Top 10 Best Star Wars Movies

Maybe you love the original 1977 Star Wars because of its groundbreaking special effects and classic hero's journey, or maybe you're partial to The Empire Strikes Back with its deeper storytelling and one of the most iconic plot twists in film history.

Or perhaps you're more into the newer movies like The Force Awakens for its mix of nostalgia and modern flair. There's no shortage of reasons to love any entry in the saga, and fans from all over have cast their votes on what they think are the greatest Star Wars films.

1. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

   

   After the Rebel Alliance suffers a defeat on Hoth, Luke Skywalker trains with Yoda while Han Solo and Princess Leia evade capture by the Empire. Darth Vader reveals a shocking truth to Luke during a confrontation on Cloud City.

   I'm just going to assume that not everyone has seen this movie because if everyone had, the vote should have been unanimous. This is the greatest film of all films, including Star Wars, The Godfather, all of them. While Star Wars: A New Hope is a definite second, this is not only the greatest Star Wars film but the greatest film because it features the best Star Wars character, Darth Vader, in the prime of his character arc.

   I feel A New Hope only demonstrated his power so we could be excited for an inevitable final fight, but this movie showed just how evil he really is. Then Luke loses. He didn't just get his hand cut off, and it wasn't the classic "hero's weapon flies out of his hand but he wins anyway" kind of thing. He lost. And then Darth Vader says, "No, I am your father." Best twist ever.

   And it ends with us truly wanting more. I hope the upcoming Star Wars film will be as good as this one, but that would be one heck of a feat. Empire is the best movie ever made.

2. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

   

   The Clone Wars near their end as Anakin Skywalker falls to the dark side, becoming Darth Vader under the influence of Emperor Palpatine. The Jedi are nearly exterminated, and the Galactic Empire rises.

   Even though I love all Star Wars movies in different ways, this one stands out for me. From the nonstop action to the raw emotion, this movie brings, it just can't be beaten. In this film, you can see and feel Anakin's struggles as he draws closer and closer to becoming Darth Vader. I don't know about everyone else, but I didn't seem to have a huge problem with the acting in this movie. The amount of greatness and emotion it brings overshadows any flaws anyway.

   The movie starts with Anakin and Obi-Wan being best friends, and by the end, they are mortal enemies. I feel it did a perfect job of filling in everything in between. For me, this movie should be number one because even though The Empire Strikes Back is great, it gets boring and repetitive at times. I also feel that Obi-Wan's words to the burning, fallen Anakin were way more emotional than "I am your father." Overall, this movie, to me, was perfection and set up A New Hope perfectly.

3. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi

   

   The Rebel Alliance launches a final attack on the second Death Star while Luke Skywalker confronts Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. Vader redeems himself by saving Luke, bringing balance to the Force.

   Star Wars is the greatest saga of all time and the most popular, and this is the greatest of all Star Wars movies. How can you forget the final and opening scenes? The most anticipated unmasking of Darth Vader, who finally turned good, is unforgettable.

   I like how they edited it when the new ones came out. Before, they had another man represent Anakin's spirit at the end, but they edited it to include Hayden Christensen, and that was so good.

   The mastermind of George Lucas is amazing. I think he became the richest man in Hollywood or something after this. The 20th century thought George Lucas was crazy when he wanted to make the Star Wars franchise, and now it is one of the most loved of all.

4. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

   

   Luke Skywalker joins forces with Han Solo, Princess Leia, and Obi-Wan Kenobi to destroy the Death Star, the Empire's superweapon. Luke uses the Force to deliver a decisive blow, bringing the Rebels their first major victory.

   After watching each Star Wars movie over the course of two weeks, I felt that the original Star Wars was still the best one. It serves as an excellent introduction to the Star Wars galaxy and never feels as if it delivers too much exposition. While the characters may appear to be simple, their motivations are clear, and each one is memorable.

   I also noticed that every scene from this movie is iconic and serves a purpose in telling the story. Overall, I would say that this movie is a real masterpiece as it's been frequently listed among the greatest movies of all time and should at least be in the top 3 of this list.

5. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

   

   Rey, a scavenger on Jakku, is drawn into the Resistance's fight against the First Order after finding BB-8, a droid with a map to Luke Skywalker. She discovers her connection to the Force as she confronts Kylo Ren.

   The plot was a rehashing of Episode IV, not just a reference to it. The movie did lack creativity in its plot, which is a problem. That being said, the characterization and acting were better than anything ever done under Lucas.

