Rank the Star Wars movies

[bikingjahuty]

Had to re-evaluate this list in light of me rewatching Rogue One and liking it more than I did the first time around. I thought it might break the top 5, but it just barely misses out. Although, it very well could climb higher with time, as Revenge of the Sith has every time I rewatch it.

1. Revenge of the Sith - I know it is blasphemy to rank any Star Wars film higher than Empire Strikes Back (wait for it...), but every time I see this movie I love it more than the last time I saw it. It has everything; an excellent plot and character progression, amazing action and lightsaber fights, deep mature themes, and an excellent soundtrack score. I get chills watching this movie and feel amazing after watching it every time. It was only recently that this one climbed to my number one spot, and fighting for years with my number 2 Star Wars film, ultimately beating it because it does everything it does and way more in my opinion.

2. Empire Strikes Back - Here it is, the Star Wars movie that everyone places at the top, and maybe up until a year or so ago it was there for me as well. What can I say about this amazing movie that has not already been said; it's a timeless masterpiece with excellent writing, great fight scenes, a gripping story, and probably the biggest plot twist in movie history. I get mad feels watching this movie, and overall I'd be lying if I said it wasn't right on the heels of Revenge of the Sith in terms of being my favorite Star Wars movie of all time.

3. The Force Awakens - Often considered a remake of the first film, A New Hope, I would partially agree with that, but I feel like it did take what made the first film awesome and ran with many of it's themes an story and did something amazing on its own with those elements. It is definitely very entertaining from start to finish and has some of my favorite characters in the whole franchise, including Rey who is hands down my favorite Star Wars character of all time. I am completely stoked to see where her character goes in future films.

4. Return of the Jedi - Not as memorable or as well written as Empire, where it lacks in substance, it makes up for with awesome space battles, more lightsaber action, and pretty much a lot more flare than Empire Strikes Back. While this flash only goes so far in terms of carrying the movie, it is enough to make this movie better than at least three of the other films. With all that said, the story is good too, just not as interesting as the films ranked higher on the list.

5. The Phantom Menace - I am going to come right out and say, yes, I have a lot of nostalgia for this film which maybe the reason it ranks higher than a couple of the other films (one which I often get massive shit for), but beyond that it did have some awesome things including an introduction (a decent one at that) to several of the most important characters in the entire franchise. The pod racer scene is still awesome to watch, as is quite possibly the best lightsaber duel in the entire series. Yes, Jar Jar is stupid, yes, the whole "the force are organisms" is facepalm worthy, and yes, the pacing of this film is terrible at times, but it's still a fun movie to watch.

6. Rogue One - The movie has incredible pacing, has a ton of great action, and hits that nostalgia nerve more than any Star Wars film not part of the original trilogy. The main characters are great and their tragic, heroic tale is an interesting one. By that same token, it is a bit of an unnecessary tale that didn't really need to have a film based on it, but it still manages to be a highly entertaining movie with a ton of fan service. It doesn't rank higher since it just didn't seem as iconic as many of the other films, but it definitely is more enjoyable that a couple listed after this imo.

7. A New Hope - I feel like I always have to explain myself thoroughly when I tell people that the film that started it all is ranked as my second least favorite Star Wars film. No, A New Hope is not a bad film, not at all, in fact it's an awesome start to one of the best franchises ever conceived. However, it ranking so low has to do with the fact that the movie in general has aged terribly imo, even with the Special Edition adding some modern flare and effects. I also feel like it might be the least entertaining in terms of action. There is also a lot that is not explained right away which takes away from some of the urgency of what is going on in the film. I do really enjoy watching this film, but it almost borders on me having to be in the mood given it's lack of appeal on several levels.

8. Attack of the Clones - The only genuinely bad Star Wars film imo, this film is ruined by bad acting, bad story, bad pacing, and overall a forgettable experience that is only redeemed by a few noteworthy scenes that still pale in comparison to similar scenes in other films in the series. The film leaves a lot to be desired and I typically only watch this film as simply a way to fill in the gads between Episode I and III.

[kamikazekeeg]

Been abit since I've seen them, but I'd place them like...

8. Phantom Menace
7. Attack of the Clones
6. A New Hope
5. Revenge of the Sith
4. Return of the Jedi
3. Rogue One
2. Force Awakens
1. Empire Strikes Back

Didn't realize this was an old thread and I posted here before, but Rogue One is new, so it's still good to do.  Looking at the list, I'm switching around stuff just abit, bumping Sith lower in favor of Jedi.  I really hate everything with the Ewoks, but there's stuff to like otherwise.

[ferraroso]

1 - Episode IV: A New Hope
2 - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
3 - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
4 - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
5 - Episode VII: The Force Awakens
6 - Spaceballs
7 - Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure
8 - Ewoks: The Battle for Endor
9 - Star Wars Holiday Special
10 - Battle Beyond the Stars

[bikingjahuty]

1 - Episode IV: A New Hope
2 - Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
3 - Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
4 - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
5 - Episode VII: The Force Awakens
6 - Spaceballs
7 - Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure
8 - Ewoks: The Battle for Endor
9 - Star Wars Holiday Special
10 - Battle Beyond the Stars

wait, so you'll rank the crappy special, a parody and the two terrible Ewok movies over the prequels...I hope you are joking?

