In a galaxy far, far away, there was a trilogy that inspired a generation. George Lucas struck gold.
Then some 16 years later, he made the prequels. They were a triumph in making great actors look like glossy-eyed ventriloquist dummies. Selling to Disney seemed like an act of mercy.
So what are the best Star Wars movies streaming on Disney+ today? We’ve checked Rotten Tomatoes for answers.
Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker will be added to this ranking when available on Disney+.
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10. The Last Jedi (43 percent)
On the one hand, director Rian Johnson should be applauded for thinking he and the writing team at Lucasfilm knew what fans wanted more than the fans themselves. This single slow applause should end abruptly because Star Wars The Last Jedi wrecks Disney’s attempt at a trilogy. It’s not a bad movie, it just completely disregards the movies that came before it, and I’m not just talking The Force Awakens, but the originals and that’s why fans hated it.
9. Attack of the Clones (56 percent)
Attack of the Clones, the second in George Lucas’ prequel trilogy, had its moments. Obi-Wan’s fight with Jango Fett is a personal favorite of mine. But not even a Yoda fight sequence could save it from the worst love scene ever! From 852,431 reviewers it scored 56 percent; from 250 critics, it scored 66 percent.
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8. The Phantom Menace (59 percent)
The Phantom Menace gave us Darth Maul, pod racing and John Williams’ “Duel of Fates.” It also gave us Jar Jar Binks — so that cancels all the above out. From 1.2 million reviews, it scored 59 percent. The 223 critics who reviewed the movie gave it 53 percent.
7. Solo: A Star Wars Story (63 percent)
Considering Solo‘s low Rotten Tomatoes score, the movie is actually very good. The biggest issue is that it takes the mystery out of one of Star Wars‘ most loved characters, Han Solo. Despite the movie being an action-packed tale with equally good performances, many Star Wars fans preferred the mystery. It’s either that, or the movie really did suffer from a fan backlash after The Last Jedi.
6. Revenge of the Sith (66 percent)
Revenge of the Sith tries hard — it gets an A+ for effort. Christopher Lee gets decapitated, and the Emperor gets his lightsaber out. So it comes as quite a surprise that 33.3 million reviewers only gave it 66 percent! The 295 critics who reviewed gave it a much more respectable 80 percent.
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5. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (86 percent)
Rogue One fits between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope in the Star Wars timeline. It had its production issues, with Disney needing to step in. Whatever they did, it worked. Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, and Co. are in one of the best Star Wars movies made. From 102,438 reviews it scored 83 percent; it earned 84 percent from 431 critics.
4. The Force Awakens (86 percent)
The Force Awakens is A New Hope beat-for-beat. J.J. “lens flare” Abrams played it safe — and gave the fans what they wanted. The movie was predictable, but new heroes, villains, droids and more Star Wars were enough. From 231,214 reviews the movie earned 86 percent — it’s 418 critics scored it a whopping 93 percent!
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3. Return of the Jedi (94 percent)
Is it wrong mentioning Princess Leia’s gold bikini? Return of the Jedi concludes Luke’s coming of age story — and Ewoks save the day. Is there a more iconic moment in Star Wars than when Vader gives the Emperor the shaft? Only one…From one million reviews, it scored 94 percent. It’s 91 critics rated it at 81 percent.
2. A New Hope (96 percent)
A New Hope started it all. Giving us characters that would become lifelong friends — until suckling down green milk. The reclusive Obi-Wan, James Earl Jones’ voice as Vader and Indiana Jones in space. What’s not to love! From 860,689 reviews it scored 96 percent. Its 120 critics gave it 93 percent.
1. The Empire Strikes Back (97 percent)
The Empire Strikes Back tops our rankings of the best Star Wars movies streaming on Disney+ list. It shouldn’t come as a surprise — “I am your father” is money in the bank when it comes to iconic moments. Not only in the Star Wars saga, but across all movies, forever! From one million reviews, it scored 97 percent; Its 98 critics rated it at 95 percent.