Star Wars: Cam Ranks The Films From Worst To Best
You’ve probably seen lists like this in every community forum you’ve ever been to, the ranking of Star Wars movies from worst to best.
Thing is, it’s very rare you will get two people who rank them the same way apart from a few stand out movies. I guess in many ways this is indicative of just how broad the Star Wars fan base truly is. It’s also a franchise which has spanned three generations already, and depending which generation you are from, might influence the way you rank the movies. After all, nostalgia does play a huge part in the way we feel about movies from our youth.
So, for no other reason than to generate some discussion amongst our readers, here is my Star Wars movies ranking from worst to best, with a little explanation into my thinking for each one, and a little video highlighting some bad and good moments. It’s doubtful anyone will flat-out agree with all my choices, so let me know why I am wrong with your own lists.
Obviously this list is going to change more and more as we get new Star Wars movies in the coming years, is it possible somewhere in that future slate of movies there is one that can rise up to top billing? Tough task. Anyway, without further ado.
The Phantom Menace
One of the most hyped movies of all time, The Phantom Menace was the first Star Wars film to be released since the end of the Original Trilogy, and promised to explore how Anakin Skywalker became a Jedi and then turned into Darth Vader. The rough plot was okay, if a bit too political for a Star Wars movie, but we were left with an Anakin far too young to have any kind of character development.
It also suffers from a severe lack of screen time for both Darth Maul who hardly speaks and Obi-Wan Kenobi who hardly does much at all until the end of the movie. Whilst the movie had some good moments on Tatooine and an excellent three way saber duel, the good parts were far outweighed by the bad dialogue, boring characters, and the accursed Jar-Jar Binks toilet humour.
I was as hyped as any Star Wars Fan and even tried to excuse its flaws in my own mind for years until I had to admit it was just a poor movie. It feels, in many ways, like Star Wars for ten-year-olds, and whilst Lucas always maintained that Star Wars is a kids movie, the tone doesn’t match the supposedly more political plot. In many ways The Phantom Menace outline could have made for a more mature themed movie. It also simply doesn’t move the overarching plot of the trilogy on fast enough. One wonders what this movie could have been by writing out Binks and the Gungans altogether and focusing more on Maul, Kenobi and an older Anakin.
Attack Of The Clones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkdUkke7Fy0
It was going to be tricky for Attack of the Clones to achieve much, having TPM as its predecessor. However the basic plot of the movie is again decent enough for an idea, the actual script itself though is weak, and may have even worse dialogue than The Phantom Menace did. Obi-Wan, whilst better in this movie is still underdeveloped as a character, and Anakin is simply not given enough to do in this movie.
The entire love story plot is frankly cringeworthy and the film would have benefited far more from Anakin and Padme having to outrun danger whilst slowly falling for one another — you know that classic movie formula of putting the leads in danger as they fall in love. As it stands, it becomes hard for the audience to work out why Padme ever falls for Anakin instead of getting a restraining order against him. Either she has no experience of relationships, or she must be desperate for attention, as Anakin is verging on creepy here.
The mystery of Syfo Dias and how the Clone Army were created just disappears midway through and is never mentioned in the series again. Who was he, really? One must question why Yoda was happy to accept and use a Clone Army none of them asked for, and has origins linked to the assassination attempt of Padme Amidala. Hayden Christensen gets some terrible flak for his acting chops in this Trilogy, but it’s hard to imagine any actor delivering these lines in any better a performance than he did.
Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Ian McDiarmid, Christopher Lee and Samuel L Jackson are all great actors and yet everyone looks like they’ve only had a few amateur dramatic lessons. Okay, Christensen takes this to an even lower level on a few occasions as well, but it has to partly be down to having such bad dialogue, incomplete arcs and poor direction. Still…..Visually it’s a treat, and it has perhaps my favourite closing montage of any Star Wars film, as Yoda pronounces the Clone Wars have begun, and the Imperial March kicks in as we see the Clone Army being deployed across the Galaxy, intercut with Anakin wedding Padme on Naboo. That’s the frustrating thing about AotC: it has potential and it was completely squandered. As a standalone movie, it’s just all over the place unfortunately and at times actually cringeworthy to watch on repeat viewings.
The Last Jedi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC4A7y7ONoI
Ok it’s a bit too soon for YouTube videos so I’ll leave this weird scene here instead.
I don’t think there is much I need to say about the most recent Star Wars movie. Some love it, and a good many more seem to despise it. The Last Jedi has the exact opposite problem from the two movies mentioned lower on this list. It has better dialogue, better acting, more emotional character development (though not the right kind for me), and it tries to be more mature in its themes.
