We Officially Ranked Every Star Wars Movie

Image via Disney Published Nov 3, 2026, 5:55 PM EST Liam Gaughan is a film and TV writer at Collider. He has been writing film reviews and news coverage for ten years. Between relentlessly adding new titles to his watchlist and attending as many screenings as he can, Liam is always watching new movies and television shows. In addition to reviewing, writing, and commentating on both new and old releases, Liam has interviewed talent such as Mark Wahlberg, Jesse Plemons, Sam Mendes, Billy Eichner, Dylan O'Brien, Luke Wilson, and B.J. Novak. Liam aims to get his spec scripts produced and currently writes short films and stage plays. He lives in Allentown, PA. Sign in to your Collider account Star Wars is the single most influential film franchise of all-time, and it is one that has impressively managed to keep running after a half-century. It cannot be overstated how much Star Wars changed the industry as an independent production based solely on the original ideas of George Lucas, who drew from a multitude of sources to create a completely original mythology. Star Wars changed the way that Hollywood approached visual effects, but it also became the platonic ideal of a franchise; if Jaws was the film that created the idea of the “summer blockbuster,” than Star Wars showed how satisfying a great trilogy could be. The history of the Star Wars series has been bumpy, given that there are several entries that were remarkably divisive; up until recently, they’ve all been fairly successful at the box office. While next year will bring the release of the new film Star Wars: Starfighter, it will also recognize 50 years of the original classic. 13 ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ (2019) Image via Lucasfilm Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is not only a terrible conclusion to a trilogy that insults its predecessors, but a bad-faith ending to the entire "Skywalker Saga” that replaces any complex ideas about “the force” with ridiculous power-scaling. It’s a cowardly film that attempts to retcon the compelling backstory to Rey (Daisy Ridley) and doesn’t have the bravery to kill off Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), the latter of which is revealed in one of the most eyeroll-inducing moments of the decade. The film is poorly-structured and awkwardly paced, as the treasure hunt to find the wayfinder ultimately means nothing, and a majority of the scenes involving new planets last for only a few minutes before the characters are whisked away. It was obviously a film made of compromises and desperation, and it resulted in a seven year absence for Star Wars on the big screen. 12 ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ (2008) Image via Lucasfilm Star Wars: The Clone Wars is almost unfair to lump in with the other Star Wars films because it was originally conceived of as being four episodes of the Cartoon Network television series of the same name before Lucas decided to make a big-screen event, forcing Dave Filoni and the animators to work overtime to convert the series premiere into a feature film. The underdeveloped animation, episodic storytelling, and broad character depictions are all reflective of the fact that it was never intended to be a film; the same complaints could be lodged at most shows if they were just judged on their first few episodes. The most significant aspect of the film is how awkwardly it handles the character of Ahsoka Tano, voiced by Ashley Eckstein, who would be much better developed over the course of the show and become a fan favorite. 11 ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu’ (2026) Image via Lucasfilm Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is a perfectly entertaining escapist adventure film that had the expectations of bringing back the Star Wars franchise to the big screen, which it didn’t pull off. Although it does reach a strong emotional conclusion within the relationship between its two main characters, there isn’t much in the film that would distinguish it from an extended episode of The Mandalorian television series. The lack of worldbuilding, unmemorable villains, and uninterested in exploring aspects of the universe like the fragmented political structure or the mechanics of the Mandalorian tribes make for a film that takes the “back-to-basics” approach a bit too literally, especially when the stakes don’t change all that much. Nonetheless, Jon Favreau knows how to pull off an entertaining spectacle, meaning that it’s never a boring film, even if it does feel like an unessential one. 10 ‘Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace’ (1999) Image via Lucasfilm Ltd Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace is among the most heavily-debated films ever made, but the flaws and attributes are the same as they were in 1999. It’s a visually stunning film that boasts two of the best setpieces in the entire saga with the Boonta Eve Classic podrace and the lightsaber duel on Naboo, and many of its insights about the way that politics work have become even more timely. The issues with the film come down to the fact that it doesn’t have a clear main character, as Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) rarely shows true vulnerability, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is sidelined for half of the story, Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman) is caught up in a silly twist, and young Jake Lloyd wasn’t put in a position to succeed because of the way that Lucas chose to interpret the role that Anakin Skywalker played. 