With seven main saga installments, an anthology movie, and numerous television releases and
animated spinoffs, Star Wars is undoubtedly one of the biggest Hollywood properties ever.
However, just being a Star Wars movie isn't enough to guarantee success, and there have
definitely been some missteps along the way.
We're look at you, Lumpy.
Here's a look back at all the movies that are part of the massive phenomenon that is
Star Wars, as we rank them in order from worst to best.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
While 2008's Star Wars: The Clone Wars made history as the first fully animated Star Wars
feature-length film, it isn't great.
Essentially a TV pilot packaged for the big screens, it was almost universally panned
by critics and audiences.
With a script filled with stilted dialogue and forced tension, The Clone Wars just wasn't
suited for the big screen.
Nevertheless, it succeeded at the box office, and worked as a vehicle to introduce audiences
to Cartoon Network's The Clone Wars animated series—which went on to be extremely popular.
Star Wars Holiday Special
Until The Clone Wars came along, 1978's infamous Star Wars Holiday Special reigned as the absolute
worst Star Wars movie.
The show starts with ten minutes of untranslated Wookiee dialogue with no Han Solo around to
translate it, and things go bizarrely downhill from there.
Segments include a Bea Arthur musical number, humorless comedy bits, cameos by Hollywood
stars, and an appearance by the rock band Jefferson Starship, because, well, their name
has the word 'Starship' in it.
The one bright spot of the Holiday Special is a cartoon introducing the character of
Boba Fett, but the rest is like watching a slow-motion trainwreck.
For his part, George Lucas later claimed:
"If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash
it."
At least we know what he'll be doing during his retirement.
The Ewok Adventure
While the Star Wars Holiday Special has a mostly nonsensical plot, the simplistic sci-fi
fairytale in 1984’s The Ewok Adventure at least has a beginning, middle, and end.
This key difference—as well as the massively better production values—push it past the
much-maligned 1978 special.
Still, after it aired on November 25, 1984, the reviews were lukewarm at best—which
isn't surprising given the young target audience.
But they weren't done with Ewoks just yet.
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor
The Ewok Adventure was the first of two spinoff films set on Endor.
The 1985 sequel Ewoks: The Battle for Endor continues the tale begun in the first TV movie,
but with a slightly meatier and more serious plot.
Like its predecessor, The Battle for Endor won an Emmy, had a brief overseas theatrical
run, and made it onto home media in various forms.
The Battle for Endor is marginally better than The Ewok Adventure—but even with its
stronger plot, this sequel isn't deep enough to make a lasting impression… even with
an ornery Wilford Brimley.
Episode I – The Phantom Menace
In 1999, the hype surrounding the new Star Wars prequel trilogy was off the charts.
Unfortunately, Episode I: The Phantom Menace was a complete letdown—even for many the
young fans it was geared towards.
Did George Lucas really think kids would want to watch a movie about embargoes, taxation,
and political intrigue?
While visually impressive, The Phantom Menace gets lost in its own narrative...and that's
even before Jar Jar Binks shows up.
"Don't do that again."
There are a few saving graces in The Phantom Menace—namely, Ian McDiarmid's performance
as Palpatine, just about everything with Darth Maul, and the battle on Naboo are bright spots
in an otherwise pretty dull movie.
It's not the bottom of the barrel, but The Phantom Menace is clearly the worst of the
main Skywalker saga films—so far.
Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Following the The Phantom Menace, fans crossed their fingers that Lucas could manage to pull
things together for the next installment.
If there's one thing we can say for Attack of the Clones, it's that it's better than
The Phantom Menace.
It has some of the more entertaining action sequences seen thus far in the entire saga.
The fight between Obi-Wan and Jango Fett on Kamino and the later battle scene on Geonosis
are wonderful examples of action done right.
But even with all those positives, what really hurts this movie more than anything is the
awful dialogue.
You could even call it "unbelievably" bad, but only if you haven't seen The Phantom Menace.
Also, this scene of Anakin riding a cow-shaped watermelon didn't help one bit.
Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
A modern rewatch of Revenge of the Sith allows its good points to shine through, without
being clouded by the hate that was associated with the prequels back during its initial
release.
To start with, the film is much darker than most of the other Star Wars films, being the
first in the saga to garner a well-deserved PG-13 rating.
Many of these dark moments — like Order 66 and the Jedi Purge — are surprisingly
brutal.
Additionally, the lightsaber battles in Revenge of the Sith are more exciting and better-choreographed
than any that came before.