However, the basic plot the writer uses to place all his pieces on the board just doesn’t cut the mustard for me, choosing to ignore or dismiss the various ‘mysteries’ set up in The Force Awakens. It also feels like a film that’s got nowhere much to go in its conclusion and that’s something I can’t say about Attack of the Clones as a middle chapter. If anything, this movie needed to have an outline, or an end goal for Episode 9 which the writer was working towards. After listening to his many, many explanations, it appears as if all he wanted to do was tell his story and let others work out what happens next.
I could go on, but we here at LRM have debated and discussed this movie from many angles and sides since its release. Ultimately The Last Jedi feels like fan fiction to me rather than a proper instalment in the Star Wars saga and whilst it may work as a sequel to The Force Awakens, it does not work for me as episode 8 of a 9 chapter story. I am a fan of Rian Johnson the director, I am not a fan of Rian Johnson the writer. This one has hurt the franchise fan base as much as The Phantom Menace did, but it’s nowhere near as bad a movie, overall.
Revenge of the Sith
The concluding part of the Prequel Trilogy and certainly the best of the three Prequel movies. If anything, the problem with Revenge of the Sith is how much Lucas left to be told in this movie. The first two movies just didn’t move along quickly enough to be able to buy as an audience how quickly things escalate in ROTS. Some of the dialogue is a little better this time around, but still not what one would call quality writing. It does have some outstanding scenes which rank amongst fan favourites, the opera scene with the Darth Plagueis story is excellent, and really allows Ian McDiarmid to show his true talent for once in these movies, he was so wasted when you watch his Return of the Jedi performance.
This is also, for me, Lucas’ most poorly edited movie and that’s usually his best skill. There are scenes where you can almost see they started the edit too long before the call for action, and it removes the audience somewhat from the immersion. I am also of the opinion that the final duel between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the worst in the series, as there is so little emotion other than the very start and the very end of the fight. They literally don’t say a word from the first saber clash until separated on the lava flow about 10 minutes later. Sure, it has some good moves and flashy action, but there’s no heart. Not to mention that classic meme of Obi-Wan triumphing by declaring to Anakin it is over because he has the high ground. Fans are still scratching their collective chins on that one over a decade later (see video above).
The final nail in the coffin for this movie is probably the crazy idea to have Padme die in childbirth, not because of complications, nor medical reasons, but of a broken heart……… Come on, Lucas, really? I mean you could have had Yoda and Obi-Wan have to choose whether to save the kids or save Padme and weigh up those moral choices, but no, broken heart…sigh. It almost makes me wants to stand up cast my head back in despair and shout Nooooooo for a really long time. Yeah you get it!
Better than its chronological predecessors for sure, but really not that great overall. Also after all these years can anyone tell me what the hell happened to Palp’s face and why the Jedi couldn’t sense him at all? I was waiting to hear that Darth Sidious had found a way to disguise his power and thus his looks as well and that the twisted dark side ravaged figure we see in Jedi is his true appearance. Nope apparently he got burned off his own lightning in a very weird, bad CGI way.
The Force Awakens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdEzeKdHtcU
The Force Awakens has gone down on my list upon seeing The Last Jedi, though it is still in the top half. It is clear to me now that JJ Abrams seems to have had no idea at all what was going to happen at the end when he made this movie. The mysteries he set up, he seemingly gives no guidance about to Rian Johnson who was allowed to simply dismiss at will (we reserve right to change our minds after seeing Episode 9).
When you take this element out, what is The Force Awakens other than a gigantic bigger scale copy of A New Hope? Sure, I love it when Rey and Finn escape aboard the wrecked Millennium Falcon, I loved seeing Han and Chewy again, and I even had goosebumps when that lightsaber flies past Kylo Ren into the hands of Rey, but unless I am extremely surprised by Episode 9, it feels like one giant expensive piece of fan fiction built upon cool set pieces rather than an interesting narrative.
If anything, I think many fans like me would have been far more interested in beginning this story with Ben Solo beginning to train with his Uncle Luke, the rise of the mysterious Snoke, and the First Order rising from the ashes of the Empire upon an impotent Republic. Then the turn of Ben Solo and the resulting sundering of Leia and Han. It’s great to have 20/20 hindsight, but for me, my imagination isn’t good enough to create en ending for this trilogy which will make all three movies feel satisfying and a true conclusion to not just this trilogy, but a nine movie arc. I have a bad feeling about Episode 9. I think the only character I feel is complete and I enjoy watching in this Sequel Trilogy is Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. The rest feel somewhat like cardboard cut outs to me.
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Rogue One
![Darth Vader's rage | Star Wars: Rogue One [Ending scene]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/BFog78rb1a0/hqdefault.jpg)
Simple. Rogue One is really simple. It has no Jedi and a plot that a 10 year old could have written if you had asked them to write a story about how the Rebels got the plans for the first Death Star. At the same time, I thought it was pretty amazing. It was mature for one and dealt with loss and the heartache of war. This film has the ability to send tingles up my spine at certain points, my favourite being a simple smile on the face of Mon Mothma as she is told that Admiral Raddus has decided to disobey orders and is taking the Rebel fleet to Skariff to aid Rouge One’s crew.
