With the release of the brand new trailer for Rogue One a few days ago, I thought I’d create a ranked list of this amazing collection of films to get us all hyped up and into the spirit of Star Wars. To be honest, I actually didn’t watch any of the movies until last year. Pressured into it, I finally caved in and sat through the first one. The following day, I had watched them all! I couldn’t believe what I had missed out on as many of my friends would just have to hear the words “Star Wars” and cringe in fear!
But that just goes to show you shouldn’t listen to others and form your own opinion, which is why I can whole-heartedly say I’m a massive fan now. A little late to the party, but as they say, “Better late than never”. Just also wanted to mention that I do like all the movies below, but prefer certain ones to others.
The list does contain spoilers so if for any reason you've never watched them before, be warned of that.
So, here’s my list of ranked Star Wars movies starting with...
(7) Episode I – The Phantom Menace
The one I found least entertaining even though I love the franchise as a whole has to be The Phantom Menace. Filled with political rhetoric and grand CGI vistas, I feel it comes across as more of a theatrical showpiece than a serious continuation in the Star Wars saga. It doesn’t really have to be said, but Jar Jar Binks did annoy me terribly as I’m sure was the norm for most people.
It is a shame that this movie came across the way it did as it was the first major release since Return of the Jedi way back in 1983 and expectations were at an all-time high. It would also prove to be a career crushing role for young Mr. Jake Lloyd (aka young Anakin Skywalker) who all but disappeared from the movie scene after that “wooden-esque” performance.
However it was not all bad. Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson put in rather good counterparts as Obi-Wan Kenobi and his teacher, Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn. I also particularly loved the fight between them and the ultra-cool Darth Maul as well as the pod race sequence. Special effects were amazing and, after all, it was a great feeling to once again see the famous Star Wars crawl on the screen after what must have seemed like an eternity for the fans.
So, all in all, not a bad attempt by any means, but quite a way away from a good one too. A middle-of-the road movie at best coming in at a distance last place.
(6) Episode II – Attack of the Clones
The follow-up to the previous movie is ironically also the next on my list too. Expanding to some degree on what was initially set up in The Phantom Menace, we get to see an older Anakin Skywalker but possibly not more annoying than his previous iteration. However, that’s up for debate, lol. The other actors who reprised their respective roles did so very well, I thought, and helped somewhat redeem Hayden Christensen’s performance.
It’s basically part love story part action adventure, so like before, I'm kind of split on this one too. We find out more about the rising conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Separatists. Again, quite a lot of political satire at play here. We also get our first glimpse at the clone army and which is admittedly quite cool, but more of a distraction from the character development you were hoping for from our main protagonists. Also worth mentioning is the romantic subplot Between Anakin and Padme which plays out as more of a hindrance than help the movie along. Some of those parts I felt were downright cringe worthy.
Nonetheless, it is enjoyable enough for what it is and the action set pieces and special effects, especially towards the end, provide some entertainment, albeit on quite a superficial level. Yoda's battle scene is either a "love it or hate it" type affair. A slightly above average movie, at best.
(5) Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
Originally called, Revenge of the Jedi, this movie again split the fans. While it is part of the original (arguably superior) trilogy, it is widely regarded as the weakest link from those movies. The Ewoks being the prime suspect in this case. This hearkens back to many fans annoyed with George Lucas for his attempts at humour and comedy at the expense of timing and development of the actual plot.
Whilst I will never be able to experience the hype and movie build up back when it was first released to the general public in 1983, it does not seem to have aged well, as opposed to its other two counterparts. Basically tying up the events of the Star Wars saga up until that point, it took place mainly within the forest of Endor instead of in space, although there were a few battles that I found were particularly memorable towards the end.
But the exoneration of Anakin was a little conveniently set up I felt. Add to that, the constant toing and froing between the battle of Endor, the dogfight in space and the final fight between Luke and Darth Vader, distracted the viewer too much from focusing on just one main story-line. It made the narrative feel a little disjointed if you like.
However, the stellar cast together with their already established and beloved characters more than made up for these minor quibbles. The second Death Star subplot, though copied-and-pasted from Episode IV, also proved an exhilarating and exciting finale that puts this movie easily above average and ranked fifth on the list.
(4) Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
I think fans were quite surprised as to how well this movie turned out. Though still having my reservations about Hayden, the movie had a good flow and pace to it. Seeing the final transformation from good to evil for Anakin was actually quite disturbing, especially considering the slaughter of all those younglings. Quite a dark turn of events. Maybe this was George Lucas acting in retaliation against all the negativity hurled at him for being too family friendly with his directorial handiwork.
Regardless, it proved a satisfying enough conclusion to the second trilogy (the first trilogy if you look at it sequentially, lol) though I did feel the end fight between Anakin and Obi-Won did go on a little longer than I would have expected it to. But the emotional chemistry was definitely on point throughout. The plodding theatrics of the first two had died out as this was as “in your face” as George Lucas was willing to get without crossing into dangerous territory. From his perspective anyways, lol.
Let’s face it, in The Empire Strikes Back, the dark side won. In this, to some degree, the dark side also came out victorious. So, I guess the studio felt that if this is what audiences wanted to see, then let’s give them what they want. Even Master Yoda got a pasting from the newly created Emperor, as their battle was also very well staged I thought.
