The Skywalker Saga, Ranked
Remember how annoyingly obsessed everyone was with Rey’s parentage after The Force Awakens? And remember how Rian Johnson gave fans a unique and empowering answer to this question that avoided attributing Rey’s power to anyone else and subsequently opened up the Force to everyone in the galaxy? Well, J.J. Abrams decided he didn’t like that answer (or was too worried that the “fans” didn’t), and decided that no, Rey is… a Palpatine. Too much of this movie is wasted on this unnecessary revelation, the result of which rendered the sequel trilogy a less-inspired retread of the original trilogy. And yet, somehow, finding a coherent message in this film that doesn’t contradict something that came before is a more difficult undertaking than that of those people who make Twitter threads about physics in space. The callbacks are hollow, transparently forgoing character development for the sake of making audiences go “Hey, I remember that!”, and are intercut with a never-ending fetch-quest that doesn’t actually serve the characters or challenge them in any way. Poor Rey sees her story become that of a vessel for Abram’s original trilogy nostalgia. He even forgoes fully committing to the “found family” trope, constantly introducing seeds of unrest within the “trio” and then not resolving any of them. Characters that were treated like characters in The Last Jedi become action figures that follow Rey around and say whatever the plot needs them to. And, unlike J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio, I cannot forget Rose Tico. The character that became the surprising heart of The Last Jedi is completely cut from The Rise of Skywalker. The kiss between she and Finn? Not mentioned. Instead, she receives the douchiest shoulder pat of all time, before we meet a series of underbaked characters that, with the exception of ultimate horse-girl Jannah, add nothing to the story.
It’s not without its moments, however. The scene between Han and Ben is truly beautiful, thanks to great performances from Harrison Ford and Adam Driver. Leia’s departure is handled with delicacy and care. Babu Frik is completely sinless. The whole movie, actually, is beautiful to look at- save for the scenes that are so blue they resemble the lighting in a freshman dorm room. Exegol is the spooky Sith arena I didn’t know I always wanted. And Rey and Kylo’s relationship remains the most compelling and original aspect of this trilogy, culminating in a beautiful kiss and an act of selfless love, giving the last Skywalker a chance to truly finish what his grandfather started.
George Lucas is one of the bravest filmmakers of his lifetime. Say what you will about the execution of some of his ideas, but this fact remains. Rather than dogmatically insisting that all of Star Wars be A New Hope (*cough cough* J.J. Abrams, sorry), George pushed his world further. Does it always work? No. Although some shots and sets are truly beautiful, this world feels less lived in, and the stilted dialogue can make characters and situations feel stiff. This is an ambitious undertaking- telling a story of the fall of an individual, a religion, and a government, all while making it a kids’ movie. Something that often gets overlooked in discussions about this film, however, is the introduction to one of the best characters in all of Star Wars: Padme Amidala. And guys, ease up on Jar Jar Binks. He’s childish and funny and kids love him; sometimes, I think we forget that these movies are for them first and foremost.
A controversial opinion: The podracing sequence is way. too. long.
An uncontroversial opinion: The fight between Qui-Gon and Obi Wan vs. Maul is absolutely one of the best of the saga.
Yes, the romance is stilted at times, but Attack of the Clones ultimately does what it needs to, setting in motion the downfall of the Republic, the Jedi Order, and Anakin Skywalker. Seeing all of the Jedi fight alongside each other in an arena was a moment that, for me, did not disappoint. The bounty hunter chase scene through Coruscant is visually gorgeous and brimming with energy. The film is often clunky and heavy-handed, but tells a beautiful story clearly headed in a tragic direction. Hayden Christensen gives a performance reminiscent of many troubled teenage boys I’ve known, so, as far as I’m concerned, he gets the job done (his son is Luke “but-I-was-gonna-pick-up-some-power-converters” Skywalker, after all). Thankfully, this time around Obi Wan has more to do, proving that Ewan McGregor is one of the best Star Wars casting decisions made, in an interesting storyline about the invention of the clone army that would eventually assassinate most of the Jedi order.
