What's the best Star Wars movie?

A long, long time ago

1977 to be exact, the first film in the Star Wars franchise was released and the world hasn't been the same. In honor of Star Wars Day (aka May the 4th), I've put together a ranking of every Star Wars film that's been released. Obviously this doesn't include Solo: A Star Wars Story or the untitled Episode IX as they've yet to come out. Granted we don't have much longer to wait for the Han Solo origin story and although I was skeptical at first, I'm pretty pumped.

Is this list the definitive list? Yes, any other answer is wrong. I am the authority on all things Star Wars.... I'm kidding but what if I was actually like that? Will you agree... probably not but much like Han Solo in the following gif my thoughts on that are "Eh, it is what it is." These are ranked from worst to best. DEAL WITH IT.

An image Gif source

9. Attack of the Clones

The main reason, at least for me, this movie places dead last is just the lack of chemistry between Anakin and Padme... like really guys? This is the BEST you can do? Natalie Portman is a great actress but... not here. You could tell everyone was phoning in their performances and even the lack of Jar Jar Binks in this film couldn't save it. There's a reason you haven't heard from Hayden Christensen lately.

8. The Phantom Menace

All in all... this really isn't a BAD movie. It's not good and it's certainly not great... just okay. There were extremely high expectations for the first Star Wars film in decades and it fell far below them. Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor were the highlights of the movie, as was the pod racing scene. Other than that... too much f*cking Jar Jar.

7. Revenge of the Sith

Let's be real, the prequels deserve their spot at the bottom of the list. That being said, Christensen finally showed he was an okay actor and not as terrible as we all thought. Even then... oof. George Lucas did his best to tie up the trilogy but even the masterful way Anakin's betrayal was portrayed couldn't save it.

6. Return of the Jedi

Ewoks. As seen in How I Met Your Mother, there's just as big a debate about Ewoks as there was about Jar Jar Binks. Granted, I will take an Ewok over "Mesa Jar Jar Binks" any day... they're still just a big "WTF" in the grand scheme of things. It also kind of felt like a rehashing of things we'd already seen and the eventual reveal of what was under Darth Vader's mask was just a let down. At least in the remastered version we see Hayden Christensen and not some pasty white dude.

5. The Force Awakens

Unlike the previous attempt at trying to reboot the franchise, J.J. Abrams actually did a pretty good job. It wasn't a let down but it also wasn't amazing. If anything, it's dedication to keeping true to the original Star Wars tropes hindered it. I mean... come on. ANOTHER Death Star?

4. Rogue One

Rogue One was a refreshing entry to the series. It tied in very nicely with A New Hope and there were twists and turns I certainly didn't see coming. Plus we finally got to see the Rebel Alliance in all its glory. The CGI was a bit off putting but didn't detract from the film as a whole.

3. A New Hope

The one that started it all. Without the success of A New Hope, none of the others would've come to be. It was a movie that changed the face of pop culture and jumpstarted a franchise that's just as strong now as it was 40 years ago. It was finally cool to be a nerd and the iconic John Williams soundtrack and title scrawl are instantly recognizable.

2. The Last Jedi

One of the most complex films of the franchise, Rian Johnson was able to build upon the world built by George Lucas (and the film made by Abrams) in a way that no one really expected. Everything about it was gorgeous and showed just how big the spectrum between Good and Evil was. Were there hiccups in the film? I mean the Space Cow, Casino Planet, and the mischaracterization of Luke are just a few that come to mind but that didn't stop the movie from being enjoyable. Plus there's the added bonus of it NOT feeling repetitive.

1. Empire Strikes Back

God it's just so FCKING GOOD! With iconic lines like "I love you. I know." and "I am your father." how could it NOT be number 1? It also showed that these weren't just characters, they were human too. You could feel the anxiety, pain, anger, and heartbreak that Luke, Han, and Leia went through and as the credits rolled you just wanted to see it again. Hopefully the feeling from this film can once again be captured in *Episode IX.

And there you have it. I'm eagerly awaiting to see your thoughts on my list. It's fine if you don't agree, if we all agreed then Jar Jar Binks would NEVER have made it into a movie.