Rhombus Rota

Star Wars is a funny franchise. With teddy bears taking down the Empire, a character named Jar Jar Binks getting a numb tongue, and a young man complaining he can’t pick up some power converters. Yet, despite this, this franchise has some of the most ardent followers who put a lot of their lives into a galaxy far, far away…

I don’t disagree with being a passionate fan of this to be clear – this is my number one fandom and I have dedicated a lot of my life to the movies, TV shows, games, comics, and books! With that, below is my ranking of all the live action, theatrically released Star Wars movies!

11. Solo: A Star Wars Story

Solo notability had a troubled production, before being extensively reshot by Ron Howard in the director’s chair. However, this, coupled with veteran writer Lawrence Kasdan’s writing, couldn’t make the movie click for me. It felt like a checklist of Han’s life, showing how Han got his iconic blaster, doing the Kessel Run, how he won the Millennium Falcon from Lando, and – perhaps most unnecessarily – how he got his name. The movie, with its smaller scale than the others, definitely would’ve benefited more from being a Disney Plus TV show as well. It was a fun ride though – Alden Erinreich and Donald Glover were terrific as Han and Lando respectively, and Emilia Clarke as Qi’ra was compelling. Genuinely gutted we didn’t get a sequel or TV show  to explore Qi’ra’s journey more, and to see more of Alden as Han.

10. Attack of the Clones

This was my favourite Star Wars movie as a kid (yes, I know!). I remember vividly having a lunchbox with Jango Fett on it alongside Obi-Wan and Count Dooku. The lightsaber fights still hold up to this day, with Anakin and Obi-Wan vs Count Dooku still one of my favourites in the saga. Obi-Wan acting as a detective, chasing down Jango and uncovering mysteries surrounding the Clone army is also a lot of fun. Most of the movie though has some very clunky dialogue and a cheesy romance with Anakin and Padme that rarely works. Moments that should be emotional or tense wind up making me laugh which (I believe) is not the intent! With the movie’s lengthy runtime too, there’s too much filler and not enough killer.

9.  The Phantom Menace

This was a bit of a jarring start to the return of Star Wars after 16 or so years, with extensive use of CGI and an emphasis on taxes and politics initially rather than the classic good versus evil. We know political thrillers can work (see Andor) but here it was a bit… boring and not terribly fun for me as a kid. What did work for kids I think was Jar Jar Binks who was hilarious and I’ll defend him for eternity. Let’s not forget this movie also gave us Duel of the Fates and Darth Maul, who survived and is now one of the most compelling characters from the Prequel era. All in all, a very important movie for the saga, but just not too entertaining at times.

8. The Rise of Skywalker

The Rise of Skywalker is a fun movie, and a good end to the saga. The Sequel Trilogy trio off on an adventure together, redemption for Ben Solo, Harrison Ford back as Han, somehow Palpatine returned! All those moments, on paper, are wonderful to me and it largely works on screen too. Unfortunately, this is hamstrung by the primordial Bantha in the room: what happened to The Last Jedi? I can see how this movie was made in response to criticism of Episode 8, retconning a lot of key plot points. It also does this clumsily at times, with some Prequel-style dialogue and cheesy plot decisions and fake-outs. The movie plays it ultra safe in an attempt to please everyone, but ultimately it ends up as a ‘fine’ movie and not loads more. 

7. The Last Jedi

I walked out of this movie confused at the cinema. It changed up the rule book for what Star Wars could be, and took bold swings with the franchise. To get the controversial bits out the way: I like Luke Skywalker’s journey, and Rey Nobody would’ve been a great angle to explore in future. The movie also has some of the highest highs in the saga for me, between the throne room fight, Snoke’s death, Luke’s duel with Kylo Ren. My problems lay in, similar to Attack of the Clones, the lengthy runtime and not everything that happens is particularly interesting. The Poe Dameron and Holdo subplot and the detour for Finn and Rose to Canto Bight were great, full fledged character arcs for our heroes, but they just didn’t engage me. Rose was genuinely a lot of fun though, and added a lot of heart to the adventure!

6. Return of the Jedi

An original trilogy movie ranked this low surprised me, but it’s far from a bad movie. We all like happy endings, and this movie ends the saga in a super satisfying way. On the Imperial end, Vader’s redemption was emotional, and our first proper look at the Emperor cements him as a terrifying presence. The heist of sorts at Jabba’s Palace was also a great set piece and they answered the cliff hanger with Han very early on. Of course, Leia being Luke’s sister is a nice touch, though we then have the thought of Leia snogging her twin brother in The Empire Strikes Back. The only thing holding the movie back is how straight forward it is really. The Death Star is brought back for the sake of having a ‘big bad’ for the Rebellion to destroy, which ended up being more vulnerable than the first due to being unfinished. Han Solo also doesn’t really get a character arc and is sort’ve… there, just being Han Solo. It’s a rousing ending to the saga though, and the best ending to the saga of the two we have.