   I'd also like to point out the reason for the strategy of an uncreative plot: Star Wars fans hate new things. Look at the treatment of the prequels, The Last Jedi, and the indifference to the anthology films. Abrams had little choice but to do what he did, and the backlash came much later than it would have if something original had been attempted.

   As fans, we need to encourage creativity. Otherwise, we'll keep complaining about the rehashing of old plots. We need to stop creating lose-lose scenarios for writers and directors.

6. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

   

   Jyn Erso leads a team of Rebels on a mission to steal the Death Star plans, which reveal a weakness in the Empire's superweapon. Their successful efforts enable the Rebel Alliance to begin their assault against the Empire.

   This is a great movie, up there with the best. I loved VII, but this has it beat because it's not too similar to the originals, it's not as predictable, and it's more mature and gritty. It shows the hardships and sacrifices of war, and that not everyone will make it out okay.

   Vader was used brilliantly. He wasn't overused, but his scenes were epic. The character development could've been better, but I enjoyed each character and was sad to see them die. K2 and Jyn were the saddest deaths, in my opinion, but they were moving. It showed how willing they were to put everything on the line to fight against the Empire.

   Overall, it was an amazing movie and will forever be one of my favorites in the Star Wars franchise.

7. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

   

   Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi discover young Anakin Skywalker, believing him to be the Chosen One, while aiding Queen Amidala against the Trade Federation. Anakin begins his journey as tensions rise in the galaxy.

   Something I think a lot of people don't realize (in my opinion, at least) is that the prequels are honestly what made Star Wars, well, Star Wars. They introduced great lightsaber duels and new and awesome planets. Not that the originals didn't have them, but the prequels had more. They laid the foundation of the clone armies, presented a young Obi-Wan, and introduced characters like Jango Fett, Grievous, and Maul. This movie and its two sequels are what made Star Wars so iconic, honestly, in my opinion.

   This is why I respect the prequels as much as the originals. The prequels certainly aren't that bad. Each of the prequels has some really amazing and awesome scenes, even the two most hated ones of the franchise, this and Episode II. We've all heard of the duel between Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon versus Darth Maul, one of the greatest Star Wars battles ever. Or the friends on Tatooine. So many iconic places and elements started with this movie. And the special effects skyrocketed with this movie.

   In my opinion, it's impossible to give this a negative rating. I'm going full star, 5 out of 5.

8. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

   

   As the galaxy teeters on the brink of war, Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala fall in love, while Obi-Wan Kenobi uncovers the creation of a clone army. The Clone Wars begin, igniting conflict across the galaxy.

   One of the most wrongfully despised Star Wars movies, in my opinion, is Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. People tend to remember and think only of the romance when this movie comes to mind, acting as if everything else was just as poor, which is not the case. Even then, the romance served a purpose, unlike the Finn and Rose Tico subplot in Episode VIII. While the duel between Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Count Dooku isn't nearly as entertaining as the final battle with Maul, this movie has many other amazing parts.

   Let me introduce you to Jango Fett, perhaps the greatest Star Wars character ever created. I smiled every time he was on screen. Not only does he look impressive in that armor, and his battle scenes are amazing, but he is also essentially the reason behind everything in the original trilogy. He created the clone army, which the Sith Lords took advantage of, and thus the Galactic Empire was born. I mean, this is certainly not a bad movie at all.

9. Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi

   

   Rey seeks training from Luke Skywalker while the Resistance is relentlessly pursued by the First Order. Luke confronts Kylo Ren in a final showdown that allows the Resistance to escape.

   This is one of my favorite Star Wars movies, second only to Rogue One. It had a lot of very intimate and compassionate scenes between Kylo and Rey. For some reason, it gave me a chilling parallel nostalgia of Anakin and Padme. I'll admit the CGI about Yoda was a little odd but still fairly decent. The plot was incredible. It's nice to see some good in Kylo Ren for once.

   I believe he gets to be redeemed in the next movie. Although, SPOILER, I think we can all agree that the best scene in the movie was Kylo and Rey touching hands. Then, just as abruptly, awkward Uncle Luke comes in to interrupt the moment and destroy the cave. That was hilarious.

10. Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker

    

    Rey, aided by her friends, seeks out the resurrected Emperor Palpatine in a final battle to defeat the Sith. She embraces her heritage as a Jedi while Kylo Ren finds redemption.

    This is the only sequel that was actually a good movie. It was very predictable, but many of those moments seemed like fun tributes to the rest of the series rather than uncreative plot recycling. It certainly wasn't flawless.

