Joey Magidson
Star Wars has returned to the big screen! Well, that excitement is certainly what we should be feeling, though it does appear that the magic surrounding the release of a new outing in the franchise has been lost. Audiences are about to render their verdict on The Mandalorian and Grogu, and while I already have, it does have me thinking about the state of Star Wars overall. So, as a tiptoe into those waters, I felt like an update to my series rankings was in order. Well, that’s just what I did.
In my review of The Mandalorian and Grogu (here), I said the following:
Two things can be true about The Mandalorian and Grogu, which returns Star Wars to cinemas for the first time in the better part of a decade. I both had a reasonably enjoyable time with this film on a surface level while also being bummed out a bit by it. Why, you ask? Well, all of the bits that you want to see in this movie are there, except it’s all just sort of tossed off. At the end of the day, while there’s entertainment value to be found in the flick, it’s also the final statement that, unfortunately, Star Wars just isn’t special anymore. What was once a massive event is now just a product. Look at the title itself. It feels like product placement, as opposed to the cinematic return of Star Wars.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is, essentially, like watching a handful of episodes of The Mandalorian stitched together. That was always a suspicion, and if well crafted, wouldn’t have been a huge issue, but here, the longer things go on, the more you realize that nothing here is anything special. Is it fun? At many points, yes. That’s what sets this apart from the nadir of Star Wars efforts. At the same time, it’s maybe the safest effort the series has ever attempted, which was undeniably disappointing to witness.
Below, you can see where I currently come down on the cinematic Star Wars outings. I avoided including the television efforts, since I haven’t seen all of them, as well as the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (since I’ve only seen some of it). Aside from that, everyone released in theaters is on the table. Next you’ll find how I stack the nine Saga flicks, as well as the two “story” ones, alongside our big screen continuation of The Mandalorian series. Beyond that, feel free to use this piece as a forum to rank the movies on your own, as well as talk about Star Wars in general, however you see fit, including where things might go from here. Where does The Mandalorian and Grogu debut? Time to find out…
Here now is how I would rank the Star Wars films, so far:
12. The Rise of Skywalker
11. The Mandalorian and Grogu
10. Solo
9. Attack of the Clones
8. The Phantom Menace
7. Rogue One
6. The Force Awakens
5. Revenge of the Sith
4. Return of the Jedi
3. The Last Jedi
2. The Empire Strikes Back
1. Star Wars
As you can see, especially if you’ve seen my previous rankings, the prequel trilogy is starting to have its image rehabilitated for me, while The Rise of Skywalker has just continued to tumble down. The fact that The Mandalorian and Grogu debuts towards the bottom of the list should tell you how far the property has fallen. At the same time, it’s not a terrible flick, just one that’s a far cry from what made the best of this series so special.
For what it’s worth, as a quick little bonus, I would just add that I remain hopeful that Star Wars: Starfighter will be something to look forward to. The Mandalorian and Grogu just never had that feeling, which was a first for Star Wars. So, maybe it’s just an outlier? Here’s hoping, though you certainly can’t be faulted for thinking otherwise. Still, we’ll always have the classics…
How do each of you rank the Star Wars films now that The Mandalorian and Grogu is out? Let us know!
Comments
Loading…