Episode III was positively received by critics and deservedly so. A solid note to finish on and a proud addition to the Star Wars universe.
(3) Episode VII – The Force Awakens
The latest release, this time from a new set of creators at Disney Studios, was a mega smash hit. The highest earning movie of all time, which doesn’t shock me in the least if you look at the hype machine that drove it forward for months on end. The end result was a great, if not outstanding, achievement.
Re-treading old ground with a tried and tested formula that sparked off the cinematic atom bomb that is Star Wars, this movie was treated with the respect and attention to detail that it deserved. Left in the capable hands of J. J. Abrams, we start off a new batch of movies set in the Star Wars universe that currently has no end in sight.
The thing I loved most about this movie was the transition between the old and the new. Respect for the lore and history built up over the last few decades is displayed in spades here. Unbelievably, the three main protagonists from the originals return to reprise their roles and essentially hand over the baton to the new generation. Daisy Ridley as Rey is a powerful, budding Jedi and her partner, John Boyega as Finn, turn in great debuts to the franchise. I found they gel very well together so their performances are stellar and believable throughout. The villain played by Adam Driver is another massive plus for this film. Brimming with emotional baggage, Kylo Ren is a complex, interesting personality, essentially serving as the replacement to Darth Vader.
BB-8 is a cute, little robot taking over from the much beloved R2-D2 and C-3PO, so as can be seen, a lot of borrowing of elements has taken place. Even the Death Star is back, however much larger and way more powerful than before. Though saying that, the amalgamation of all these parts combined and making this movie work the way in which it did, is a remarkably achievement. I believe a lot of this is down to the speculator direction of Mr. Abrams.
The set pieces are incredible and beautiful detailed. The emotion and character development is downright fantastic, especially as the film moves towards its climax. I found the sub characters to be, in some way, almost as interesting as the main ones and proved to be valuable additions to the movie as a whole. Even the actor who played the alien uttering the famous line “It’s a trap!” from Return of the Jedi made a welcome cameo, repeating the exact same dialogue. All these years later! Now that’s attention to detail if ever I saw it.
In short, a hugely enjoyable movie and hopefully one that has set the benchmark to keep it that way for a very long time to come.
(2) Episode IV – A New Hope
The spark that set off the inferno. How George Lucas had the insight to start from Episode IV as the first film is a bold move in itself. Upon release, the movie literally redefined cinema and sci-fi in general. This is the film most people associate with when you say “Star Wars”. It’s also very hard to believe that this film is nearly 40 years old now.
Using nothing more than scaled, miniature models and improvised special effects trickery, a historical cinematic masterpiece was committed to celluloid. Never before had movie goers seen a spectacle like this. The relatable characters, the special effects, the imaginative storyline. This film had it all and it obliterated records at the box office worldwide.
I believe it resonated so firmly with people because of its heart and energy. A Small band of unknown, insignificant strangers embarking on an adventure not only beyond their wildest dreams but also beyond the planet itself! I reckon the trench run still stands up as an unbelievable piece of film-making vision considering the era it was put together in. It also shaped what many agree is the best villain in movie history. Throw in John Williams incredible score as the icing on the cake and we are looking at pure perfection. I wonder if before production they realised just how big this thing would become.
A classic in every respect of the word. This film had drama, action, adventure, thrills and visuals like none other. Although it has now been surpassed by today’s standards of movies, it was a legend of it’s time and firmly sits in second place.
(1) Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
Hard to imagine that this movie wasn’t even directed by George Lucas! Requested by Lucas himself, Irvin Kershner took the helm to direct the movie and what a result it turned out to be! The Empire Strikes Back is essentially just a complete downer from beginning to end. I believe the movie scores such high recognition and acclaim as being the best Star Wars movie ever made, because of its message. Hope in the face of defeat. Instead of the formulaic “good triumphant over evil” scenario, this movie has our heroes desperately trying to survive every step of the way.
Apart from what is still considered the biggest movie reveal of all time, the characters just exude emotional intensity. Luke’s training with Yoda, Han and Leia’s final moments together, the duel between Luke and Vader. It doesn’t get much better these moments of cinema gold. This was an unreal movie experience for me and I loved it from the famous movie crawl to its shocking conclusion.
It set the bar so high that I’m not even entirely sure it will ever be superseded in the future. But one thing is for sure though. This solidified the franchise to such a degree that now, almost 40 years on, we are only a few short weeks away from another blockbuster in the saga that is Star Wars.
A Long Time Ago In a Galaxy Far, Far Away...
With the exception of a low-budget travesty called "The Star Wars Christmas Holiday Special" that was released in 1978, that concludes my list.
This franchise is, I believe, an eternal money spinner. There are so many different directions that they can take it based on all the aforementioned characters and their respective story-lines. It could literally be a never ending continuation. Add to that the fact that the reigns have been handed over to Disney Studios to do what they will with it. They will surely milk the cow as much as humanly possible.
I hope that with the slew of planned Star Wars movies to be released in the future, they keep up with the exceptionally high standards of the past. But judging from past performance and the fantastic new trailer released for the upcoming Rogue One, I have a good feeling we all don’t have too much to worry about...