Star Wars, Ranked - Part 2

May the Force Somehow Still Be With Me...

Last month, I shared Part 1 of my Star Wars movie ranking, which I've had a lot of time to rethink and maybe even regret. Since then, A LOT has happened, including the release of The Manadalorian and Grogu, a film that I have NOT seen and thus will NOT be considered in this ranking... talk about tepid programming and limp follow-through on my part, eh? But here at F&F, we don't really care about click traffic around these parts! No, we care about one thing and one thing only – getting it right and getting our shit straight! I'm not even sure what that means, but it's provocative. Maybe I'll see the new Disney+ TV movie that the head honchos decided to release in movie theaters to make a buck before I draft and share Part 3, but based on how limply it's been received so far, don't count on it.

More importantly, since Part 1, I watched ALL of Andor (don't be impressed, it's the kind of thing you can pull off while battling a mid-spring flu bug). This is yet ANOTHER piece of Star Wars content not being considered for this list (but certainly would make things much more interesting if I wasn't such a damn coward). Here's my open-minded, clear-throated praise for Andor, which I thought was really great and definitely lived up to hype and my high hopes. It is certainly one of the best Star Wars anythings to come out in the 21st century – but for the sake of this sacred list, I'm remaining loyal to the silver screen and deeming it ineligible. Circle back in a year or two and I'm sure I'll get soft and revamp the list to include both Andor and The Mandalorian and Grogu.

For now, we're going to pick up where we left off, which is on the heels of The Phantom Menace, which, admittedly, I'm having some serious buyers' remorse about having slotted it in at #8. In hindsight, that feels like a complete and utter betrayal to my younger self my foundational fandom. On the other hand, I'm fully against racial stereotyping of any kind, so maybe I ranked it too high to begin with? In the spirit of honest list-making, what's done is done, so now we have no choice but to press on. Time for Part 2, and remember to check back in for Part 3, which I promise will come, hopefully before summer's end.

Disclaimer These lists are typically conceived whilst having an adult beverage or two. They're flawed, and incomplete (sorry, I haven't watched The Mandalorian and Grogue yet)... I reserve the right to change my mind and alter my rankings at any point in the future for any reason whatsoever. That being said, please send your grievances to film.froth@gmail.com.

7. Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens

Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens [2015]

Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire, Han Solo and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren and his army of Stormtroopers.

When it was time to bring Star Wars back to the masses after Disney bought the rights from George Lucas in the early 2010s, it became abundantly clear that reviving the franchise would require more than just pushing the story ahead – it meant picking up the pieces from the much maligned Prequel Trilogy, and putting them back together to recapture the magic of OG Star Wars for all the old heads and inspiring a new generation of fans simultaneously. Enter in the right man for that job circa the mid-2010s, Mr. J.J. Abrams, a massive Star Wars nerd in his own right, and someone who already threaded that needle with another massive sci-fi ...Enterprise... (pardon my lame ass Star Trek pun, I couldn't resist). What Abrams helped oversee is what ultimately became Episode VII The Force Awakens, the first chapter of the Sequel Trilogy, the seventh film of the "Skywalker Saga," and perhaps most notably, the first non-Lucas piece of Star Wars storytelling. But did it work? You bet your Wookie ass it did.

The Force Awakens is one of the most competently made Star Wars films. It's well-cast and well-acted, well-written, well-directed, well-produced, and well-crafted from, well, top-to-bottom. Yeah, I know I got more wells in there than a Texas oilman, but my point is well-taken! The Force Awakens may in fact be the most expensive movie ever made, but it also was the highest grossing film of 2015, and at the time, it became the third-highest grossing film of all time at the time of its release (only trailing a pair of Big Jim Cameron films, Avatar and Titanic – ever heard of 'em?). Embraced by fans, respected by critics, minted at the box office, and it even went on to earn five Oscar nominations in the technical categories. So, you may be wondering, under what pretenses can it be ranked seventh on this list then? The Force Awakens was reverse-engineered as the ultimate piece of fan service – which is exactly the kind of thing fans want on the menu until it's what they're served. Putting aside the obvious and by-design similarities in narrative structure and character archetypes we've seen before à la A New Hope, The Force Awakens is perhaps more entertaining than it is ambitious and certainly more nostalgic than it is distinctive. And guess what? It worked! I think I'm just dancing around the point here, but I don't want to insult the movie or its fans. The Force Awakens is really just an updated A New Hope, and that's fine. Don't get me wrong, there's a ton here to like, and a lot of the table-setting done in this movie sets the stage nicely for some of the great things to come (stay tuned). Filled with faces old and new, including the introduction of Rey, Finn, and Kylo Ren, the highest compliment I can hand out is that The Force Awakens really feels like Star Wars; that sentiment alone gives it a ton of credibility and makes it worthy of a competitve spot on this list. And don't you ever sleep on the fact that BB-8 is truly one of the best to ever do it!

6. Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith

Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith [2005]

When the sinister Sith unveil a thousand-year-old plot to rule the galaxy, the Republic crumbles and from its ashes rises the evil Galactic Empire. Jedi hero Anakin Skywalker must choose a side.

This might be the hardest movie to place on this list full stop. Some might reduce it down to being the "best of the worst" of three middling prequels, while others may fight tooth and nail to get it into the Top 5 (or hell, maybe even into the Top 3). For me, Revenge of the Sith does in fact hold the title of Best Prequel Overall (and no I didn't say "Favorite," as you know my 7-year-old heart belongs to The Phantom Menace). It's a movie that has gradually grown in my estimation over time for all the reasons I feel that may be holding me back from fully embracing The Force Awakens (or most of the Sequel Trilogy if I'm being direct and honest about this). Like the other prequels, this movie is not without its lionshare of flaws; but unlike those other two films, I actually find Revenge of the Sith to be pretty well-written (trust me, no one is more surprised by that opinion than me, let me work through it). Maybe that's attributable to Lucas knowing how the pieces needed to line up on the chessboard by the end of the movie? Aside from the usual criticisms one could heave at Lucas and his storytelling (you know, like how a lot of his dialogue is a bit stiff and stilted, or how he inverts expositional "show-don't-tell" like he's getting paid by the line ), Revenge of the Sith leaves a little more to the audience to decide how to feel about Anakin's turn and Darth Vader's rise (apologies for the ginormous spoilers to those of you who managed to get this far into this galaxy without knowing the deets). That nuance alone makes this a more interesting screenplay than a few other Star Wars movies togther.

Point of order: I'd like to use my remaining time here to extend praise and appreciation for the acting performances in the Prequel Trilogy, particularly those in this film. Ewan McGregor (as Obi-Wan Kenobi) does so much with sometimes little to work with, and I want him to know how indebted we are to his efforts. Likewise, Natalie Portman (as Padmé Amidala) has even less to do most of the time, and she managed to parlay this into one of Hollywood's best actors, a literal Oscar-winning performer. And then there's Hayden Christensen (as Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader), who never got the benefit of the doubt or even, at minimum, the chance at a fair shake. Twenty years later and time has been kind to his performance in these films, especially his work in Revenge of the Sith, which is functionally one of the most crucial and difficult parts in a big box office movie ever. Justice for Hayden, and justice for Jake Lloyd, another actor who was also undeservedly raked over the coals for creative shortcomings that had nothing to do with his talent or effort.

5. Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi

Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi [1983]

Luke Skywalker leads a mission to rescue his friend Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt, the Emperror prepares to crush the Rebellion with a more powerful Death Star, and the Rebel fleet mounts a massive attack on the space station. Luke Skywalker confronts Darth Vader in a final climactic duel before the evil emperror.