[98dgreen]

1 Rouge One
2 Episode 6
3 Episode 5
4 Episode 4
5 Episode 3
6 Episode 7
7 Episode 2
8 Episode 1

[ferraroso]

wait, so you'll rank the crappy special, a parody and the two terrible Ewok movies over the prequels...I hope you are joking?

Haha. Yeah, no kidding!
And if I did a top 15, I would probably insert some more ripoffs and probably the first of the new Star Treks there as well.

I am not even a huge Star Wars fan, however I think that Episodes I, II and III are utterly terrible movies. Not in a so-bad-bad-they-are-good manner, but plainly bad and borring. Of them, I can find some nostalgic value in the first one, but I sincerily find the third one to be the worst of the bunch.
I will admit that a major part of this rejection is something strictly personal, though: for some reason, the simply act of looking at Hayden Christensen's face is able to annoy me to death...

[Flashback2012]

Thought I replied to this thread but apparently not. Here's how it goes for me...

1. Star Wars (Unedited)
2. The Empire Strikes Back (Unedited)
3. Return of the Jedi (Unedited)
4. Rogue One
5. The Force Awakens
6. Revenge of the Sith
7. Attack of the Clones
8. The Phantom Menace

I remembered getting skewered from SW "fans" on an EQ forum I used to visit after Episode 1 came out. I gave it a 4 out of 10 when asked what I thought of it. I mentioned how Jar Jar was dumb, the Pod racing was dumb and pointless, and a bunch of other things that are now "hip" to hate on. Back then though, people were aghast at my "blasphemy and sacrilege" and said I wasn't a true fan (though I can easily quote most of the original trilogy verbatim). 

[kamikazekeeg]

I remember being underwhelmed by Phantom Menace even back then.  I was 13 I think when it released, our local theater got it in, which was a treat as they didn't always get the new movies in as they released (small town).  There was a line, I was hyped, I really enjoyed the original three movies, and what I got was kinda just a lot of obnoxious stuff.  Jar Jar was awful, Anakin was not a good kid actor to the point as a kid myself, I could tell, there was far too much CG and it didn't always work, etc, etc...There were things I liked, as Pod Racing itself was cool (The video game was fun), I liked the look of the droid army, and Darth Maul and his fight is pretty badass, but that's it.

It'll forever continue to be the worst one to me lol

[bikingjahuty]

I can understand why people might not like Attack of the Clones or parts of Phantom Menace or Revenge of the Sith, but the prequel hate that is rampant on the internet and among many Star Wars fans seems more of a bandwagon thing rather than they legitimately do not like them, or at least dislike them as much as they profess. I think people wanted them to be just like the original Trilogy, and while certain things could have been handled better in the prequel trilogy, I find them just as entertaining and meaningful, if not more so, than the original trilogy.

I think people like to put the original trilogy on this pedestal that is bolstered greatly by nostalgia and not being open minded towards anything that isn't the same thing. Hell, people got super up tight when they did the special editions of the original trilogy in the late 90s, which I felt enhanced the worst parts of the original trilogy that were looking outdated (except that god awful musical scene in RotJ).

I will end my mini soup box by saying, I've also noticed it becoming trendy to bash the Disney Star Wars films, especially The Force Awakens. Again, most of the criticisms go back to people claiming how inferior they are to the original trilogy, particularly a New Hope which undeniably shares similarities with The Force Awakens. But you know what, I find A New Hope to be pretty overrated and is definitely the Star Wars movie that aged the worst, and also is about a 10th as interesting as The Force Awakens.

*drops mic*

PS. I grew up with the original trilogy and was in middle school when The Phantom Menace came out. I liked it quite a bit back then, and its charms have faded a bit, but it still has many redeeming qualities that make it a good film overall.

[emporerdragon]

I will end my mini soup box by saying, I've also noticed it becoming trendy to bash the Disney Star Wars films, especially The Force Awakens. Again, most of the criticisms go back to people claiming how inferior they are to the original trilogy, particularly a New Hope which undeniably shares similarities with The Force Awakens. But you know what, I find A New Hope to be pretty overrated and is definitely the Star Wars movie that aged the worst, and also is about a 10th as interesting as The Force Awakens.

The reason I don't like the Disney stuff isn't because it's inferior to the original trilogy, but because it's inferior to the Expanded Universe that was sacrificed to make it. I find myself wishing that they'd've done an adaptation of the Thrawn Trilogy or the Yuuzhan Vong war than what we did get.

