Olly Dyche ranks the Star Wars movies from worst to best…
The Star Wars universe has grown exponentially since Disney bought the rights to the franchise from George Lucas. Since then we have seen five movies, six seasons of live action TV and over six seasons of animation. There is a tonne of Star Wars content for fans to indulge in and the vast collection of movies is just the beginning. With twelve films under the belt and a lot more to come over the coming years, here’s my ranking of every Star Wars movie to date…
12. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
Truthfully, The Clone Wars movie is not good. Serving as the pilot to the hit TV show, the movie struggles to fit anything that we love about the animated series into the confines of a feature film. Its story is straightforward and fairly uninteresting, and the movie’s characters are mostly irritating. Sadly, this wasn’t a particularly great pilot to the series which was far better than this animated feature film set after Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.
11. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
“Palpatine returned somehow” pretty much sums up my feelings about Rise of Skywalker. Promising to deliver a satisfying ending to the Skywalker Saga, Episode IX did anything but. Rise of Skywalker doesn’t answer any of the questions we previously had, and gives many characters unjustified arcs and throws great characters like Finn to the sidelines.
However, while its story and ending was disappointing, there is a lot here for movie goers and Star Wars fans to enjoy. The movie’s action is exhilarating, we are introduced to the great Babu Frik and most importantly Chewbacca finally gets his medal. Finn is hinted to be a Jedi and Kylo Ren, who has the most complex character arc in Star Wars history, has a satisfying character arc which gets drowned out by the movie’s disappointing ending.
10. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
Sadly, for the most part Attack of the Clones is a fairly lackluster entry into the Star Wars universe. George Lucas presents a slow Star Wars story where nothing really happens. However, that’s not to say that there aren’t some great takeaways. For one, Episode II introduces audiences to the Clones, Jango Fett and Count Dooku, and Ewan McGregor truly shines as Obi-Wan Kenobi. In addition to that, the movie’s final act on Geonosis is one of the best moments in Star Wars history, making everything that came before it much more bearable.
9. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Phantom Menace offers a lot of fun for Star Wars fans, yet it suffers a lot with the issues that plagued most of the Prequel Trilogy. Most of the movie fails to capture our attention with a mostly aimless story and the performances are misdirected and underutilized. However, The Phantom Menace, more so now than when it first released, is actually a brilliant Star Wars film that introduces fans to stunning new planets and characters that fairly quickly became fan favorites. The action is mesmerizing, specifically the final duel with Darth Maul, Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi, with the heart-pounding “Duel of the Fates” accentuating the scenes’ epic choreography.
8. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Solo gets a very bad rap. Alden Ehrenreich is simply fantastic as Han Solo and the rest of the supporting cast deliver equally compelling performances. Is Solo a good movie? Well that’s questionable. But it offers heaps of fun which make us quite easily forgive its offenses. The comedy and energy is infectious and the action is truly inspired.
Whilst some of us do forgive its flaws however, none of us can forget them. Did we really need an explanation as to how Solo got his dice? No. Nor did we need the movie to explain how Han Solo got his name – or at least we didn’t expect it to as lame as the movie presented. Likewise, while Qi’ra was a great character who Emilia Clarke brilliantly brought to life, it seems somehow wrong that Han had a love interest before Leia. Sure, this shouldn’t hold the movie back, but it just feels odd.
7. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
There may never have been a movie as divisive nor as controversial as Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi. Yet, I’m here to tell you that The Last Jedi is a brilliant movie. It’s understandable though as to why many may not have connected with the film at first, as certain fan favorite characters didn’t feel like themselves. However, other than that, there isn’t really anything else that warrants any amount of abuse that this movie gets. The Last Jedi is among the most stunning Star Wars movies ever, the action is among the best we have seen and there are some great character arcs in this film. Sure, there are moments the film could have done differently, but it delivered a fun, compelling and stunning ride through the Star Wars universe.
6. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Disney comes in for a lot of flak for “ruining Star Wars” with the Sequel Trilogy, but The Force Awakens is a phenomenal Star Wars flick. The new cast of characters we are presented with are highly intriguing and whilst the story does retread a lot of familiar ground, it’s still highly entertaining. Likewise, The Force Awakens brought Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and (briefly) Mark Hamill back to their respective roles which has to count for something.
5. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Filled with an infectious energy, jaw-dropping action, incredible characters and an impactful story, Revenge of the Sith is an epic Star Wars flick. The story around Anakin’s fall to the Dark Side is Shakespearean and one of the best pieces of storytelling in the saga. Anakin’s fall could have been a little bit more contextualized, however his distrust in the Jedi and what he believes is right is simply fantastic. Revenge of the Sith certainly isn’t a perfect film, but it is a phenomenal Star Wars movie.
4. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
The Original Trilogy is spectacular, and although Return of the Jedi may be the weakest of the trilogy, that certainly doesn’t detract here. Return of the Jedi sports some of the best action in the Original Trilogy and many brilliant character arcs that made us fall even more in love with the classic Star Wars characters. The Ewoks received a lot of hate around the film’s release, but the species of adorable Teddy Bears only make Return of the Jedi even more entertaining.
3. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
Before A New Hope, audiences had never seen anything quite like it. A fantastical sci-fi adventure showcasing jaw-dropping production design and special effects which have barely aged a day.
The very first Star Wars movie continues to be among the best, introducing fans to the expansive world of the galaxy far, far awayand without this movie and George Lucas’ brilliant world-building, this list wouldn’t be possible and the way we see sci-fi movies and filmmaking in general could have been vastly different. Its story is simple yet incredibly intriguing, the characters are awesome and iconic, and the world-building is, of course, flawless. A New Hope is one of the most important movies in cinematic history.
2. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Rogue One is perhaps the most authentic Star Wars movie since the Original Trilogy. Sporting stunning CG, engaging story-telling and compelling characters, Rogue One is a flawless Star Wars epic. It’s certainly one of the most beautiful pieces of Star Wars content of all time, thanks to its pristine CG and practical effects that help immerse its audiences into a world of Star Wars much like the Original Trilogy films.
Rogue One is full of heart, as we very quickly fall in love with our group of heroes and the action is among the best in Star Wars history. Just take Darth Vader’s badass rampage down the hall of a Rebel Alliance ship – one of the greatest scenes of the entire franchise.
1. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
There’s little left to be said about how perfect of a film The Empire Strikes Back really is, let alone how brilliant of a Star Wars movie it is. Expanding on its lore and world-building in impressive and satisfying ways, Empire Strikes Back is one of the best movie sequels ever made. The story is fantastic and full of jaw-dropping twists, the character arcs are wholly satisfying and the film as a whole, like A New Hope, is deeply impactful. Empire Strikes Back is a perfect Star Wars film and will always remain as the best the franchise has offered.
How would you rank the Star Wars movies? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Olly Dyche
