By George & Josh Bate
A new Star Wars movie is hitting theaters for the first time in seven years, which makes it the perfect occasion for the editors of Star Wars Holocron to do something we’ve never done before in the nine years since we started the outlet – rank the Star Wars movies.
The following is a ranking of all 13 theatrically released Star Wars movies from worst to best, including The Mandalorian and Grogu, as chosen by the editors of Star Wars Holocron.
13. Star Wars: The Clone Wars
A film that will probably lay at the bottom of most fans’ rankings, The Clone Wars movie is our pick for the worst Star Wars movie. Having seen the film originally as pre-teens, Dave Filoni’s feature directorial debut certainly taps into childhood nostalgia for us, with particularly fond memories of lining up at midnight at our local Toys R Us for The Clone Wars toys bringing smiles to our faces.
But the film itself suffers from mechanical animation lacking in the detail and refinement that modern Star Wars projects are characterized by. The dialogue and attempts at humor can test one’s patience at times, so much so that it’s a miracle Ahsoka Tano has gone on to become one of the most beloved characters in a galaxy far, far away. The movie doesn’t convincingly sell the idea that Anakin had an apprentice between Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, which creates a certain discontinuity from the live-action films.
On the more positive side, the film evokes the feeling of a Saturday morning cartoon with its tone and style, and the plot involving Jabba the Hutt’s son gives the movie a degree of interest for Star Wars die hards.
12. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
From #12 and on, we don’t think there’s a bad Star Wars film on this list. That being said, despite being our theatrical introduction into a galaxy far, far away, The Phantom Menace stands as our lowest ranked live-action Star Wars movie.
George Lucas deserves immense credit for pushing the boundaries of visual effects and landing on a style and narrative that didn’t merely repeat what worked in the original trilogy. Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn evokes the warmth and wisdom of Alec Guinness’ Ben Kenobi and Ewan McGregor, as evidenced by the fact that he’s played the character for nearly a quarter of a century since the film, makes for a perfect young Obi-Wan. Jake Lloyd as Anakin and Ahmed Best as Jar Jar receive far too much flack, with the former nailing the joy and lingering trouble of the person who would eventually become Darth Vader and the latter bringing a delightful whimsy and childhood spirit to the film.
Where The Phantom Menace errs is with its convoluted, at times incomprehensible plotting. The barebones of the story may make sense, but exposed to any scrutiny and tons of head-scratching questions are raised. The film would have certainly benefitted from a rewrite that sharpened and streamlined the exposition.
But besides this issue, The Phantom Menace is a ton of fun. Darth Maul has become one of the most iconic and recognizable villains of all time, the pod racing sequence ranks among the most visually impressive of the entire saga, and John Williams’ superb ‘Duel of the Fates’ accompanies arguably the franchise’s greatest lightsaber duel.
11. Solo: A Star Wars Story
The only Star Wars movie to not turn a profit came out remarkably well given the chopping and changing behind the scenes. Ron Howard took over directing duties from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller to create a thoroughly entertaining, albeit lower stakes Star Wars film.
Recasting Han Solo seemed like an impossible task, and yet Alden Ehrenreich truly made the role his own with a performance that exuded charisma and wit. The same can be said for Donald Glover, who manages to replicate the charm of Billy Dee Williams’ Lando while bringing something novel to the character.
In addition to rather bland cinematography, however, Solo suffers from telling a story that feels markedly less important than every other previous live-action Star Wars movie. There is little intrigue in the story, until Maul appears in a shocking cameo that was unfortunately never followed up on in planned sequels.
Ultimately, Solo makes for enjoyable viewing, but arguably marked the first time a Star Wars movie didn’t feel like a monumental event. In part, that was down to centering around a character already made iconic by one of the industry’s greatest movie stars and a story that added little to its titular hero.
10. The Mandalorian and Grogu
The Mandalorian and Grogu makes the seven year wait for a new Star Wars movie following the release of The Rise of Skywalker worthwhile. Unabashedly and quintessentially Star Wars in every regard, Jon Favreau’s film checks virtually every box one could want from a Star Wars film and, in doing so, proves that a Star Wars movie can entertain and even thrive without lightsabers.
