Now that the final movie in the intergalactic Skywalker/Star Wars family saga is complete, with the release of The Rise of Skywalker, I leave you with my ranking of all 11 Star Wars movies to close the year.
All 11 live-action Star Wars films ranked in order below.
- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) is considered by many fans and critics to be the greatest Star Wars movie of all time. The film that introduces the diminutive but powerful Jedi Knight Yoda and reveals Darth Vader as Luke‘s father surely gets my vote as number one.
- Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) is the film that started it all. George Lucas‘s highly-entertaining space epic set standards for blockbuster filmmaking in general and sci-fi/fantasy films specifically. The seminal musical score by legendary John Williams, and the boatloads of merchandise and toys that the movie spawned, have transcended generations.
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the best Disney-produced Star Wars film. It honors the original trilogy. It introduces new characters. And it’s just a wild, fun ride. It’s also legitimately the first Star Wars movie that could qualify as a war film.
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens is highly-derivative and takes few cinematic risks. However, I still love it! Once we had Luke, Princess Leia and Han Solo as the “big three,” now we get Rey, Finn and Poe. J.J. Abrams checks all the boxes, satisfying the legion of Star Wars fans across the world while also telling a story so free-flowing and fun that a neophyte Star Wars viewer wouldn’t feel lost.
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is by far the best of Lucas’s prequel trilogy of films. It puts the finishing touches on Anakin Skywalker‘s descent to the Dark Side of the Force. Although I knew what to expect going into “Sith,” and despite the sometime wooden acting by Hayden Christiansen as Anakin/Darth Vader, the movie still largely works.
- Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi is arguably the third best Star Wars movie ever. But as time has passed, the once-cuddly Ewoks feel a bit out of place and cheesy as I’ve grown older. Also, Boba Fett‘s unceremonious end in the Pit of Sarlac feels even worse now that I’ve seen how badass his fellow Mandalorian Din Djarin is, in the Disney+ series of the same name.
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi is the total opposite of the Force Awakens. With Rian Johnson taking the directorial reigns over for the aforementioned Abrams, he took major risks, especially with his decision to subvert expectations on how we view Luke Skywalker. Johnson’s interpretation showed a disillusioned, world-weary Luke, much to many fans’s chagrin. The dubious casino scene aside, I still enjoy the film and respect the cinematic chances that Johnson took.
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is messy at times, but so are Sloppy Joe sandwiches and I still find them delicious. This movie is definitely not without its flaws. But they are expected. J.J. Abrams had to course correct after Rian Johnson was relieved of his duties after The Last Jedi, and answer many plot points (e.g. “who are Rey’s parents?” and “what will come of Kylo Ren?”) in 2.5 hours. All things considered, I think it came out surprisingly well.
- Solo: A Star Wars Story is a film that felt unnecessary. All Star Wars fans love Harrison Ford and his depiction of the titular character, but Solo will rank as a solid but unspectacular entry in the vast Star Wars movie catalog. Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian and Woody Harrelson as Beckett are bright spots.
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones is the second worst Star Wars movie. The good: 1) we got to see Yoda in a light saber duel and 2) witnessed the origin of the Stormtroopers. The bad: everything about the cheesy and chemistry-lacking forbidden romance between Queen Padme and Anakin.
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was a huge disappointment when it was released. After waiting 16 years for a Star Wars film, I am still scarred by visions of Gungans, Jar-Jar Binks slapstick comedy and a film that tonally felt like it was meant for 7-year olds. At least we got badass Darth Mail though.
That’s my list. Happy New Year and MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!
