UPDATE: I wrote this list back in 2017, updated it for the new trilogy and republishing it for May the 4th 2023.
It’s May the 4th! Happy Star Wars Day to all who celebrate I went over and updated my all-time ranks of greatest Star Wars movies, which included the three trilogies and the two throwback stories.
As a warning, in case you didn’t think about it: SPOILERS AHEAD for a bunch of Star Wars movies! Don’t read further if you haven’t seen them yet!
Ready? OK. Let’s dive into these very definitive rankings, which are definitely correct (and also check out our rankings of the best lightsaber duels):
11. The Phantom Menace
Little future Darth Vader! Podracing! Jar Jar Binks! A confusing political plot! Midi-chlorians!
That about sums it up. Episode I was a massive disappointment, save for one terrific fight scene involving Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul that deserves to be in the all-time Star Wars highlight reel. Other than that, I think it’s consensus among fans that it’s the worst of the lot and didn’t bode well for the rest of the prequels.
10. Revenge of the Sith
Clunky dialogue (see below) and the “NOOOOOOOOOOOO” (also see below) heard ’round the galaxy mocked by countless fans were nails in the coffin. There’s a pretty good Yoda fight with Emperor Palpatine and some decent plot threads tied up, but otherwise, it was another disappointment.
9. Attack of the Clones
The sound that came out of the theater I was in when Yoda takes out his light saber was equivalent to Madison Square Garden during a 1990s Knicks-Bulls playoff series.
That didn’t completely save the best installment of the prequels, but it helped a lot, as did the plot that revealed how the Clone Wars began.
8. The Force Awakens
“Luke Skywalker has vanished.” That opening crawl gave me chills and set up for what was a really, really fun Star Wars movie. There were thrills, epic battle scenes, new, full characters with mystery to them, the return of fan favorites, a near-perfect ending and the right set-up for Episode VIII.
Now, all of that said, the criticism that it felt a whole lot like A New Hope was right on. There’s a Death Star-like weapon, a droid protecting some vital information, a young pilot on a desert planet who has no idea she can use The Force, a dude with a mask with an evil mentor guiding him … you get the idea. And that’s why it lands here, even though it was a great ride that was shot beautifully.
7. The Rise of Skywalker
We all had so many questions after the film (and quite a few before). But the biggest one was: what did we truly expect? We did get closure on the Skywalker saga, and although the first half of the film is clunky and uneven, the second half was epic. I happened to like Rey’s ending, even though getting there had its weird moments (bringing back Palpatine felt unnecessary, even if he might be a clone, and that Rey and Kylo Ben kiss was awkward), and the space battle was pretty wild.
Back to my first question, which I’m going to try to answer: we expected the door closing on a nine-chapter story. It wasn’t going to be easy to please the millions of fans and countless critics by putting on an additional ending onto a story that already ended. Overall, from this trilogy, we got our Millennium Falcon and Luke and Lando and Han and Chewie (HE GOT HIS MEDAL!) and even a farewell to Leia. We met some great new characters, too. As up and down as this movie and the other two felt, it was a fun ride. There’s a lot of value in that.
6. Solo
It’s a swashbuckling pirate story, told through the Star Wars lens, and that’s what makes it so fun. But there’s something about it that makes it land right in the middle. Maybe it’s because we actually get to see the Millennium Falcon do the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs, which turned out to be just okay, not much better than the line the scene was fashioned after. I did geek out to the appearance of Darth Maul and Donald Glover steals the show doing a terrific young Lando.
But it’s not as good as the other origin story on the list.
5. The Last Jedi
Although fans seemed to like The Force Awakens more, I think this is the better movie. It’s got more depth and feels like less of a New Hope reboot. The Luke plotline is a good one, right down to him Force projecting himself to “fight” Kylo and help the Resistance escape, a fitting end for him after his self-exile (although I bet we’ll get a good ol’ Force ghost visit in The Rise of Skywalker). There was an all-time great battle in which Rey and Kylo team up, and the scene in which Holdo uses a ship at light speed to destroy a First Order vessel is stunning.
I’m not sure the Canto Bight plot was necessary, but it was fun. And that little move at the end where the kid grabs a broom using the Force was subtle and good. So I’ll put it here.
4. Return of the Jedi
No, it’s not because of the Ewoks. I’m fine with those critters. It’s just not as good as the other three on the list. Maybe it’s because it hasn’t aged well now that we’re in an era when everything doesn’t get wrapped up happily ever after, or the over-the-top nature of that final Luke, Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine fight.
That said, it’s still an awesome movie. There’s so much to take in: The escape from Jabba the Hutt, the invasion of Endor, Darth Vader finding his soul and one more Death Star blow-up.
3. Rogue One
If it wasn’t a Star Wars tale, it would still be an amazing movie. But add in the fact that it’s what leads up to the very first moments of A New Hope and it’s that much better. And remember what I just said about Return of the Jedi? It was far from a tidy ending, one that was downright depressing.
Rogue One is the closest thing we’ve seen to A New Hope from the dialogue to the acting, with the feel and pacing of a World War II film.
And holy cow, that finale! Emotional and a nod to the fans, who could see the moment (a digital version of) young Princess Leia gets the Death Star plans. Bravo.
2. The Empire Strikes Back
I know. It’s everybody’s No. 1. And there’s good reason for it: Luke Skywalker’s training is iconic, the Leia/Han/droids/Chewbacca storyline is soul-crushing, and there’s one of the all-time craziest revelations in film history. There’s also serious drama — will any of our heroes survive?
But let me tell you why it’s not No. 1.
1. A New Hope
Do you remember the feeling you had when you first saw the original Star Wars? I do. It was euphoria. I’m not old enough to have seen it in the theaters, but I understood right away what it must have been like. Looking back and realizing what special effects has done to the film industry, it’s even more of a miracle how incredible A New Hope is.
The Empire Strikes Back takes all of that and elevates it to dramatic new heights. But we wouldn’t have loved it so much if we all didn’t fall for the original.