Favreau makes great use of aspect ratio changes, IMAX formatting, and a host of impressive practical and digital effects to craft a film that feels epic in scale and cinematic in scope. Conversely, the film bolsters a narrative almost entirely devoid of intrigue that fails to justify why it demands to be told on the big screen. Rotta the Hutt emerges as an unexpected standout in this narrative as the character formerly known as Stinky brings a cinematic presence to the action and endearing heart to the story.
While neither Din Djarin nor Grogu undergo substantive arcs or develop in a meaningful way, the galaxy’s Lone Wolf and Cub continue to make for an undeniably lovable duo and are responsible for some genuinely heartwarming moments amidst a story about fatherhood and legacy.
Arguably just as important as any character in the film is the score from Ludwig Göransson, which fuses orchestral, John Williams-inspired motifs with tenets of hip-hop and techno to become a truly singular and atmospheric backing to the film.
In capturing the spirit and joy of the original trilogy and telling an exceedingly exciting adventure story akin to classic Indiana Jones films, Jon Favreau’s movie is quintessential Star Wars.
9. Star Wars : Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Attack of the Clones went for a more mature tone than The Phantom Menace, although it was similarly encumbered by messy plotting (there are still questions and plot gaps left lingering this day). And yet there’s also plenty to admire, and even adore, about Lucas’ second prequel trilogy film.
More than any other Star Wars movie, Episode II unfolds as a mystery and positions Obi-Wan as a detective of sorts tasked with investigating a conspiracy far greater than he could possibly imagine. Hayden Christensen made his Star Wars debut in the film and, a few cringeworthy lines aside, did exceptionally well in playing the young man who would go on to become Darth Vader.
The planets and visual effects in the film are stunning and remain some of the most memorable in the entire franchise. The climactic battle is also one of the franchise’s best, fulfilling dreams fans had for decades to see tons of Jedi fighting with lightsabers at the peak of their power.
And who could say anything bad about Sir Christopher Lee joining the Star Wars universe? Lee crafted a career around playing iconic villains, so to see him playing a Sith Lord in a Star Wars movie was certainly a sight to behold.
Finally, Episode II features one of John Williams’ best scores in the franchise, with ‘Across the Stars’ still ranking among the best pieces of music the Academy Award winning composer has ever produced.
8. Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker
The final Skywalker Saga movie (for now, at least) gets a lot wrong, but it also gets a lot right.
J.J. Abrams and co-writer Chris Terrio found the perfect way to include Carrie Fisher in a pivotal role despite her passing a few years prior. Through scenes with Fisher and the speculator cameo from Harrison Ford, Episode IX achieves levels of emotional resonance that rival any film on this list. The scene between Han and Ben on Kef Bir is one of the very best Star Wars scenes, beautifully inverting their clash in The Force Awakens and redeeming Ben Solo in the most beautiful and heartwarming of ways.
Issues with Episode IX primarily come from messy execution. The idea to bring Palpatine back makes sense, especially given Snoke’s death in The Last Jedi and Kylo’s eventual redemption necessitating a big bad to take his place, but the film fits Palpatine in the most jarring of ways. An overly busy and extraordinarily convoluted introduction raises so many questions about Palpatine’s role in the development of the First Order and how this reconciled with his Final Order. Like Episodes I and II, The Rise of Skywalker is bogged down by poor delivery of exposition and leaving too many critical elements unexplained or up for interpretation.
Execution issues also come into play with the big reveal that Rey is Palpatine’s granddaughter. Not only does this twist feel like a retcon of The Last Jedi’s Rey Nobody twist, but it is so poorly explained and plays like a repeat of Luke’s trajectory in Return of the Jedi upon discovering he is Vader’s son.
Lastly, Kylo Ren, the sequel trilogy’s best character and the stand out of the previous film, goes disappointingly underused in the film. We hardly see Adam Driver unmasked, we never get to see him confront Luke or Lando, and The Last Jedi’s intelligent positioning of Kylo and Rey falls by the wayside.
