2020-04-08 15:13:00
Heading into the final chapter of the Skywalker Saga, director J.J. Abrams and writer Chris Terrio had a tough task ahead of them, especially after Rian Johnson's The Last Jedi shook things up in such a significant way (for starters, Rey's parents went from being a big mystery to nobodies, while Supreme Leader Snoke had been killed off by Kylo Ren).Â
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ultimately proved to be massively divisive, of course, and whether the duo managed to stick the landing with their finale continues to be hotly debated. During the making-of documentary on the recently released Blu-ray, Terrio admitted that figuring out how to wrap up the movie proved to be an issue for both him and Abrams.
"J.J. and I were having a lot of trouble with the end of the film at one point in the process, and [production designer] Rick Carter said to us, "I think it's because you two don't want Star Wars to be over. You don't want the Skywalker saga to be over, so you don't really want to write it." And I think there was a lot of truth in that," the writer explained.
It's hard to say which part of the ending Terrio is referring to here, as he could be talking about the way Rey managed to defeat Emperor Palpatine or the somewhat controversial decision to have the Jedi declare herself "Rey Skywalker" in an ending which remains massively divisive.Â
The Skywalker Saga is over, though, and the ending we got is...well, it's the one we're stuck with!
For a ranking of every Star Wars movie, click on the "Next" button below!
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11. Attack Of The Clones
Attack of the Clones certainly had its moments but far too many of them fall into the "WTF?" category to remember this sequel with anything other than disdain. From the awful subplot revolving around Anakin and Padme to Yoda's almost comical duel with Count Dooku, this movie did some good with the introduction of Clone Troopers and a strong villain.
However, for every plus point, there were moments like Jango Fett being the basis for those clones (and Boba thereby being one of them too) to ruin that. Attack of the Clones was simply one of those sequels that tried going bigger and better but ultimately failed in nearly every respect despite some impressive action scenes.
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10. The Rise Of Skywalker
There are a lot of great moments in The Rise of Skywalker and it's easy enough to see why there are some Star Wars fans out there who believe this to be the perfect ending to the Skywalker Saga. When you look beyond those, though, you're left with a weak, rushed, and convoluted story and the weakest final chapter out of the three Star Wars trilogies.Â
The Emperor's return failed to live up to expectations and a cheesy ending combined with a lot of daft decisions hurt a movie that could and should have been so much better. J.J. Abrams' direction is solid but it can't hold things together to make this latest effort from Lucasfilm anything more than a crushing disappointment which doesn't end this story in the manner it deserved.
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9. The Revenge Of The Sith
The final chapter of Lucas' prequel trilogy, expectations were high on this one to finally reveal how Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader. The answer was mostly satisfying but plot points like the Clone army being turned against the Jedis and Palpatine's horrible appearance the result of deflected force lightning felt forced and downright stupid at times.
On the plus side, an amazing opening battle, the fight between Obi-Wan and Anakin, and those final few minutes managed to save Revenge of the Sith from complete mediocrity. It's just a shame about that damn "Nooooo!" from Vader but this certainly did its job and answered a lot of lingering questions.Â
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8. The Phantom Menace
The Phantom Menace is often cited as the worst of the Star Wars prequels but that's simply not fair. While it's true that George Lucas' ambitions got the better of him and resulted in a bloated and oftentimes boring movie, there was some good in here which goes some way in redeeming the first of these divisive prequels.
The podrace is undeniably thrilling and that final duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui Gon Jinn and Darth Maul was downright amazing even if he was an underwritten villain who is mostly remembered solely because of his appearance and cool lightsaber. Look past the things some fans still haven't shut up about and this was a mostly fun time which pleased its target audience (kids).
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7. Solo: A Star Wars Story
The latest (final?)Â Star Wars spinoff may have flopped at the box office but it was a lot of fun and there were some great moments in there, including that surprise Darth Maul cameo and Han's first meeting with Chewie. It's just unfortunate that the movie didn't really have a lasting impact despite how undeniably fun it was to see this story play out and the fact it quite clearly has sequel potential.