It’s iconic, of course, and rightly so; there’s no denying that. This movie accomplished what few others in history have done: it created a world that felt real- real enough to inspire so many other stories that took place in the same world, and real enough for other filmmakers to come along and play in while expanding it. It’s a beautiful, unique, and genuinely fun film; however, I think it works best as a jumping-off point for some even greater works down the line. One of the best things about Luke Skywalker, despite the way he’s been deified, is how relatable he is. He’s a whiny, dorky teenager who desperately dreams of something bigger. Even setting aside the planets and creatures and spaceships, there’s something beautiful about that.
It’s sort of beautiful to watch Luke Skywalker really and truly become a hero in this final installment of the original trilogy. This movie is hilarious, cute, heartfelt, and cheesy as hell- in the best way (even though the Ewok sequence does throw a significant wrench into the pacing). Luke doesn’t defeat the Emperor by dueling him or blowing something up; the ultimate evil in the galaxy is extinguished through the love of a father and son.
Sure, this movie has all of the issues people complain about in The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones; but at this point in the prequel trilogy, one feels right at home in this specific time period in the galaxy far, far away. The tragedy of this film cuts deep, with beautiful sequences backed by John Williams music that detail the heartbreaking fall of the best of the galaxy. Ian McDiarmid gives a great performance as Palpatine/Darth Sidious. This movie doesn’t work without the the relationships between Anakin and Padme, Anakin and Obi Wan, and Anakin and Sidious. Thankfully, each does. Hayden Christensen has fully grown into his role by this point, and it’s a testament not only to Lucas’ story, but to Hayden’s performance that we feel for Anakin even as we see him make all the wrong choices. The entire third act is gorgeous and heartbreaking, fully achieving everything Lucas set out to when he decided to tell the origin story of the galaxy’s most formidable villain.
Here is a beautiful homage to the original Star Wars, with the exciting promise of something new. These new characters are charismatic, likable, and compelling, and I couldn’t wait to see where they went next. It’s thanks to them that I prefer this to A New Hope; as much as I love Luke, Han, and Leia, Rey’s loneliness, Finn’s uncertainty, and Kylo’s conflict speak to me more. The family drama of Star Wars is still intact, with the tragic detail that Kylo is the son of Han and Leia. But this time, an abandoned young woman who’s not sure what her place is will be the key to setting things right, and that was something we’d never seen before in Star Wars. The ending still gives me chills every time.
2. The Empire Strikes Back
The reveal that Vader is Luke’s father isn’t great because it’s shocking. It’s great because it is literally the worst thing Luke could hear in that moment, and it makes the conflict in Return of the Jedi infinitely more complicated. This film is truly fantastic, taking each character and giving them challenges that force them to grow, while showing off the vastness of the galaxy and the creativity of the creators. Even more incredible is how this movie manages to give existing characters interesting storylines while introducing new characters that feel real and compelling. Yoda and Lando feel as real as Luke, Han, and Leia, add to the underlying goal of expanding the universe, and feel necessary to the story being told.
In an era of heartless reboots, sequels, and blockbusters, here is a truly fantastic sequel to what was essentially a reboot of a beloved blockbuster franchise. The care that went into making this movie is incredible: every single character has a clearly defined arc that falls into the message of the story, which is that we all fail, but we must learn from our failures and not give up. Rian Johnson took Star Wars, honored what’s always been so great about it, and loved it enough to move it beyond itself. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, and there are quite a few performances that could be considered career-best. Despite being the middle chapter of a trilogy, this is a truly great stand-alone story. And, it’s absolutely gorgeous to look at. So many things about this movie are so unexpectedly great: Rey’s power comes from no one but herself, Luke Skywalker is still more human than flawless hero-god (although he does get one of the coolest hero moments ever), Kylo and Rey have a connection that awakens things in both of them, Finn learns about why the Resistance are fighting this fight, Rose teaches us to save what we love, and Holdo and Leia teach Poe that being a leader and being the hero are not always the same thing. Also, the throne room scene??? Absolutely the coolest viewing experience I’ve had in a theater.
tangentwithtanner
kianamaiart
yousharknotpass
ellievsbear
andulkaphoto
germansingergirl
