galaxy which sets the stage for the rest of the saga, and the rising darkness inside of Anikin that brings forth Darth Vader.
1. A New Hope
You really can't get any better Star Wars than Star Wars. Later retitled A New Hope, George Lucus' foundational entry into the saga introduced the world to the Force, a charming smuggler, a hardcore princess, and a desert farmboy that worked old archetypes into a brand-new universe that captured everyone's imaginations, and remains a classic in its own right that launched the franchise into hyperspace.
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