Cracking into the Top 5 on this list does signal something of a tier-shift in my mind. Return of the Jedi, while a cut beneath the other two OG movies, was at one point in time my favorite Star Wars movie. Thinking back on it, I was probably just really into the speeder bikes on Endor and a huge fan of Luke's green lightsaber, which is still an airtight opinion to have on both accounts. In the spirit of hindsight, it is not outlandish to say that perhaps more than any other Star Wars movie, the fan service in Return of the Jedi is gratuitous if not just straight up over-indulgent (and I'm not just talking about a certain scantily clad outfit). This movie is not just brimming but overflowing with shameless fan service (have you noticed a trend with this franchise?) and, much like many of the Star Wars movies to come, it certainly had a sharp eye on the merchandising prize. Not flack just facts, but many of the storytelling decisions made in the film seem to be a means to a commercial end rather than a shrewd creative choice. Remember the jam band and the full musical number at Jabba's Palace? Bringing Han Solo back into the fold just for the vibes? Having adorable teddy bears help the Rebels defeat the Empire with a bunch of visual sight gags that might make The Three Stooges roll their eyes. Forgive this analogy, but if The Empire Strikes Back has teeth, Return of the Jedi has a receding gum-line.

And guess what? There is still SO much to enjoy about Return of the Jedi that most of the criticism kind of just washes away. Sure, maybe Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher seem to be maybe sort of perhaps mailing it in just a tiny little bit? Who cares! The attack on Death Star II feels a bit formulaic and familiar? Doesn't matter. At this point in the Original Trilogy, Lucas had all his pieces in place so that everything kind of just moves into its final position with relative ease and somewhat unearned buy-in from the audience. Where it really counts, things fit together nicely. Every moment from the Throne Room sequence with Luke, Vader, and the Emperor stands tall and represents some of the best psychological and character-driven drama of the entire Skywalker Saga. Like so many great third acts in Star Wars, Return of the Jedi does a great job of coalescing its narrative parts and delivers a more than satisfying last half hour. And as always, the legend himself John Williams is cooking with a lethal amount of straight petrol and taking a total of zero fucking plays off, as usual!! Maybe I'm just overlooking too much and under-analyzing too little, but I'm still confident Return of the Jedi is deservingly included in a higher tier of Star Wars movie despite any of, and in spite of, its many shortcomings.

4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story [2016]

A rogue band of resistance fighters unite for a mission to steal the Death Star plans and bring a new hope to the galaxy.

While The Force Awakens was widely understood as the big Star Wars reboot, Rogue One is now the clear delineation point separating what was from what was to come. Narratively sandwiched between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope (literally bumping into the latter story-wise), this is the first true Star Wars spin-off, a small but mighty side-quest of sorts that feels like an honest and pure exercise in world-building, rather than a pragmatic cash grab. Rogue One introduces a bunch of characters, including Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), and several other new faces that we immediately understand we will likely not encounter again since they don't show up later in the series. In addition, there are a bunch of noteworthy cameos who show up from both sides of the Empire-Rebels conflict, previewing what's to come in the Original Trilogy. To continue the theme of picking on egregious fan-service, this movie certainly has its fair share; however, unlike many of its Star Wars counterparts, Rogue One has a fully-baked story and integrates new and old with ease and purpose, where common sense and logic are maintained for the sake of the story while still letting audiences do this every ~20ish minutes or so.

While the first half's story is a little clunky and has a lot of table-setting going on, Rogue One manages to feel breezy (in a way that so many Star Wars movies fail to be) but also incredibly serious at the same time. Striking that balance has proven to be difficult, as evidenced by so many Star Wars movies falling short or failing to do so altogether. Directed by Gareth Edwards and co-written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy (more on him in a minute, too), the film is more or less a rag-tag team on a mission movie (a Star Wars hallmark) that is surrounded by a very convincing and competently made war film, which tells a humanistic story that takes full advantage of all the flash and flair of that comes with the setting taking place in a galaxy far, far away. What's different here has become clearer with time – that is, of course, Edwards's shrewd filmmaking instincts and Gilroy's masterful tonality and sensibility, which the latter then carried over to an even more impressive degree with Andor. Rogue One manages to thread the needle carefully and assuredly, building out a world we already knew but finding a lot of room to expand and deepen our understanding and emotional involvement. The last 45 minutes of this movie area pretty much lights out, and it certainly left me leaving the theater more fully satisifed than I was expecting to be. Especially since they let Darth Vader run buck crazy. As dark as that scene is, don't tell me you didn't enjoy it?!