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  • All 11 Star Wars Movies Ranked, Worst to Best

    All 11 Star Wars Movies Ranked, Worst to Best


    Here are all 11 Star Wars movies ranked worst to best. Beware that spoilers follow.

    But First

    Star Wars Movies Ranked
    Credit: Disney

    We love Star Wars. But part of Star Wars is loving and defending your version of Star Wars — and defending it again versions of the saga that feels like cash-ins, or otherwise unworthy of the legacy.

    Rogue One, above, is for us a good example of a project that brings together the best of Star Wars.

    Below are all 11 Star Wars movies ranked worst to best.

    The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

    Disney – Credit: C/O

    Look, we love Star Wars. But the sequel trilogy that started with The Force Awakens sometimes felt like new kids playing with old toys. The costumes and space ships looked right, even if the CGI backgrounds were a little distracting. But the characters just felt flat or underdeveloped. You had to ask: Why are we here? Hasn’t the Skywalker saga been told?

    The Rise of Skywalker felt like the most desperate film of the sequel trilogy, as it (spoilers ahead, final warning) revived Emperor Palpatine for no reason and settled the mystery of Rey’s parentage (also: who cares?) by revealing that he was her granddad.

    We just didn’t feel the usual magic.

    The Force Awakens (2015)

    Disney – Credit: C/O

    An unpleasant movie for all the reasons listed previously, but we have some other gripes, too: The movie brought back Han Solo just to have his son kill him, which served no purpose other than to make the whiny Ben Solo/Kylo Ren seem like a viable threat. It isn’t actor Adam Driver’s fault that Ren never had Darth Vader or the Emperor’s sense of malice: He’s written as a brat.

    New lead characters Rey, Poe and Finn never caught fire — they just didn’t have enough to do. And the movie made its craziest miscalculation by casting Lupita Nyong’o, a magnetic, Oscar-winning actor, as a forgettable CGI character named Maz Kanata. She should have been one of the leads — in human form. We regretfully placed both The Rise of Skywalker and The Force Awakens on our list of Sequels Nobody Needs to See.

    It was nice to see the original stars back, though.

    The Phantom Menace (1999)

    Lucasfilm – Credit: C/O

    We have never had a more disappointing movie theater experience that the opening of The Phantom Menace: Weird aliens with stereotypical voices talking about… trade routes? We waited 16 years since Return of the Jedi, then lined up for a midnight first showing… for this?

    There are other bad things about The Phantom Menace — its CGI never looked as cool as the practical effects in the original trilogy, Jar Jar, the confusing and unnecessary stuff about midichlorians — but also some good things.

    Natalie Portman was quite good as Padme Amidala, Liam Neeson provided a steady hand as Qui-Gon Jinn, and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi did a remarkable job of channeling Sir Alec Guinness while making his own mark. Darth Maul, played by Ray Park, was a fabulous villain and disappeared far too soon. More on that soon.

    Attack of the Clones (2002)

    Stars Wars Movies Ranked
    Lucasfilm – Credit: C/O

    It was fine. We like the title, and it was cool to meet Jango Fett.

    Natalie Portman, again, was very good — one of the most empathetic of all Star Wars characters, and the heart of the prequels.

    And we wish her chemistry with Hayden Christensen had been better. It wasn’t the fault of either actor — they just had some clunky dialogue.

    Revenge of the Sith (2005)

    Lucasfilm – Credit: C/O

    Revenge of the Sith drove home the sad conclusion that, even at their best, the prequels maybe shouldn’t have been made.

    Like Hannibal Lecter, Freddy Krueger, and countless other movie villains, Darth Vader becomes less interesting the more you know about him.

    Still: Vader is one of the coolest parts of the Star Wars world, and it was cool to see him again, 22 years after his demise in Return of the Jedi. We just wish it didn’t take three sometimes tedious prequel movies to get to this point.

    Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

    Credit: C/O

    This movie has no reason to exist, other than making money: It doesn’t add much to the legend of Han Solo, and instead fills in details of stories that were perfectly covered by brief mentions in the original trilogy, with our imaginations filling in the details. (Somehow hearing that the Millennium Falcon made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs is cooler than seeing it happen.)