Probably the biggest beef I'd have is that how incompetent the villainous factions are in the new universe. The best example would be how long it took to defeat the Empire. In the Disney continuity, after Palpatine dies, the Imperial leadership manages to pick up the idiot ball and suffers defeat after defeat until they decide to put all their eggs in one basket, resulting in the Battle of Jakku which costs them 90+% of their entire fleet, forcing a surrender. All this takes place in the span of about 1 year after RotJ. Meanwhile, in the old EU, while Palpatine's death was a blow to the Empire and did cause it to fracture, there were still plenty of competent leaders to rally around like Thrawn, Isard, Zsnij, Pellaeon, and Daala. And while they did eventually lose, it took 20 years to do so instead, and still left the Imperial Remnant as a powerful, albeit diminished player on the galactic scene.

[bikingjahuty]

I will end my mini soup box by saying, I've also noticed it becoming trendy to bash the Disney Star Wars films, especially The Force Awakens. Again, most of the criticisms go back to people claiming how inferior they are to the original trilogy, particularly a New Hope which undeniably shares similarities with The Force Awakens. But you know what, I find A New Hope to be pretty overrated and is definitely the Star Wars movie that aged the worst, and also is about a 10th as interesting as The Force Awakens.

The reason I don't like the Disney stuff isn't because it's inferior to the original trilogy, but because it's inferior to the Expanded Universe that was sacrificed to make it. I find myself wishing that they'd've done an adaptation of the Thrawn Trilogy or the Yuuzhan Vong war than what we did get.

Probably the biggest beef I'd have is that how incompetent the villainous factions are in the new universe. The best example would be how long it took to defeat the Empire. In the Disney continuity, after Palpatine dies, the Imperial leadership manages to pick up the idiot ball and suffers defeat after defeat until they decide to put all their eggs in one basket, resulting in the Battle of Jakku which costs them 90+% of their entire fleet, forcing a surrender. All this takes place in the span of about 1 year after RotJ. Meanwhile, in the old EU, while Palpatine's death was a blow to the Empire and did cause it to fracture, there were still plenty of competent leaders to rally around like Thrawn, Isard, Zsnij, Pellaeon, and Daala. And while they did eventually lose, it took 20 years to do so instead, and still left the Imperial Remnant as a powerful, albeit diminished player on the galactic scene.

That is 100% fair. I also was not happy to hear that they were scrapping the entire EU once Disney acquired the rights. I haven't read all the EU books, probably around 1/3 of them, but yeah, it was way more fleshed out and in terms of realism, it would make sense that a galactic empire that reigned supreme for over 20-years would not just unravel in a year following the death of the Emperor. But over time I have been able to separate the original EU from the Disney EU, which is shaping up well in of itself.

I can respect your criticism of The Force Awakens, in fact you are the only person I've ever seen make this case for not liking the Disney Universe of Star Wars. As I said, it is 99% of them time, "Ugh, it's not as good as a New Hope, it's a total rip off of the original." I agree with this criticism to a degree, but A New Hope is heavily influenced by older films as well. Pretty much nothing is original anymore in terms of story and plot, it is how you make it your own and entertaining for others.

[pzeke]

Mine's straightforward:

6. The Phantom Menace
5. Attack of the Clones
4. Revenge of the Sith (the better one of the prequel trilogy, imho...)
3. Return of the Jedi
2. A New Hope
1. The Empire Strikes Back

Haven't bothered to check the newer ones, and honestly have no interest to. To me the saga/franchise ended when Lucas sold the franchise to Disney, as trite as that may sound. I did watch a number of episodes from The Clone Wars, both the cartoon and 3D animated series and happened to like them quite a bit. I've seen some clips of Rebels on YouTube and might be giving it a chance sometime.

[turf]

This is a biggie for me.  I'm a fan to say the least. 
OG Trilogy (or Tril-OG if your awesome) is the best. 
The Force Awakens was fantastic.  I loved it. 
I'm not real sure where I fit Rogue One in.  It may be higher, but it's for sure not lower. 

Here's my list.  Maybe it's accurate. This is like picking your favorite child. 

8 ) Attack of the Clones
7) Phantom Menace
6) Revenge of the Sith
5) Rogue One
4) A New Hope
3) The Force Awakens
2) Return of the Jedi
1) The Empire Strikes Back

[jce3000gt]

.

[undertakerprime]

1) Return of the Jedi
2) Revenge of the Sith
3) The Empire Strikes Back
4) A New Hope
5) The Force Awakens
6) Attack of the Clones
7) The Phantom Menace

Empire was one of the first movies I ever saw in a theater (my parents took me when I was 4), but I loved RotJ as a kid and still do. All the aliens, the 3-way battle at the end, the epic lightsaber duel... I never had a problem with the Ewoks and was surprised when I found out later that they were reviled.

Even though, IMO, the casting of the prequel trilogy was one of its biggest problems (Hayden Christiansen and Jake Lloyd are horrible actors, and Portman is a good actress who was horribly miscast), I still find the last half of RotS gives me goose bumps.