Star Wars has become one of the most important sagas in history. The franchise devised by George Lucas as independent films in 1977 soon became the most recognizable saga of space science fiction, and thanks to Disney, it has become a brand that we always have news about.
Taking advantage of Star Wars Day, celebrated on May 4th by the phrase “May the force be with you”, in a play on words with “May the 4th” in English, we bring the list of Star Wars list. It is true that the saga has been transformed and now the series like The Mandalorian almost have more weight than the movies, but now we bring you the best movies of all Star Wars. Or, rather, all the movies ordered from worst to best.
Although the list is completely subjective, as we usually do we leave you with the IMDb rating so you can also know the general public opinion. Although we warn you that, in general, we are not very misguided. Let’s get to it and may the force be with us.
11 – Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
IMDb rating: 6.5
Sorry, but the last official movie of the saga has managed to exceed -by far- all our expectations. After the very good Episode VIII, Rian Johnson left a revolutionary approach that made it clear that anyone in the galaxy could be a Jedi. However, J.J. Abrams completely trashed all of Johnson’s work in an almost toddler-like tantrum, and blew up the sequel saga with a headless conclusion in which neither the script nor the actors were in place. Really, Abrams, no one wanted to see Palpatine again.
10 – Han Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
IMDb rating: 6.9
Among Disney’s new ideas for Star Wars was to create films under the label “a Star Wars story” to be released alongside the main ones. It’s something that worked out frankly well with Rogue One, but with Han Solo it became clear that nostalgia is a two-sided coin. With a lead actor who didn’t convince anyone – Harrison Ford’s shadow is long – a forgettable script and a terrible development that ended with Ron Howard taking over, the best we can say about the film is that we’ve already forgotten it.
9 – Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
IMDb rating: 6.3
The prequel saga has been vilified for years. After such a long wait after the original trilogy, Star Wars fans waited impatiently for new adventures in the galaxy. And, instead, George Lucas created a political story with warlike overtones that had little to do with what came before. We’re not so haters of the prequels, but it’s true that Attack of the Clones doesn’t hold up anywhere. The chemistry between Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman is conspicuous by its absence, and only Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi manages to save a film that does not thrill at any time.
8 – Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)
IMDb rating: 7.8
In 2015 we were still innocent nostalgia virgins who hadn’t suffered a crazy overdose of remakes, reboots and unnecessary sequels with the sole purpose of making us feel like we did when we were kids. Perhaps that is why this sort of remake of the original Star Wars movie had such an impact on society at the time. Undoubtedly, it has interesting elements, such as the new characters of the trilogy or the death of Han Solo (oops, sorry for the spoiler). But, honestly, it doesn’t rank very well after a review.
7 – Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
IMDb rating: 6.5
I will never tire of saying that The Phantom Menace is a good movie that had the misfortune of suffering from the hype that many had for living exactly the same as it was two decades ago. Darth Maul, young Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn… the film is chock full of memorable characters that have gone down in the history of the saga. Although it also has Jar Jar Binks… who, well, balances the scales. On review it’s clear that it’s not the best film in the saga, but it’s certainly not as bad as some still think.
6 – Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
IMDb rating: 8.3
The conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy was a coherent, functional and extremely fast-paced conclusion that almost managed to live up to the previous ones. Moreover, it created the structure that all adventure blockbusters would follow from that point on, with a climax of overlapping action that grips the viewer without leaving room for breath. However, some characters such as the Ewoks or Palpatine did not work as well as could be expected after the revelation of Darth Vader in the previous film.
5 – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)
IMDb rating: 7.6
While the prequel trilogy didn’t quite live up to the previous films, the third installment has gone down in history as one of the best Star Wars feature films. There’s no doubt that the feud between Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi works like a glove, and the lava fight is breathtaking, as is the protagonist’s subsequent conversion into Darth Vader. Rarely have we seen such a clear progression from hero to villain as in this film, and it served to set a precedent that has followed through to Game of Thrones.
4 – Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017)
IMDb rating: 6.9
Although it suffered a brutal review bombing on its release, The Last Jedi became by far the best film of the sequel trilogy. Rian Johnson wanted to make a political statement in which he ended the nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake that Abrams gave us in order to tell so much more. The cinematography is stunning, and some of the scenes will forever remain in the memories of true fans of the franchise. The only problem was that no one at Disney knew how to appreciate as it deserved the great movie that Johnson made.
3 – Star Wars: Episodio IV – A New Hope (1977)
IMDb rating: 8.6
Hardly anyone trusted this movie -especially Alec Guinness, the original Obi-Wan Kenobi-, but George Lucas proved he had the greatest adventure movie in history on his hands. At a time when cinema could only dream of an intergalactic war movie, the director of American Graffiti proved that he knew exactly how to make the ultimate blockbuster. It marked an era and everything that came after it is thanks to this film, even if it hasn’t aged as well as we would all like.
2 – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
IMDb rating: 7.8
The biggest surprise in the history of the saga is this 2016 film that was sold as something minor and insubstantial but turned out to be one of the best adventure films in recent years. Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film about the suicide bombers who stole the plans for The Death Star managed to perfectly combine adventure and politics, the two great elements of the saga, and thanks to its iron pulse it made an impact like few Star Wars films have done. By the way, thanks to its success, the Andor series was launched on Disney Plus.
1 – Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
IMDb rating: 8.7
The jewel in the crown of Star Wars is indisputable. The Empire Strikes Back was the film that left us with the best moments of the saga. Nothing would be of the franchise without that “I am your father”, and as a standalone adventure it works like clockwork. George Lucas knew how to perfectly read the reactions of its predecessor film and created, with this film, everything we understand as a blockbuster. The triad of Luke, Han Solo and Leia works like a charm, and it hasn’t aged a bit.
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