Ranking the Skywalker Saga

[Dagesh Lene 366]

Now that the Skywalker Saga has finally come to a close, I thought that I'd give my ranking of all nine movies, as well as a brief explanation for why each of the movies is where it is.

 

1. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
   • This movie changed cinema forever.  While its sequel may have been better, I personally like this movie's story more.
2. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
   • This is one of those rare instances in which the sequel may be better than the original.  The only reason why it is not number one for me is simply because of personal preference.
3. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
   • While the rescuing of Han Solo felt like its own thing that had no connection to the rest of the movie and they reused the idea of the Death Star, this movie is a great ending to one of the greatest trilogies of all time, and it has one of the happiest endings of all time as well.
4. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
   • This is grandest Star Wars movie in the Skywalker Saga and ties the prequel trilogy into the original trilogy perfectly.
5. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
   • This movie is a mess and feels like an entire trilogy crammed into one movie, but I still enjoy it for what it is.  I especially like the banter between the main heroes of this movie.
6. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
   • Despite being filled with boring political discussions and featuring a bit too much of the Gungans, I still enjoy this movie for Qui-Gon Jinn, Darth Maul, the Duel of the Fates, and the podrace.
7. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
   • This is the best movie of the sequel trilogy, but I am not a fan of how similar it is to A New Hope, which is why it is not my favorite movie of the sequel trilogy.
8. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
   • I like half of this movie, the half that followed Obi-Wan Kenobi, as well as the battle in which the Jedi fought the droid army.  However, I did not like the other half, the half that followed Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala.
9. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
   • This movie is visually the best Star Wars movie, but because of how it didn't deliver on any of the plot points that were introduced in the Force Awakens and did its own thing, I like it the least out of all the movies in the Skywalker Saga.

Edited April 2, 2020 by Dagesh Lene

[RugratsNappiesFanatic 38]

awesome ranking! I definitely agree with you about a new hope. it changed cinema forever! I'm not the biggest of the empire strikes back though and find the storytelling and pacing is all over the place, it's probably my least favourite out of all the star wars movie but that's just my opinion. return of the Jedi is my second fav though cause while I do agree rescuing Han Solo felt like it's own thing, it's truly a great end to the original trilogy. But I just wasn't a fan of the rise of Skywalker. I've seen it twice and is still just all over the place I think! I really wasn't a fan of palpatine returning and the knights of ren felt really underused. I won't get into every movie as I'll just be here all day. but I love the force awakens and is my favourite in the sequel trilogy. Harrison ford was just phenomenal in that movie and the way it ends with Rey finding Luke Skywalker and handing him his lightsaber was just really beautiful I thought!

[Stef106 1]

Not bad, mine is pretty different

1. Star Wars: Episode VI

Incredible story, action sequences, and themes of family. An amazing ending to one of the greatest stories in history.

2. Star Wars: Episode V

Iconic story, and action sequences. Iconic twist.

3. Star Wars: Episode IV

Great story, and action sequences.

4. Star Wars: Episode IX

Good story, and action sequences. Bit of a mess though, but honestly this whole trilogy had no bigger plan for itself, so they did the best they could... and it wasn't bad. Good twist.

5. Star Wars: Episode VIII

Good story, and action sequences. Particularly, great character development for Rey, and Luke in this movie was great too. Decent themes for the new generation of Jedi to take it upon themselves to make the galaxy a better place. The rest was alright to boring.

6. Star Wars: Episode VII

Alright story, and amazing action sequences. Particularly like the twist introduction of Rey as the main force-sensitive character.

7. Star Wars: Episode III

A lot of this movie was boring, but the anticipated duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan was exactly what everyone had hoped for.

8. Star Wars: Episode I

Darth Maul badassery

9. Star Wars: Episode II

IDK lol... sand i guess

[Dagesh Lene 366]

I gave my ranking some thought, and I switched some of the movies around.  These are the changes that I made to my ranking:

 

I used to have Revenge of the Sith in the #3 spot and Return of the Jedi in the #4 spot, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought that they should be switched around.  So, I now have Return of the Jedi in the #3 spot and Revenge of the Sith in the #4 spot.

I also used to have The Rise of Skywalker in the #5 spot and the Force Awakens in the #7 spot, but because of how 50-50 I was on The Rise of Skywalker, I eventually switched them around.  However, I now realize that I actually do like The Rise of Skywalker more, so I switched them back.