It really feels like the beginning of the proper Rebellion. The space battle alone is in my opinion the best in the entire saga since the Death Star attack at the end of Return of the Jedi, and overall in my opinion it’s the most visually stunning of all Star Wars movies so far (To be fair The Last Jedi gives it a close run). It’s not perfect, and in fact, some of the nods to the other movies are a little too forced for me. Overall though it’s the first movie outside of the Original Trilogy that actually feels like it perfectly complements those movies and for that reason it sits at number four on my list.
It’s not the movie that the kids are going to like the best perhaps, but the vast majority of Star Wars geeks are in their 30-50’s now. I feel like the film succeeded by not trying to be a kids film. Also it might surprise these studios which films kids do like, my ten year old son has been watching these movies since he was small, and I think Rogue One was definitely one of his favourites so far. Lastly, if anything Rogue One actually enhances A New Hope by giving a plausible reason why the Empire had such a terrible design flaw in their Death Star.
A New Hope
![[ANH] "Use the Force Luke" (HD)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zR7CeC-rqiE/hqdefault.jpg)
Probably a controversial choice for me to put A New Hope in as number three of the Original Trilogy. In fact, as I type this I am not even sure I agree with myself. The movie that started it all and still in some people’s eyes the best of all Star Wars movies. For me there are a few things when viewed now after an entire lifetime spent watching it which detract from the overall narrative. Vader seemingly being subservient to Tarkin makes little sense to me, as does the fact that The Empire seems unable to catch 4 people running about in the enemy base with thousands of troops.
These are small quibbles as is the fact that the saber duel between Vader and Obi-Wan is a little bit…naff. Maybe I’m just trying too hard to justify my choice here? Maybe I’ve just watched it too many times? Star Wars was shown at Christmas on UK TV when I was around three or four, and we had just got our first VCR. I must have watched that terrible TV copy of Star Wars almost every day for what seems like years. My sister and I would watch it and immediately rewind it and start again as long as we had access to the TV.
I conservatively estimate I have watched this movie well over 400 times in my life. I could tell you what part of the movie is currently playing by being in another room and only being allowed access to the music playing over the background, and I’m also pretty close to that number with The Empire Strikes Back as well. It’s the movie that changed cinema forever and began the most successful movie franchise in cinema history, recently retrieving it’s crown back from Harry Potter. What’s not to love? If anything there is nothing that completely undermines the movie like there is in Return of the Jedi, but it also never really quite hits the highs of that movie ether for me. Ok, we will call it a TIE, pew pew.
Return of the Jedi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5xZh_Bc0jo
Most people find Return of the Jedi to be the worst of the OT movies, and many have even rated it below some of the PT and ST movies. To that I say…bullshit. Return of The Jedi has exactly one component wrong with it, one thing only. The ground based part of the greatest third act in cinema history is fairly weak. Han feels underdeveloped and ‘different’? but let’s be honest, it’s mostly because of the Ewoks, isn’t it?
If Lucas had gone with his original plan of having slave Wookies instead of Ewoks, then Jedi is for me a worthy rival to The Empire Strikes Back (Was there ever any doubt it would be number one?). The Jabba Palace scenes almost feel like a James Bond prologue and it’s just a fun action sequence where we get to see a proper Jedi for the first time in hero Luke Skywalker. The Yoda and Obi Wan scenes on Dagobah put the whole trilogy into perspective and help Luke define what he will become and what he will do. And the finale? For me every single moment that happens to Luke between him leaving Leia to burning his fathers dead body is cinema gold, all those scenes in the throne room, the dialogue is for me amazing.
At the time, it was the proper climax to a three and then six-episode saga, as Luke defies the Emperor and by doing so allows his father to reject the dark side. Anakin fulfils the prophecy to destroy the Sith by giving his own life to save his son’s. This sequence of events for me is better than anything even in Empire. You can see the conflict in Darth Vader, you can read between the lines as to what he is thinking. The audience can tell that Vader has feelings for his son, and that he feels the only way to save his son is to give him to the Emperor. Vader is willing to allow his son to execute him in order to have him take his place, this is how the door to the light is opened.
Then, when Luke makes the impossible choice, Vader is faced with one of his own, watch my son die, or kill the Emperor and himself. Equally the space battle as we follow the Falcon led by Lando Calrissian as they defend themselves and then attack the Death Star at its heart are magnificent and that “ YEEEEE-HAAAA!” as the Falcon bursts through the flames as the music builds and the Death Star explodes behind it….brilliant. As said the ground based battle was weak in comparison and it does really let this movie down. But surely, surely fellow fans, the good outweighs the bad on this one, are the Ewoks alone enough to see this spectacular movie drop down below some of the Prequel Trilogy?
