Film analysis: All 11 live-action Star Wars movies ranked from worst to best
The cannon of live-action Star Wars films is set to expand with three new instalments from writer/producer Simon Kinberg.
Before the Star Wars: Rebels co-creator sends us at lightspeed back into movie theatres and a galaxy, far, far away - let’s look at what has already lit up the big screen courtesy of Lucasfilm and Disney.
Nine feature films comprise the Skywalker Saga, harking back to the original Star Wars film from 1977, all the way to 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker and a couple of spin-offs have been added by Disney along the way.
Which is the worst, which is the best? Film News Blitz writer David Bason gives his verdict…
11. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
“Somehow, Palpatine returned.” These words haunt Star Wars fans far and wide as The Rise of Skywalker did its best to conclude the Skywalker Saga in a truly dismal fashion.
After Rian Johnson angered a certain sector of fans with The Last Jedi, Disney brought back J.J. Abrams to sign off the disjointed and unoriginal sequel trilogy.
Bringing back The Emperor was just one of a multitude of sins in a film that closed with a final act that was merely a poor do-over of The Return of the Jedi. This is one to miss.
10. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
After the billion-dollar success of Rogue One, Disney was compelled to expand its slate of spin-off Star Wars feature films.
However, this project was doomed from the start.
Alden Ehrenreich is a fine actor, but having anyone other than the legendary Harrison Ford play Han Solo is a misstep of huge proportions.
Ron Howard taking over directing duties after Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were dismissed was just one example of Disney’s continued mismanagement of creators wishing to lend their vision to Star Wars.
In the end, this film didn’t need to exist and is just a sign of studios’ desperate need to monetise IP.
A $392m return on a reported $275m budget and mixed reviews marked this forgettable movie and prompted Disney to pursue live-action series instead.
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9. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
If The Phantom Menace was enough to disappoint fans of the original Star Wars trilogy, Attack of the Clones was enough to kill their spirits.
A blue screen nightmare, blighted by an awkward romance at its centre, saw cinemagoers continue down a troubling path as Anakin Skywalker slowly unravelled into Darth Vader.
“I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. Not like here. Here everything is soft and smooth.”
With dialogue like that, this instalment is a tough watch.
8. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Sixteen years after the original Star Wars trilogy concluded, The Phantom Menace brought the series’ fans back to the big screen.
Trade negotiations, blockades and Jar Jar Binks were probably not what everyone was looking for.
Still, there are moments in The Phantom Menace that elevate it beyond the lesser films in the Star Wars canon.
Pod Racing and the masterful Duel of the Fates sequence between Darth Maul, Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn are highlights amid a middling effort.
7. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017)
The marmite of all Star Wars entries, where some argued Rian Johnson strayed too far from cannon in a bid to forge his own story from a Galaxy, far, far away.
Luke Skywalker’s path from self-imposed exile to redemption isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds.
Still, there are familiar beats in this second ‘darker’ instalment of the sequel trilogy that pose unfavourable comparisons to The Empire Strikes Back.
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6. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
George Lucas rounded off his prequel trilogy with a film favoured by millennials for its wall-to-wall meme content.
The best of the prequel bunch, Revenge of the Sith is packed with incredible action sequences, a stunning John Williams score and the fall of the Jedi order.
What lets this story down, however, is Anakin's transformation into Vader, which after three films, feels all too sudden.
Still, Vader and Obi-Wan’s clash as this film concludes is one of the best action set-pieces of the early 2000s and Ewan McGregor’s gut-wrenching speech to his fallen comrade tugs at the heartstrings.
5. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
When Disney announced its takeover of Lucasfilm in 2012, fans were giddy in anticipation of the promise of more Star Wars movies.
The Force Awakens delivered on nostalgia by the bucket load.
Stormtroopers, Han, Leia and Chewbacca came back to the big screen in a tactile, swashbuckling adventure.
Yes, this was a doover of the original film, but that can be forgiven as this was the perfect re-entry point to the Star Wars saga.
It’s just a shame the sequel trilogy didn’t jump off from this platform in the right way.
4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
The best of the Disney bunch in the Star Wars cannon, Rogue One is everything a spin-off film should be.
A self-contained story introducing new characters, but serving its cinematic universe well with a brilliantly crafted story.
An impeccable cast including Mads Mikkelsen, Ben Mendelsohn, Diego Luna, Felicity Jones and more come together in Gareth Edwards’ film to tell the tragic tale of how the Rebels stole the plans for the Death Star.
It’s gritty, dark and features the most horrifically enthralling Darth Vader sequence put to the screen.
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3. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
They say the originals are the best and when it comes to Star Wars, that is certainly true.
However, Return of the Jedi is the weakest of the bunch.
Still, this is a fitting conclusion to one of Hollywood's greatest trilogies.
Ian McDiarmid’s Emperor enters the stage in a big way to tempt Luke Skywalker to the Dark side, but it's Darth Vader who ultimately returns to the light after a thrilling father/son showdown.
2. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
The film that changed cinema forever.
From the moment the gargantuan imperial star destroyer rolled across the screen, the world of movies would never be the same again.
George Lucas introduced the world to a story a long time ago, in a galaxy, far, far away, built on classic mythology and drawing on fears of fascist rule, love of rebellion and the triumph of good versus evil.
Everything that everyone loves about Star Wars can be traced back to this phenomenon.
1. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
How do you follow up on the most seismic change in cinema history?
Well, you go and eclipse it with an even more ingenious effort.
The Empire Strikes Back is a Stanley Kubrick-infused space opera that takes the dial up to 11 for Star Wars.
Our heroes Luke, Leia and Han are set on separate paths in this darker adventure.
Everything about this instalment is iconic, from Han Solo and Princess Leia’s tragic love story to the biggest plot twist in cinema history.
“No, I am your father.”
It’s hard to top that.
