Here is the conclusion to “My Ranking Of The Live-Action Star Wars Films Part 1“
6. Solo: A Star Wars Story
Going into Solo: A Star Wars Story, I only knew that it was a prequel concerning the character of Han Solo and that it had the dubious honour of being the first Star Wars film to be a box office bomb. So colour me surprised on how enjoyable the film itself was with a cast of likable characters, plenty of great action and humour and a few ways that the film played with the prior knowledge that Star Wars fans knew about Han Solo’s past. If there’s anything holding the film back from being higher on my list, it’s that many of the emotional moments fall flat. Characters are killed off and they receive only the briefest of sorrow before the rest of the characters move on. What this results in is a film that you’ll probably enjoy watching but that lacks enough substance to stick in your mind as often as many other Star Wars movies.
5. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
I’m sure that you’re surprised to see the original Star Wars film in this position but I do have my reasons. Praise must be given to how A New Hope introduced us to the world of Star Wars with the eye-catching special effects which were on a level that no one had ever seen before and that still hold up to this day, the way the film drip-feeds us information about the Empire, the Rebel Alliance, Jedi and so many more! The cast of the original trilogy is arguably the most endearing in the franchise and the way they’re introduced to each other and to the audience is great. However, I’ve always found a slight awkwardness to A New Hope from Mark Hamill’s weakest performance in the series to some of the character interactions to the ending which feels a little less consequential than it should be. While my least favourite of the originals, A New Hope remains an excellent and ground-breaking film.
4. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
As I began to watch Rogue One: A Star Wars Story for the first time, I wasn’t instantly impressed. The initial pacing seemed scattered with us cutting between planets within minutes and the way that characters were introduced feeling a little too artificial. Imagine then my pleasant surprise as the film progressed and the story began to go in a direction that I was not expecting with some incredible battle sequences, a darker tone than I was expecting and a surprisingly emotional ending. The cast also do a great job in their performances although some of the characters come off as either underdeveloped or uninteresting. This most certainly applies to the villain Orson Krennic who’s quite possibly the least interesting villain in the entire franchise. However, even with all these faults, I really loved the second half of the film a lot and admired how well it served as a prequel to the original trilogy, enough so that it ranks this highly on the list.
3. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
I have a great fondness for Return of the Jedi from the epic opening segment at Jabba’s palace to the final battle between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance and I believe that it serves as an excellent conclusion to the original trilogy. We get the first proper appearance of Palpatine in the franchise and his evil is delicious to behold. I also love many of the callbacks through the trilogy such as when Leia delivers to Han the same line he said to her at the end of Empire Strikes Back or when C3PO communicates to the Ewoks the events of the previous films through a combination of gestures, the language of the Ewoks and sound effects from the series. Speaking of the Ewoks, I think they’re alright although I’ll admit that the film sometimes spends too long basking in their cuteness and not progressing the story. Return of the Jedi is great and I’m fully confident in placing it as my third favourite Star Wars film.
2. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Considering how low on the list the previous two prequel films are, I’m sure that you’re shocked by how highly I rate Revenge of the Sith. However, I truly believe it to be one of the best Star Wars films ever made. Part of this may be due to the fact that it was the first Star Wars film that I got into but I also genuinely believe that it’s brilliant. For one, the opening of the film where Anakin and Obi-Wan rescue the chancellor is delightful between the banter of Anakin and Obi-Wan, the introduction of General Grievous, one of my favourite Star Wars characters, and the first step of Anakin’s fall to darkness. The pacing of the film is superb as we see how Anakin is slowly manipulated, how the republic crumbles and culminates in probably the most spectacular lightsaber fight in the whole franchise. My criticism of the film is relatively mild, Padmé is too docile compared to how proactive she was in previous movies and Hayden Christensen, while his performance is a dramatic improvement over Attack of the Clones, has moments where his acting falters but Revenge of the Sith remains an absolute joy to watch and I always find myself anticipating it.
1. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
As formative as A New Hope was, I think it’s fair to say that The Empire Strikes Back is where the look and style that we associate with Star Wars comes from. The opening battle on Hoth is fantastic, the character interactions are a joy to experience, Yoda, one of the franchises best characters, is introduced and the climactic reveal, although spoiled all throughout popular culture, remains inspired. The special effects are greatly improved compared to A New Hope’s already brilliant visuals with the sight of the AT-ATs inspiring awe and the excellent puppetry of Yoda truly compelling us to view him as a living character. If I had to criticise something, I’ve always found the lull after Han, Leia, Chewbacca and C3PO arrive at Cloud City a little jarring but that’s so minor it’s hardly worth mentioning. The Empire Strikes Back is what every Star Wars film after has aspired to be and with good reason, it’s truly a wonderful film that deserves its place in film history.
Of course, I’ll be very eager to hear your thoughts on my ranking of the live-action Star Wars films, what your thoughts are on each trilogy and the standalone films, what you think of Star Wars overall, how you discovered Star Wars and any additional information you might have on the topic.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!