Every ‘Star Wars’ Movie Ever, Ranked (and Where to Watch Them)

On May 25, Star Wars will celebrate its 48th anniversary. And although the franchise has been absent from theaters since 2019, there are two new Star Wars movies slated to arrive in May 2026 and — just in time for its 50th anniversary — in May 2027.

To date, there have been 12 Star Wars movies in theaters, not counting a pair of made-for-TV Ewok flicks. Both of those are on Disney+, if you’re truly curious to see them.

The Watch With Us team recently came together to rank all of the Star Wars movies from worst to best. And the results of those discussions can be found below.

There may be some differences of opinion about our rankings. Star Wars fans are nothing if not passionate about their favorite films. But we stand by our conclusions.

12. ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ (2008)

Star Wars owes a lot to The Clone Wars animated series for reinvigorating the franchise and redeeming a lot of the prequel era’s failings. However, Star Wars: The Clone Wars feels very unfinished compared to the show that came after it. To date, this is the first and only animated Star Wars film to see the inside of a theater. Thankfully, Lucasfilm’s animation has gotten a lot better since then.

The film is only notable for introducing Ahsoka Tano (Ashley Eckstein) as the previously unrevealed apprentice of Anakin Skywalker (Matt Lanter). However, the story is awful and revolves around the Jedi saving Rotta (David Acord), the son of Jabba the Hutt (Kevin Michael Richardson). Jabba’s uncle, Ziro (Corey Burton), sounds suspiciously like a very offensive stereotype, and the less said about him, the better.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is streaming on Disney+.

11. ‘The Phantom Menace’ (1999)

Anticipation was incredibly high for the first Star Wars movie in 16 years. Unfortunately, The Phantom Menace simply couldn’t live up to that hype in 1999. George Lucas’ decision to introduce Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) as a literal child is baffling, and it led to many of the film’s cringeworthy moments. The film’s comic relief character, Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), was so poorly received that his role in the two subsequent sequels was noticeably diminished.

However, Episode 1 hit a home run with its casting of Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn, Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Natalie Portman as Queen Padme Amidala. The podracing scene may go forever, but some of the action is really good. Perhaps the film’s most redeeming feature is the final lightsaber duel between Darth Maul (Ray Park) and the two leading Jedi. It’s one of the best action sequences in the entire franchise.

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace is streaming on Disney+.

10. ‘The Rise of Skywalker’ (2019)

The tragedy of The Rise of Skywalker is that some parts of it really worked. Perhaps if the film hadn’t been rushed to theaters two years after the previous installment, more time could have been spent giving the Skywalker Saga a more fitting sendoff. Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) is a great villain, but the film’s inability or unwillingness to even bother explaining his return from the grave is still inspiring memes today.

Daisy Ridley‘s Rey gets the majority of the focus, and for the first time in the sequel trilogy, she actually gets to appear opposite both of her co-leads, Finn (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), for an extended part of the film. The pieces were there for a potential grand finale, but the movie just never fully comes together.

Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker is streaming on Disney+.

9. ‘Attack of the Clones’ (2002)

George Lucas is a very talented man, but Attack of the Clones proved that writing romance is not his forte. The dialogue between Padme and the older Anakin (Hayden Christensen) is so awkward and wooden that it’s difficult to buy the idea that these two would ever fall in love with each other. Christensen and Portman are far more comfortable when they get to shoot their action scenes together.

Attack of the Clones was a step up from The Phantom Menace, and the late Christopher Lee brought some real menace to Count Dooku, the only man to defeat both Obi-Wan and Anakin at once. The action and spectacle were also greatly increased in the film, and it’s a lot easier to watch than its predecessor.

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones is streaming on Disney+.

8. ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ (2018)

This is the Star Wars movie that doesn’t deserve its bad reputation. Solo: A Star Wars Story had a difficult production and a decidedly frosty reception from fans that led to a dismal $393 million worldwide. It’s the lowest-grossing Star Wars live-action movie to date, but it’s also unexpectedly fun as a standalone movie. Alden Ehrenreich is no Harrison Ford, but he’s fine as young Han Solo.

Ehrenreich is, however, blown away onscreen by his costars, including Donald Glover‘s devilishly charming Lando, Emilia Clarke‘s enigmatic Qi’ra, and Woody Harrelson as Han’s reluctant mentor, Tobias Beckett. This film has its issues, but it deserved to do a lot better than it actually did.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is streaming on Disney+.

7. ‘Revenge of the Sith’ (2005)

As demonstrated by its unexpectedly strong performance in theaters earlier this year, Revenge of the Sith is the most popular film in the prequel trilogy. The story of Obi-Wan and Anakin was always going to end in tragedy, and their confrontation leads to one of the most prolonged lightsaber duels in the franchise’s history. The ending of that battle’s a little silly, but it’s a fantastic sequence up to that point.

No one seems to be having more fun than Ian McDiarmid, who gets to ham it up as Palpatine seizes total control of the Republic and turns it into his Empire. The fate of the Jedi is also very effective as Palpatine’s plans come to fruition. This is one of the darkest Star Wars films, and the conclusion is far from a happy ending.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith is streaming on Disney+.