    But Solo doesn’t do any damage to the legacy of Star Wars: Alden Ehrenreich survives the near-impossible mission of filling Harrison Ford’s boots as the coolest smuggler in space, and the movie introduces enough new elements to feel fresh. It has nothing to be ashamed of, and it was fun to watch, once, though we feel no strong desire to watch it again.

    We do regret that it revived the most underused character of the prequels, Darth Maul — only to relegate him to a cameo. We hope he’s revived again.

    The Last Jedi (2017)

    Disney – Credit: C/O

    This movie has plenty of detractors, but let’s give credit to writer-director Rian Johnson for taking big swings.

    Unlike the films that bookend it in the sequel trilogy, The Force Awakens and Revenge of the Sith, The Last Jedi tries to break some new ground by examining how average spacefolks view the war between the Rebels and the Empire (or the Resistance and the First Order, as the new films rebrand them).

    It’s fine. It’s the best movie for Poe in the new trilogy. And it was nice to see Mark Hamill get to shine again as Luke Skywalker. He’s grown into a great warrior who has replaced youthful vigor with Yoda-like wisdom. And we know, we know: Wars not make one great.

    Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

    Rogue One
    Disney – Credit: C/O

    The first Star Wars movie released after George Lucas sold his empire to Disney, Rogue One was a truly gutsy enterprise.

    Rather than rehash old material, Rogue One answers one of the great mysterious of the original Star Wars: Could Luke really blow up the Death Star with a single shot? While explaining the origin and details of the plans Leia is shepherding at the start of A New Hope, Rogue One also gives us a grittier take on Star Wars than we’d ever seen before — but its honesty about the grim sacrifices made by people everyone forgets adds poignancy to the entire Star Wars universe.

    Felicity Jones is an excellent lead as Jyn Erso, and Diego Luna as Cassian Andor shines brightly enough to justify his own much-praised Disney+ prequel series, Andor, from Rogue One co-screenwriter Tony Gilroy.

    And the way it leads directly into the second movie in this list — with two unexpected, thrilling cameos from a father and daughter — is pure cinematic joy.

    Return of the Jedi (1983)

    Lucasfilm – Credit: C/O

    Remember when we said the opening of The Phantom Menace was our most disappointing experience in a movie theater? Let us tell you about our best. It was the moment Luke Skywalker stepped off the plank of Jabba’s execution skiff, about to fall into the Sarlacc pit, then spun around, and caught the edge of the plank — and — and — just watch it.

    And pretend you’re seven years old, sitting in a dark theater, going from the despair of thinking your hero is going to die, only to see him completely turn it around, with the help of all his friends — it still gets us.

    There are many other excellent things in Return of the Jedi, including Luke’s reunion with his father, the Ewok fight, Han and Leia — we love this movie. A perfect ending to the greatest of all movie trilogies.

    A New Hope (1977)

    Lucasfilm – Credit: C/O 20th Century Fox

    Watch Star Wars: A New Hope again, and it’s impossible not to be in awe. George Lucas pays tribute to the Flash Gordon sci-fi serials that inspired him, but also to the films of Akira Kurosawa and Joseph Campbell’s studies of the hero’s journey.

    In the first 48 minutes of the movie, Lucas also introduces at least seven iconic, unforgettable characters: C-3PO, R2-D2, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and — near the 50-minute mark — Han Solo and Chewbacca. Everything that seems too coincidental on early viewings turns out to make perfect sense. (Why does Luke just happen to live near Obi-Wan? Becuase Obi-Wan has been keeping watch over him, all his life.)

    The storytelling is also impeccable from the opening shot: a very big ship chases a very small ship. A two-year-old can see this movie and know who to root for.

    By the Way

    Lucasfilm – Credit: C/O

    In Sam Wasson’s excellent new book about Lucas’ friend and supporter Francis Ford Coppola, The Path to Paradise, one of the producers of A New Hope, Gary Kurtz, notes that the opening scene took eight months of painstaking, analog effects.

    It was worth it.

    And now, on to the greatest of all Star Wars movies.

    The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

    Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford / Star Wars – The Empire Strikes Back 1980 – Credit: C/O

    The Empire Strikes Back is a film about growing up: The easiest decisions are the hardest, the hardest are the easiest. Do you finish your training or save your friends? Do you betray your friend to save your city in the clouds?

