By Oliver Martinez, Middle-School Correspondent 

Due to the fact that this month we celebrated May-the-4th-Be-With-You Day (AKA Star Wars Day), I’m ranking every main-story Star Wars movie: ninth being the worst and first being the best. I’m leaving out some other movies that aren’t main series like The Clone Wars, Solo: A Star Wars Story, etc.

Spoiler Alert: In Oliver’s rationale as to his rankings, he drops in some details as to how the movies climax and resolve. But, in the words of Luke Sonderman, if you haven’t already seen a Star Wars movie, you’re probably not going to go out and see one now.

Number 9:

The Rise of Skywalker

This movie was terrible; it has a horrible ending for a great trilogy that Star Wars was. To me this movie seemed boring. The lightsaber skills were appalling; the main villain (Palpatine) being brought back also wasn’t good because it’s like they bring him back every single movie; and he miraculously survives everything when he should’ve been dead a long time ago. It was so bad even Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 52% (rottentomatoes.com).

Number 8: 

The Last Jedi

Do I even need to explain? This movie was BAD. The movie felt awfully long; some scenes even seemed unnecessary. Luke Skywalker acting like a coward? Really? All the past Star Wars movies worked to make Luke look like a leader, a legend perhaps. But in this movie, tossing the lightsaber and… milking an alien? That just throws everything else to the bin. Also, Snoke being killed right away although the movie makes him look super powerful is just absurd. Pretty much nothing works in this movie. The only reason this is above The Rise of Skywalker is because it has a higher score in Rotten Tomatoes; it scored a 91% from official critics and 42% from the audience. 

Number 7:

The Force Awakens

This movie is… well boring. Easily one of the least creative. For people who watched this movie before any other Star Wars film, it may seem wonderful. But it lazily recycles old ideas like blowing up a star base, being in a sand world, etc…. There was some good acting. The death of Han Solo was heartbreaking,  and the mistakes were not as severe as in The Last Jedi or in The Rise of Skywalker, so this movie is just a meh, and takes the seventh spot.

Number 6:

Attack of the Clones

Attack of the Clones is the series Episode 2. It definitely has more romance than any other Star Wars film. We can see how Anakin starts taking a liking for the dark side. There is some character development, etc. This movie is definitely not the worst, but the other movies are better.

Number 5:

The Phantom Menace

The Phantom Menace is the first episode of Star Wars. In this movie we get introduced to Qui-Gon Jinn, who finds Anakin. This movie has some really good parts in it. Like the lightsaber duels, acting, and the racing scene. This movie has gotten a lot of criticism for being too “childish.” People say the characters are too exaggerated or the racing scene is a bit ridiculous. But, in my opinion, the movie is still good. 

Number 4:

Return Of The Jedi

Here we see the true dedication of the hero. George Lucas develops this movie fantastically. After Vader saves Luke, you can see how there’s still an Anakin inside of Vader. Although Palpatine doesn’t die (Palpatine is revived in the movies that follow), this heroic act of Vader makes the movie so much better. Apart from that, the opening scene–with the plan to rescue Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt and how Han Solo gets unfrozen–was epic. This movie is an art piece and barely comes behind number three.

Number 3:

A New Hope

This movie is easily one of my favorites. It’s a must watch from the Star Wars series; the movie takes the hero on a journey, as Princess Leia requests Obi-Wan’s help. The acting is brilliant; the plot is exciting; the movie is fun, as we go from place to place trying to save Princess Leia, the actors fit perfectly to their roles; the effects are amazing, like the CGI of the Star of Death is great, and the design of the lightsabers are really awesome; everything about this movie works. Easily one of the best.

Number 2:

The Empire Strikes Back

Arguably one of the best films of all time, The Empire Strikes Back. This movie makes the hero work; Luke Skywalker loses his hand, and the lightsaber; he doesn’t beat Darth Vader, and the “I am your father” line from Darth Vader is an absolute classic. Also, the addition of Yoda to the cast is great. It makes the movie so much more mysterious and interesting as he pours his wisdom into Luke. This movie is a must watch, and every aspect of it works and makes it feel more and more exciting.

Number 1:

Revenge of the Sith

Although some may disagree, this movie is in my opinion the best Star Wars movie. It was sad how Annakin had turned to the dark side and become Darth Vader, and how he tried to kill everyone that he loved. The fighting scenes were absolutely amazing, as the lightsaber animations were on point, and the CGI was great throughout the movie.  Obi-Wan trying to convince Anakin to come back to the Force was so heartbreaking with the classic line, “You were the chosen one. It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them!”  In this quote Obi-Wan tells Anakin how disappointed he is in him for betraying the Jedi. This movie made almost everything work; it was brilliantly executed, and the acting was amazing. 

Now, remember these are only opinions. Everyone can have their favorite movies. If you want to disagree, leave your opinion in the comments!