Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
I’ve been a Star Wars
geek since my parents took me to the drive-in to see the first film upon its
opening almost 40 years ago. Now I have the pleasure of watching my kids
discover this universe for themselves and an excuse to keep scoping out the
latest action figures in the Target toy aisle. I took my oldest and his cousin
to go see the latest installation in the series, Rogue One Christmas night. So how does it rank in comparison to the
rest of the films? It doesn’t match the excellence of the original trilogy, but
it is well worth going to see. Read on for my ranking of all eight films, least
to greatest.
The Phantom Menace
(1999)
This film is the George Lucas equivalent of Godfather III.
The characters you loved as a kid have returned to star in an abomination that
makes you long for a return to your childhood. New baddie Darth Maul and John
Williams’ excellent score are the only reasons to watch this dismal effort.
Attack of the Clones
(2002)
Lucas’s second attempt in the new millennium has several
cool battle scenes and some impressive CGI, but Hayden Christensen is simply
awful as our newly grown-up hero. Every line of dialogue lands with a thud and
his scenes with would-be love interest Padme (Natalie Portman) are
excruciating.
Revenge of the Sith
(2005)
Retaining the terrible acting and dialogue of its two
immediate predecessors, this film improves upon those two outings based on
having the most interesting story to tell, but it’s still pretty bad. Ben
defeats Anakin simply because he stands on a taller rock?
Rogue One (2016)
As much a war movie as a Star
Wars film, the storyline and several of the secondary characters are what
make this one special. The effects and battle scenes are as amazing as always,
but the two major CGI characters were disconcerting. Of larger concern, I just
didn’t find the main protagonist as engaging as last year’s similar hero, Rey.
The Force Awakens (2015)
As many have already pointed out, this one is largely just a
remake of the original, replacing the boy protagonist with a girl.
Nevertheless, it hits almost all the right notes. If J.J. Abrams had done a
better job with the ending of this one, I’m looking at you Chewbacca and R2-D2,
it might have rivaled the original trilogy.
Return of the Jedi
(1983)
Ewoks and George Lucas’s increased focus on selling toys over
storytelling takes this film down a notch or two, but it still has a ton going
for it. The opening sequence alone is worth the price of admission. Luke
Skywalker showing off his new powers inside Jabba’s palace and again on his
barge are some of the best scenes of the series.
Star Wars (1977)
The movie that started it all, George Lucas proved that
there was a huge audience for sci-fi if done right. Despite his later efforts
to mess this one up with new edits and even a new title, Star Wars remains a
classic. And Han shot first.
The Empire Strikes
Back (1980)
Rarely do sequels improve upon the original, but this one
did. Empire has more bad guys, more lightsabers, and the tightest script of the
series so far. If Boba Fett doesn’t get his own standalone film at some point,
Disney might just find itself with a date in the Sarlacc Pit.
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