    Just when things start to seem simple, everything you thought you knew turns out to be wrong. Obi-Wan… never told you… what happened to your father.

    It’s been said that The Empire Strikes Back made Generation X. Star Wars gave us a good guys vs. bad guys space fantasy, and then The Empire Strikes Back revealed that the galaxy is more complex than we ever could have imagined. With Coppola’s The Godfather Part 2, it’s one of the greatest sequels ever made, with crackling Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan dialogue that recalls Casablanca, heart-stopping action sequences, and surprises at every turn — including the big one. About what happened to Luke’s father.

    Can you imagine seeing the Star Wars films in the wrong order — prequels first, then the original trilogy — and being denied the greatest reveal in the history of cinema? The Empire Strikes Back has it, and much more.

    It tops this list of Star Wars movies ranked, and would rank very highly in our list of the best movies, period. It’s not just the best Star Wars movie but the best Star Wars period, including shows, books, comics, and everything else.

    Liked This List of Star Wars Movies Ranked Worst to Best?

    Lucasfilm – Credit: 20th Century Fox

    We understand these things are subjective. Let us know in the comments if you disagree with anything we say here — what do you think is the best Star Wars movie?

    You may also like this list of All 5 Indiana Jones Movies, given that George Lucas also created Indy when he wasn’t creating the majesty of Star Wars.

    Main image: Rogue One. Disney.



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  • American Comic Star Joe Kwaczala on the Secret to Filming Authentic Stand-Up Scenes

    American Comic Star Joe Kwaczala on the Secret to Filming Authentic Stand-Up Scenes


    Joe Kwaczala is a Los Angeles-based comedian and the writer-star of the mockumentary American Comic, which follows two stand-ups, both played by Kwaczala, as they navigate the modern comedy world. Directed by Daniel J. Clark, the film premieres Sunday at Dances With Films. In the piece below, Joe Kwaczala describes getting the comedy world right.—M.M.

    I made the film American Comic for a number of reasons, but on some level, it all goes back to this:

    “HOW ARE THEY GETTING THIS SO WRONG?!”

    This is me every time I’m watching a movie or TV show that incorporates stand-up as part of the story. It’s one of many things I’m yelling, really: “That doesn’t look like a comedy club!” “Audiences in a room that size wouldn’t sound like that!” “That wouldn’t get a laugh!”

    I’ve been a comedian for more than 15 years, and I’ve always been fascinated by how fictional narratives can never seem to figure out how to portray stand-up on screen. I started to think about this more intensely as I prepared for production on my debut feature film American Comic.

    In writing the script, I had drawn on countless experiences from my career to create a This Is Spinal Tap-like mockumentary satire of stand-up. With that being the premise, it was crucial not only to show stand-up on screen but for it to also feel authentic. If history is any judge, I was setting myself up for failure.

    Joe Kwaczala on the Pressure to Get American Comic Right

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZYp-HYdfNk

    So the pressure was on to figure out a way to make this work. My tactic? To reverse-engineer it. By analyzing what doesn’t work, it would hopefully become clear what to avoid, and I could forge my path to success.

    I thought about my main problems with depictions of stand-up comedy and landed on three areas: the setting, the audience reactions, and the material. When one of those doesn’t come across correctly, it all goes south. So I had to nail all three.

    Among comedians, there might be varying opinions on the ideal setting for a stand-up show, but most will agree that intimacy is key. That means close quarters, low ceilings, the audience’s proximity to the stage and to each other. A lot of comedy clubs are designed with these qualities in mind.

    Also Read: The 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World, Including Dances With Films

    But what do film productions need? Lots of room! To fit lights, cameras, and anything else the crew requires. Naturally, if a scene takes place at a comedy club, they will want to find (or even construct!) a location that gives them the space they need to film, and as a result, you get an environment with negative intimacy. The solution to this problem was pretty obvious: We had to shoot at real venues.

    But what about the crew? Some of these actual stand-up rooms wouldn’t be able to accommodate even a small film crew. So we didn’t have one. Well, kind of. I collaborated on American Comic with director Daniel J. Clark, who made one of the great fly-on-the-wall documentaries of all time, Behind the Curve. He and I decided that for these particular scenes, the crew should consist of just him and a camera, filming the action in a corner of the room.