Paired with John Williams' amazing score, the battles between Obi-Wan and Anakin and
between Yoda and Sidious are some of the most impressive in the entire franchise.
As the third film in a trilogy, Sith also ties up Anakin's arc with his transformation
to Vader.
Yes, it suffers from the same rough dialogue and overacting as the rest of the prequels,
but Revenge of The Sith stands solidly as the best of that series.
Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
Yes, Return of the Jedi is a classic, and fans who grew up with the original films don't
like to admit many of its faults.
But that doesn't mean those faults don't exist.
The most glaring of those has to be the Endor section, at least where the Ewoks are involved.
And while Han's rescue at the beginning of the film is very enjoyable — especially
the comic relief provided by Han's blindness — the Tatooine sequence tends to drag on
a little too long.
Although many fans felt a little cheated by the rehashing of the Death Star plot, the
space battle around the Death Star turned out to be one of the best in the history of
the franchise.
And you can't argue too hard against the story's closure, especially watching Vader come full-circle
and regain his humanity.
At the end of the day, Return of the Jedi is a solid, enjoyable, and flawed part of
the Star Wars saga—no matter which version you're watching.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rogue One stands mostly on its own merits.
It doesn't rely on too many familiar characters and allows Disney and Lucasfilm to explore
new stories in the galaxy that don't revolve around the Skywalker family and their pals.
At its heart, Rogue One is a war movie, not a typical Star Wars space opera.
It's filled with great action sequences and a cast of supporting characters that you actually
start to care about.
Additionally, it gives us yet another believable and strong female hero in Jyn Erso
On the negative side, some of the dialogue is clunky, and the CGI used to recreate Grand
Moff Tarkin and Princess Leia ventures into Uncanny Valley more than once.
That said, these are mostly minor issues with what is overall a very solid Star Wars film.
Episode VII – The Force Awakens
When Lucasfilm and Disney first announced plans for a new Star Wars trilogy, fans were
apprehensive that we'd get another run of prequels.
Thankfully, the producers and director J.J. Abrams pulled out all the stops, resulting
in one of the best movies in the entire saga.
There's no question that The Force Awakens justifies the hype.
It appeals to fans old and new alike.
The new characters are all excellent additions to the franchise.
The showdown between Han and Kylo and the final lightsaber battle in the woods are two
major standout scenes.
The major downside is that much the characters and plot of The Force Awakens parallel A New
Hope, especially Rey's arc and the Death Star stand-in, Starkiller Base.
That aside, it's still an excellent entry in the Star Wars series, with a familiar yet
fresh story and a new cast of faces ready to take the saga forward.
Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
Director Rian Johnson definitely didn't play it safe with his first crack at the Star Wars
saga.
Instead, he delivered a visually stunning and narratively satisfying film that echoes
the darkness of The Empire Strikes Back without being chained to its legacy.
Although The Last Jedi has earned almost universal critical acclaim, it isn't a perfect movie.
Some of the subplots could have done with some trimming down, and several of the more
comedic moments were jarring.
That said, the movie also provides excellent character development and absolutely jaw-dropping
action sequences, which help make up for its shortcomings.
Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
After the amazing success of A New Hope, George Lucas had a near-impossible task ahead of
him when it came to making a sequel to such a worldwide sensation.
Fortunately, The Empire Strikes Back was a resounding success.
Darker and more intense than the original, The Empire Strikes Back suffers only for the
lack of a clear beginning or ending to the story.
And even in that regard, it's hard to fault the film.
The second story in a trilogy is always the hardest to get right, and for many fans, the
second installment was the best.
Regardless, The Empire Strikes Back is an indispensable film, both within the Star Wars
universe and for the science fiction genre as a whole.
Episode IV – A New Hope
With so many things in life, you can't top the original — and that applies even to
Star Wars.
Ever since its theatrical release four decades ago, A New Hope has reigned supreme as the
best Star Wars movie.
This isn't just nostalgia talking: A New Hope broke ground in so many ways and still stands
up to a critical viewing today.
While at its heart A New Hope is a traditional underdog tale of good versus evil, the way
that George Lucas tells this story in the framework of a galaxy far, far away made cinematic
history.
Never before had a science-fiction film been approached with the grimy and aged look that
Star Wars had, and Lucas' team brought new model-making and photographic advances to
the movie industry with their work on A New Hope.
Beyond the historic significance on the film, the original Star Wars is a great movie in
terms of story, pacing, and action.
Not only is A New Hope the best movie in the Star Wars franchise, it still stands as one
of the best films of all time.
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