All Star Wars Movies Ranked

Welcome back to a new ranking everybody and this one will be tying into the latest review I published which was as you can tell a Star Wars movie. Now I might as well and go ahead and share my thoughts on the other movies of the franchise from worst to best. I’ve stated many times that Star Wars is probably my favorite franchise and it means a lot to me so naturally I would go into one having high expectations. From their stories of good vs. evil, light saber battles, iconic characters, creative world building and more its not hard to see why this series has inspired so many people. Its also one that has divided many fans and it unfortunately has one of the most toxic fan-bases out there. Its a little bit of a shame seeing so many people hating on the series so this list is a perfect opportunity to look at both what works really well about the movies and what could use some improving. So with that in mind let’s journey once again through the different eras of a galaxy far far away in this ranking of all 12 theatrical Star Wars movies (not counting those straight to TV Ewok specials)!

12. Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Now this is an interesting one to look back upon because this was originally going to air on TV as a multi episode pilot for the Clone Wars animated series. But then George Lucas decided to release it in theaters and just combine all of the episodes into one movie. Admittedly releasing the pilot for an upcoming series like this is not a bad idea, unfortunately though how this movie made it to theaters is more interesting than the actual movie itself. The whole movie just feels like a bunch of episodes stitched together and while I admit it was somewhat cohesive, the problem is the story just is presented isn’t very interesting. It basically concerns Anakin getting an apprentice (fan favorite Asoka Tano), and them trying to find Jabba the Hutt’s son and return him before the Separatist frame the Jedi for kidnapping the huttlet, and kill him while their at it. It’s a pretty standard adventure with very little at stake and is mostly a bore to sit through. The animation was also a mixed bag as the movements felt very robotic in the action sequences and it doesn’t do a great job at showing the emotions of the characters (though it vastly improves in the show at least) and there isn’t anything too interesting going on in terms of character work (the whole master-apprentice plot-line with Anakin, and Asoka is mostly generic here though again is vastly improved in the series). There are some bright spots though like the action sequence where the heroes are climbing the cliff while being bombarded by enemies is pretty creative, the voice acting is solid all around (with Christopher Lee, and Samuel L. Jackson reprising their roles as Count Dooku, and Mace Windu respectively), the battle droids are funny comic relief, Asoka is presented pretty well, and its not painful to sit through. Still though at best its merely a mediocre movie that paved the way for a terrific series (if you didn’t see the series because you didn’t like the movie then that is a pity).

11. Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones

My least favorite of the prequel trilogy and one that is considered by many to be the worst live action Star Wars movie and I agree with that sentiment. It’s got a lot of the common criticisms associated with the prequels like some terrible dialogue (Less we talk about Anakin’s disdain for sand the better), wooden performances from a couple of the actors, an overuse of CGI, and slow pacing among other issues. Though I think what really hurts it more than anything is the fact that the romance between Anakin, and Padme is just such awful chore to sit through and the fact that it takes up a lot of the movie doesn’t help. I just didn’t really care for them as a couple and Hayden Christensen, and Natalie Portman just have no chemistry here whatsoever. If they gave better performances, and if the relationship was stronger than it would have benefited the movie greatly. Also out of all of the movies in the trilogy this one is where the CGI is the most noticeable and distracting like in the third act with all of the clones and the battle of Geonosis being the biggest offender as it looks more like a video game than anything else and it hasn’t really aged too well. Still though there are a number of things in this movie that do work quite well. It does add to the mythology of the series (like Sifo Dyas and the clone army), its important in setting up the Clone Wars, lots of creative new planets and creatures, most of the action is fun (the first act speeder chase, the dog fight between Obi Wan, and Jango Fett, the Jedi fight in the arena, Dooku vs, Yoda, etc.), Ewan McGregor is great as Obi Wan once again, Christopher Lee as Count Dooku makes for an interesting baddie, and there are some surprisingly powerful moments that do work like when Anakin finds his mom. To be honest if the romance had been done better, and some of the other problems were ironed out, this could’ve been a very good Star Wars movie but it still is an enjoyable enough installment even though it, and the Clone Wars movie are the ones I’m least likely to re watch.

10. Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace

Ah this movie. The one that was so fevorously anticipated at the time of its release that has now gone on to develop an infamous reputation as one of the most hated big movies ever. Yet we seem to forget that it was actually not terribly received at the time and remains among the leggiest Star War movies in terms of box office ($431 million from a $64 million 3 day without the 2011 3-D re issue). Also re watching it now, its actually not too bad. Now I may be a little more kinder to this movie since it was the one to introduce me to Star Wars (the re issue in theaters is when my interest really spurred) and I do have fond memories of it. But again like Attack of the Clones its dialogue can be really cringe worthy at times as can some of the humor, some of the special effects work hasn’t aged too well, and there are times where it just drags making the pacing feel very uneven at times. That and most of the performances are mostly wooden (but that is no good excuse to bully poor Jake Lloyd), though there are a lot more highlights here than in Attack of the Clones. For one I really liked Liam Neeson as Qui Gon as well as Ewan McGregor as Obi Wan and their mentor mentee relationship, it does present some creative world building, and ideas as we are introduced to new planets like Naboo, and Coruscant, and some intereting concepts like the galactic senate, and the Jedi council (I’m mostly indifferent to midi chlorians weirdly enough) which is one of my favorite aspects about Star Wars in general. Its also got some amazing action sequences that still hold up to this day and are among the best of the franchise like the underwater seamonster chase in Naboo, the Pod race, and of course the battle of Naboo which contains one of my favorite lightsaber battles in Qui Gonn, and Obi Wan vs. Darth Maul (who is introduced here, which is of course a plus) and one of my favorite musical compositions with “Duel of Fates” (which can only be described as EPIC). So yeah taken on its own terms its a pretty decent adventure movie that delivers what you’d want from a Star Wars movie and I don’t think its nearly as bad as many have claimed it is. Far from the best but still an enjoyable ride (oh and I’m just going to say it, Jar Jar is not nearly as annoying as everyone thinks he is, and he’s not even in the movie that much after his introduction so I’ve always found that to be a bit of an over exaggeration).

9. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

I’ll keep this own brief since I just posted my full length review recently. To be honest I actually enjoy this, and Phantom Menace about the same as to me their both flawed yet enjoyable adventures. Yes it’s got a lot of issues with its narrative, script, pacing, and its constant (and frankly unnecessary because the movie probably would have made a lot of money no matter what story choices were made) retconning of the Last Jedi plot turns. But it finds its footing in the middle and still has what audiences would want from a Star Wars movie like themes of good vs. evil, exciting action sequences, beautiful visuals, John Williams score, and it ends pretty well. The main reason why I put it over Episode I is mainly because this a better acted film, and it the comedy was much better utilized here I feel (and no its not entirely Jar Jar that I’m talking about). Still though while their not my favorite Star Wars flicks of the bunch I still find them worth watching at least once.

8. Solo: a Star Wars Story

On the surface a Han Solo origin story seems pretty unnecessary, and would probably not be high on the kinds of spin offs fans would want to see happen. While that may be true, at least the finished product turned out to be really enjoyable from beginning to end. Solo may not aspire to reach the heights that some of the other movies in the saga have, and is much smaller in terms of scale but that’s okay because it really doesn’t need to. It’s more focused on entertaining more than anything and it works very well as a solid space western that happens to take place in the Star Wars universe. It does feel uneven in places, and I would argue that that certain parts felt rushed (the first act in particular), it answers questions that we really didn’t need answers to (though how Han got his name did get a chuckle from me) and there were certain characters that I would’ve liked to have seen more of yet it makes up for it thanks to a solid turn by Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, some great interactions between Han, and Chewbacca, a game supporting cast (Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Paul Bettany, and more turn in memorable performances), lots of fun and creative action sequences (the train heist, and the escape on the Falcon being the best ones), a nice score from John Powell, and some genuinely interesting plot turns throughout. Overall I really did have a fun time with this one and I appreciate of different it is from the rest in terms of tone, and scale. Its a shame that it bombed hard at the box office (largely due to the re shoots making the budget so darn high) and I really got to hand it to Ron Howard for making a cohesive product under these strange circumstances. Still though I am glad to see more people taking a liking to it which is always nice.

7. Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi

Now this is where the ranking got a little difficult for me to do considering I like these next 4 entries about the same so it is essentially one very big coin on which one I like the most and I do really love all them very much but I think I’m satisfied with how I ranked them nevertheless. But as for the Return of the Jedi its easily the weakest of the original trilogy for me at least. Looks like history really did repeat itself with Rise of Skywalker and it does share some problems with that one. Namely that the pacing can be a little uneven and it is a bit messy as it goes from one situation from the next like how we go from saving Han from Jabba the Hutt to visiting the Ewoks on Endor to the final battle on the Second Death Star. It also plays things a little more safer than Empire Strikes Back and you can tell Harrison Ford really didn’t want to be there (he actually wanted Han to die) and his performance isn’t great (as is Carrie Fisher’s unfortunately). But this still works as a satisfying trilogy capper as all of the story lines I mentioned above are entertaining in their own way (Jabba’s palace has some refreshingly weird imagery, and the sail barge fight is fun while the climax is arguably among the best in the series), the action sequences are pretty terrific with the dog fights being the best yet, the Ewoks are harmless and not nearly as bad as most say, Mark Hamill is great as is Ian McDiarmid as the Emperor, and everything is concluded nicely with the relationship between Luke, and Darth Vader being handled extremely well. This placing of this one here may be controversial but that doesn’t really matter as I still really enjoy it and it just so happens I like the next four a little bit more.

6. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Oh boy here comes the angry mob who just won’t shut up about how terrible this film is. To be honest I frankly don’t get why people just love constantly trashing this one. Sure it does have some pacing problems, it can be a bit messy, there are some tonal inconsistencies, and I do wasn’t a big fan of Admiral holdo as a character (still feel like it should’ve been Ackbar instead) but really if it those things were done a little bit better this would’ve been in the top 5 (or maybe even top 3) for certain as it is a more than worthy sequel to the Last Jedi that expands the universe and takes it in some interesting, new directions. It doesn’t play things safe with its story with certain reveals that will not please everyone (I myself didn’t mind them too much as I’ve come to appreciate the choices more), and its uncommonly tragic, and dark blockbuster that kind of critiques Star Wars as a franchise and is a powerful mediation on failure and how to overcome it and become better as well as never losing sign of hope even in the most dire of situations. Even with that though it still delivers what anyone would want from Star Wars with gorgeous visuals, and cinematography (even if you don’t like it you should at least appreciate the craftsmanship on display), epic action sequences (the thrown room fight is a favorite), great interactions between characters (Finn, and Rose work well together), phenomenal acting throughout (Mark Hamill gives his best live action performance ever and I love what was done with Luke here), strong character development for the cast, and heck it even works as a satisfying endpoint for the series in an interesting way. I still admire its ambitions and while its not always successful in areas it still is a film that I feel gets better and better on a re watch.

5. Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith

I really struggled over this spot because I love both Last Jedi, and Revenge of the Sith very much and I think their both equally good. But the reason I went with Episode III is the fact that I was expecting Last Jedi to at least be a worthy follow up to the previous film, but with this one it shockingly ended up being the best of the prequel trilogy by a mile! Yes I know some of the dialogue doesn’t quite work and yes some of the acting can be a bit stiff while like Last Jedi it too can have its fair share of pacing problems. But it is a more focuses film and is also an uncommonly tragic, and somber blockbuster that is absolutely not afraid to go into some dark places (its the first Star Wars to go out with a PG-13 and for good reason) with the events of Order 66 marking a huge turning in the galaxy, and the transformation of Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader is powerful stuff as well (Hayden Christensen’s performances is also a lot better as is the romance with Padme which helps). It’s also got some other great performances from Ewan McGregor, and Ian McDiarmid, its the best looking of the prequels for sure with well utilized CGI that looks gorgeous at times, some incredible actions sequences from the opening battle of Coruscant to Obi Wan Vs. Grevious on Utapau to Yoda against the Emperor to the epic final showdown between Anakin, and Obi Wan, a lot of interesting additions to the mythology, a powerful ending that wraps everything up nicely, and some sadly relevant politics that makes the film hold up very well to this day. This is the prequel that you hear people trash the least which makes me happy since it means people do appreciate this film as it is a nice swan song for George Lucas directing a Galaxy Far Far away…

4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

This was Disney’s first attempt to make a theatrical Star Wars spin off and it certainly did not disappoint in my eyes. More so than the others this one really emphasizes the war in Star Wars as it legitimately fells like a war movie that just so happens to take place in the Star Wars universe thanks to the overall bleaker tone, and action sequences. While it can drag at certain points, and some of the Easter eggs are a little distracting (though I will admit there were some that got a nice smile from me) it still remains an engaging, and thoughtful movie throughout its runtime. Like I said its a very different Star Wars movie which helps make it stand out from the pack and it is really powerful in its examination on the horrors of war and what it can make people do but also how it can inspire those who are willing to stand up for what is right together in order to ignite that spark of hope. It also succeeds greatly as a full on action movie with some phenomenal battle sequences that range from blaster battles to dog fights and the third act is worth the price of admission alone as it is nearly perfect in how in wraps things up and ties into A New Hope. Its also got some great new characters played by some great actors like Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso, Diego Luna as Cassain Andor, Alan Tudyk K2-SO (hilarious by the way), Riz Ahmid as Bodhi, Donnie Yen as Chirrut, Jiang Wen as Baze, and Ben Mendelsohn who makes for an interesting baddie as Director Krennic. It also even explains a long unanswered plot hole from A New Hope and brings us probably the best Darth Vader scene ever. I’ve always felt this one to be a little underappreciated but I am glad to see that more are starting to take a liking to it as it is a truly great Star Wars flick.

