With the saga complete, Annlyel ranks every Star Wars movie to date to determine her all-time favorite movie from the galaxy far, far away…

After every new Star Wars movie, one must begin reshuffling the order in which one has the Star Wars movies ranked for obvious reasons. Now, over the course of 43 years, we have eleven! Star Wars movies to enjoy. Some are great, some…not so much, and there are others that sit in the middle of the ranking. Here’s my ranking that most definitely will not change for a while. (This list does not include the animated Clone Wars movie.)

11. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones

Honestly, this movie almost got dethroned from the bottom spot on the list due to a certain recent film that left me rather peeved. However, the icky romance between Anakin and Padme is what continues to make me dislike this film. Not only is it creepy that Anakin had basically harbored this crush for Padme since he was nine but the fact that Padme actually ended up falling in love with this guy (who was pretty much still a kid while she was a full-blown adult) is just…yuck!

Sorry, I’m never going to get over that. I love everything else about the movie though. 🙂

10. Solo: A Star Wars Story

Solo isn’t a bad movie. I went to watch it on my birthday a couple of years ago with my family and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Unfortunately, this is literally the only Star Wars movie that I can’t bring myself to finish in a single viewing anymore.

Alden Ehrenreich’s portrayal of Han Solo isn’t bad. He’s just, in my opinion, not likable enough to cheer for. Dryden Vos is an intriguing antagonist, there’s just not enough of him. Same thing with Enfys Nest. She’s one of the coolest recent characters to make an appearance in the franchise but once again, she’s only in the movie fleetingly. I find Qi’ra to be very interesting but not enough time is afforded to her in the scope of the story because, well, the movie’s about Han Solo. Woody Harrelson does a good enough job playing smuggler/mentor Tobias Beckett but over the years I’ve lost interest in him. L3-37 isn’t given enough time for us to truly feel invested in her story. And Donald Glover does a great job making Lando his own but that doesn’t mean I’m a fan.

All in all, while the Kessel Run sequence is one of the best in the franchise, Solo falls flat of being the awesome film that I know it could’ve been. A sequel (or a Disney+ series), however, could bring this story back to life in a legitimately awesome way.

9. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

If you had told me a month ago that The Rise of Skywalker would end up becoming my third to last favorite Star Wars movie I probably wouldn’t have believed you. Unfortunately, it is. Written with no imagination and no respect for the past two trilogies (or The Last Jedi), The Rise of Skywalker is as bland as oatmeal with no sugar or butter. You may eat it, but you’ll be dissatisfied at the end.

When The Force Awakens came out I saw it five times in the movie theaters. I saw The Last Jedi twice. I’ve only seen The Rise of Skywalker once and that’s because it wasn’t powerful or intriguing enough to desperately want to see again.

8. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Some may see Return of the Jedi so low on this list and feel utterly flabbergasted. There’s a very simple reason why I have Return of the Jedi at the #8 spot; Ewoks. As a child, I liked Ewoks. As an adult, I can’t stand the little spear-toting furballs. Sorry, Ewok fans. Seeing an elderly Wicket at the end of The Rise of Skywalker didn’t help matters. But, I will say, Luke’s confrontation with Palpatine and Darth Vader’s eventual redemption is nothing short of epic.

7. Star Wars: A New Hope

There is nothing wrong with this film…it’s just old. And being old means it wasn’t as grand as some of the other movies on this list. But without it, I wouldn’t be sitting here today writing this post about my eleven-movie Star Wars ranking.

6. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

I can’t quite comprehend why people despise this movie so much. I mean, I get it. Jar Jar Binks and whiny Anakin, am I right? Oh, and that bit about midichlorians. But besides that, this movie is stellar. Padme is at her greatest as a fierce young queen who is only fourteen! Wow! Qui-Gon Jinn is undoubtedly one of my favorite Jedi masters. Obi-Wan is great, as expected. And Darth Maul, people. Darth Maul!

The Phantom Menace still reigns supreme with what is undoubtedly one of the top three lightsaber duels of all time. I love this movie.

5. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

The Last Jedi, at times, can be so good it feels like the best Star Wars movie ever made. However, what prevents it from being a perfect film is Vice Admiral Holdo, who I personally am not very fond of. The Canto Bight sequence is a bit boring and feels like it takes away from scenes that were far more important and probably should’ve been in the film. Poe Dameron‘s temper tantrums are a bit over the top. Leia‘s use of the Force is cool but looks a bit weird. And Admiral Ackbar’s death is disgraceful.

Besides that, the movie is fantastic and easily the most beautiful Star Wars movie ever made. Gosh, it’s gorgeous.

4. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Fun with a capital F, The Force Awakens was designed to reintroduce and first introduce Star Wars to the masses and it was incredible. Packed full of exhilarating action sequences, lovable characters, humorous moments, and some legitimate drama, The Force Awakens is a beautiful, beautiful movie.

3. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith

I forgot how good this movie was until I watched again recently and I found myself blown away by the darkness and the emotional impact of this film’s various situations. Even though I’m not an Anakin fan he can’t even ruin the grand storytelling George Lucas delivered with this whopping punch of a trilogy finale.

Revenge of the Sith still stands as the darkest Star Wars movie by far. If only J.J Abrams had fashioned The Rise of Skywalker off the playbook of this film, maybe the ninth movie in the Skywalker Saga would’ve been phenomenal.

2. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

Even over time, The Empire Strikes Back still pretty much reigns supreme. Jarringly dark in tone compared to A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back solidified Star Wars as one of the greatest cinematic creations of all time. And, with I feel the greatest plot twist of all time, this movie will forever be considered the bar sequels must yearn to achieve in storytelling.

1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

When the prospect of Star Wars standalone films was announced I was skeptical. I saw the teaser trailer for Rogue One. I was intrigued but not thoroughly impressed. I saw the official trailer. Still intrigued but not jumping through the roof with excitement. And then, at an evening showing of Rogue One on December 16, my scope of what Star Wars could be instantly changed.

Sitting in that packed theater, I watched in wide-eyed awe a movie that took the idea of Star Wars to the next level. Refusing to conform to the norm, Rogue One delivered a gritty war film of a band of rebels who together would orchestrate one of the greatest defeats against the Empire. A group of rebellious individuals who would each meet a dismal end at the conclusion of the film…followed by a chill-inducing display of Darth Vader‘s power before a delightful Princess Leia cameo that left one beaming with joy.

I saw Rogue One three times in the movie theaters and all three times I was blown away. Even now, I still haven’t seen a Star Wars movie that grasped me as much as this movie did. It just goes to show that Star Wars isn’t reliant on lightsabers or the battle between the Jedi and the Sith to be good. Sometimes, it’s just nice to meet a group of eclectic and diverse characters who are treated with attention and care.

So…that’s my ranking. 🙂

 

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Annlyel James is a prolific Staff Writer for Future of the Force. She is passionate about Star Wars and Marvel but loves a wide variety of movie genres. Aside from her role with Future of the Force she also writes for her own blog: annlyelonline. Follow her on Twitter @annlyeljames where she channels the Force frequently!

 

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