If one can overlook these rather sizable issues though, there’s a lot of fun to be had with The Rise of Skywalker. And, while certainly controversial, we love the idea of Rey taking on the Skywalker name at the end. Whether she is a nobody or a Palpatine by birth, the fact that she becomes a de facto Skywalker feels perfectly in sync with the franchise’s broader theme of found family.
7. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
How Rogue One ended up being as good as it was still boggles the mind.
Tony Gilroy was brought on to rework much of what he described as a mess of a film and, in doing so, had his hand in an epic, tense, and deeply emotional Star Wars movie. While the extent of the reshoots can certainly be felt at times, especially when it comes to pacing, exposition, and initial plotting, the film unfolds with a ticking time bomb of a story that makes for edge of your seat entertainment.
Seeing a prequel that leads right into the events of A New Hope has you recontextualize the events of the original Star Wars film, while the meticulous recreation of the galaxy during this slice of time is truly incredible. Some of the ensemble don’t get the development they deserve, although Andor overwhelmingly rectifies this issue when it comes down to Cassian Andor’s character.
The emotional gut punches come quick and fast in the third act and will likely bring tears to the eyes of even the most hardened of moviegoers. And if that wasn’t enough, the film concludes with one of the most bad ass and terrifying scenes of the entire saga, with the Darth Vader hallway sequence.
6. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
Unfairly derided upon its initial release (an unfortunate pattern for the franchise), the final film of the original trilogy may fall short of its two near-flawless predecessors, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t one hell of a Star Wars movie.
A testament to the achievements of the film, strands of Return of the Jedi continue to pop up in modern Star Wars stories, arguably more than any other Star Wars film. The entire extended prologue is such an interesting way to kick off the trilogy capper and features no shortage of iconic moments and lines.
The twist that Luke and Leia are siblings works perfectly within the context of the story, as does the inclusion of Ian McDiarmid’s deviously over-the-top The Emperor as the big bad. The question of whether Luke will turn to the dark side intriguingly lingers to the very end and, up until The Last Jedi, provided Mark Hamill with the material to deliver his best performance as Luke Skywalker.
We also love the adorable Ewoks and the role they play in the destruction of the second Death Star, which is admittedly a rather uninspired repeat of A New Hope’s narrative.
But overlooking that, Return of the Jedi is an exceedingly fun film and culminates in one of the saga’s best scenes as Luke looks upon his found family and the Force ghosts of his father and mentors.
5. Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
The movie that changed Star Wars and fandom discourse more generally forever, Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi rivals The Empire Strikes Back as the most visually stunning entry in the saga.
Everything to do with Finn and Rose underwhelms and there’s certainly a discontinuity of visuals and themes from The Force Awakens, but the highs of The Last Jedi are arguably higher than any film on this list.
Approaching Luke Skywalker as a hero traumatized by a mistake of the past, who needs a new hero to restore his faith in the Jedi, was such a bold decision and is just one of many examples of Johnson being subversive with a Star Wars story.
The subversion keeps on hitting in The Last Jedi, from Luke throwing the lightsaber over the cliff to Poe not being right about Holdo to Finn and Rose’s failure and, most of all, to Snoke’s jaw-dropping death, a moment that will forever last in our memories as one of the most shocking cinematic experiences we’ve ever had.
The connection between Rey and Kylo Ren lays at the heart of the film and sees Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver deliver their best performances as the characters.
But amidst all these glowing achievements, our favorite part of The Last Jedi comes in the form of Luke and Leia’s scene in the third act, which remains our favorite scene of the entire saga. Perfectly written, beautifully acted, and scored so touchingly by John Williams, this scene in a nutshell captures everything we love about Star Wars. For all the spectacle and lightsabers and visual effects, what makes Star Wars as great as it is the emotion it provokes through its portrayal of enduring love and family. No scene captures this better than Luke and Leia’s final meeting.
4. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Of course, the film that started it all and created the greatest media franchise in history cracks the top 5 here. It feels wrong to place A New Hope at #4 given how monumental and foundational it was, but that positioning says more about the quality of the films above this than the quality of A New Hope itself.