3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Again it was tough to ranks these last couple of entries given that I like them all about the same but my memories of the lead up to this movie and seeing was kind of a deal breaker for me at least. I remember being hyped like nothing else before when I heard this movie was in development and I would wait patiently for 3 years until it finally came out. I would get the toys, and watch the trailers, and I really didn’t really know what to expect which was refreshing. Also for that short period of time it felt great to see everyone excited, and talking about Star Wars in a positive light (then of course the years after would happen…). I may not have seen it opening weekend but I avoided spoilers until I did see it and I was not disappointed. Yes I know it follows a very similar structure to A New Hope and it could be seen as playing it safe but it is still a very well executed adventure on its own terms and introduces a brand new generation to Star Wars which is always awesome. Its a beautiful movie to look at with a perfect mix of CGI, and practical effects, the cast is dynamite making these new characters into their own and making them memorable and compelling, the humor is spot on, there is of course some fun action beats, Harrison Ford makes a great comeback to one of his most iconic roles, its not afraid to get pretty dark (the opening seige on Jakku, and the fact that an evil like the First Order can still come back after the Empire years later) and overall its just a blast of a movie that just puts a big smile on my face whenever I watch it. While it may not be as deep as the last couple of entries its still a great sci fi fantasy with a lot of effort put into it and it makes me think of a better time for this franchise without all of the constant hating.

2. Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope

Ah the one that started it all! The blockbuster that became a pop cultural phenomena over night despite production troubles, and constant ridicule. This a movie that inspired an entire generation of moviegoers and filmlovers and frankly its not hard to see why. Its a got a simple yet powerful story of good vs. evil, groundbreaking special effects for its time (which arguably still look good today), an instantly recognizable cast of characters like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Obi Wan Kenobi, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Chewbacca, and equally iconic villain in Darth Vader who is now considered one of the best characters of all time, a deluge of quotable dialogue, and moments that have cemented them into the pop culture landscape, the clever, and creative world building with all of the alien creature introduced, and the fact that a movie of this size, and scale could be made thus starting a brand new era of film-making. It truly is a groundbreaking feature and it was without a doubt a turning point for cinema. Not much else to say that hasn’t been said about this one as it is still an engaging piece of fantasy to this day.

and my number 1 favorite Star Wars movie is…

Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back

Is there any doubt about it? Like A New Hope is there anything about this acclaimed sequel that hasn’t been said before. This is the textbook example of how to do a sequel the right way. It expands on the story, and characters taking them in new directions while also keeping in tact what made us fall for them in the first place. It is not afraid to go into some dark places and even has one heck of a bleak ending. It becomes a little more than good vs. evil this time around as themes, and narrative are little more complex, yet still successfully handled in that Star Wars way. The scale is bigger with brand new planets to visit, the action works on both a technical and emotional level (the final battle between Luke, and Vader is a classic, while the siege on Hoth, and the asteroid field chase are really exciting, and intense), the character work is superb, we are introduced to iconic new players like Yoda, and Lando Calrissian, the special effects still hold up, the stakes are even higher, and it contains one of the best twists ever conceived (which I think we all know what it is). This is easily one of my favorite sequels, but also one of my favorite films period. There may never be a Star Wars film as good as this and you know what? That’s totally okay as long as they continue to entertain.

So that’s a wrap on my ranking of the Star Wars movies! Some of these choices weren’t too surprising while others may have been really surprising (which is why rankings can be fun to read). Overall we’ve got one I don’t care for, one that’s fine I guess, two that are mostly enjoyable, one that is really good, five that are great, and two that are outright classic. I’d say that’s a big success in my book and I am certainly curious to see what else is in store for my favorite movie franchise and it was nice looking back on them and seeing what worked and what didn’t. Even with all the hate surrounding Star Wars I will continue to have fondness for it no matter what and that’s a darn great compliment to give to a long running series just as this I’d say. Anyway please go on and share your rankings down below so we can see what you agree or disagree with me on as I do love me a good discussion.

Leave your thoughts down below and see you guys later!