Ahead of May the 4th, Andy Silva breaks down his top films from the Galaxy Far, Far Away.
Hello there, and a happy May the 4th to all who celebrate!
Star Wars will soon be heading back to the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu set to arrive on May 22, but before we get there let’s take a look back at all the films in the franchise’s past, from our introduction to Anakin Skywalker in The Phantom Menace to Rey taking up the Skywalker name in The Rise of Skywalker.
Below are my rankings of all the films from the Galaxy Far, Far Away.
I had a really hard time deciding between this and the second-worst film in the Star Wars series. Ultimately, the combination of how this movie ended the Skywalker saga with a bitter taste in people’s mouths and the fact the franchise has yet to really recover has me feeling like Rise of Skywalker is the worst film in the series.
The problems started from almost the beginning, as the film had a troubled production process, with J.J. Abrams taking over from Colin Trevorrow and radically altering the story. Abrams also radically diverted from the course seemingly set by Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi. And it’s hard not to mention the effect that Carrie Fisher’s death had on the film, as she was expected to play a major role. Things got no better once the film started, as it’s revealed that somehow Palpatine has returned, with no explanation provided. Sure, various de-canonized stories from the Star Wars universe alluded to a cloning program Palpatine planned in case of his demise, but there is no evidence of that here. Moreover, rather than be a simple scrounger, Rey is in fact Palpatine’s granddaughter. For those, who liked Johnson’s message from The Last Jedi that anyone could be a Jedi and that the Force was not the dominion of a few families, making Rey the granddaughter of Palpatine was a major disappointment.
The plot leaves too much to be desired, and Rey taking the Skywalker name and returning to Tatooine felt kind of cheesy rather than a heroic tribute. The sequel trilogy needed an overarching story that all involved knew and accepted going into the trilogy, much like Marvel’s Infinity Saga. Instead, by having separate directors with separate and competing visions led to a disjointed trio of films that disappointed fans and left the franchise in a place it’s still attempting to recover from.
The undisputed worst film in the prequel trilogy, this film suffered from George Lucas’ most glaring weaknesses.
The biggest criticism of the film was the love story between Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala. The lynchpin of the entire trilogy, the dialogue between the two left a lot to be desired, fairly criticized as stiff. Romance was not easily found between Anakin and Padme and after fighting the idea of becoming romantically involved for the entire film, Padme just flips on a dime near the end.
Other parts of the plot had issues as well. Anakin was at his surly teenage worst for a good chunk of the film, from arguing with Obi-Wan to complaining about sand. And eventually he gives in to his darker impulses, slaughtering a camp of Tusken Raiders after his mother is kidnapped with little remorse. And the clone army also appears out of nowhere and is accepted without much questioning? Seriously, how did the Jedi not know about the development of this army supposedly at their instruction and not have serious questions?
The Clone Wars animated series did a lot of heavy lifting in redeeming the prequel trilogy and Attack of the Clones definitely needed the help.
This was another film that suffered from creative differences, with original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller replaced midway through by Ron Howard.
The film wasn’t bad per se, but the seams were visible. There were also fair questions as to whether fans really needed to learn how Han got his name or how he met Chewy. And there was the not so small matter of an actor having to step into the shoes of the inimitable Harrison Ford and whether or not audiences would accept someone else playing the role of Han. And if box office receipts are to be believed, the answer to that question is probably not.
Despite all that, there were highlights. Donald Glover was a perfect fit for young Lando, perhaps outshining Alden Ehrenreich’s Solo. Woody Harrelson’s Tobias Beckett was also the type of scoundrel who clearly left a lasting impact on young Han. Some have made calls for a second Solo film, especially considering the multiple loose threads left behind by the film’s ending with Q’ira, Crimson Dawn and Maul. And if nothing else, we got the excellent fan-made trailer which mixed Solo with the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage.”
A flawed film with standout moments, The Phantom Menace marked Star Wars’ return to the big screen 16 years after Return of the Jedi.
The promotional machine got going in a big way, whetting people’s appetites for this story set long before the rise of the Empire. Part of the problem was, the story got bogged down in psuedo-science (hello, midichlorians!) and political intrigue (who is ready debate trade policies?). It made up for that in action, however, between young Anakin’s exciting pod race and the fantastic duel that pit Obi-Wan and his master Qui-Gon Jinn against Darth Maul set to one of John Williams’ most iconic pieces of music. And once again, the Clone Wars animated series was left to flesh out Maul and turn him into a fan favorite character.
Not only do we get to see how Obi-Wan Kenobi met Anakin Skywalker, but Anakin also met his future wife and his destiny was determined at a young age. Dave Filoni has said the Duel of the Fates literally determined Anakin’s future. He points out that Qui-Gon was different than the rest of the Jedi and he was the master that Anakin needed, no matter how well-intentioned Obi-Wan was. Had Qui-Gon lived, perhaps Anakin doesn’t fall to the Dark Side.