6. ‘The Force Awakens’ (2015)

Director J.J. Abrams may have taken the idea of remaking the first Star Wars a little too literally in The Force Awakens. It follows the blueprint of the original movie very closely. But Abrams also had an eye for talent, as Ridley, Boyega and Isaac are very appealing as the new main characters. Perhaps the most surprising turn was by Harrison Ford, who returned to his role as Han Solo and gave a fantastic performance as a grieving dad who doesn’t know how to heal his fractured family.

Although the designs for the new Stormtroopers are very sleek and cool, the First Order plays like a bad rerun of the Empire. Adam Driver is also a little over the top as Kylo Ren, a Darth Vader fanboy who desperately wants to follow in his footsteps.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens is streaming on Disney+.

5. ‘The Last Jedi’ (2017)

This might be the controversial pick on the list because The Last Jedi‘s detractors don’t just dislike the movie, they hate it with a passion. A lot of the fanboy bad blood surrounding this film comes from its depiction of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) as a bitter old man who has turned away from the Force and refuses to train Rey, his natural successor. It’s not the fate that fans wanted for the hero of the original trilogy, nor did it live up to the legend created in their own minds and in the now out-of-continuity Expanded Universe of novels that gave Luke a more heroic path to follow.

There are other issues with The Last Jedi, including the nonsensical standoff race between the fleeing Resistance ships and the First Order, as well as everything involving the casino planet Canto Bight. But director Rian Johnson crafted a beautiful-looking movie that has some truly stunning sequences, especially when someone weaponizes the jump to lightspeed. Johnson also advanced the story further than most second-chapter films dared to go. It’s not his fault that Abrams couldn’t stick the landing in Episode IX.

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi is streaming on Disney+.

4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

No other Star Wars movie has recaptured the look and feel of the original film quite like Rogue One did. Director Gareth Edwards and everyone involved in the creative team did a masterful job of bringing this story to life, even if some extensive reshoots were necessary to pull that off. This was also the first film since the original trilogy to truly make Darth Vader frightening, especially during his last scene.

Felicity Jones stars as Jyn Erso, a young woman who isn’t part of the Rebel Alliance. But because her father, Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), helped build the Death Star, Jyn is forcibly recruited to join Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and K-2SO (Alan Tudyk) on a mission to retrieve an Imperial defector, Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed). Along the way, they’re joined by Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen) and Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen) before this group of misfits embarks on a suicide mission to steal the plans for the Death Star at all costs. The most impressive thing about the film is that it successfully makes the audience care about these one-off characters.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is streaming on Disney+.

3. ‘Return of the Jedi’ (1983)

Return of the Jedi is rarely anyone’s choice for the best Star Wars movie, but some of its sequences rank among the greatest scenes in the entire franchise. The extended sequence at Jabba the Hutt’s palace and his sail barge plays like a mini movie. Carrie Fisher also became an all-time great cinema sex symbol when she wore her now-famous metal bikini during those scenes. But the late actress said that her favorite part of that was getting to choke Jabba herself.

It was a bit lazy for Lucas to put a second Death Star in this movie, but the special effects in 1983 were far more mind-blowing than what his team could do in 1977. Meanwhile, Luke’s final confrontation with Darth Vader is one for the ages, especially when he realizes just how close he is to following in Vader’s footsteps.

Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi is streaming on Disney+.

2. ‘Star Wars’ (1977)

For a film that’s closing in fast on its 50th anniversary, there is still something remarkably timeless about Star Wars. It completely redefined what a blockbuster movie could be, and all other space operas that came after it owe a debt to George Lucas’ vision. Star Wars also introduced movie lovers to the instantly iconic villain, Darth Vader, who was physically portrayed by David Prowse and voiced by James Earl Jones.

Lucas’ story relies on a lot of happenstance for Luke Skywalker (Hamill) to go from an unassuming farm boy to the potential savior of the universe. But why should anyone complain about the classic tropes when they work so well? Ford and Fisher both had star-making turns as Han Solo and Princess Leia, respectively. Even the droids R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) and C3PO (Anthony Daniels) captured the imagination of the audience. Star Wars wasn’t ahead of its time; it arrived exactly when it needed to, and nothing has been the same since.

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope is streaming on Disney+.

1. ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)

Almost every Star Wars list picks The Empire Strikes Back as the best movie in the franchise. It’s really difficult to argue with that conclusion because this is simply a better film than its predecessor or any of its sequels. The performances are more mature, and the tone is even darker as the Empire closes in on the Rebels for a climactic battle within the first hour of the film. Everything after that is uncharted territory as Han and Leia race to stay one step ahead of the Empire while Luke goes off to train as a Jedi.

Yoda, as voiced by Frank Oz, became a pop culture icon for his backwards speech patterns and his words of wisdom for Luke. Oz’s experience with Jim Henson‘s Muppets led to the incredibly realistic puppet he used to bring Yoda to life. Yoda’s presence in the film gave Luke’s scenes a greater gravitas, especially when Yoda hinted that Luke wasn’t the last hope of the Jedi.

For the benefit of anyone who hasn’t seen it, we won’t spoil one of the great surprises in cinema history. It’s enough to say that the emotionally charged battle late in this movie was incredible. No other Star Wars film has ever topped it.

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back is streaming on Disney+.