Edited April 2, 2020 by Dagesh Lene

[FlipMode 141]

Mine would be: 

Empire strikes back 

If anything would be worth being a decade older, it would be seeing the "I am your father" scene in a cinema full of people who were just discovering it for the first time. This movie is just so special to me. Just that perfect mix of action, the stakes are higher but there's also a lot of interesting lore bits about how the force works and world building. 

A new hope 

A New Hope is honestly not one of my favourites. But it's still going to the 2nd spot because no matter what you think about the movie, it's impact changed cinema and set a standard. Vader became one of the most iconic villains of all time. Like all around the world, no matter if people have seen the movies or not you can show them Darth vaders mask and they say "Ohhh star wars". And that sums up this movie really, just a legendary film.

Return  of the Jedi 

So yeah pretty much for all the same reasons empire is at the top. I watched the movies in their release order and there's some stuff in return of the Jedi that at first I thought was a bit odd but once you see this one and then the prequels all the characters actually get really fitting endings. This is where the saga really ends for me.

Force Awakens 

The hype for this movie was insane and I still ended up really enjoying it. Yes I think they played it very safe with this one but I also think that was probably the best way of handling it. This is just a good fun movie of good vs evil. If you are new to star wars I would say you can watch this one first and if you like it then watch the saga in order. 

Revenge of the Sith 

If this was a list of which star wars movies I had the most fun watching this one would be way closer to the top. There is just so much silly stuff in revenge of the sith. I mean just look up a video of star wars meme quotes and most of this movie will probably play. I do think the prequel trilogy was pretty mixed and I think this film is as well. But by the end it does a pretty good job of setting up the events to follow. And it also opened the door for lots of questions about Darth Plagueis and different force abilities. Even some of the battles, if you listen to the commentaries and making of you learn why they go the way that they do and different forms of combat each character use. This is one epic movie.  

Phantom menace 

Ah the phantom menace. This is the one I've seen the most times and the first one I ever saw. My dad took me to see this when it first released and I had no idea what star wars was. Young me enjoyed this movie. Even with all the flaws it has and how down right boring it can get at times. But I mean the pod race scene is fun and Duel Of the Fates is probably one of the most recognisable pieces of music other than the theme song and imperial march. 

The ending scene music being the emperor's theme sped up in a different key is a nice touch. There's a lot of little details in this movie and I can't hate on it too much since it was my introduction to star wars. 

Rise of Skywalker 

I mean it is a fun movie but if you're there for anything more than just to be entertained by typical sci fi tropes and see some cool star wars stuff you'll be disappointed. Not bad but pretty forgettable. If they wanted this to be the end of the saga then they really owed it to us to make this one better. If any movie is evidence that star wars shouldn't be a yearly franchise it's this one. Every few years a new one releasing would be a special event for cinema but this one along with a few others just leave no impact.

attack of the clones 

I'll be honest it's been ages since I rewatched attack of the clones so possibly I'll revise this list later and episode II might be higher up. Attack of the clones is barely even a war, which is a key component of star WARS. The romance just doesn't work as a driving force for Anakin to be pushed to the dark side and without that the movie just falls flat for me. 

Last Jedi

The only one I've only watched once. Failed to expand on anything interesting force awakens set up and down right wasted some of them. This movie felt like it was directed by some one who likes star wars but wants their own star wars and not the one that actually exists. Just a mess of a movie from all angles. Looks nice though lol

I might come back and edit this to expand on the reasons each film is where it is later but I'm pretty happy with the order at least for now

 

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

Ooh, a Star Wars thread! Fun! Okay, so my rankings go like this!

