What was the best part for you during the recent Holy Week break? Was it the days off from work/school? Was it getting the chance to hit the beach and enjoy the feeling of sand in between your toes? Or was it simply the extended hours you got to hit the sheets?
Mine? It’s simple: the release of the first trailer for the upcoming movie in the Star Wars franchise, The Last Jedi.
Don’t let me get into details about the 2-minute and 13-second clip, because I’ll go on forever. But after watching the teaser for what felt like the hundredth time, it got me thinking:
From the current eight Star Wars movies released (original trilogy, prequel trilogy, The Force Awakens, and Rogue One – I didn’t include Clone Wars, because we’re going only live action), how would I rank the films? Take note that doing so is as difficult as selecting a favorite child or pet (yes, I also liked the prequels), but for this article’s sake, I did it anyway.
So, here goes:
(WARNING: For those who haven’t watched all or any of the Star Wars films yet, SPOILERS ahead)
8. Attack of the Clones
While I did say that I enjoyed the prequel films (It’s Star Wars after all, come on now), they did have parts that had a lot left to be desired. Attack of the Clones gets minus points for the way-too-cheesy romantic relationship between Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Padme (Natalie Portman), whose chemistry on-screen was “meh” at best.
Episode II, however, did have the debut of the clones and allowed us to witness Master Yoda in lightsaber action for the first time, so those were pretty awesome moments.
7. The Phantom Menace
I know, I know: that Jar Jar Binks played such a huge part of this film should probably have it lowest on the list. But just hear me out.
First of all, Darth Maul is the most badass Sith of the series (I had nightmares as a 7-year-old after watching The Phantom Menace because of him), and this film was where he was the main baddy. Also, he was wielding two lightsabers at the same time. That’s major plus points.
Moreover, Episode I had the always-entertaining Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, plus we saw young and athletic Obi-Wan Kenobi. That’s enough for me to catapult it past Attack of the Clones.
6. A New Hope
It feels blasphemous to rank the first ever Star Wars film at this position, but that goes to show how incredible the entire franchise is. A New Hope is like that warm cup of hot chocolate on a rainy night: it just can’t go wrong. In the film, Star Wars fans are introduced to the characters that will forever change their lives.
5. Revenge of the Sith
Episode III was not as great as it should have been considering how the plot of the film set up the original trilogy, but the movie was still a treat. We finally saw the transformation of Anakin Skywalker to Darth Vader, plus the end of the Jedi Order thanks to the murderous plotting of Emperor Palpatine. “Execute Order 66” still sends chills down my spine.
The most unforgettable part of this movie, which brings it all the way up to number five, was the duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin, which to this day remains the best lightsaber fight of the series. It had everything: incredible moves, raw emotion, and a heartbreaking ending. You were the CHOSEN ONE, ANAKIN!
Note: I never really liked Mace Windu, but he deserved better.
4. Rogue One
To be honest, a huge reason why Rogue One is so high on this list is because of Felicity Jones, whose character Jyn Erso in my opinion is the best female character of the Star Wars franchise outside of Princess Leia (Rest in Peace, my dear Carrie Fisher.)
I was skeptical at first about how the anthology film would perform given the absence of the Sith-Jedi storyline, but the movie did wonderful for a plot centered on stealing details to destroy the Death Star. Seeing the deaths of the main characters at the end furthermore added to the emotional aspect of the story, plus it’s always a treat to see Darth Vader in action.
3. The Force Awakens
Expectations were high for the return of Star Wars leading up to The Force Awakens, but J. J. Abrams and company exceeded them. While the storyline of Episode VII was similar to A New Hope, everything about the movie was still great: from the new characters, to the script, to the death of favorite Han Solo at the hands of his son, and even up to the final scene where we’re re-united with Luke Skywalker.
My favorite part? It’s that the main protagonist of the story, Rey (played by Daisy Ridley), was given the reins as the main hero of the popular franchise – terrific for gender equality in the modern age. Kylo Ren was also terrific as the main culprit in his confused, emo-like ways.
2. Return of the Jedi
The conclusion to the original story. First of all, the hilarious line (and now a meme, too) “It’s a trap!” was born. We also witness Luke finally defeating Vader, plus the re-birth of Anakin Skywalker who fulfilled the prophecy of destroying the Emperor and restoring balance to The Force
The pace of the entire film was awesome, and a great way to end the amazing original trilogy of Star Wars.
1. The Empire Strikes Back
Okay, seriously. This was clearly going to be number one. Everything about the film was awesome. We had a battle scene in an ice planet. We met Yoda for the first time as he trained Luke. We were introduced to the smug but enjoyable Lando Calrissian. We saw Han Solo frozen. We had our first Luke vs. Vader duel, which ended with what I believe is the most classic line ever in a movie:
“I am your father.”
Star Wars is the GOAT of movie franchises, and Episode V is its best masterpiece.
How do you rank the Star Wars movies? Share it with us below!
