With the news of Disney buying Lucasfilm, I thought it would be a good time to post up my Star Wars Movie Rankings. I’ll go in order from worst to best … and I’m thinking this won’t be too controversial.

6. Episode I: The Phantom Menace

I can’t really get over my disappointment in this movie. There might have been some not-quite-as-dim-as-everything-else spots in the movie, but overall it still feels like a complete and total mess. The only redeeming quality is the fact that we were able to see the Star Wars universe again … but sadly, this was a poor introduction.

5. Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Slightly better than the last one, mainly held up by Ewan McGregor and a crazy Yoda … but still, the casting really needs some serious help. The name should have been a dead giveaway for what was to come, but the music drags this movie out of the pits. Eh.

4. Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

I guess you can say that “at least they got better as time went on” … and you would be right, but you are setting the bar EXTREMELY low at the same time. I think that the best musical work of the prequels happened here and it is cool to watch some vestiges of the Original Trilogy make their way into the movie. Also … Yoda.

3. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Now, we are finally out-of-order. A fitting conclusion to the Original Trilogy and you get to watch the beloved characters defeat the Emperor and the final redemption of Darth Vader. Sadly, though, Ewoks make a rather awkward protagonist … but the space battle is amazing and the lightsaber is emotional. A HUGE leap forward over the bottom three.

2. Episode IV: A New Hope

Started it all off and a great movie in its own right. So many good lines, so many great introductions and … THE MILLENNIUM FALCON! The Death Star assault is still fun to watch and it sets up the entire universe that is still going on to this day.

1. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

The very top of the heap, this one was never in doubt. So many great lines (almost everything between Han and Leia), the introduction of Lando, bounty hunters, a broken Millennium Falcon, Bespin Cloud City, etc. … there is too much to name here. The dark, yet hopeful ending is pitch perfect and everything from the music to the pacing to the dialog is well done. It is a great movie by itself.

So that is it. Those are the ratings and they’ve been set-in-stone since the release of Revenge of the Sith. With Episode VII coming out in 2015 (for now), who knows what the future will hold.