“Solo” was a (comparative) box office failure for Disney, leading them to reconsider their approach to “Star Wars” spinoff films in general.
TV & Beyond on 2025-06-10 16:10:00
8. The Phantom Menace
20th Century Fox
Remember when everyone first saw “The Phantom Menace” and made fun of the opening crawl, suggesting that tariffs and trade disputes were hardly the stuff of compelling political drama? We were so innocent back then.
This was the first “Star Wars” film that had come out since “Return of the Jedi” back in 1983, and anticipation ran so high that looking back, it was always going to be impossible for “The Phantom Menace” to live up the hype. And true to form, the Star Wars fans did not respond kindly to it, treating the actors playing young Anakin and Jar Jar Binks (Jake Lloyd and Ahmed Best, respectively) especially cruelly. But with the benefit of hindsight, we can appreciate “The Phantom Menace” for what it does well.
It introduces some spectacularly memorable characters, from Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Shmi Skywalker (Pernilla August) to Watto and Darth Maul, and the extended podracing sequence alone is worth the price of admission. Sure, it’s jarring to see a young Darth Vader yelling “Wizard!” and “Yippee!”, but if you look beyond that, there’s a lot to like about “The Phantom Menace.”
7. The Force Awakens
Disney
For those who weren’t there, it’s hard to describe the fever pitch of excitement among “Star Wars” fans surrounding the sequel trilogy when “The Force Awakens” was first released. We were finally getting a new big screen adventure, complete with a whole new cast of characters, for the first time since 2005. And unlike the prequel trilogy, when we had a general idea of how things were going to turn out, no one knew where the sequels would go. Not even, it turns out, the people making them. “The Force Awakens” won over audiences, largely because it mimicked most of the major plot points of “A New Hope.”
But it also succeeds in giving us a new, engaging quartet of characters: Rey, the orphan with the mysterious background and ability to channel the Force; Finn, a rebel stormtrooper; Poe Dameron, the hotshot pilot with a frankly unsafe amount of charisma; and Kylo Ren, the masked villain whose helmet can’t hide his considerable daddy issues. It’s on the strength of these performances that “The Force Awakens” manages to be more than just a warmed over version of the original “Star Wars” for a new generation.
6. Revenge of the Sith
20th Century Fox
The operatic conclusion of the prequel trilogy, “Revenge of the Sith” gives us the inevitable fall of Anakin Skywalker to the Dark Side, culminating in his transition to Darth Vader. Although he’s an accomplished and lauded Jedi Knight, Anakin is frustrated with what he perceives as a lack of respect from the Jedi Council, grievance that Emperor Palpatine, now on the verge of making a major political move, is eager to exploit. What’s striking about this film is that it was unafraid to go to a really dark place, complete with the full-scale murder of Younglings at the Jedi Temple.
But at the same time, it also fully embraces a more intimate melodrama as the relationship between Anakin and Padme comes to its inevitable and tragic conclusion. This is “Star Wars” at its most operatic, for better or worse. And while it has its moments — the lava-filled battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan, for example, pitting the two close friends against each other — it can also be more than a little ridiculous, like when Padme, the woman who was elected to lead an entire planet at the age of 14, dies of a broken heart.
5. Rogue One
Disney
“Rogue One” absolutely got a present-day boost from its association with the staggeringly powerful “Andor” — the best “Star Wars” content Disney has put out since they bought the franchise — but it’s an impressive film in its own right. Taking place in the days leading up to the events of “A New Hope,” “Rogue One” follows the exploits of a group of rebels fighting to deliver the Death Star plans to the Resistance — including the knowledge of a flaw in the design that leaves it spectacularly vulnerable, as Luke Skywalker would demonstrate.
Although there’s a sense of inevitability to the entire production — we know that the entire ensemble cast won’t survive to see the events of “A New Hope” — “Rogue One” is nonetheless emotionally compelling and full of tension. It’s not always easy to get audiences to get emotionally invested in characters they already know are going to die by the end of the film, but “Rogue One” succeeds fully in that regard. This is largely thanks to the likeable cast, led by Felicity Jones and Diego Luna, whose performance spawned the birth of “Andor.” For that alone, we owe this (rogue) one a debt of gratitude.
