Star Wars Movies, Ranked

This 2008 animated feature, a first for the franchise, sported a modest running time of 98 minutes, but critics overwhelmingly found it tedious and boring. As critic-proof as its live-action cousins, Clone Wars grossed $68 million worldwide (off a $8.5 million budget), and successfully launched the same-titled TV series.

"Don't expect the seventh Star Wars film here. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is more like a long Saturday morning cartoon." —Claudia Puig, USA Today

Despite the best efforts of Darth Maul (Ray Park), critics dismissed the first new Star Wars movie in a generation as a "soulless," "kiddie" movie. Carping or no, The Phantom Menace emerged as the top-grossing movie of 1999 en route to a $1 billion worldwide gross. The film remains the biggest box-office hit for stars Ewan McGregor and Liam Neeson.

"Story. Character. They used to mean something to George Lucas." —John Hartl, Film.com

Episode 7 helmer J.J. Abrams returned to the director's chair (as a last-minute replacement for Colin Trevorrow) for this 2019 release that capped a nine-film "Skywalker saga" beginning with the original Star Wars film. The return of fan favorite Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian didn't prevent Skywalker from being a bit of a disappointment. It underperformed at the box office compared to the previous entries in the concluding trilogy, and only The Phantom Menace scored lower with critics in the entire saga.

"It's frenzied, briefly infuriating, and eventually, grudgingly, satisfying, but it's like being force-fed fandom: Your belly is filled, but there's no pleasure in the meal." —Sam Adams, Slate

Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) provided some jolts in the second prequel film, but not enough for critics, who found the 2002 installment "stiff" and "muddled." The central love story of Attack of the Clones, featuring Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), didn't turn on moviegoers. Worldwide, ticket sales were down 35 percent from Phantom Menace.

"It's too long, it's too dull, it's too lame." —Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Critics could not abide the "annoying teddy bears" in the "repetitive" 1983 culmination of the original Star Wars trilogy. But Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) and his father (David Prowse's Darth Vader, as voiced by James Earl Jones) came to terms, and that was good enough for fans. Return of the Jedi ruled its year at the box office.

"[T]he third movie's outcome smacks of PG-rated populism rather than artistic fulfillment." —Desson Thomson, Washington Post

The second stand-alone Star Wars film of the Disney era, Solo is—for the most part—a caper centering on younger versions of Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) and Lando Calrissian (a widely praised Donald Glover). While certainly not in the top tier of Star Wars movies, Solo actually turned out better than fans first feared, given that the film's directors (Phil Lord and Christopher Miller) were fired in the middle of production and replaced by Ron Howard. The most surprising aspect of Solo is the film's box office performance. Unusually for a Star Wars title, the film's grosses have been underwhelming, and experts suggest that Solo could ultimately lose money for Disney—a franchise first.

"Audiences should feel free to lower their guard — to adjust expectations into B-movie territory. And as a B-movie, Solo delivers, sometimes in a way that reminds a viewer of this franchise's roots in classic Saturday matinee adventure serials and sometimes simply as proficient, dutiful, time-passing entertainment." —Ty Burr, Boston Globe

In the first standalone Star Wars film, Rogue One follows a group of rebels who must steal the Death Star plans from the Empire. Rolling Stones' Peter Travers believes that Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso ranks "with the great ones" and Rogue One is a "Star Wars story worth telling." Fans agreed. In its opening weekend, the prequel grossed $290 million worldwide, with $155.1 million coming from the United States.

"By breaking some of the rules, Rogue One has made itself the first movie since The Empire Strikes Back to redefine the boundaries of what a Star Wars movie can be. The Force Awakens may have reanimated the once-dormant franchise, but it's Rogue One that will give Star Wars fans a new hope." -Forrest Wickman, Slate

In the third and final movie of the prequel trilogy, Samuel L. Jackson's Mace Windu got some lightsaber action, and critics finally saw something worthwhile in latter-day George Lucas. One critic opined that fans would enjoy seeing the pieces of the Star Wars puzzle—like, where did Princess Leia get the idea to wear her hair cinnamon-bun-style?—come together in Revenge of the Sith, and they did: The movie is the third-highest-grossing Star Wars film to date.

"A vast improvement over the previous two outings, but still and all, it's no Star Wars." —Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle

This "masterful" 2015 J.J. Abrams film brought Star Wars into the post-George Lucas era in part by bringing back old favorites like Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). Critics also hailed The Force Awakens for its "fresh faces," including Oscar Isaac as the Resistance's Poe Dameron. Audiences embraced the whole package: The film is the top-grossing Star Wars movie to date.

"[P]umps new energy and life into a hallowed franchise in a way that both resurrects old pleasures and points in promising new directions." —Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter

Yoda, voiced by Frank Oz, was one of the new additions to the Star Wars universe that transfixed audiences and critics alike in the franchise's second film, released in 1980. Though hailed as a "near flawless movie," and packed with more fan favorites than ever, Empire couldn't match Star Wars' box office, perhaps a function of being the trilogy's middle chapter. It still made more than $500 million worldwide.

"Richly imaginative, engrossing and spectacular." —Charles Champlin, Los Angeles Times

In the second entry in the newest Star Wars trilogy, Rey continues to develop her Force-sensitive powers through the help of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker while the First Order and the Resistance continue their epic battle. The Last Jedi also marks the final appearance of Carrie Fisher, who tragically passed away in December 2016. The film is dedicated in her memory.

"An excellent middle chapter bursting with wit, wisdom, emotion, shocks, old-fashioned derring-do, state-of-the-art tech, and stonking set-pieces." --Jamie Graham, Total Film

The first Star Wars (subsequently subtitled Episode IV - A New Hope) remains the most decorated film in the franchise. Film critics of 1977 were blown away, as their reviews, big on the use of adjectives like "magnificent," "glorious," and "marvelous," showed. In 2007, Star Wars was ranked the 13th-greatest American movie of all time by critics, historians, and movie-industry professionals tasked with compiling a list of the all-time best for the American Film Institute.

"[S]pellbinding and totally captivating on all levels." —Ron Pennington, The Hollywood Reporter