5. The Empire Strikes Back

Arguably topping the list for a lot of Star Wars fans, Empire is a masterpiece. It takes a much darker tone than A New Hope (literally), seeing Luke on the murky Dagobah, and Han and Leia in the mouth of a space slug. The drama in this movie is the most intense of the trilogy too, with Han frozen in carbonite, Luke’s venture into the cave to confront his fears, and of course (spoilers) Vader being Luke’s father. The only reason this movie is so low on the list is because it felt more personal, and I tend to like my Star Wars to be more sprawling, with planet hopping and galactic stakes. This is purely personal preference though, and I will make a case this is the most impactful movie in the entire franchise.

4. The Force Awakens

I was surprised to put this so high on the list, given I do have some problems with it. Starkiller Base being a third Death Star felt like a lazy choice, and it’s pretty blatantly copying plot devices from A New Hope in general. But it’s hard to look beyond the charm this movie has. The return of the original trio was so emotional, with Carrie Fisher being wonderful as ‘General’ Leia, and Mark Hamill’s short appearance being one of my all-time favourite Star Wars moments. Harrison Ford gave one of his best performances as Han Solo, and Han’s death was one of the few moments in Star Wars that made me cry. It’s remarkable that the new trio of Rey, Finn, and Poe aren’t overshadowed by the old guard. They were perfectly introduced – I immediately ‘got’ them and they were instantly likeable. Kylo Ren also wasn’t just Vader 2.0, and instead had layers and complexity. I was excited for the rest of the trilogy not just for the old characters any more, but for the new generation.

3. Revenge of the Sith

The story here is grand as we follow a huge cast of characters hopping around the galaxy, with galactic consequences (which, as noted earlier, is how I love my Star Wars). What’s surprising though is, unlike the other Prequels, is the emotion that comes with this scale. Order 66 will go down as one of the most harrowing moments in the saga, handled sensitively but with inevitability as we can see where it’s going but are powerless to do anything. Ewan McGregor is a standout as Obi-Wan, with the pain in his eyes as he sees his friend turn to the dark side. As a package, the movie handles that sense of scale and emotion so well, that this is easily one of my most viewed Star Wars movies. The movie isn’t without its Prequel-style flaws of course – the entire movie being a meme is proof of that. But the fact the movie is still spoken about and referenced so much to this day, shows how much of an impact it’s had.

2. A New Hope

If you ever wanted a perfect franchise starter, A New Hope is that. It sets up the conflict early on as Darth Vader enters the fray, with galactic stakes at play here for our heroes. We see the impact of the Empire in ordinary places such as Mos Eisley, as citizens are controlled. The personal stakes are established for our heroes as Luke’s family are murdered, and Leia’s planet destroyed in an instant. We’re introduced to a scoundrel in Han Solo as he embarks on his journey to be better. All this is handled in a world that feels gritty and real with practical sets and clever special effects involving miniatures and explosions. The Death Star feels immensely more terrifying than Starkiller Base not because it’s any bigger, but through how the movie is shot. It’s all done so cleverly and while the movie has its quirks, it holds up to this day as a great movie, even beyond Star Wars.

1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

While these movies have always been for all ages, Rogue One feels more grown up tonally. It confidently explores the core themes of Star Wars, about resisting oppression and doing the right thing. It also creates this grey area, where the Rebel Alliance asks things of its soldiers that aren’t morally right. Should you obey orders you know are wrong? Are you any better than the Empire?

The story follows ordinary people who want to save the galaxy. For example, Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso deftly conveys the pain she feels fighting for the cause when it’s only brought her pain. Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor makes a choice to disobey Rebel leadership to join Jyn and crew on a galaxy-saving mission he knows he won’t walk away from. There are no Jedi here, but the Force is ever present in all our heroes, even if they can’t move rocks with their minds. They ultimately do a very Jedi thing, being selfless for the greater cause, making the ultimate sacrifice. 

This movie is pure Star Wars, balancing the faithfulness to the Original Trilogy while innovating with the franchise. Oh, did I mention the best Darth Vader scene of all time at the end?

Chris