rank all the star wars movies

[Ken Gargett]

rather surprisingly, i reckon that they have done very well - although there are plenty of the "lesser" and weird ones i have not seen. but 1, 2, 3 are spot on. 

what this list does do is remind you that there really are not more than three decent films in the entire series. granted those top couple are brilliant but a lot of duds.

 

Every Star Wars film – ranked!

Star Wars

Ranked

From the saga’s debut in 1977 to this month’s Solo and (almost) everything in between, we rank 14 of the Star Wars films and spin-offs

14. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

What a disaster. Never was so much anticipation and excitement loaded into a single movie, which shortly after its release in 1999 became known as A New Crushing of Hope. This monumentally obtuse and dull prequel episode utterly failed to answer 15 years’ worth of what-happened-next? (or is that what-happened-before?) excitement, and featured the intensely annoying – and borderline offensive – character Jar Jar Binks.

13. Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure (1984)

Warwick Davis plays Wicket the Ewok on his home turf, the forest moon of Endor, in this TV movie. He helps two orphaned human siblings, Mace and Cindel, find their abducted parents. Burl Ives narrates.

12. Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985)

A classy cast, including Siân Phillips, arguably gives this movie the creative edge over the first Ewok-centred film. Cindel, the orphaned girl from that film, reappears to help the Ewoks against marauders.

 Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, one of two Return of the Jedi spin-offs. Photograph: Allstar/Lucasfilm

11. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

An animated feature-length one-off that spawned six seasons of a TV series. Set between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, this drama recounts the story of Jedi knights Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, and their command of a clone army in the war with the Separatists. Lively appearances from Yoda and Jabba the Hutt.

10. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The third in the prequel trilogy has its defenders, perhaps due to the fact that it brings the threads of a big, baggy story together and creates the origin-myth moment for Darth Vader. The flawed, unhappy Jedi, Anakin Skywalker, is drawn into the ambit of Chancellor Palpatine/Darth Sidious, and a great villain is born. Anakin will often tilt his head down and look up, in an awful parody of coyness.

9. Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

This is the best of the prequel trilogy, due to the appearance of Christopher Lee. He plays the wicked renegade Jedi, Count Dooku, who has a mano-a-mano confrontation with Yoda, which is nothing if not very good value. There are some spectacular battle set pieces that still stand up, especially on the big screen.

8. The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

The invention of YouTube in 2005 gave an official recognition to the existence of the bizarrely misjudged one-off Star Wars variety “special” transmitted once in 1978 and then never again. For years, a sheepish George Lucas pretty much tried to manipulate fans into thinking they had dreamed it. Everyone hated the Holiday Special at the time, for its jarringly wrong humour’n’music approach – especially the bizarre beginning scenes with Chewie’s family. But it is now regarded with affection for its ingenuous enthusiasm, comedy and energy. These were, after all, the same factors that made the first film, released just a year previously, such a success.

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

Set just before the events of Episode IV, this shows a group of rebels on a mission to steal the plans for the Death Star, featuring Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, a known anti-Empire activist sprung from incarceration by the Rebel Alliance. It is notable for using state-of-the-art technology to bring old characters back to life – and digitally refabricate the youthful look of the actors from the original. As well as, Rogue One features some acting heavyweights, such as Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn and Donnie Yen, giving it extra ballast.

 Felicity Jones as Rogue One’s Jyn Erso. Photograph: AP

6. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

For pure spectacle, scale and giganticism, The Last Jedi scores heavily and it is a very enjoyable and watchable episode – although disliked by some fans for the way it treated the return of Luke Skywalker, whose cameo at the end of The Force Awakens had been so weirdly moving. Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron and John Boyega’s reformed stormtrooper, Finn, are solid male leads and Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose is a scene-stealer. But the movie belongs to Adam Driver’s tremendous, mercurial villain, Kylo Ren.

5. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

This excellent film, directed by Ron Howard, is shaping up to be one of the most underrated in the entire Star Wars series, an episode crammed with the spirit of the original trilogy. Alden Ehrenreich is excellent as young Han Solo; arrogant, secretly unconfident and idealistic. He faces off with another handsome nogoodnik: the dandyish Lando Calrissian, played with great style by Donald Glover. It is this confrontation that brings us into contact with the Millennium Falcon. It has a great meet-cute between the eponymous hero and Chewie, while Game of Thrones’s Emilia Clarke is fantastic as Qi’ra, who holds Solo under her spell.

4. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

The last of the original trilogy, a film with a mighty storytelling blast in which Luke struggles to bring his father back to the light side of the force, and in which Darth Vader’s famous black mask is finally removed, at the end of a climactic and redemptive battle scene, revealing the face of English actor Sebastian Shaw. This is the film in which Luke grasps the truth about his relationship with Princess Leia – and it’s when Leia wears her famous, or notorious, gold bikini.

3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

This episode is basically an inspired fanfiction remix of A New Hope, but none the worse for that; it was the film that redelivered the saga to its audience on a tidal wave of joy and love. And when Han and Chewie came back on the screen, I felt something I hadn’t experienced since childhood – not knowing whether to burst into tears or applause.

2. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

Here it is: the original and (almost) best – known, of course, then merely as Star Wars – a sci-fi spectacular that moved away from the dystopia and dissonance of movies such as Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and instead drew on the all but forgotten memories of Saturday morning movie serials, westerns, The Dam Busters and Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress, whose landscapes the Star Wars saga went on to use, repeatedly, for almost 40 years. Alec Guinness was the Zen figure of Ben Kenobi/Obi-Wan, a young Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford were glorious as the romantic/action leads, and Mark Hamill was the movie’s innocent epicentre as Luke.

