Finally, all nine Skywalker saga Star Wars films are out. But how do they stack up against one another? Here’s the entire Skywalker saga ranked from worst to best.
The Star Wars movies have been with us for what seems like forever. A New Hope came out in 1977, and ever since then, the fandom has grown and grown.
Naturally, with all nine movies out now (of course) that means we have to stack them against each other. Were the prequel movies as bad as we thought? Can nothing really beat the original trilogy of the past?
Nine movies and three trilogies in, and it’s finally the end. Here’s a definitive ranking of the Skywalker saga, from worst to best.
9. Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
The second film in the prequel trilogy really has nothing going for it. It’s common knowledge that the prequels are generally terrible, but Attack of the Clones finds its spot at the very bottom of the barrel.
Set 10 years after The Phantom Menace, Senator Amidala receives a death threat, and the Jedi are called in to defend her. However, it’s not enough as Count Dooku and his army are too much for them. Jango Fett and his army of clones are called in to handle the situation while Anakin begins to worry that his romance with Padmé won’t be allowed by the Jedi code.
On paper, it seems like a solid film. But it’s just not executed well. Hayden Christensen’s acting leaves much to be desired, and Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan is pretty much carrying the weight of the movie on his back, which still isn’t enough to rank it any higher.
8. Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
The Phantom Menace is bad, straight up terrible. Have you tried to sit through this movie since it came out? Marathons are incredibly different, to start, just because you have to get through this movie first.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is a young Jedi Knight under the training of Qui-Gon Jinn. After Naboo is isolated by the trade federation, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are sent to the planet, and they find Anakin Skywalker.
The reason it ranks only slightly higher than Attack of the Clones (even though the two could really tie for worst, honestly) is two-fold. First of all, the pod racing scene is probably one of the most fun scenes to watch in the movie and actually feels like Star Wars. Secondly, we get Qui-Gon Jinn and young Obi-Wan Kenobi, who have a great relationship.
7. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
As far as prequels go, Revenge of the Sith is the least terrible and even a tolerable movie. If you’re thinking about marathoning the entire Skywalker saga, maybe just skip the first two and start here. You could even compensate by adding in Rogue One.
This movie has been described by many as the most “Star Wars” Star Wars movie there has ever been. It’s full of lightsaber battles and Force usage. It’s also very important to the story as it’s the movie where Anakin turns over to the Dark Side and becomes Darth Vader.
It’s not a great movie by any means. Hayden Christensen’s acting has improved slightly, but it’s not perfect. While it ranks low on our list, a lot of people really love it and may even refer to it as the best of the Skywalker saga. However, for us, it’s staying at number seven where it belongs.
6. Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)
The Last Jedi is just okay. It’s a widely debated film. Some people love it, and some people despise it. For that reason alone, it falls just in the middle. It’s definitely not perfect. Rian Johnson’s version of Luke Skywalker just doesn’t fit with the rest of the series and left fans a little disappointed in him.
The Last Jedi follows Rey on her journey to becoming a Jedi. She finally found Luke Skywalker, and he can return to help the resistance finally win against the First Order. Except, he’s filled with guilt for turning Ben Solo into Kylo Ren, and he refuses to leave the island.
Overall, it’s a fun movie to watch, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense in the grand scheme of things. Rose Tico kind of feels out of place, and Finn and Rey barely have any time on screen together. When compared to The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker, The Last Jedi just doesn’t feel like it fits.
5. Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
Don’t get us wrong, A New Hope is an amazing movie. It introduced the world to Luke, Leia, and Han, and it will never be forgotten. In a few words, it’s the Star Wars movie. It’s the one that started everything. But is it really a good movie?
Darth Vader captures Princess Leia, and it seems like all hope is lost for the Rebellion. That is until Luke Skywalker gets his hands on a droid and a message that is meant for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Listen, A New Hope will always be a classic, and we’ll probably never refer to it as a bad movie. It’s still the original, so it definitely beats out the prequels. But, maybe go back and watch it one of these days, you might realize it’s not as amazing as you originally thought.
4. Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
As the final film to come out, The Rise of Skywalker holds its ground as a good Star Wars movie. It’s heavily debated already, maybe even more so than The Last Jedi.
The Rise of Skywalker follows Rey as she tries to find Emperor Palpatine’s location so she can end him and the Final Order for good. Though it seems Kylo Ren has similar plans. Will they finally be able to take each other’s hands?
It’s full of callbacks to old movies, and some found that they sacrificed good storytelling to include throwbacks and old references. Even if that’s the truth, it’s still a fun movie to watch. It’s an incredible end to a series that we’ve all cherished for decades.
3. Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
The beginning of the end, The Force Awakens. The Force Awakens introduced us to new favorite characters: Rey, Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron, and Finn — all new and exciting characters loved by viewers everywhere.
The Force Awakens follows Rey, Finn, and Poe as they try to escape the First Order and find the last piece of the map to Luke Skywalker’s location.
The highest-ranking out of the sequel trilogy, The Force Awakens was a great start to a new series. It left a lot of things a mystery and reeled us in to the new world so we would stick around wanting more.
2. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)
Return of the Jedi is the final movie in the original trilogy, and it wraps everything up much better than The Rise of Skywalker does for the sequel trilogy. It’s also all around a great movie.
The Galactic Empire creates a second Death Star in order to finally crush the Rebellion. The Rebels launch a full-force attack on the Death Star to stop it from being completed. Luke tries to convince Darth Vader to return to the Light Side of the Force.
Return of the Jedi deserves to be high on this list. It’s a complete ending to an incredible series and doesn’t leave behind too many loose ends. It doesn’t sacrifice storytelling for callbacks because it’s only the third movie. It wraps up a pretty perfect trilogy.
1. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
It’s pretty much common knowledge at this point that The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie. If you ask anyone what their favorite Star Wars movie is, there’s a 50/50 chance they’re going to say Empire.
While on the ice planet of Hoth, Luke, Leia, and Han are attacked by imperial forces. Leia and Han escape in the Falcon, and Luke goes to Dagobah to find Yoda.
There’s a good reason it’s number one. The Empire Strikes Back is everything that we love about Star Wars movies. It’s romance between Han and Leia, epic space battles, and AT-ATs. Also, Yoda. What’s not to love?
Do you agree with our ranking of all nine movies from the Skywalker saga? What would you change, and is your favorite movie of all time still from the original trilogy?
Let’s block ads! (Why?)