9 ‘Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones’ (2002) Image via Lucasfilm Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones is among the more underrated entries in the saga because many of the criticisms leveled against it missed the mark on what Lucas was trying to say. The romance between Padme and Anakin (Hayden Christensen) is intended to be melodramatic and cheesy in a Shakespearean way, as Lucas is exploring how young love can be manipulated as a tool of a fascist enterprise that is lurking in plain sight. Lucas’ political instincts with the film were spot on, as the critique that the film has no stakes is intentional; both the Clone Army and the Separatists are puppets being used to wrack up casualties and wipe out both the Jedi and the Republic. With that being said, it also has some of the worst dialogue in the franchise, and the pacing is really lethargic in the first act. 8 ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (2016) Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Rogue One: A Star Wars Story had a great idea in theory that suffered from sloppy execution and only barely hangs together as a result of the reshoots by Tony Gilroy that saved the film. Although the film attempts to take a more complex view on the facets of rebellion, the plot is a mess that spends the majority of its first half planet-hopping before trying to build up a relationship between Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and her father (Mads Mikkelsen) that simply doesn’t emotionally register. It’s a stylistically exciting film that makes bold narrative choices, specifically in its ending, but the success of Andor on television has shown how much stronger this story could have been if it had been more grounded in its revolutionary ideas and less focused on spectacle and fan service connecting to the original trilogy. Collider Exclusive · 8 Questions · 2 Minutes Which Star Wars Faction Do You Belong To? Rebels · Empire · Mandalorians · Crimson Dawn Eight honest questions about how you actually are: how you feel about rules, where your loyalty goes first, what you do when somebody criticises you in front of other people. Answer them and we will tell you whose side you would really have ended up on. Four factions are recruiting: the believers, the organisation, the ones with a code, and the ones with a price. ✊Rebel Alliance(Andor) 🛰️The Empire(Original Trilogy) 🪖Mandalorians(The Mandalorian) 🌅Crimson Dawn(Solo) PICK YOUR SIDE → 01 How do you feel about rules at work? This one sorts people faster than anything else. AI break the ones that are clearly wrong. BThey exist for a reason and I follow them. CI follow my own, which are stricter. DRules are a starting position for a negotiation. NEXT QUESTION → 02 What is your relationship with money? Nobody answers this the way they think they will. AI get by, and that is genuinely fine. BA steady salary and a clear ladder. CI take exactly what the work is worth. DNever enough, and I know how to get more. NEXT QUESTION → 03 What makes you respect somebody? Whatever you pick, you apply it to yourself too. AThat they speak up when it costs them. BThat they are very good at their job. CThat they keep their word without exception. DThat they deliver, whatever it takes. NEXT QUESTION → 04 How do you behave under real pressure? Your friends would probably answer this for you. ALoud and improvised, but I get there. BCalmly, and strictly by the book. CQuietly, and one step at a time. DColdly, which people find slightly unnerving. NEXT QUESTION → 05 Where does your loyalty go first? Everybody has an order, even if they never say it out loud. ATo the thing I believe in. BTo the organisation that took me on. CTo the people I grew up with. DTo whoever I currently have a deal with. NEXT QUESTION → 06 Somebody criticises you in front of other people. What happens? Be honest about the first thing you feel. AI argue back, right there and then. BI take it, then raise it through the proper channel. CI say nothing at all, and I remember it. DI smile, and make them regret it later. NEXT QUESTION → 07 What does a good life look like in ten years? Pick the one you would actually be happy with. ASomething I helped change, still standing. BA title, a team and a decent office. CA home, a family and my people safe. DOwning the thing I used to work for. NEXT QUESTION → 08 What do you want more than anything else? Eight questions in, this is the one that picks your side. ATo be on the right side of it. BOrder, and a clear place inside it. CTo belong somewhere that would never abandon me. DPower, and nobody above me. REVEAL MY FACTION → The Transmission Is Decoded Your Faction Is…Four sides, four completely different answers to the same question about how a galaxy should work. Here is where you would have signed up, what it would ask of you, and what it would give you back. Rebel AllianceYou belong with the side that has almost nothing and keeps going anyway. The Rebellion is not a glamorous posting, and anybody who tells you otherwise has not seen what it actually costs the people inside it. You are wired to notice when something is wrong and to say so, which makes you useful here and awkward almost everywhere else. Andor is the best thing Star Wars has made in years precisely because it shows the unglamorous half, which is the meetings, the paperwork and the people who never get a medal. Your kind of courage is the ordinary kind, done repeatedly, by somebody who is fully aware of the odds. The Alliance wins because enough people decided separately that they were finished being quiet about it. The Galactic EmpireYou belong to the machine, and the uncomfortable truth is that the machine mostly runs on people who are competent, orderly and convinced they are