May the 4th: Ranking Every Star Wars Movie
casual observer can tell these two don’t belong together. While the Yoda fight is the highlight, seeing Jedi in their prime, the “Clones” plot also introduces how the Galactic Republic becomes the Empire. Not quite masterful, but not as cringeworthy as certain Gungan appearances.9. ‘Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith’ (2005)The best of the prequels by far, it quickly goes dark, with the Jedi falling one by one by Chancellor Palpatine a.k.a. Darth Sidious/Newlyweds Anakin and Padmé have marital issues and the young Skywalker’s transformation into the person inside the Vader suit is pretty gut-wrenching. The order to kill all the younglings is absolutely devastating, setting up his descent as a tragic figure.8. ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ (2018)There’s a lot of drama behind the scenes with this one, but Ron Howard was sent in to right the ship and delivered a movie that’s a charming side adventure with a likeable young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) and his banter-happy meeting with Chewbacca.9. ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (2016)”Rogue One” gets gritty and a different tone than other “Star Wars” movies. They steal the Death Star plans but at a massive cost, showing the stakes against the Empire. The Vader hallway fight sequence alone, though, deserves a spot on these rankings.6. ‘Return of the Jedi’ (1983)Sure, the Ewoks are cute and all, but seriously? They take down the freaking Empire with log traps and rocks? The redemption of Darth Vader, however, is still a stellar emotional moment and the Emperor is at peak vile when he’s Force-lightning Luke.5. ‘The Last Jedi’ (2017)Definitely the most divisive “Star Wars” movie, “Last Jedi” isn’t perfect, but it’s trying to be daring. Rian Johnson may not have done everything fans wanted, but many sequences are killer – Luke and Kylo Ren’s showdown is gripping, and Admiral Holdo’s suicide jump to lightspeed hasn’t been topped.4. ‘The Force Awakens’ (2015)J.J. Abrams plays it safe and sure, but the return of Harrison Ford as Han Solo and the beginning of the Rey/Finn/Poe saga feels like genuinely fresh characters diving into new battles. One of the best scenes in any “Star Wars” movie involves lightsabers at the end of this one.3. ‘Star Wars’ (1977)As good vs. evil stories go, it doesn’t get more iconic tough away: The helicopter attack on the village, the battle sequence that sets the tone for the damn near an hourplus climactic battle..2. ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)Because Luke’s lightsaber duel with Darth Vader is one of the best fights ever and the “I am your father” reveal still sets off a thousand chills every time.1. ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ (2019)Yeah, there are some logical leaps (mostly how Emperor Palpatine comes to be back is still a head-scratcher), but “Rise of Skywalker” wraps up a giant nine-movie fantasy in pretty solid fashion. Luke, Leia and Lando all show up, you find out the truth about Rey, and there’s a big final fight to give it all a proper sendoff.