4. Return of the Jedi
20th Century-Fox
The third in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, “Return of the Jedi” is often considered to be an ever-so-slight drop in quality from the first two. Fans grumble about the introduction of the Endor-based community of Ewoks, creatures that look like teddy bears and are viewed by many as a cynical merchandising ploy. But although it’s a little sillier than “A New Hope” or “Empire Strikes Back,” “Return of the Jedi” is a perfectly serviceable conclusion to the iconic original series.
The Rebellion is faced with yet another roadblock when the Empire decides to build a second Death Star near the forest moon of Endor. At the same time, Luke becomes determined to confront his father, hoping that he can win him back over to the Light Side with a stirring rendition of “Cats in the Cradle.” (OK, not really, but he might as well have.) Of course we know now that the “Star Wars” legacy would expand far beyond just these three films, but if it had all ended with “Return of the Jedi” in 1983, that would have been a satisfying ending to a thrilling series.
3. The Last Jedi
Disney
Look, not everyone may agree with “The Last Jedi” turning up this high on the list, but for our money, it can go toe-to-toe with the best that “Star Wars” has to offer. Rather than warming up a recycled narrative from an earlier “Star Wars” film, it represents a natural progression of the franchise, with a nuanced, mature take on the characters we all know and love. Perhaps, in the end, that was why so many within the Star Wars fan community maligned “The Last Jedi” as a failure — they weren’t interested in seeing their childhood hero Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) made bitter and disillusioned by the failures of his career as a Jedi, even if his character arc ultimately shows him returning to form in one of the best fight sequences “Star Wars” has produced.
But beyond that, we see all of the characters learn and grow, a process that takes them in directions that audiences may not necessarily expect. This is shown especially vividly in the relationship between Rey and Kylo, who struggle with the inexplicable connection that binds them together. “The Last Jedi” may have a vocal community of critics, but it’s arguably the boldest modern “Star Wars” outing, one that isn’t content to coast on nostalgia but actually has something new to say.
2. A New Hope
20th Century-Fox
“A New Hope.” The one that started it all. It’s a nigh-on perfect space Western, complete with the wistful farm boy dreaming of a bigger world and an evil empire whose long, insidious arms are felt across the entire galaxy. We begin on Tatooine, when our hero Luke Skywalker meets a mysterious hermit, Ben Kenobi (Alec Guinness), and finds a video message from the beautiful Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) begging for help. Together with the loveable scamp Han Solo and his co-pilot Chewbacca, they launch a rescue mission that takes them to the heart of the evil Empire.
“A New Hope” is an entertaining standalone adventure in its own right, but it holds such a vaunted position within the franchise because of its incredible world-building that made it possible for all the other films to expand upon. We’ve all taken pot shots at George Lucas from time to time, but he deserves an endless amount of credit for his work here, creating an ensemble of characters who audiences immediately connected with, and utilizing tropes from Westerns and war films to give us a new take on the space film.
1. The Empire Strikes Back
20th Century-Fox
As wonderful as “A New Hope” is, “The Empire Strikes Back” somehow manages to top it, becoming one of the very few sequels that’s better than the original film. We leave “A New Hope” on a high note, with triumphant music and the awarding of medals to Han Solo and Luke Skywalker for their part in destroying the Death Star. But “Empire Strikes Back” makes it clear that although they won a key battle, victory over the Empire won’t be so easy.
And indeed, our characters are hit with some pretty serious hurdles. Han gets frozen in carbonite. Luke loses a limb and learns that his dad is actually the right-hand man of Emperor Palpatine. Together, they’re taking some pretty big Ls. But although they still have a long way to go — to rescue Han, to finish training as a Jedi, to come to terms with their unexpected new ancestral origins — “Empire Strikes Back” still ends with a note of hope. And it’s hard not to fall in love with the new characters who are introduced in the film, from Yoda (who has never been better than in his silly Muppet form here) to the rogueish Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams). It simply doesn’t get much better than this.