The Phantom Menace (Ep. I) – 3/10 / Attack Of The Clones (Ep. II) – 6.7/10 / Revenge Of The Sith (Ep. III) – 9.2/10 / Rogue One – 7.2/10 / A New Hope (Ep. IV) – 9.3/10 / The Empire Strikes Back (Ep. V) – 9.7/10 / Return Of The Jedi (Ep. VI) – 6/10 / The Force Awakens (Ep. VII) – 8.7/10 / The Last Jedi (Ep. VIII) – 2.3/10 / The Rise Of Skywalker (Ep. IX) – 7.5/10 / The Mandalorian – 8.7/10
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One of the most influential sci-fi franchises in film history, arising almost by accident out of a theorized one-off called “A New Hope”, Star Wars has become a pop culture phenomenon. It helped teach movie audiences to look to the stars back in 1977, spawning a sci-fi and blockbuster Renaissance whose franchise arms-racing, box-office statistics, and limitless imagination in storytelling effects are still felt to this day cinematically.
*Full Reviews Of Each In The ‘Sci-Fi’ Category’
1. The Empire Strikes Back (Ep. V)
Chilling, dark, rich, & unforgettable, TESB is the maximum SW experience, empyrean science-fiction, and one of the most comprehensively-perfect examples of pop culture moviemaking: drama, romance, adventure, fantasy, emotion, atmosphere, storytelling pedigree, flawless score/cinematography, and the bold aspiration to change blockbusters/sequels forever by pugnaciously refusing to play it safe or by the rules of cinema. 9.7/10.
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2. Revenge of The Sith (Ep. III)
A powerful, emotion-heavy, dark masterpiece boasting many of the greatest moments and breathtaking scenes in franchise history, ROTS might just be [nostalgia/legacy-aside] the best Star Wars film – and ~perfectly bridges the galaxy-sized gap between the original and prequel trilogy. 9.3/10.
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3. A New Hope (Ep. IV)
The film that revolutionized blockbuster moviemaking, A New Hope built a $37 Billion+ empire from a theorized -one-off] box-office failure with bold, heartfelt, clean-cut, proficiently-crafted storytelling of pure imagination, magic, & sci-fi/fantasy adventure brought to life by a legendary cast of all-time pedigree: Hamill, Fisher, JEJ, & Ford. 9.2/10.
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4. The Mandalorian (Post-Ep. VI)
A bounty-hunting glimmer of hope for the fledgling Disney/Star Wars consortium with Neo-Western undertones, badass Pedro Pascal lead, & magisterial set pieces + Baby Yoda, but maddening TV-PG not-dark-enough tone & selective CGI finesse, The Mandalorian is the best SW adaptation of recent memory and a new age on TV – even withstanding its flaws. 8.7/10.
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5. The Force Awakens (Ep. VII)
A return to the wonder, magic, & spectacle that made fans fall-in-love with Ep. IV ~40 years ago, TFA is that same pure sci-fi/fantasy adventure, modernized – with intriguing new characters & villain, breathtaking 21st-century VFX/CGI, & something new to say/add to the SW saga. 8.7/10.
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6. Return of the Jedi (Ep. VI)
The finale to the original trilogy and one of the greats in cinematic history, ROTJ is sadly the worst – the beginning of Lucasfilm’s bizarre overindulgence of childishness with distracted, ~messy storytelling at-times, but one that wraps up most of the series’ mythology/arcs in bows. 7.9/10.
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7. The Rise Of Skywalker (Ep. IX)
A course-correction after the trainwreck of Last Jedi that retcons ~all its sacrilege, embracing series lore instead of disgracing it with fan service abounds, viscerality in pace, & best cinematography of any SW movie – despite an overstuffed narrative. 7.5/10.
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8. Rogue One (Continuity Between Trilogies 1+2)
Breaking new ground narratively & character-wise, Rogue One is a good bridge between the Originals & Prequels, but sometimes over-relies on nostalgia instead of paving its own way & making its case as a truly memorable & important part of SW lore. 7.2/10.
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9. Attack of The Clones (Ep. II)
Refreshingly more cosmopolitan/mature with a boost in science-fiction aesthetics, CGI, and performances by the trinity of prequelers coming into their own roles: McGregor, HC, & Portman, AOTC course-corrects SW – despite romantic-comedy feel in parts, bizarre one-liners of apocryphal writing pedigree, & pacing issues. 6/10.
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10. Solo: A Star Wars Movie (Between Ep. III-IV)
A ponderous, weakly-acted, B-feeling slosh of a movie with no direction or reason to exist beyond mindless consumerism & cash-cow milking, Solo continues Disney’s unfortunate erasure of everything once great & endearing about Star Wars. 4.2/10.
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11. The Phantom Menace (Ep. I)
A mixed beginning for the prequel series to one of the greatest trilogies in cinematic history, TPM boasts visceral 21st-century action scenes like pod-racing, a strong villain in Darth Maul, and its own identity – but fails by a miscast young Anakin, writing & acting pedigree dilution, juvenile raison-d’être, and one of the worst characters of all-time: Jar-Jar Binks. 4/10.
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12. The Last Jedi (Ep. VIII)
A pretentious, backwards trainwreck of mindless subversion without ostensible purpose – simply for its own (cheap) sake & self-congratulatory director’s ego, forced jokes, p(ORG)duct placement, abhorrent new characters, & ghastly script spitting in the face of original Star Wars lore attempting erasure of everything the series built to the nightmare of lifelong fans, TLJ is the worst Star Wars film – & one of the worst blockbuster films – of All-Time. 2.3/10.