doing their job properly. Very few of them think of themselves as villains. You want structure, clear expectations and a way to measure whether you are doing well, none of which the other three factions can offer you. The Empire is frightening because of how ordinary it is on the inside, which is the single smartest thing Star Wars has ever done with it. Your risk is the quiet one, which is looking at something wrong and deciding it is somebody else's department. You would be genuinely good at this, and that is exactly the part worth thinking about. The MandaloriansYou belong to the people who lost their planet and kept their code anyway. Mandalorian culture is not a nationality so much as a promise, and anybody who makes that promise and keeps it is one of them. You are loyal to people rather than to institutions, which is why an organisation chart has never once told you who you actually owe. A code only counts when it costs you something, and you are the sort of person who would pay rather than bend it. Mandalorians spend the whole saga arguing about what being one even means, and that argument is far more interesting than the armour. The Mandalorian and Grogu took the creed to cinemas over Memorial Day 2026, the first Star Wars film in seven years. Crimson DawnYou belong to the syndicate, where nobody wastes your time pretending the galaxy runs on ideals. Crimson Dawn deals in leverage, and it is the only faction on this list that would tell you so to your face. You read a room for who owes what, and you are usually right, which is a talent that makes people slightly wary of you. Qi'ra is the most interesting thing to come out of Solo, because she is the one character who learned the actual lesson about power. You would rather be the person setting the terms than the person being told what the terms are. The catch is simple enough. In a syndicate, everybody is leverage, including you, and the smart ones never forget that part. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 7 ‘Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith’ (2005) Image via Lucasfilm Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith makes up for many of the pacing issues of its predecessors and gets to the heart of the story that Lucas was trying to tell the whole time, which was the fall of Anakin and his transformation into Darth Vader. Christensen gives a much better performance this time around, and McGregor is nothing less than riveting, as he truly elevates the material during the climax. Although the film features stunning action scenes and is much lighter on its feet, it still suffers from illogical character decisions that come off as entirely ignorant, with the end to Anakin and Padmes’ romance being the biggest victim of this. Portman certainly tried her best throughout the entire trilogy to bring more to Padme than what was on the page, but here she is completely sidelined with a script that does her no favors. 6 ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ (2018) Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Solo: A Star Wars Story is easily the most underrated Star Wars film and suffered from the dismissal of audiences that simply couldn’t accept Alden Ehrenreich, even though he is by far the best part of the film. At no point does it feel like Ehrenreich is trying to do an impression of Harrison Ford, as he’s playing a younger, far more naive version of the galaxy’s greatest scoundrel when he was more idealistic and trusting. The film works as a refreshingly low-stakes heist adventure with clear Western influences, which is reflected within the sharp dialogue and a number of fun action scenes that take a different approach to the universe as it exists beyond the force. The faults of the film involve some of the more obvious callbacks, with the appearance of Darth Maul (Sam Witwer) in particular being a total miss. 5 ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ (2015) Image via Lucasfilm Star Wars: The Force Awakens is exactly what it was intended to be, which was a revitalization of the franchise that used the structure of the original film as a platform to introduce new characters and set forth a modern generation. When it comes to casting, the choices couldn’t have been better; Daisy Ridley has the naive heroism needed of Rey, John Boyega brings humor and heart to Finn, Oscar Isaac is purely charismatic as Poe, and Adam Driver brought the dramatic gravitas needed to play the most complex villain in the galaxy far, far away. J.J. Abrams knows how to handle pacing and intrigue, something evident from his days on Lost, the the film clips along at such a consistent pace that the genuine passion for the material that Ford brings to his version of an older Han hits like a ton of bricks. 4 ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ (2017) Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Star Wars: The Last Jedi continued the sequel trilogy’s mirroring of the originals by featuring Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in a similar place to where Obi-Wan (Sir Alec Guinness) and Yoda (Frank Oz) were after feeling that they had lost, as the revitalization of hope in the face of darkness is the most important theme in the entire saga. This is complicated by the presence of Driver’s take on Ben Solo, as the idea of balance being integral to the fate of the universe is an idea not previously explored in the saga. Rian Johnson is a brilliant visual stylist who creates what is by-far the best looking Star Wars film due to the crisp locations and fluid action, with the final showdown on Krait being one of the most eye-popping ways that any modern blockbuster has wrapped itself up.