1. Revenge Of The Sith: This will forever be my favorite film in the franchise! I grew up watching the original trilogy and the first two installments of the Prequels, so Revenge Of The Sith was the first Star Wars film I actually got to see in theaters, and I remember going to see it with my dad! It was a blast to watch, and as I grew, the film only became dearer to me. And not only that, when you consider that this was supposed to be the final film in the saga, the spectacle and the finality of it really popped! The downfall of the Jedi, Palpatine showing his true colors, Anakin being seduced to the Dark Side, the galaxy plunging into despair...God, this film is just phenomenal! And that duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin...lord, that was emotional! We all knew how it would end, but seeing how they'd grown so close in the prequels, it killed me anyways! XD
2. The Last Jedi: Despite what people say and think of this entry, I absolutely loved it! It really took bold decisions with its storytelling and took the characters to interesting places! Luke's arc in the film was one of my favorite aspects, as we got to see a different, jaded side of him, one that had become wary and disillusioned with how everything had transpired and how the Jedi had allowed themselves to be blind to all that was happening back then. And of course, Kylo and Rey fighting against Snoke's Praetorian Guards was visually satisfying and one of my favorite action sequences in Star Wars history, second only to the magnificent final duel of The Phantom Menace!
3. The Phantom Menace: Setting the groundwork for how everything began, this film did a magnificent job doing so! People don't seem to like it as much, but I'm a patient guy, so I appreciate the slower pace and the world building, and even the politics! If you wanna understand Palpatine, what better way than seeing how he was able to worm his way into the political side of things? That ensured his victory from the onset! And this film has one of my favorite characters of all time, Qui-Gon Jinn! I'm still so sad he only stuck around for one film, but getting to hear Liam Neeson voicing him again in The Clone Wars was beautiful! And of course, Darth Maul was a major highlight, and universally agreed upon is Duel Of The Fates and the battle that accompanied it!
4. Attack Of The Clones: Basically a prologue to The Clone Wars, and I loved it! And it was curious seeing Obi-Wan with longer hair as opposed to his more classic look in Episode III! Getting to see how the Clone army was created, and getting to see Yoda double down and kick Sith ass was splendid! And let's not forget the magnificent Christopher Lee as Count Dooky! Legendary!
5. The Empire Strikes Back: The most shocking of the Original Trilogy, as it had insane revelations and good character development! The plot twist that would define plot twists in cinema forever! And Luke's training in Dagobah was curious to see! And getting to see Yoda in exile compared to his prime in the Prequels was also something interesting to see! Great entry overall!
6. Return Of The Jedi: The balance comes full circle and the cycle completes. Vader's redemption because of his son's love for him is one of the shining pillars of this film. The most memorable thematic in the film! A solid conclusion to the Original Trilogy!
7. A New Hope: Definitely love this film, but compared to everything that comes afterwards, this one's the weaker one of the franchise in my opinion. Like I said, I love it, but it's not my favorite.
8. The Rise Of Skywalker: Loved this film as well, and thought it was a solid conclusion to the Skywalker Saga! I only have a few gripes, but they aren't enough to diminish my enjoyment of this film! And I loved Palpatine returning as the villain! I watched this film with one of my very best friends/soul brothers, for we had grown up with Star Wars and had started watching the new trilogy when it first started, so we finished the saga together! Good times!
9. The Force Awakens: I loved this film, and the hype around it was phenomenal! A celebration of what was and what could be, and Disney's first foray into the Star Wars Universe! Brought the franchise back to the big screen with a bang!

So yeah, that's my rankings!

[Smithee 327]

Personally:

Originals > Prequels >> Sequels.

Edited August 26, 2020 by Smithee

[WakelessDream 2,278]

15 minutes ago, Smithee said:

Personally:

Originals > Prequels >>> Sequels.

Might be an unpopular opinion but I'd probably put the prequels over the originals, if only because those were the movies that were releasing when I was a kid so they're what I grew up with. The Clone Wars animated show, which I absolutely adore also probably enhances my opinion on the Prequels as well considering it did flesh out the characters and story more than the movies did. 

The Originals are good too, but if you were to ask me what my fav Star Wars content was, it's most likely going to be from the prequel era haha. As for the Sequels they've grown on me over the years, but I agree, it would probably be ranked at the bottom for me as well.  

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

On 7/21/2020 at 1:05 PM, WakelessDream said:

Might be an unpopular opinion but I'd probably put the prequels over the originals, if only because those were the movies that were releasing when I was a kid so they're what I grew up with. The Clone Wars animated show, which I absolutely adore also probably enhances my opinion on the Prequels as well considering it did flesh out the characters and story more than the movies did. 

The Originals are good too, but if you were to ask me what my fav Star Wars content was, it's most likely going to be from the prequel era haha. As for the Sequels they've grown on me over the years, but I agree, it would probably be ranked at the bottom for me as well.  

The Clone Wars is the greatest era in Star Wars. There's so much rich story and lore and character development that really gives the Prequels emotional weight. I wholeheartedly agree!

[WakelessDream 2,278]

11 hours ago, The Transcendent Key said:

The Clone Wars is the greatest era in Star Wars. There's so much rich story and lore and character development that really gives the Prequels emotional weight. I wholeheartedly agree!

? ? ? 

Everything Dave Filoni touches turns to gold in my eyes. ?

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

On 11/26/2020 at 3:25 PM, WakelessDream said:

? ? ? 

Everything Dave Filoni touches turns to gold in my eyes. ?

He and Jon Favreu should just handle the future of Star Wars. They know the lore inside and out!