abiIf you include the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), there are technically 13 films across the Star Wars franchise. Another installment is set to release in May 2026, one more is actively in development, and at least five others are rumored to be somewhere in the pipeline. Though, as always with Lucasfilm, development can be a bit of a moving target. So if you’re itching for a rewatch, here are our picks for the best Star Wars movies.
What are the best Star Wars movies as of 2025?
Before we jump in, let’s be crystal clear: this list is highly subjective. Ranking Star Wars movies is one of the fastest ways to turn internet discourse into a full-out comment duel. Every fan has their own favorites, and depending on when you first discovered the galaxy far, far away, your order may look very different. So, remember folks, this is subjective.
We’re going chronologically with our picks. Our picks aren’t ranked. Just so you know.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)
From the mind and hand of George Lucas, A New Hope started filming in 1976 and was intended to be a standalone film. Though Lucas had a broader vision for a potential saga, there was no guarantee the film would warrant expansion. With a budget of around $11 million, production was notoriously challenging, thanks to numerous technical difficulties (as is often the case with groundbreaking technological films), as well as multiple conflicts between the director and the studio. Despite the struggles, the movie was a “capital H” Hit.
In the film that launched a cultural phenomenon, A New Hope introduces us to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), a farm boy on the desert planet of Tatooine who dreams of adventure. And this guy is in for the adventure of a lifetime when he discovers a message hidden in the droid R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) that ultimately sets him off on the path of destiny. And of course, along with Luke, we also get to meet Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Chewbacca, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ben Guinness), C-3PO, as Luke becomes part of the Rebel Alliance’s mission to destroy the Empire’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star. The whole thing is space opera perfection.
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Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The Empire Strikes Back, which, along with The Godfather Part II, falls into the category of “movie sequels that are better than the original,” was directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based on a story by George Lucas. Filming began in 1979 and was split between Norway, where the Hoth battle scenes were filmed, and Elstree Studios in England, which handled most of the interiors. After the studio-director conflicts during the first film, Lucas took a massive gamble by self-financing the $18 million project through loans and profits from A New Hope. This ultimately gave him more creative control but also risked financial ruin if it failed. Fortunately for Lucas, the film was the highest-grossing film of 1980. Not a failure at all. Not even a little bit.
One of the most famous secrets from production was the twist reveal of Darth Vader’s identity. To avoid leaks, David Prowse (in the Vader suit) actually delivered the line, “Obi-Wan killed your father”. Only Mark Hamill was told the truth moments before filming, and director Irvin Kirschner told Hamill that if the secret were to spill, they’d know who had blabbed. That’s definitely enough pressure to keep Hamill tight-lipped about it.
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Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)
In the final chapter of the original trilogy, which earned $475 million in its initial release (approximately $1.5 billion today), Luke Skywalker, now a Jedi Knight, attempts to rescue a carbonite-frozen Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from Jabba the Hutt. As the rebels try to destroy the second Death Star, Luke also makes a worthwhile attempt to bring his father, Darth Vader, back from the dark side and defeat the Emperor. As most fans know, it leads to an epic conclusion, backed by the theme of redeeming love. It’s a great way to close out this trilogy before we have to wait another 15 years for a prequel in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999).
Before Richard Marquand signed on as the director, Stephen Spielberg, David Lynch, and David Cronenberg were all considered to lead this closing chapter. With George Lucas heavily guiding the production, the film was shot in Yuma, Arizona, and Northern California (for Endor), as well as at Elstree Studios in the United Kingdom. Like the other movies, the cutting-edge visual effects were created by Industrial Light & Magic, which was founded by George Lucas in 1975.
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Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Jumping forward to the final film of the prequel trilogy, Revenge of the Sith was a massive success, grossing over $868 million worldwide, making it the highest-earning Star Wars movie in the prequel trilogy. Episode III doesn’t always crack the top-five Star Wars rankings. Still, the darker elements of this one, particularly the Jedi Temple massacre and the Order 66 sequence, help outweigh some of the film’s lesser qualities.
As the Clone Wars rage on, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christiansen) is haunted by visions of Padmé’s death. King of Exploitation (not an official title, don’t come at us) Palpatine uses this fear as bait, promising Anakin the power to save her. Meanwhile, he draws Anakin ever closer to the dark side. Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) starts to suspect his loyalties, and Padmé (Natalie Portman) watches helplessly as her husband becomes more volatile. It’s not a good look. Anakin falls deeper and deeper into the dark side, ultimately helping to execute Order 66. The tragedy culminates in Obi-Wan’s climactic duel with his fallen apprentice on Mustafar, where Anakin is left broken, burned, and reborn as Vader.
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Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Set just before the events of A New Hope, Rogue One follows Jyn Erso, the daughter of Galen Erso, the scientist forced to design the Death Star. After her father is abducted by the Empire and her mother is killed, Jyn joins a small, daring team — including Cassian Andor, Chirrut Îmwe, Baze Malbus, and K-2SO — on a mission to steal the Death Star plans.
Directed by Gareth Edwards with a screenplay shaped by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, Rogue One grossed over $1 billion worldwide. While the film’s writing received mixed reviews from critics and fans, its visuals and landscapes are stunning. Location filming, which took place in Jordan, the Maldives, Iceland, and parts of the United Kingdom, was prioritized over the heavy CGI of the early 2000s prequels. Not that the film lacks CGI. There’s plenty, but it’s used cleverly. Industrial Light & Magic again delivered groundbreaking visual effects, including the highly controversial digital recreations of Grand Moff Tarkin and a young Princess Leia.
While the VFX were highly advanced, Edwards and cinematographer Greig Fraser (also Director of Photography on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune) wanted the film to give the feel of the original Star Wars movies. To achieve this, they paired an Arri Alexa 65 with vintage lenses. They also pulled from French cinema, documentary filmmaking, and World War II movies to create a specific style that worked very well. The cinematography in Rogue One gave it a leg up when we narrowed down our favorite Star Wars films.
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How we picked the best Star Wars films
As mentioned, Rogue One is our favorite Star Wars movie in terms of cinematography. But our picks weren’t just about visuals. We also looked at the strength of the writing and characters, how each film contributes to the overall saga, and, of course, their rewatchability. If you’re looking for even more Star Wars content, check out our guide for the best Star Wars TV shows.