Donald Glover's performance still stands out but the same can't really be said for much of the supporting cast. Ultimately, it was a fun but forgettable entry in the Star Wars franchise which, despite those flaws, still manages to stand above George Lucas' prequel trilogy.
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6. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
The first of Disney's Star Wars spinoffs, Rogue One may have ultimately failed to be the dark and gritty war movie we were promised but a strong female lead and heaps of great characters and action scenes ensured that the prequel to A New Hope was definitely memorable.
It's actually a miracle that this movie was as good as it ended up being, especially as extensive reshoots and various other issues plagued the production. Dodgy looking CGI characters aside, Rogue One did a spectacular job of providing us with an old school Star Wars feel while delivering one of the franchise's best sequences when Darth Vader slaughtered all those Rebels!Â
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5. The Last Jedi
The Last Jedi has been an extremely divisive movie but so was The Empire Strikes Back when it was released! Yes, there was a lot of humour and the answers Rian Johnson provided to some long-standing questions were a underwhelming but he deserves to be praised for helping the franchise move on from what's come before and setting the stage for what should have been amazing finale in the form of Episode IX.
Things may not have panned out exactly as some fans wanted but this was an incredible addition to the series and one which blew us all away with a plethora of breathtaking sequences and memorable character moments. Unfortuantely, some creative decisions still don't sit right, including Luke Skywalker's new attitude. Undoing what came before to such a large extent also felt like a mistake but it's still great in many ways.
Oh, and we'll never not love the Porgs!
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4. Return Of The Jedi
Return of the Jedi was by no means a bad way to wrap up the original Star Wars trilogy but it was always going to struggle following what came before and the inclusion of both a second Death Star and all those silly shenanigans on Endor with the Ewoks felt like a failed attempt to go bigger and better than Empire.
On the plus side, we got all that good stuff on Tatooine (slave Leia included) and an awesome final battle which pulled back the curtain on the Emperor (who, just like Supreme Leader Snoke, had no backstory at the time). Lucas gave us a happy ending with this movie and while it may not have been the perfect way to wrap things up, it was still pretty damn satisfying! With that in mind, it's easily still the best final chapter of a trilogy from this franchise.
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3. A New Hope
A New Hope is a great film but the fact it's the first Star Wars movie has made it a masterpiece in the eyes of some despite it actually being a relatively straightforward affair in terms of the story. You can't really hold that against it, though, because not loving this classic should probably be considered a crime!
Sure, Luke Skywalker is a bit of a whiner and that battle between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan is tame by today's standards and arguably even a little dull but there's enough greatness here to justify the love fans have for this movie even if it is ultimately overshadowed by a couple of Star Wars movies which are a little better. This is where it all began but what came next was even better...
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2. The Force Awakens
While J.J. Abrams has been criticised for following a similar story template to A New Hope with The Force Awakens, that did nothing to change just how special this return to form for the franchise felt and what a superb job the filmmaker did of introducing new characters and a bold new direction for the series. With that in mind, where did it all go wrong with The Rise of Skywalker?
Regardless, Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and Kylo Ren were all excellent as were returning cast members like Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher. Sure, it was a shame that Mark Hamill was relegated to a cameo and that Starkiller Base was a Death Star ripoff but the movie more than made up for that with that stunning lightsaber battle in the snow and another long list of memorable moments (Han's death might be the franchise's most powerful moment).Â
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1. The Empire Strikes Back
A true masterpiece, The Empire Strikes Back is almost flawless and it's leaps and bounds ahead of the other two instalments of the original trilogy (both of which were helmed by George Lucas). From that opening battle on Hoth to literally everything in between and that climactic battle between Luke and Vader, this is perhaps the greatest sequel in history and it's a movie packed full of truly iconic moments.
Of all the older Star Wars movies, this one holds up the best and that's in terms of both special effects and the quality of storytelling on display. Like The Last Jedi, this release took the franchise in some bold and exciting new directions none of us could have seen coming at the time.Â
Do you agree with this ranking of the Star Wars movies? Would you list them any differently? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts on that in the comments section down below.Â
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