Star Warsis one of the most successful franchises in cinema history, capturing a perfect combination of a dedicated fanbase with popular appeal and box office domination. Since its first appearance in 1977, the franchise has been a constant source of inspiration to millions.
Over the years, the story has been expanded with prequels, sequels and spin-offs. Each new entry brings something new to the franchise, and often hold a special place in fans' hearts with their timeless appeal and universal messages of hope, friendship, and bravery.
15Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker
Letterboxd Score 2.4/5
The final movie of the sequel trilogy, and the latest Star Wars movie so far,The Rise of Skywalkerhad something of a troubled time on its release. Closing out the story of Rey and her rise as a powerful Jedi in her own right who could overcome Palpatine and free the galaxy from the rule of the First Order.
The sequel movies all had a rough time, with older fans disliking the decision to change characters like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, and struggling to accept new additions like Rey, Finn and Poe as their replacements. The trilogy also suffered from a lack of overall creative direction, changing tone with each entry. The reception to this movie was enough to put Disney off making any newStar Warsfilms, choosing to focus on live-action shows likeThe Mandalorianinstead.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker
Watch on Disney+
14Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Letterboxd Score 2.8/5
Star Warstelevision really took off withThe Clone Warsanimated series. It was the first real attempt to make a show that matched up to the movies in vision and style, and has become one of the most popular pieces ofStar Warsmedia.
To kick of the series, an animated movie was released in theaters, following the Jedi and Republic forces as they try to get the Hutts on their side, allowing them access to important hyperspace lanes. It’s essentially a four-episode arc spliced together with a few cinematic shots added and feels a lot like the show, providing a good set up and introducing important characters like Ahsoka Tano and Captain Rex.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Set between “Episode II” and “Episode III” of the Star Wars saga, the animated film serves as the introduction to the subsequent TV series, showcasing the expansive Clone Wars. The story follows Jedi Knights as they lead the Galactic Republic’s newly formed clone army in a fight against the Separatist forces, highlighting the adventures of Anakin Skywalker, his Padawan Ahsoka Tano, and their allies during this tumultuous period.
13Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Set ten years after The Phantom Menace, Anakin is now a Jedi padawan and is assigned to protect Padme after an attempt on her life, leading to the two falling in love as they spend time together on Naboo.
This wasn’t a popular movie on its release, with criticism falling on its writing, in particular the awkward love affair between Padme and Anakin which had become a source of endless memes on account of the pair’s unnatural dialogue. The visuals were also held up to scrutiny, as they pushed the limits of what was possible with CGI at the time, sometimes falling short of the target as a result.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
11Episode I: The Phantom Menace
More than fifteen years after the original movies,Star Warsreturned to cinemas with a new trilogy that introduced a new cast of characters, a new era, and showed where the Skywalker Saga began. The first movie released wasThe Phantom Menacein 1999, which recieved a great deal of praise and criticism in equal measure.
Visual effects had advanced since the original movies, meaningGeorge Lucas was given more freedom to create the film exactly as he wanted it, and he also took over full writing and directing duties. This gave him a chance to experiment with new ideas, creating a more political plot and inserting characters like Jar Jar Binks which put off more traditionalStar Warsfans who disliked the changes in style.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
9Solo: A Star Wars Story
Letterboxd Score 2.9/5
After acquiring the rights to Star Wars, Disney set about expanding the franchise with a series of new movies and shows. The greater resources available to the studio allowed them to experiment with projects that would have never been made otherwise, including spin-offs likeSolo: A Star Wars Story.
Despite being the origin story of a hugely popular character, the movie performed badly at the box office,losing a huge amount for Disney. It’s an enjoyable movie on its own merit, but came at a bad time for Star Wars, with fans tyring of the franchise after the divisive nature of The Last Jedi released a year earlier.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
8Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
Letterboxd Score 3.0/5
Picking up soon after the events of The Force Awakens, the second installment of the sequel trilogy focused on Rey trying to convince Luke Skywalker to join the fight against the First Order. This quickly became a huge controversy as fans hated the depiction of Luke as a cynical failure, rather than the symbol of hope and optimism he used to be.
Other complaints centered on the way it deviated from the story set up in The Force Awakens, its treatment of Finn and Poe, and new characters like Admiral Holdo and Rose Tico. All this led to the film becoming a divisive entrythat still polarizes fans years later.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
6Episode VII: The Force Awakens
Letterboxd Score 3.3/5
In 2015, Disney released its first Star Wars film,starting off a new trilogy set thirty years afterReturn of the Jedi. Like any serious change to a franchise, initial reactions from fans were mixed, but it was a huge success financially, bringing in more than two billion dollars at the box office.
The film introduced a host of new characters, like Rey and Finn, while bringing back the original cast, of Han and Leia, and Chewbacca. It established a brand-new era for the franchise, dealing with the rise of a new threat known as the First Order, which continues today with shows likeThe MandalorianandAhsokabuilding up to this time period.
