Hello there! Happy Star Wars Day and May the 4th be with you all!
Beloved by all generations since the late seventies, the Star Wars film franchise has proudly produced a dozen films, been nominated for thirty-seven Academy Awards (winning seven of them!) and grossed over ten billion dollars at the box office. In celebration of the momentous accomplishments achieved by such a pop culture staple, I have endeavored to rank the nine original Star Wars episodes from worst to best (1 being the worst, 9 being the best) — check it out and see how your own rankings stack up against mine:
- episode i: The Phantom Menace
-
I know, I know, this is the first episode that (chronologically) starts the whole franchise, but…it’s SO BORING. I couldn’t tell you anything about the film other than that there was a big podrace at the end. If I was more of a diehard fan, then I’m sure I’d have a much stronger appreciation for the story’s details.
- Episode viii: The LAst jedi
-
I have to agree with the consensus about the humor of the film: too much, too forced and too Disney-esque. Also, I didn’t care for the new characterization of the once resilient and heroic Luke Skywalker. He has sequestered himself in a private hideaway as a weakened hermit; that isn’t the admirable (yet annoying) Luke we all know and love!
- episode ii: Attack of the clones
-
The painfully slow-going and entirely cringe-worthy relationship between Anakin and Padmé takes center stage in the second episode of the franchise, but honestly, the dialogue of the whole movie was so bad that it made me want to peel my own skin off.
- episode vii: the force awakens
-
This lacks a bit of originality and definitely leans hard into the nostalgia with the reintroduction of old characters like Han and Leia, but Kylo Ren was an intriguing villain with lots of possibilities for the future of the franchise and Rey had the potential to become the leading lady of the Star Wars universe.
- episode ix: the rise of skywalker
-
While the nitty-gritty details of this film start to unravel the logic of the plotline, the film itself was really well done cinematically and catered to what fans were looking for after the disappointment of The Last Jedi. My main critique is how rushed the film felt, they were cramming way too much in.
- episode iii: Revenge of the sith
-
Pull up the Anakin-Obi-Wan battle scene on Youtube and I promise you that any guy within 500 feet will be entranced for the full four minutes. The action, the drama, the cinematography and the overall grandeur of the film is a sight to see. This is truly one of the most enjoyable films of the Star Wars franchise (with the greatest lightsaber battle, in my opinion).
- episode vi: return of the jedi
-
I am in love with the Ewoks! I want one of my own to hug and be best friends with. This whole film is really engaging and entertaining, while the Ewoks serve as the cherry on top. The development of Han and Leia’s relationship was well-received and the battle scenes were fast-paced, exciting and fun to watch!
- episode iv: A new hope
-
The first Star Wars film to be released and bring the world into a frenzy over the new sci-fi universe dreams are made of. The characters all have interesting storylines and backgrounds, plus the mission leading to the Death Star blowing up was one of the best sequences in all of Star Wars.
- episode v: The empire strikes back
-
The number of quotable lines from this movie could fill this entire article alone! (The best is: “I love you.” “I know.” So cute). Watching the bad*ss Jedi-master Yoda teach whiny Luke Skywalker is always a pleasure, plus, the intense battle scene between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker draws everyone’s attention and gets plenty of hearts racing with unmatched excitement. Brilliant!
Once this publishes I plan to go into hiding on Luke Skywalker’s old island due to the highly controversial nature of the article… Who knew a film series could be more hotly debated than today’s biggest political questions? In any case, the Star Wars movies have brought together millions of fans with exciting, entertaining and fun-loving movies that will continue to be around for years to come. If you haven’t already seen them all, I encourage you to give a few of the films a try to see if you would like to join one of the largest fandoms on earth! Happy Star Wars Day!