Even if you’re not a hugeStar Warsfan, it’s hard to ignore how big of a deal it’s been for decades. From the original trilogy that changed science fiction movies forever, to the more recent stuff that can be a hit or a miss, everyone’s got their share of favorites.
All Star Wars movies have had something that makes them stand out. Whether it’s cool new planets, a well-choreographed lightsaber fight, or interesting new anti-heroes, each movie has added something to the already-massive lore of this franchise. Here, we rank all eleven live-action Star Wars movies.
11The Rise Of Skywalker
Rotten Tomatoes: 51 Percent
The final movie of the sequel trilogy is also the least good. J.J. Abrams came back to direct after skipping The Last Jedi, but the movie just feels off. It tries to fix things people didn’t like from the last one, but in doing that, it loses its own direction and cohesiveness.
Palpatine coming back out of nowhere felt weird, and a lot of the emotional moments didn’t really hit. But still, there’s some cool action, and the cast is still great. The cinematography and color grading are great too, and the movie is very visually impressive.
10The Phantom Menace
Rotten Tomatoes: 54 Percent
The first movie in the prequel trilogy gets a lot of mixed reactions. Some people really like it for what it tried to do, others not so much. But you have to admit, it brought a whole new era to Star Wars.
There are brand new planets, politics, weapons, vehicles, alien races, and overall lore, and it focuses on doing something new instead of retreading the original trilogy. The music is great, and the world feels more expansive than ever.
9Solo: A Star Wars Story
Rotten Tomatoes: 69 Percent
Solo had a lot of charm, but the behind-the-scenes stuff got in the way of it being a truly great movie. The original directors were replaced after most of the movie was filmed, and Ron Howard came in and reworked a lot of it.
So the movie feels a little uneven. Still, Alden Ehrenreich does a pretty solid job as young Han Solo. He brings his own thing to the role instead of trying to replicate Harrison Ford’s vibe. There’s also some fun stuff like Lando played by Donald Glover, who’s probably the best part of the movie. It’s still a good movie, just not very memorable.
8Attack Of The Clones
Rotten Tomatoes: 64 Percent
Attack of the Clones was a big step up from The Phantom Menace. It goes deeper into the growing tension and politics in the galaxy and starts setting up the Clone Wars, which became a big deal later with the animated shows.
We get to see Kamino, which looks cool and mysterious, and Jango Fett, who’s a really slick character. The clone army stuff was new and added a lot of depth to the war coming later. It has a few flaws, but it did a much better job at showcasing this part of the Star Wars era.
7The Force Awakens
Rotten Tomatoes: 93 Percent
The Force Awakens brought Star Wars back in a big way. It looked great and was well-directed, and it introduced a lot of new characters that felt like they belonged in the universe. Rey, Finn, Poe, and Kylo Ren all stood out right away.
The movie does remix a lot of elements from the original trilogy, but it still works by capturing that feeling again. Seeing Luke, Han, and Leia again wasn’t something fans would’ve expected after the end of the original trilogy.
6The Last Jedi
Rotten Tomatoes: 91 Percent
The Last Jedi is a very divisive movie, but no matter where you stand, it’s definitelythe boldest of the sequel trilogy. Rian Johnson tried doing something different instead of just redoing what came before.
Kylo Ren’s arc was also pretty great, and the throne room scene was really well done and one of the best moments in the franchise. Visually, it’s one of the best-looking Star Wars movies, too, with gorgeous use of color. Some storytelling choices were flawed, but it had a lot of guts to do something subversive.
5Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rotten Tomatoes: 84 Percent
Rogue One ended up being the best Star Wars movie from the Disney era. Everyone knew how it would end, but the journey there is what made it special. It had a darker, grittier vibe, more like a war movie than a typical space adventure, with plenty of espionage to go around.
The characters all felt real. The tension in the last half hour is extremely high, and that final scene with Vader perfectly wraps up a great cinematic experience. After watching Andor, this movie feels even more powerful and can be seen in a different light with added context.
4Return Of The Jedi
Rotten Tomatoes: 82 Percent
Even though it’s usually considered the least good of the original trilogy, Return of the Jedi is still one of the best Star Wars movies. It had the tough job of wrapping up everything, and it did that as well as it could have.
The space battle over Endor is one of the best in the series. And Luke facing off with Vader while the Emperor watches is tense, emotional, and one of the best moments in the whole saga. It brings real closure to the characters we’ve followed since the beginning. The final celebration, with everyone finally at peace, is just a great way to end the original story.
3Revenge Of The Sith
Rotten Tomatoes: 79 Percent
Revenge of the Sith single-handedly uplifted the entire prequel trilogy. The movie is dark, intense, and doesn’t hold back. From the very start, you can feel things falling apart, and the tension never stops.
The lightsaber duels in this movie are some of the best in the saga, and there are plenty of them, too. The visuals, character work, and the emotion all land perfectly. The previous two movies had some awkward dialogue and CGI, but everything looked and felt so much better here. It also helped make the Clone Wars series even better in hindsight.
2The Empire Strikes Back
Rotten Tomatoes: 95 Percent
The Empire Strikes Back tookeverything great about A New Hopeand made it even more expansive. It introduced a lot of now-iconic characters like Yoda, Boba Fett, and Lando Calrissian, not to mention locations like Hoth and Cloud City.
The story splits the characters up, which lets them grow more. The movie has this moody, darker vibe that’s really different from the first one. It’s not as common for a sequel to outshine the original, but this one did. It’s easy to see why this one remains a fan favorite.
