Ranking The Star Wars Movies

Hello, dear reader!

Last week marked the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back being released. The film hit theaters on May 21st, 1980, and the world was never quite the same. With its slightly darker yet faithful-to-the-original tone, well-written story and iconic plot twist, The Empire Strikes Back proved just how good a sequel can be, thus making sure that George Lucas's Star Wars wouldn't just be standalone hit but rather an epic franchise that works best as a whole.

Today, I'll be ranking all the Star Wars films (excluding the Holiday Special and Clone Wars movies for obvious reasons), and I want to start by saying that I honestly like all of them. Movie buffs, especially ones who spend time on the internet, will surely know just how toxic and hateful the Star Wars fandom often seems to be - in most of the rankings I've seen, the main point seems to be saying which films you hate the most and which ones ruined your childhood and destroyed everything about the original trilogy et cetera. I guess some fans love Star Wars so much that they wind up hating Star Wars. While I do like the original trilogy slightly more than the prequel/sequel trilogies, I find every single Star Wars film to be very enjoyable and a worthy addition to the franchise, and I've never really gotten why so many fans have reacted to them so aggressively.

Without further ado, here we go!

11. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

It's not as terrible as people make it out to be. Granted, it is a major step down from the quality of the original trilogy, and I can see how it would've felt disappointing to see in theaters when it came out after a 16-year hiatus and long-built hype. But still, I do believe A Phantom Menace has gotten way too much hate its way. Sure, the comic relief character Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best) gets quite overdone, the dialogue is often clunky, and the directorial choices feel a bit out of touch with the Star Wars world (which is weird, since this film was directed by original Star Wars director George Lucas). But beyond those flaws, I've found a lot to like in this film, and have therefore enjoyed watching it multiple times!

The prequel format in itself is a win, as it's fascinating to follow the Jedi Order in its glory, as well as the ominous rise of the Sith. While some of the supporting cast aren't that great, Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson are awesome as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and his mentor Qui-Gon Jinn. The mysterious Darth Maul makes for an interesting villain, and the final lightsaber fight is intense and well-choreographed, made infinitely better by the track Duel Of The Fates in John Williams's dramatic soundtrack. So, all in all, I find a lot of things worth defending in The Phantom Menace, while still putting it at the bottom of the barrel due to it admittedly having its share of flaws.

10. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones (2002)

The second film of the prequel trilogy is already a significant step into the right direction - the general atmosphere of the film simply feels a lot more Star Wars than The Phantom Menace did. This is especially apparent in Obi-Wan's storyline throughout the film, and in George Lucas's directing, as the feeling of fun space adventure in fantastical locations that I love in the original trilogy is once again present, especially when compared to the way Episode I just didn't get that quite right. Therefore, many of the first prequel's flaws are fixed, and at its best moments Episode II feels like a wonderful sci-fi adventure.

So it's a real shame that there's another side to that coin.

The reason for this film being only 10th on my list, despite its many victories, is the frankly quite awful storyline of Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Padme's (Natalie Portman) romance. There's nothing wrong with a good love story, but spending half of your movie with the romance of two people who have zero chemistry isn't a great idea. While Christensen and Portman are both very fine actors, their interactions in this film simply don't work, largely due to poorly written dialogue and lack of chemistry, which makes most of their scenes quite cringe-worthy to watch - Anakin's "I don't like sand" monologue is probably the most ridiculous moment in the entire franchise, although it has given birth to some good memes. Still, I'm a glass-half-full guy, so the film's many awesome qualities have more impact on me than the negative sides, therefore making this movie quite worth watching and likable as a whole.

9. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Solo is never a truly great Star Wars movie, nor does it try to be. Ron Howard set out to direct a thoroughly entertaining addition to the Star Wars universe, for those who love the character of Han Solo and want to see more of him, and in that he succeeded. While Harrison Ford's portrayal of the character is unmatched, Alden Ehrenreich is the next best thing and a very worthy actor to play a younger version of the character. I enjoy easter eggs and fan service in films, especially in franchise additions that are never meant to be all that serious, like this one - therefore it's very fun to see things like how Han Solo got his vest, how he met Chewbacca (played here by Finland's own Joonas Suotamo!) and how he got the Millennium Falcon. It's just a whole lot of fun.

The ensemble cast of the movie is a bit of a let-down - with actors as incredible as Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Paul Bettany and Thandie Newton, you'd expect a seriously memorable crew, but unfortunately their characters amount mainly to various generic sci-fi archetypes. An exception to that rule, however, is the young Lando Calrissian; Donald Glover is a pitch-perfect casting choice for his role, and his charismatic persona steals every scene he's in.

8. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

The first major Star Wars film not to be an "Episode" in the main saga but rather a one-off story to expand the universe, Rogue One strikes a perfect balance between feeling just enough like Star Wars while still being clearly different and not depending on the success of the previous films. This balance is inherent in all parts of the film - the opening doesn't feature the iconic yellow text crawl that all of the Star Wars Episodes do, but it does feature the film's logo in a similar font to strike a similar tone. The iconic line "I've got a bad feeling about this", which is spoken at least once in every Star Wars Episode, is half-spoken here, as a character is about to say it but gets cut off. Familiar characters from the other films appear, but only for small cameos, not to steal the show. And so this movie manages to please fans who wanted more Star Wars by having fun references to it, but also to please viewers who wanted something different, as the main focus is in the film's brand-new characters and the story never depends on said references.

The main characters aren't as amazing as the crew from the original Star Wars trilogy, but they're certainly better than Solo's original characters. Felicity Jones is decent as leading lady Jyn Erso, while Diego Luna is memorable as the brash Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk does a hilarious voice acting job as the droid K-2SO. Rogue One gets better throughout its runtime, with the clear highlight being the chain of unexpected events in the final 20 minutes or so. The film isn't a "must-watch" in order to understand the story of the Star Wars saga, but it's very much worth watching if you like the series and want more.

7. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

The most recent entry in the franchise, The Rise Of Skywalker makes for a very fine ending to the nine-episode Skywalker Saga. More or less the Avengers: Endgame of the Star Wars series, the film follows characters new and old all coming together in an ultimate showdown against antagonists Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid). Characters archs are fulfilled, closure is given to beloved characters, and every step of the journey is thoroughly entertaining.

The reason this is ranked lower than the other two films of the sequel trilogy is that parts of the film were a bit inconsistent and too pandering to fans; after Episode VIII - The Last Jedi was bombed by negative reviews, the writers went a bit too far into making this film different from it in order to please fans. Especially sidelining the character Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran) completely after she had become the subject of (often racist and sexist) criticism from fans was a real jerk move. Still, as a whole there was a lot more to like in this movie then to dislike, and I felt it was quite an awesome conclusion to the trilogy of new films, as well as the whole nine-episode saga.

6. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith (2005)

From a glass-half-empty point of view, I'm infuriated by this film, as it has the potential to be an absolute masterpiece yet is too flawed to be that. But luckily I'm not a very glass-half-empty person; as an optimist I hugely enjoy watching this film, because despite its flaws, there's so much to like that it has the potential of being a masterpiece!

Definitely the darkest Star Wars movie to date, this culmination of the prequel trilogy finally reveals how the downfall of the Jedi order, the rise of the Empire and the origin story of Darth Vader went down. Filled with interesting and gripping answers to long-awaited questions, the film does a great job with its pacing: the first act feels quite like a traditional Star Wars movie with its adventurous feeling and entertaining space battles, while the latter half of the movie gets downright heartbreaking with Anakin's storyline and the gut-wrenching Order 66 scene. Then there's the most dramatic lightsaber duel of the entire saga, fought to the backdrop of John Williams's equally dramatic music, and an epic final montage where all remaining major characters are seen winding up in their starting positions for the original trilogy.

The flawed parts that I mentioned are mainly in the often poorly written dialogue and clumsy acting that are a bit too present throughout the prequel trilogy - it certainly doesn't ruin the film for me, but it does keep it from being the masterpiece that the dark detailing of the Jedi Order's fall could have been. Still, most of the film is absolutely awesome, and it remains the highlight of the underrated (or rather over-hated) prequel trilogy!

5. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)

The second film of the sequel trilogy is a bold one. It does what Deep Space Nine did for Star Trek and what Game Of Thrones did to the fantasy genre: it challenges its very nature with a more complex and deep feel to it, yet still holds on to its essence without going too far. The Last Jedi is an untypical Star Wars movie as it questions the heroic legacy of the Jedi Order, presents Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as a regretful old man, and defies fan-service culture by not pandering to what fans wanted or expected, and rather taking the story in an unexpected direction.

But while it holds a mirror up to some aspects of the Star Wars world, Episode VIII still is, at its core, a great Star Wars movie: there are fun moments, cool adventures, lightsaber duels and themes of heroism that feel even more powerful and earned due to the film's psychologically complex nature. When a movie isn't all fun and games, the fun and games feel like a big payoff. The film's ending is also one of the best in the whole saga, sending a powerful message that everything isn't about the main heroes saving the rest of the universe but rather that every ordinary person has the potential to be something great and change the world.

4. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

The impression I get from internet comments and reviews is that Star Wars fans are supposed to either passionately hate Episode VII for being unoriginal and love Episode VIII for being bold, or to love Episode VII for feeling like classic Star Wars and passionately hate Episode VIII for not doing that. I never really understood that divide, as I hugely enjoy and respect both of these very different films in different ways. While I appreciate The Last Jedi's bold writing and creative new direction, I also appreciate The Force Awakens's nostalgic power and original trilogy-esque atmosphere.

