My Personal Ranking of Star Wars Movies

Eligible Movies: ThePhantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Force Awakens

8) The Phantom Menace

I love all Star Wars movies but this one out of the eight is the weakest. The movie is SLOW. The dialogue is bad...its saving grace is the pod race and the final battle which has multiple fronts. In particular, it has a beast lightsaber fight, which at the time was the best. Anakin, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are great in this movie, but then there’s Jar Jar...nuff said. LOL.

7) Attack of the Clones

Okay, I admit it, I like this movie more than PM. I mean it is also SLOW. However, it plays out like a mystery movie so it's cool. The sequence at the end is better than PM’s scene. Seeing Yoda fight for the first time is awesome. The dialogue might be the worst in the saga. I did like Anakin here, however, albeit he would only be cooler in ROTS.

6) Rogue One

This is a good movie. The narrative is STRONG. It’s a story we didn’t ask for but its well-presented. The biggest problem is it is a filler type of movie. I mean the characters are kind of weak. It’s like I can’t really get invested in it. The blind dude was easily the coolest character. It’s cool to see how the Rebels succeed, but I don’t really care. Great dialogue and a couple of strong Darth Vader appearances propel this to a near tie with the TFA.

5) The Force Awakens

I loved this the first time I saw it. Its problem is it has its entire formula ripped from A New Hope. I mean completely. It’s like they repackaged ANH for 2015. With that aside, it’s a good film. The characters are GREAT. I feel that was all that propelled it over RO. The murder of Han Solo was really like the only great moment here. But overall, I’d say the dialogue and pacing was pretty good. Let’s just hope The Last Jedi will not be an ESB rehash.

4) A New Hope

Now we’re into the top movies. ANH is great on so many levels. It was the first movie. Its biggest flaw is the pacing and the lack of action. However even with that said the last action sequence is SOOOO GOOOOD. This is how cinema is done right. Old Obi is great, as is Luke, Leia, Han…and of course, Darth Vader.

3) Return of the Jedi

This is my personal favorite movie, but I will admit it's not the best. I think this is mostly nostalgia, it being above ANH. The pacing is great. It puts you right into the action from the opening sequence. Albeit ROTS did it better than any SW movie. The middle of the movie is a little slow, but the end is SO AWESOME…It can bring tears of joy to your eyes.

2) Revenge of the Sith

This movie had so much ground to cover and so many questions to answer. I thought Anakin and Obi Wan both had strong performances. However, no one out did Palpatine. He was the real star of the show. This one had tolerable dialogue and the best lightsaber fights to date in the saga. It has tons of action as well. Also, the narrative was really strong and surprising even when I thought I knew what to expect. ROTS is only outdone by one Star Wars movie to date….

1) The Empire Strikes Back

Maybe you’re surprised, but odds are, you’re not. This movie has it all. Great action, great dialogue, a strong narrative, and wait it’s a cliff hanger too. Sure the shocking reveal at the end is part of what makes this a great film, but it’s not just that. It’s a darker film than ANH. Also, it seems like all the characters are on top of their game, especially Darth Vader. The pacing is pretty much perfect too. That lightsaber battle though….dope.