All 12 Star Wars Movies, Ranked by IMDb

Every Star Wars Movie, Ranked by IMDb Luke Skywalker teaches Rey how to commune with the Force in Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi.

Luke Skywalker (played by actor Mark Hamill), teaches Rey (played by actor Daisy Ridley), how to commune with the Force in Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi.Image via Lucasfilm

By Julio Bardini Published 40 minutes ago

Julio is a Senior Author for Collider. He studied History and International Relations at university, but found his calling in cultural journalism. When he isn't writing, Julio also teaches English at a nearby school. He has lived in São Paulo most of his life, where he covers CCXP and other big events. Having loved movies, music, and TV from an early age, he prides himself in knowing every minute detail about the things he loves. When he is older, he dreams of owning a movie theater in a small countryside town.

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Ranking Star Wars films will never lead to consensus. There are just so many of them (twelve!), each with a passionate following and fans ready to argue their point to exhaustion. For some — for most, actually — the Original Trilogy is the undisputed best, while others have a soft spot for the Prequels or the Sequels. Even the spinoffs have their merits, too, so it's hard to look at them all objectively and rank them to figure out the best one.

Thankfully, there is a somewhat "objective" way of ranking these films, taking into account. IMDb ratings are given by viewers, being a good measure of each movie's popularity and impact on fans—if you know how to interpret these ratings. Nowadays, social media discourse plays a huge role in shaping any movie's popularity, meaning that each number has its unique meaning. So, here's every big-screen-released Star Wars film, ranked by IMDb.

12 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars' (2008)

IMDb Rating: 6.0/10

Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, and Master Yoda in the poster of 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'Image via Lucasfilm

Understandably, the lowest-rated movie in this ever-expansive saga goes to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the only animated entry on the list. To be fair, it isn't even an actual film, but the introductory arc of the follow-up animated series. It does contain a key moment in the franchise with Ahsoka Tano's (Ashley Eckstein) introduction, so credit where credit's due.

Indeed, Ahsoka remains one of the best and most beloved characters in Star Wars and went on to even get a live-action spinoff, which was successful enough to guarantee a second season. Thus, her debut alone warrants a watch of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, even if there's not much else there.

11 'Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker' (2019)

IMDb Rating: 6.4/10

Ian McDiarmid as Emperor Palpatine, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious, in Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of SkywalkerImage via Lucasfilm

Perhaps the only entry that actually has a consensus about its placement is Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker, the lowest-rated live-action film in the saga. Granted, its production was severely affected by a change in direction and Carrie Fisher's unfortunate and untimely passing, but those hardly justify the film's poor storyline and confusing narrative.

In all fairness, it does have some interesting ideas, like Palpatine's (Ian McDiarmid) return, Leia as a Jedi training Rey (Daisy Ridley), and Rey and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) being a Force dyad. Alas, the overall execution is so rushed and bad that fans usually agree that the clumsily titled The Rise of Skywalker deserves its spot on this list and the infamy it has earned over the years.

10 'Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace' (1999)

IMDb Rating: 6.5/10

Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi talking to a young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

Liam Neeson, Jake Lloyd, Ewan McGregor in Star Wars: The Phantom MenaceImage via Lucasfilm

Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace is the lowest rated of the prequels and generally regarded as the worst in that trilogy, but, against all odds, it has gained new life recently. While there are definitely some misfires, the film boasts one of the best-written fight sequences in the franchise with the Duel of the Fates, great new characters like Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), and a surprisingly relevant political background.

When it came out, The Phantom Menace introduced fans to an entirely new galaxy full of new ideas — midichlorians, anyone? — which led to strong backlash. Now, with decades of hindsight, people are finally starting to watch this uneven but still enjoyable movie with fresh eyes. Perhaps in a not-so-distant future, it may even climb up some spots with its rating.

9 'Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones' (2002)

IMDb Rating: 6.6/10

George Lucas is an incredible worldbuilder and storyteller, but that doesn't necessarily translate into good writing and directing. Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones is perhaps the best example. It could have been a political thriller filled with intrigue about the nature of corruption, but it is instead remembered for its cringy dialogue and simplistic narrative.

There are definitely highlights here, like John Williams' score ("Across the Stars" is particularly timeless and one of the franchise's best-ever themes), the introduction of Count Dooku (Christopher Lee), and the battle on Geonosis. However, that's hardly enough to secure a higher rating than Attack of the Clones currently has.