Episode VII walks the tightrope of being a love letter to the original trilogy while also setting the stage for a whole new generation of Star Wars - and J.J. Abrams does a perfect job with this challenge. The original Star Wars films have such a special place in my heart that the sheer power of seeing the return of characters like Han Solo (Harrison Ford), hearing classic pieces from the soundtrack and having an atmosphere very similar to the original trilogy is amazing. But the film doesn't coast only on nostalgia - that's only an extra flavor to the main events of starting the new trilogy. We're introduced to fantastic new characters like Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega), as well as fleshed-out villain Kylo Ren who would go on to be a constant high point of the sequel trilogy. Add to this balance of old & new an ending scene even more epic and spine-chilling than that of The Last Jedi (or, in my opinion, any other Star Wars film), and you have quite a magnificent movie on your hands.

3. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

It's a classic and a masterpiece in its own category. It's one of the greatest sequels ever made. And while it's slightly edged out by the other two films of the original trilogy in my subjective opinion, I can still see why The Empire Strikes Back is often regarded as the greatest Star Wars movie.

Episode V does a magnificent job walking the tightrope of being different enough from its predecessor to be interesting yet similar enough to feel like a proper sequel. Irvin Kershner's brilliant directorial choices make the film feel darker than the original Star Wars as the story's stakes get higher, yet it isn't too dark or serious - the film also keeps a lot of the fun adventurous elements of the original film in its substance. The result is a near-perfect mixture of high-stakes drama, epic battles, cool action and unforgettable dialogue. The Star Wars world is expanded in fascinating ways with additions like fan-favorite character Yoda (Frank Oz), the ice planet Hoth, and of course the possibly most iconic movie plot twist of all time (I won't spoil it here in case a person who has lived under a rock for 40 years reads this).

2. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi (1983)

I have a huge soft spot for the final film of the original trilogy, which is generally considered to be the least good out of the three. This might have to do with my relationship with the franchise: my very favorite thing about Star Wars has always been the unique epic-yet-fun atmosphere. Some franchises, like The Lord Of The Rings or The Godfather trilogies, are more epic and high-stakes than they are purely fun, while others, like Back To The Future and the Marvel Cinematic Universe focus more on the fun, which draws slightly away from the dramatic scope. But no other franchise has nailed the combination of being staggeringly epic with larger-than-life themes and astronomical stakes, whilst simultaneously being filled to the brim with fun and zany elements and entertainment value, as perfectly as Star Wars - and that very phenomenon culminates in Episode VI.

The stakes have never been higher as they are in this film, with the Rebel Alliance taking its final stand against the Empire, and Luke Skywalker going up against the Emperor himself in a dark and grand standoff. But the fun part of the franchise is also more present than ever, with the adorable Ewoks of the forest moon Endor joining the story with their shenanigans. The combination of large, epic proportions and more cooled-down entertainment elements is perhaps at its best in a moment near the end of the film's first act, as the heroes escape from Jabba The Hutt's slave barge. The moment where R2-D2 sends Luke's lightsaber to its master in the nick of time, allowing him to escape, feels dramatic and game-changing while also being a cool action sequence that puts a smile on one's face. All in all, Return Of The Jedi perfects the franchise's signature atmosphere, while also serving as a great climax to the original trilogy's story.

1. Star Wars (Also known as Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope) (1977)

Like in many other cases (although definitely not all of them), the first one is the best when it comes to Star Wars. While not the first film in chronological story order, as witnessed by the "Episode IV" in its title, A New Hope was the first Star Wars film to ever be made, and many regard it to be one of the most important movies in modern cinematic history. It served as an absolute game-changer to the science fiction genre while also spawning a massive franchise and a dangerously passionate fan base, but its impact on the world isn't the reason for it being #1 on my list. The reason for that is that Star Wars is the greatest adventure movie of all time, and a perfect film in its own right.

Seriously, there's nothing wrong with this movie in my honest opinion. Every element, from George Lucas's creative directing and John Williams's masterful soundtrack to Harrison Ford's iconic role performance and the amusing dialogue between the main characters is perfection. If you're looking for a fun adventure film, with likable characters and a badass villain and cool moments, you can't do any better than this masterpiece. While the story is simpler than in many other Star Wars movies, it works as just that: it doesn't need to be the epic story of a fight for the fate of the universe, when it works so well as a fun story about a group of heroes on a fascinating mission.


Thank you for reading - may the force be with you! Next Thursday will be the first Thursday of June a.k.a. Pride Month, so I'll be releasing my list of the top 10 LGBTQ+ movies!