    Its biggest flaw was really just that Episode VIII was so bad. Episode VIII was just kind of terrible, and then BAM! The grand finale of all Star Wars! If Episode VIII had been better and built some tension leading up to this movie, it would have been a lot better.

    This is the only sequel that was actually a good movie. It was very predictable, but many of those moments seemed like fun tributes to the rest of the series, rather than uncreative plot recycling. It certainly wasn't flawless. Its biggest flaw was really just that Episode VIII was so bad.

    Episode VIII was just kind of terrible, and then BAM! The grand finale of all Star Wars! If Episode VIII had been better and built some tension leading up to this movie, it would have been a lot better.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    The Mandalorian and Grogu

12. ?

    Solo: A Star Wars Story

    

    Young Han Solo becomes involved in a criminal heist and meets key figures like Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian. He acquires the Millennium Falcon and begins his journey as a smuggler.

    This movie was nothing special, but there's not much to dislike either. People are just being nitpicky, which is a significant no for any Star Wars film. No film will satisfy fans who insist on having things their way and don't allow writers to attempt to write. Does it matter where Solo got his last name? No. So, if it doesn't matter, why care if or how they explain it? It changes nothing.

    Also, Alden Ehrenreich did a great job. He captured what a younger Han Solo would be like incredibly well and didn't try to simply copy Harrison Ford. People evolve over time, and I absolutely believe that Ehrenreich's character could evolve into Ford's, which is no easy feat.

The Contenders

13. Star Wars: The Clone Wars

    

    During the Clone Wars, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano fight alongside the Republic against the Separatists. The series chronicles key battles and relationships that shape the galaxy's fate.

    Star Wars: The Clone Wars reveals the utter triumph and potential of Star Wars. Let's admit it: the first two - Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones - were lackluster. The third was okay, but Anakin was a whiner. The fourth featured Luke as the whiny hero, and Obi-Wan lets himself be killed.

    The fifth and sixth almost defeat this one. They represent the peak of George Lucas's career. The seventh, though it hasn't been released yet, also sounds promising.

    Star Wars: The Clone Wars introduces many memorable new characters, such as Ahsoka Tano, Cad Bane, Lux Bonterri, and Duchess Satine. The villains - Darth Maul, Savage Opress, Palpatine, and Asajj Ventress - are remarkable. Also, lesser-known characters, such as Kit Fisto (a personal favorite), have their episodes.

    The clones, such as Captain Rex, are imbued with character, and when they die, you feel sad.

    This series also unveils the brilliance of Palpatine's plot, revealing each small step toward becoming the Emperor. With each season, Anakin's character grows darker. He is compelling - not a little whiner who can't do anything right.

    The only problem is that sometimes the series is so frustrating. You watch Palpatine manipulate the Jedi left and right, and nobody notices. You want to scream, "He's the traitor! Get him!" Of course, he wins in the end, since we know most of the Jedi die and he becomes the Emperor, not being killed until the sixth movie.

14. Ewoks: The Battle for Endor

    

    After the Towani family is attacked, young Cindel and the Ewok Wicket fight against marauders on Endor. With the help of allies, they defend their village from an evil sorceress and her army.

    Definitely the best thing to come from Star Wars. Wicket is my favorite character in all of Star Wars, and learning new stuff about Ewoks is just great. Honestly, I hope we get more content like this. I would think a Gungan version of this would be definitively the greatest movie ever made.

    A lot of people don't like this movie, but it was actually the first Star Wars movie I ever saw. I watched it when I was really young and loved it! I still love it to this day and will always consider it one of the most underrated movies.

15. Star Wars Holiday Special

    

    Chewbacca and Han Solo attempt to return to Kashyyyk to celebrate Life Day with Chewbacca's family, while the Empire searches for Rebel activity. Various segments depict characters from across the galaxy.

    I laughed so hard. This is the worst thing to happen to Star Wars, even worse than Jar Jar Binks.

    Growing up, I remember when we used to gather around every Christmas to watch this movie. I don't really like Episodes I-VIII that much, as they don't have that good of a story. The Holiday Special, on the other hand, is phenomenal.

    Watch this on YouTube, starting at 28 minutes into it. You'll be very surprised.

16. Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure

    

    Two human siblings, stranded on Endor, join forces with the Ewoks to rescue their parents from a giant creature. Together, they embark on a perilous journey through the forest moon.