1. Return of the Jedi
2. A New Hope
3. Empire Strikes Back
4. The Rise of Skywalker
5. The Force Awakens
6. Rogue One
7. Revenge of the Sith
8. Attack of the Clones
9. Solo
10. The Last Jedi
11. The Phantom Menace
12. The Clone Wars
Some notes…
1. Return of the Jedi:
Okay, yes, I like RotJ best, have at me. I know a lot of Star Wars purists don’t like it because it rehashes the “blow up the Death Star” plot from ANH, and also because their testicles will shrivel off if they admit they think Ewoks are cute. But RotJ also has Jabba the Hutt, the Rancor, the Sarlacc pit, speeder bikes, a huge space battle, Ackbar’s legendary line, Boba Fett actually fighting instead of just standing around, and a top notch lightsaber duel.
2. A New Hope:
A New Hope should really be at the top of the list. After all, it is the quintessential Star Wars movie. It deserves the honor just for being so groundbreaking. But honestly? I can no longer watch it over and over like I can the others. I just know it too well. As much as I love it, it’s so ingrained in me I might as well watch a blank wall and imagine the movie. There’s nothing new in the background to notice, there’s no nuances to catch. That’s why I like the Special Editions – not because they’re actually better, but because there’s new things to see.
3. The Empire Strikes Back:
Yeah, sure, most people like ESB best. I don’t blame them, it’s a solid movie with a great script. But to me, it just doesn’t feel like enough happens in that movie. The cynic in me thinks that the reason ESB is so popular is because the bad guys win, and human beings are basically miserable little black-hearted trolls who like to see evil triumph because it gives them hope for their own lives.
4. The Rise of Skywalker:
This one's so fresh on my mind, it could go up or down this list in the future. I mean, I loved The Phantom Menace when I first saw it, but the flaws stood out more and more with time. Still - and I might eat these words later - I think Rise of Skywalker is going to stand the test of time.
5. The Force Awakens:
Yeah, yeah, it's basically a remake of A New Hope, but so frakking what. I like ANH, but as I said above, it's boring now. TFA is much prettier telling of the story.
6. Rogue One:
I thought a lot of this movie was boring, but the ending makes up for it. A lot of people were turned off by the CGI actors, but Star Wars has always been about experimenting with technology. The original trilogy pushed the limits of what they could do with miniatures and prosthetics. The Special Editions and the prequels did the same for CGI, for good or ill. One of the prequels was the first film ever shot entirely digitally. The Force Awakens showed us how CGI can coexist with practical effects so well that it’s hard to tell the difference. Plus, BB-8 was kind of an engineering marvel. Defending Star Wars always feels like defending NASA. You know, it’s not about sending people into space. It’s about all the technological breakthroughs it takes to get someone into space, and how those breakthroughs can also be applied to everyday life.
7. Revenge of the Sith:
I rank Episodes 2 and 3 about the same. But while AotC takes a while to get going, RotS is exciting pretty much from the start. So RotS just barely beats AotC.
8. Attack of the Clones:
This one starts out slow, but the last forty-five minutes or so is great fun. Some of the special effects aren’t aging well, though. Some of the shots of the clone troopers look straight out of Battlefront.
9. Solo:
I thought Solo was much better than people gave it credit for. It wasn't great, it wasn't bad, it was just fun and pointless. Yes, it spends a little too much time on fan service, showing how every aspect of Han Solo's being came into existence. But I'm glad there's finally a canon, on-film explanation of the "12 parsecs" thing, so people can finally stop making fun of Han's line in ANH. And young Lando was spot-on perfect; it's a shame he didn't get his own spin-off movie.
10. The Last Jedi:
You know that feeling when you’re about 85% of the way through Skyrim, and you decide you want to finish up a bunch of the side quests before you get back to the main story? That’s how I feel watching TLJ. It’s a perfectly entertaining movie, but it always feels like something more important is happening somewhere else.
11. The Phantom Menace:
I’ll say this, I loved opening night. We had friends who spent days in line to buy tickets. My wife and I decided to wait and see it when it was less crowded. But on opening night we changed our mind, and managed to find a theater that still had tickets available. The energy was electrifying. Star Wars fans everywhere, some in costume, it was awesome. As far as the movie itself is concerned… well, the pod racing is kind of neat. And that lightsaber fight is still one of the best scenes in the series. But overall it’s a bit boring.
12. The Clone Wars:
I was going to just list the live action movies, but I figured, hey, I saw Clone Wars in the theater, I might as well put it on the list. As a pilot for the TV series, it was serviceable, but the decision to release it theatrically was baffling. There is no reason a movie about rescuing Jabba’s baby should have made it to the theaters. Also? I didn’t care for the CGI style they used, where everybody looked like they were carved out of wood. I prefer the earlier, “Samurai Jack”-style Clone Wars cartoons.
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