    American Comic director Daniel J. Clark (left) on set with writer-actor Joe Kwaczala. Photo by Caroline Clark.

    That way, we could take advantage not only of the physical dimensions of these real spaces but also of their less tangible, lived-in qualities that would be impossible to recreate anywhere else.

    Obviously we were not the first people to think, “Let’s film our stand-up scene at a stand-up venue.” But even if they’re also using a real location, a typical production is still likely to utilize fake audience reactions. And that’s the next thing about stand-up on film that just doesn’t work. Productions will bring in extras and try to conduct them like an orchestra: “Laugh hard at this part, giggle at this joke, boo at this guy.”

    This process goes against human nature itself: Laughter is involuntary! So this forced nonsense is undoubtedly going to feel wrong. Daniel and I realized the only way around this was to film during real stand-up shows.

    At this point, I’ll remind you that American Comic isn’t a documentary. It’s a narrative feature film with a story about fictional characters. I play the two lead roles, and they were written to be comedians with styles very different from my own. And if we wanted to avoid fake laughs, that meant these characters needed to earn real ones.

    We also didn’t tell these audiences I was in character. For it to feel real on screen, we needed real reactions. So that means there were dozens of stand-up shows that happened in 2024 where audience members had no idea that one of the comedians they saw was actually me playing a movie character. Sorry!

    Although in that regard, I guess the movie is kind of a documentary.

    This leads us to the final piece of the “Stand-Up Authenticity Puzzle:” the material. Anyone can get on-stage at a stand-up show and bomb with a bad joke. But the comedians I’m portraying in this film are supposed to be up-and-coming with some potential for success, so I had to write jokes for them that would work in front of actual audiences.

    To further complicate things, these characters are awful, uninspired hacks. So my task as a writer and performer was to come up with jokes that I personally don’t like but still could get laughs. A tricky needle to thread! So I did what any good comic does with new material: I workshopped the jokes at shows and open mics and tweaked them based on the response. In fact, these characters and their jokes started doing so well that I started to worry: “Oh no. Is this what people like?”

    I’m really proud of what Danel and I accomplished with American Comic. In the end, the hunt for authenticity was simple. Instead of taking stand-up and bending it to fit our filming process, we took our filming process and bent it to fit stand-up. Obviously, I’m hoping what we do in the film will be appreciated by general audiences, but I’m hoping the extra care in our treatment of stand-up will resonate especially with comedians. The ideal reaction?

    “HOW ARE THEY GETTING THIS SO RIGHT?!”

    American Comic premieres Sunday at Dances With Films in Los Angeles.

    Main image: Actor-writer Joe Kwaczala in a still from American Comic, shot and directed by Daniel J. Clark.



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  • Star People – Preview | .

    Star People – Preview | .


    Inspired by The Phoenix Lights, the largest mass UFO sighting in U.S. history, Star People is a sci-fi thriller that tells the story of a photographer who receives a tip that could finally shed light on her childhood UFO sighting, but a deadly heatwave and unexpected guests threaten to derail her obsessive search for answers.

    The film stars actor and recording artist Kat Cunning, McCabe Slye, Connor Paolo, Eddie Martinez, Bradley Fisher, and Adriana Aluna Martinez.

    Adam Finberg (Writer/Director/Producer) grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and moved to Southern California to attend the American Film Institute’s directing program. He’s worked the past 20 years as a writer, director and editor. Star People is his first feature length narrative film.

    Adam began his career directing music videos (Armin van Buuren, Malbec, Otis) before moving on to commercial work (Napoleon Perdis, Go Daddy). His first documentary, After Katrina: Rebuilding St. Bernard Parish, shined a light on the perils and pains of post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. His first feature documentary, The Business of Recovery, dove into the secret lucrative world of the American addiction treatment industry. The film was featured on Last Week Tonight With John Oliver as it sparked conversations about the rehab industry and was even showcased at the International Drug Policy Reform Conference in Washington, DC to help guide policy decisions.

    Star People will have its world premiere at Dances with Films: LA 2025 on the 28th of June.

     

    John McArthur
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