This is a divisive movie among the Star Wars fandom, for legitimate and illegitimate reasons. It is one of the most prominent examples of “review bombing,” but at the same time that are elements that fans could be disappointed by. That said, I generally hold a positive view of the film, as Rian Johnson tried to tell a different type of Star Wars story.
Among the biggest (reasonable) complaints is the depiction of Luke Skywalker. Many could not accept that their hero would become a bitter pessimist living in self-exile on Ahch-To casting aspersions on the Jedi and their hubris. Needless to say, Luke’s life did not turn out the way he wanted it to and even Mark Hamill was unsure about the storyline (although he admits regretting voicing those concerns in public).
But, the story that anyone could be a Jedi, that the Force could be found in the scavenger daughter of two nobodies or even in a boy sweeping stables felt fresh. And for all people’s complaints about Luke’s storyline, it was interesting to see his story mirror that of his original master Obi-Wan. And he does get a means of redemption in the end, sacrificing his life to save the Resistance without even having to leave Ahch-To. Let’s not forget we get one last great Luke moment where his Force projection faces off with his nephew Kylo Ren and reminds him that if he strikes him down in anger he’ll always be with him. Just like his father. Luke’s shoulder brush was A+ trolling and getting to see him with Leia one more time, telling her that no one is ever really gone was beautiful.
So even if I didn’t like every beat, this film is the most underrated and misunderstood in the entire series.
The Force Awakens got a new trilogy off on the right foot, with box office success and generally positive reviews.
Some criticized the film as a simple rehash of A New Hope, but the film was a fun, nostalgic romp that gave fans great hope for the future of Star Wars under the guidance of Disney. As I noted above, the sequel trilogy desperately needed an overarching story that the three films could serve, but Force Awakens provided a good launching pad for the trilogy.
The reintroduction of Han Solo was handled well and he felt like an older, more grizzled version of the scoundrel smuggler we last saw some 30 years prior. Seeing him and Chewy back in the Falcon felt right, and between his showdown with the Guavian Death Gang and Kanjiklub and telling Finn that the former stormtrooper had no clue how the Force worked, Ford still had it as Solo. His surrogate father relationship with Rey in their short time together also served as a nice contrast to his biological son Ben, aka Kylo Ren, being so angry with him. The double meaning of Han’s final conversation with Kylo was masterfully done, helping Kylo earn his villain bonafides.
As much as the movie reintroduced us to Solo, Chewy and Leia, it also did well to introduce use to new characters like Rey, Finn, Poe and Kylo Ren. The audience could feel the fast friendship between Finn and Rey, and the final duel on Starkiller Base had everyone holding their breath for Finn’s health. The cliffhanger of Rey reaching out to the exiled Luke had great promise, making the audience want to see what was to come and whether Kylo would get what was coming for taking Han away from us or if he would live up to his grandfather’s terrifying reputation.
The last of the Star Wars films George Lucas was involved with and the best of the prequels, Revenge of the Sith faced an uphill battle in matching fans’ anticipation for the story of how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader, one of cinema’s greatest villains. And luckily, it mostly met the moment.
Lucas’ diologue was still heavily criticized, but scenes like Palpatine regaling Anakin with the tale of Darth Plagueis the Wise, Anakin’s fateful decision to save Palpatine and Obi-Wan’s emotional discovery that Anakin had fallen made the journey well worth it. The film also boasted excellent action sequences, from the opening space firefight to the duel with Dooku to Obi-Wan’s standoff with Grevious to Yoda taking on Sidious in the Senate chamber.
The best of them all, however, was the decisive duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin on Mustafar. There’s so many layers there of love, resentment, sibling rivalry, jealousy, friendship, betrayal and other emotions that elevate it to among the best lightsaber duels in Star Wars history. Not to mention how perfectly it is choreographed and shot. Hayden Christensen’s rage and Ewan McGregor’s anguish are masterfully portrayed and Kenobi telling Anakin that he was his brother and he loved him was a punch to the gut for the fandom even if they knew broadly that it was coming.
Just because it’s the lowest entry of the original trilogy on this list doesn’t mean that Return of the Jedi is a bad film, far from it.
This film had a lot of pressure. It had to follow up one of the greatest sequels in cinema history in The Empire Strikes Back, had to close out the trilogy in satifying fashion and had to reasonably redeem one of film’s greatest villains in Darth Vader. And it succeeded on all fronts.
Return of the Jedi started strong, showcasing a more powerful and confident Luke Skywalker as he rescues Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt’s palace. It’s important to show how much Luke has grown since his last enounter with Vader on Bespin so that the audience believes he can beat him if it comes down to that. But Luke has to be convinced that he must face Vader again, even if he is his father, which also leads to the relevation that Leia is his sister. Considering Luke habored a crush on Leia in A New Hope and that they kissed in The Empire Strikes Back, the pair handles the news pretty well. They both do their part in taking down the Empire — Leia with Han on the forest moon of Endor taking down the Death Star’s shields, Luke on the Death Star itself. Luke is able to defeat and redeem Vader, who in his final act throws the Emperor down the reactor shaft to what we thought was his demise. Vader asks to see Luke with his own eyes and the celebration is on across the galaxy. Luke has cemented his place as a true Jedi hero as his father and his two Jedi masters look on.