 Luke Skywalker and Yoda during The Empire Strikes Back’s training sequence on Dagobah. Photograph: Allstar/Cinetext/Lucasfilm

1. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

This recreated the impact of the first movie, but built on it, revealing that George Lucas had in mind an epic, in fact potentially limitless narrative framework. It’s the movie in which the spirit of Obi-Wan tells Luke to pursue his great destiny by training under the Jedi master Yoda, whose eccentric grammar became one of the saga’s most endearing features. And this film contains the titanic battle between Luke and Darth Vader, climaxing in one of the most shatteringly Freudian moments in pop culture history, the much misquoted line: “No, I am your father.”

 

[irratebass]

My order:

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

 

Never seen the others, however Clone Wars are on my list in Netflix

 

 

[TNT009]

Only cared about the first 3... Cant get into the new stuff!

[luv2fly]

Original 3 and Rogue One.  The rest didn't blow my skirt up.  Have not seen Solo.  

[Stump89]

I've seen most of them, but Empire Strikes Back is still the best for me.  I think Rogue One was the best new entry in the series, but Solo looks pretty cool.

[IronW]

Empire Strikes Back is arguably the best in the series. As far as the new stuff,  Rogue one was damn good, force awakens was ok but unoriginal, and I have really mixed feelings about the last Jedi. I still need to go see Solo ...

[ayepatz]

1. Empire.

2. All the rest.

[99call]

Wow wow wow, what about the "Vader Sessions"!???  the most underrated of all the Star Wars Movies

 

[Ken Gargett]

i am old enough to remember the massive impact that the original made. huge. 

could not see it beaten. then empire came out and was an even better flick, although it could never replicate the originality. 

since then, daylight. 

[Buck14]

Empire Strikes Back is one of the five best movies of all time!

(end of list)

[luckme10]

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)

The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

 

If you include the phantom edit movies then I would place episodes 1-3 all above disney's star wars films.

[Fuzz]

Rank the Star Wars movies? Before or after Lucas tampered with the theatrical release?

[Kaptain Karl]

1. Empire 

2. A new hope. 

3. Rouge One (the last scene is the best Star Wars scene...just epic) 

4. Revenge of the Sith. 

5. Return of the Jedi 

6. The force awakens 

7. Attack of the clones

Tied 8. The last Jedi 

Tied 8. Phantom menace 

I was shocked by how freaking awful The Last Jedi was, especially after how fantastic Rouge One was. It’s amazing how many blunders have been made in the star wars franchise and how popular it still is 

[cigcars]

       The ONLY reason I ever saw any Star Wars movie was because the group I was with (in the military) all wanted to go see it, so as I was with them whether I wanted to or not - that was where everybody went. No opinion on them except for the one where Billy Dee Williams (*whistle whistle  ) was in it. Can't really tell you too much about part 1 and whatever. THEY enjoyed it, I couldn't give a damn. Even so I'm happy for all the rest of you who enjoy this ehm, item. Something for everyone, no doubt. 

[Monterey]

Empire was the best during it's time.  The original great plot twist.  Now when I watch it, the plot twist "I am your father" is lame and Mark H. has horrible acting skills during that part (he was never good, but he was especially bad in that scene).   Empire has dropped significantly in my list and is probably in the middle.  I don't really have a rank order but given time, Empire will probably be second last in a few years.  Right above Star wars 1/Phantom Menace.

[soutso]

What else is there to say?

[ayepatz]

At the risk of unleashing hell by mentioning Star Trek on this thread, I can’t help comparing the reboots of both series. For my money, the new Trek movies have far more successfully balanced the whole re-invention/please-the-oldies dilemma than the Wars movies.

Also, The Last Jedi is AT LEAST as bad as Star Trek V. That, if nothing else, had Shatner.

Ane one should always remember (and this, I feel, should be a maxim) that bad Shatner is always better than no Shatner.

[SmokenWhisky]

Empire. New Hope. Return Jedi. Force Awakens. Rogue One. Attack of the Clones. Revenge of the Sith. Last Jedi. Ewok movies. Phantom Menace. 

I've yet to see the Solo movie but the trailers look pretty good.  

[Ken Gargett]

there does seem to be a general consensus that empire and new hope (known to us oldies as star wars) are 1 and 2. good result. for me, any film that ranks below return is not worth watching. and there are a lot of them.

best part of force awakens is the daniel craig cameo. the things you get to do if you are bond. 

[godpheonix]

What really truly pissed me off with the new trilogy is the fact that with all that time since the original trilogy, they couldn't think of doing some more original? use their imagination? I mean the Force Awakens is basically a modern rewrite of a New Hope and the last Jedi, well that's a mishmash of scenes from the main trilogy....badly done! And i have a very bad feeling we're gonna see a similar lack of Originality\imagination with the last part, since JJ Abrams who helped write and directed TFA is doing the last part. still can't believe its the same man who wrote and directed the new star trek(2009) film which was great!

Which brings me to the second part of this subject. I have to at least give a nod to George Lucas for doing at least a more original story line for the prequels and not just copying off the main trilogy. If only he would of givin the directorial reigns to a better director!

With that said, here's my ranking:

1 - Empire Strikes Back

2- A new Hope

3 - Rogue One

4 - Revenge of the Sith

5 - Attack of the Clones

6 - Return of the Jedi ( except for the start and the final scenes, the rest for me as always been "meh")

7 - the Force Awakens

8 - Phantom Menace

9 - the last Jedi ( it should be in last place because its got an awful story! its almost as if Disney tried to pull a fast one on us after they got away with flying colors with TFA ...just terrible!)