8 'Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi' (2017)

IMDb Rating: 6.8/10

Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) faces off with a Force projection of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'Image via Lucasfilm

The most divisive film in the franchise, the now-infamous Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi should have a much higher or much lower rating, depending on who you ask. Whether you like it or not, the film takes bold swings by breaking the usual Star Wars narrative framework and upending viewers' expectations about franchise icons like Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), as well as what it means to be a Jedi, and the Force itself.

This eagerness to break new ground didn't sit well with part of the fans, who expected to see the older heroes taking central stage; for others, it was a breath of fresh air and a much-needed change of pace. In this sense, The Last Jedi's current rating is fair, as it reflects the division it evokes (it should be higher, though!).

7 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' (2018)

IMDb Rating: 6.9/10

Alden Ehrenreich as young Han Solo in 'Solo: A Star Wars Story.'

Alden Ehrenreich as a young Han Solo in 'Solo: A Star Wars Story.'Image via Lucasfilm

Solo: A Star Wars Story is another heavily scrutinized movie that's actually quite a fun ride if you're willing to look past its faults. Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover are great as young Han Solo and Lando Calrissian, respectively, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge's L3-37 is a revelation.

Sadly, Solo was affected by a lot of behind-the-scenes drama, with Ron Howard replacing Lord and Miller as director after much of the movie had already been filmed. The result is a movie that tries to fit all the key moments in Han's life before the Original Trilogy into a single story, resulting in most of them being lackluster and crowding the narrative.

6 'Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith' (2005)

IMDb Rating: 7.6/10

Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) turning his back on Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) in 'Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith'Image via Lucasfilm

The undisputed best of the prequel trilogy, Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith is right where it should be concerning its rating, and that's a good thing. Even with the prequels' cringy dialogue and overall weak acting, the story is just too good. Not only does it give us the culmination of Anakin Skywalker's (Hayden Christensen) tragedy, the fall of the Jedi, and the rise of the Empire, but it also has an ever-relevant message about corruption and power.

The thing is, other Star Wars movies are simply better, including the Original Trilogy, making it almost impossible for Revenge of the Sith to be higher on this list. Still, considering where it once sat regarding fan opinion, it's an outright miracle how greatly its reputation has improved in the last decade or so.

5 'Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens' (2015)

IMDb Rating: 7.7/10

Rey kneeling next to BB8 while looking up in The Force Awakens

Image via Lucasfilm

The first film after Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens was met with a mix of euphoria and distrust when it came out, but proved the perfect start for the sequel trilogy, giving us great new heroes, an incredible villain, and hope for the future of Star Wars (little did we know...).

Some may argue that it's more of a rehash of Star Wars: Episode IV— A New Hope, and they wouldn't be wrong, but how else could you bring the biggest pop culture franchise back to the big screen without paying homage to the originals? Whether it's better than other Star Wars movies is a matter of personal taste, but, objectively speaking, The Force Awakens' rating on IMDb is fair.

4 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' (2016)

IMDb Rating: 7.8/10

Jyn Erso looking to the distance in Rogue One

Felicity Jones as Jyn Erso in Rogue OneImage via Lucasfilm

The only Disney-era Star Wars that received critical acclaim from both critics and fans. In fact, some might say Rogue One: A Star Wars Story's rating is actually too low. Its concept as a spinoff is to purposely go beyond the Skywalker Saga and find gaps that could be filled with new stories, like Rebellion stealing the Death Star plans.

No one thought, however, that this approach could work so well. There was some behind-the-scenes drama, too, with extensive reshoots resulting in a different movie from the original version, but everything was kept so cohesive that you can hardly tell. The result is so good that it gave us its own spinoff series, Andor, which is somehow even better and makes its own trilogy of sorts with A New Hope.

3 'Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi' (1983)

IMDb Rating: 8.3/10

Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, posing with a green lightsaber in Return of the Jedi (1983)Image via Lucasfilm

When it comes to the Original Trilogy, everyone has their order of preference, especially considering all three movies are far superior to anything else that came later. Thus, the best way to go is indeed to follow the numbers. Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi may be the lowest rated, but it's many fans' favorite for good reason.

This climactic entry features some of the best battles and action sequences in the trilogy, a shocking revelation about Luke and Leia, Darth Vader's (James Earl Jones) redemption, and the Rebellion triumphing over the Empire, perfectly capping one of the best trilogies in film history. Even the Ewoks are cool for their political metaphor, and we're not even sorry for saying that.

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