The Empire Strikes Back
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvJDItC6tE0
Not only do I consider The Empire Strikes Back as the best Star Wars movie, it’s actually my number one favourite movie of all time. I’m a writer, and I can’t help but watch any film and immediately think about what I would have done differently if I were in charge, it’s just the way I think. There are only five or six movies that I’ve seen where I would honestly not have changed a line, a shot, a cut, anything, and Empire is number one for me on that list. It’s hard to be objective about it when you feel that way about a movie (for those interested: Raiders, Shawshank, Godfather 1-2, Jaws and ET are the only others off the top of my head).
Empire is also the perfect sequel to A New Hope. it does what a good sequel should do and it does what a good middle chapter of any story should do, it both widens the story and deepens it. Not enough trilogies for me get the deeper part right. It used to be visually my favourite Star Wars move until I saw Rogue One, but that’s only one small component. It’s the characters that I fell in love with and Empire represents these characters at their very best.
Vader is at his most complex as we see him literally change in front of our eyes from cold blooded dark lord into the conflicted absent father longing for his son. We see Vader test and poke at Luke like he is the most interesting thing he has ever seen, the guy is clearly smitten from the first moment he meets him. Yoda is just quintessential Yoda in this, he has so many good lines and is never written this well again in Star Wars. Luke has the big journey from cocky flyboy to defeated and shamed Jedi apprentice. Han and Leia’s is my favourite romance in any movie, I love the dialogue as they trade wits and insults with one another to clearly disguise how they feel, concluding in heartbreak as Leia declares her love for Han as he is cruelly encased in Carbonite by the villains. Not to mention Han delivering some of my favourite lines ever including the classic “ I Know” response to Leia’s declaration of love. That’s Han Solo as a character right there in that one scene.
It’s also the funniest and darkest Star Wars movie, a line which is very difficult to tread. It’s not over the top humour like The Last Jedi mom jokes, and it’s not violently dark like Revenge of the Sith. Instead Empire is perfectly balanced somewhere in the middle. We have not even mentioned one of the greatest twists in movie history, I mean seriously, who could have seen that twist coming after watching A New Hope?
If we had sites like LRM back in the day, how many writers and fans would have predicted that Darth Vader was Luke’s father? You can imagine the pounding on forums you would have got for suggesting such a thing back then. The best thing is that as soon as Vader delivers that line, we know right then and didn’t have to wait several years for Return of The Jedi, wondering whether it was truth or lies. As soon as he says it and we see Luke’s reaction, we know it’s true and so does he. I haven’t even talked about how great a character Lando was and how he got a great mini arc. I haven’t talked about the droids and how both Artoo and Threepio are at their definitive best in this movie, like an old bickering odd couple. The movie also introduced Boba Fett, who instantly had more charisma and mystery than Captain Phasma got in two movies so far of the Sequel Trilogy.
Lastly, it’s the score. For me, it’s Williams’ best ever movie from start to finish. Sure, the Force theme and the main titles were already there, but this movie also gave us Yoda’s theme, The Imperial March, Han and Leia love theme and the Bespin escape music, epic Williams. I can’t find fault, maybe others can and that’s fine. For me, Empire not only became my favourite movie of all time, it literally changed, shaped and defined much of my life afterwards. I know nothing can ever really live up that and I don’t demand that any movie does live up to that standard. But it doesn’t mean I can’t hope for better quality from the series as a whole. Empire is the standard, you may not reach that standard, but if you aim close you might well end up making a damn good movie. I could easily write another two pages about this movie, but I think it’s time for you guys to chip in.
Summing it up
In conclusion, Star Wars isn’t that great a franchise in terms of overall quality when you look at it. We are nine movies in, and out of those nine movies I can honestly say I really like only four of them, leaving five movies with some serious flaws. Although I really like those four movies. My worry is that as more and more Star Wars movies are made, it just dilutes the memory of what made me fall in love with this franchise in the first place.
So far, things have for me as a fan not gone well since Disney bought the franchise, one can only hope that quality improves from this point out. The one thing I’d encourage any writers and directors to do is to go and watch those original three movies again. It wasn’t special effects that made them great, it was great characters doing semi-believable things with interesting motivations and development. I would love to come back to this list in a few years time and have far more movies falling on the positive than the negative scale. At the same time I’m not convinced we will get that. Let’s see what Solo: A Star Wars Story brings next.
Anyway, I have said what I think so let us know below what you think? Where have I gone wrong and where would you rank the movies in this franchise? Come at me fans!!
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