The definitive ranking for 'Star Wars' episodes

Post date: Nov 12, 2018 4:34:29 PM

With Episode IX of the "Star Wars" saga set to be released next year, let’s take a look at my definitive ranking of the episodes. On a side note, the "Star Wars" stories (“Rogue One” and “Solo”) were not included since they are technically not episodes themselves. 

1. The Empire Strikes Back Not just the best Star Wars film, but also one of the best films ever made. This was the one "Star Wars" movie that had everything. 2. A New Hope This was a gamble of George Lucas’ part. It worked brilliantly and changed pop culture forever. 3. Revenge of the Sith On a plot level, this was the most important Star Wars film. It was also far and away the greatest of the prequels. 4. The Return of the Jedi A powerful end to the original trilogy, this film had hearts soaring as the Rebellion defeated the Empire, and Luke saved Anakin. 5. The Last Jedi

No other film has divided a fandom as much as “The Last Jedi.” While we’re not completely sold on the whole movie, as far as filmmaking went, this was a masterpiece. 

  6. The Force Awakens This proved to be a great return to the saga’s roots, and although it had a galaxy of nostalgia behind it, we felt it was too close to the first "Star Wars" movie. 7. Attack of the Clones This could’ve gone either way, but with Anakin playing a huge brat, it was hard for fans to get into it. 8. The Phantom Menace I would have loved the first episode if not for two things that greatly impacted the film: the uneven script, and the absurd characters (Jar-Jar and young Anakin were extremely annoying). Joe Cianciotto is a San Francisco Bay Area-based architect. He is a movie buff and enjoys a diverse selection of genres, including superhero films, independent science fiction, mumblecore, and Golden-age dramas and epics. Read more on this page.