Lucas’ approach to world building, dropping the audience into the middle of an ongoing story, was genius and continues to influence storytelling to this day. The visual language of a galaxy far, far away bridged science fiction with tenets of Westerns and Akira Kurosawa films to create something both familiar and deeply original.
The film is filled to the brim with iconic moments and lines, knows when to be funny and when to be serious, and features visual effects that still astound.
3. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
For our detailed thoughts on The Force Awakens, you can check out our 10 year anniversary retrospective here, but let’s make it clear – we know that placing Episode VII so high up this list will rub some people the wrong way. But remember, every ranking, review, and critique is subjective! It’s true, from a certain point of view, as Ben Kenobi said.
The Force Awakens laid down the blueprint for every legacy sequel that has followed in the past 10+ years. Halloween, Ghostbusters, Scream, Top Gun, Creed, Blade Runner 2049, Cobra Kai, and countless others wouldn’t exist in the form that they do without JJ Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan showing the world how to make a movie that honors established characters and stories, while remaining entirely approachable to new audiences through the inclusion of new protagonists.
Yes, this means that The Force Awakens bears quite a resemblance to A New Hope (did we really need Starkiller Base?), but, beyond this, we see little to critique about such a perfectly paced and unabashedly fun film. Rey, Poe, Finn, and Kylo Ren immediately establish themselves as compelling new leads, while we will always champion the film’s handling of Han and Leia. The two share some of the saga’s most moving scenes in the film, as they unite over their son and how his fall to the dark side fractured their relationship. The mystery involving Luke intrigues so much and culminates in the best literal and figurative cliffhanger the franchise has to offer.
For a rare moment, The Force Awakens appeared to unite one of the most argumentative and opinionated fandoms with a film that deftly tapped into the brilliance of the original trilogy.
2. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Revenge of the Sith has always been loved by some, but to see it be so lovingly embraced by Star Wars fans in recent years has been such a delight. Episode III is, by a country mile, the best of Lucas’ prequels, one of the best Star Wars movies ever, and we would venture to say one of the best blockbusters of all time.
Heading into the movie, everyone knows that Anakin will transform into Darth Vader, but Lucas managed to tell this story in a way that surprised, broke our hearts, and then put them back together by the end. Hayden Christensen is phenomenal as a young man tormented by fear of losing the person he loves the most and sells Anakin’s fall to the dark side so convincingly. Ian McDiarmid chews up the scenery as he goes all in on playing a devious and over the top antagonist. Ewan McGregor exudes the warmth and wisdom of Sir Alec Guinness, while bringing his own personality to Obi-Wan Kenobi. And together, alongside tons of others, they are responsible for so many hilarious (some intentional, some unintentional) moments that have since been memed into oblivion.
The climactic duels are wonderfully choreographed and epicly staged. They’re made all the better by John Williams’ score, which we believe is the best of the entire franchise and the best of his entire filmography.
Revenge of the Sith is extraordinarily fun, devastatingly heartbreaking, visually and technologically ground-breaking, and inches away from topping this list, but, as Yoda says, “there is another….”
1. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
The award for best Star Wars film, and one of the best movies in cinema history, ultimately has to go to The Empire Strikes Back. Poll people randomly about what their favorite movie is and we bet that Episode V would be one of, if not the most, selected titles.
Simply put, The Empire Strikes Back is a flawless film. Irvin Kershner, George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, and others did the impossible and made a sequel to the original Star Wars that bettered the definitive blockbuster in every way. Gorgeous cinematography and shot composition bring to life a film that subverts your expectations every step of the way, culminating in cinema’s best ever plot twist. The film doesn’t take the ‘bigger is better’ approach most sequels take and, instead, scales back the story, splits up our heroes and puts them against the ropes, and proves unafraid to take its time exploring rich themes that still resonate to this day.
The Empire Strikes Back redefined how a sequel could play and emboldened other filmmakers to take risks with stories told on a massive scale. Meticulously written character development and iconic lines in seemingly every scene, Episode V is a core fixture of our upbringings, an integral piece of broader pop culture, and a height to Star Wars storytelling that only Andor comes remotely close to in quality.