A different kind of Star Wars film, Rogue One is one of the highlights of the Disney era of Lucasfilm.
Like Solo, there was a risk in giving the audience information that they strictly speaking did not need. The film tells the story of how the Rebel Alliance came to be in possession of the Death Star plans as seen in A New Hope, which could have been limiting since we basically knew the fates of all involved. However, Tony Gilroy’s script and the acting by Diego Luna and Felicity Jones helped it fit perfectly between the prequel trilogy and A New Hope and further led to the great prequel series, Andor, on Disney+.
A unique aesthetic, darker tones and strong action sequences paired with traditional elements elevate Rogue One to the upper echelon of Star Wars films. The film shows the hubris of the Empire in the form of Orson Krennic and the flaws of the nascent Rebel Alliance, still not fully cohesive and ready to take the fight to the Empire. As Andor says, they’ve all done terrible things in the name of the Rebellion, but when the time comes he, Jyn, Chirrut, Baze, Bodhi and K-2SO step and couragously go on a suicide mission to weaken the Empire’s grasp on the galaxy. Not to mention that Rogue One features one of the best bad ass scenes in all of Star Wars, as Darth Vader emerges from the shadows to decimate Rebel agents in a hallway as the Death Star plans are ferried off the ship.
Rogue One shows that a brave but committed group can take the fight to those who seek to oppress and that you don’t need a bunch of Jedi and Sith running around to have a successful Star Wars film. Smaller scale stories can still yield big results.
The movie that started a global phenomenon, A New Hope was one of the early examples of the popcorn blockbuster, setting the standard for merchandising and cross-promotional tie-ins.
Inspired by Flash Gordon and Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 film The Hidden Fortress, Star Wars initially was met with a cool reception from Hollywood studios. United Artists, Universal, Paramount and Disney all passed on the project, with 20th Century Fox eventually agreeing to fund production on the back of the success of Lucas’ American Graffiti. A New Hope has become one of the pillars of pop culture after grossing $221.3 million in its initial theatrical run and ushered in a revolution in special effects, which led Lucas to form his own effects house in Industrial Light and Magic.
A New Hope introduced one of cinema’s greatest villains in Darth Vader and some of it’s biggest heroes, including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and the mighty Chewbacca. Audiences were enthralled by the story of the farm boy from a sleepy planet on the far reaches of the galaxy who goes on an adventure which brings action, humor, tragedy and the potential of romance (even if it turned out to be his sister). The film’s iconic score by John Williams further elevated its emotional resonance, becoming inseparable from the identity of the franchise itself. And it’s take on the hero’s journey has made the film timeless and given it cross-generational appeal.
Decades later, A New Hope‘s influence can still be felt in everything from blockbuster filmmaking to fan culture, cementing its place as one of the most important and enduring films ever made.
It was without a doubt a daunting task to one up the iconic A New Hope. But The Empire Strikes Back was more than up to the task. In fact, one could argue that it is the greatest sequel in cinema history.
Debuting in 1980, the film struck a darker tone and found that the good guys don’t always come out on top. After the destruction of the original Death Star in A New Hope, the Empire is ready to punch back at the Rebel Alliance, with Darth Vader in particular taking a keen interest in the young rebel who blew up the Empire’s technological terror. Luke is still learning to harness his abilities and is sent to the wise old Jedi grandmaster Yoda by the spirit of Obi-Wan Kenobi, where he is tested spiritually and physically. Ultimately, he goes against Yoda’s advice to save his friends on Bespin and faces Vader, who proves too much for young Luke. And moreover, Vader delivers one of the greatest plot twists in film history — HE is Luke’s father.
The film is also noteworthy for its love story between two unlikely partners, Han and Leia. Han may be a scoundrel, and Leia might be royalty, but their connection is undeniable and you can feel the anguish coming off Carrie Fisher in waves when Han is frozen in carbonite. And the scene where he simply says “I know” when she tells him she loves him is another iconic moment in a film full of them.
If A New Hope is pure popcorn fun, The Empire Strikes Back is unafraid to challenge the audience and its perspective on blockbusters. Nor is it afraid to make the audience wait, with it’s cliffhanger ending. Like Luke himself, the film wants the audience to learn patience and trust in the journey the franchise had envisioned. And what a journey it turned out to be.
All Star Wars movies and TV shows are available to stream on Disney+.
The next Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is set to be released in theaters on May 22, 2026.
The most recent Star Wars series on Disney+ is Maul — Shadow Lord. The animated series starring Sam Witwer will conclude on May 4 and has been renewed for a second season.
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