7. “The Phantom Menace” (1999)
George Lucas has said from the beginning that “Star Wars” was made for kids, and he really took that to heart when he unveiled “Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” 16 years after finishing the groundbreaking original trilogy. Introducing us to Anakin Skywalker at the age of nine as he’s plucked by Qui-Gon Jinn as the “chosen one” who will bring balance to the Force, the first prequel gives us a lot of tame action and unlikely scenarios for Anakin to be in, even in a galaxy far, far away. Sadly, the best part of the movie is its villain, Darth Maul, who has an incredible duel with the Jedi at the end of the movie. It's one of the only goosebump moments in the whole movie (heightened by the John Williams score), and you have to wait over an hour to get to it. At this point, the less said about Jar Jar Binks, the better.
6. “Revenge of the Sith” (2005)
The conclusion of the prequel trilogy is one of the saga’s darkest. A now grown Anakin is seduced by the dark side of the Force and wipes out the Jedi, including the younglings (!). Padmé dies, but not before giving birth to their twins Luke and Leia. But the most agonizing thing to sit through is Hayden Christensen’s performance as Skywalker conflicted with the dark side — more a sniveling twentysomething than a disillusioned "chosen one." We wouldn’t get a good performance of that pull to the dark side until Adam Driver came along to play Kylo Ren in “The Force Awakens.” Though we can only partly blame Christensen. Lucas was never big on giving actors instructions, which proved here to be costly.
5. “Return of the Jedi” (1983)
The final film in the original trilogy accomplishes what we needed it to. It closes that chapter of the saga by answering many of the questions that were floating around for years. But as a standalone, years later, it doesn’t have the same impact “Episode IV” and “V” have. That mostly has to do with the introduction of the Ewoks, which makes for deflating sequences in the movie. And it's still a bummer to see Boba Fett die in the first 20 minutes.
4. “Attack of the Clones” (2002)
It may not have gotten great reviews, but there’s a lot to enjoy about the second episode in the prequels. Mainly, how Ewan McGregor has fit into the Obi-Wan Kenobi role nicely. The movie, actually, focuses heavily on his storyline as he encounters Jango and Boba Fett as well as Count Dooku, while Anakin puts the moves on Padmé. From a nostalgic standpoint, the last third of the movie brings to life dreams you've had for decades, as Lucas gives us the start of the Clone Wars as well as Yoda having a lightsaber battle.
3. “The Force Awakens” (2015)
The latest episode in the saga is a wonderful combination of old and new — celebrating the legacy of the franchise while laying the foundation of what we’re in store for with the new cast. A lot of the excitement comes from our love of the older movies, and director J.J. Abrams cleverly capitalizes on that. All the more reason why you must sympathize with Lucas, who had to come up with heavily original storylines for the prequels.
2. “A New Hope” (1977)
The one that started it all. There’s no denying the greatness of the original “Star Wars” movie. Lucas did things visually and with an original score that would change not only the sci-fi genre, but give birth to the monster blockbuster. We love and worship this franchise, however, because of its sequel. If that hadn't gone as well as “A New Hope,” we would think much differently of the franchise today.
1. “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)
Stepping aside and letting director Irvin Kershner and screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan take the reins of the sequel to “Star Wars” is the smartest decision Lucas ever made. With a fresh set of eyes, the story expanded beyond good versus evil in the vein of the "Flash Gordon" 1930s serials Lucas grew up on, and into an action-packed story filled with drama and suspense. The franchise became multi-layered. Opening the movie with Luke being attacked by a wampa followed by the Rebels being smoked out of their secret base by the Empire showed that all bets were off. Anything can and does happen in this movie. The famous reveal of Darth Vader as Luke’s father is still one of the greatest twists in movie history. But as the years go by, it’s the shot of Han Solo frozen in carbonite that still gets me.
