Over the first week of May I rewatched all of the Star Wars movies. These are all time classics and I definitely have bias because I grew up watching these movies. None of them are perfect movies, but they’re FUN. Enjoyable watches for all of them and here’s my “Quick review” for all of them:
Episode I – The Phantom Menace – released in 1999 this is the beginning of how everything started to fall in the Star Wars galaxy with trade routes, politics, and everyone is on the verge of war. It’s a fantastic movie and a great start to the saga. The pod racer scene is the best by far, and the fight with Darth Maul will forever be an iconic moment. 3 ½ stars out of 5
Episode II – Attack of the Clones – released in 2002 it hones in on Anakin and Padme’s relationship as war begins in the galaxy and politics are the reason for it all. It’s part romance, part sci-fi war, part soap opera. Overall, I can say I’m blinded by nostalgia for this movie and I absolutely love the music from this episode. 3 ½ stars out of 5
Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – released in 2005 this was the last Star Wars movie we got for a long time and it’s DARK – like really dark. It was the first Star Wars movie with a PG-13 rating. It’s the story of how Anakin turns to the dark side and it’s extremely well done. This episode has been my favorite one since it released. There’s a lot of cheesy moments to it, but overall, I absolutely love it, but my nostalgia blinders are on tight for this one. 4 stars out of 5
Episode IV – A New Hope – released in 1977 this was the original Star Wars movie. The first one audiences ever got, and my most watched Star Wars episode. I’ve been watching this one since I was a LITTLE kid and it’s so beloved by everyone of all generations. Luke leaves his little farm and goes on a grand adventure to defeat the Empire. It’s probably THE Star Wars movie to show anyone. 4 ½ out of 5 stars
Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back – released in 1980 Empire is considered one of the greatest sequels every made. It’s better than A New Hope, it’s script, story, characters, settings, everything is perfect about this movie. It’s so fantastic, but it was definitely made with the next episode in mind. It leaves the story on a depressing note, but it’s so satisfying. From the battle of Hoth, to Luke training to be a Jedi, to fighting Darth Vader in Cloud City, it’s THE BEST Star Wars movie in the entire series. 4 ½ out of 5 stars
Episode VI – Return of the Jedi – released in 1983 the finale of the original trilogy. It’s cool to see all the aliens in Jabba’s Palace, going to the Forrest Moon of Endor, and seeing the epic space battle to round out the story. It’s a great example of what a good finale should look like, and kids will LOVE the Ewoks. Heck, I even love the Ewoks. They’re so cute. 4 out of 5 stars
Episode VII – The Force Awakens – released in 2015 this was the start for Disney’s Star Wars, and kicked off a whole new generation of Star Wars fans. The Force Awakens really took a lot from the original Star Wars, fed us a little nostalgia, yet had it’s own original story and great characters that are memorable for a fun ride. If you plan on going to a Disney park and visiting Star Wars areas, you’ll need to see this movie. 3 ½ out of 5 stars
Episode VIII – The Last Jedi – released in 2017 we get to see where Luke Skywalker has been this whole time, Rey goes through her training, while we fight off the First Order. This movie took a lot of risks, and is extremely polarizing. People seem to either love this movie or hate this movie. Overall, I give it props for taking so many risks, but there are a lot of moments that make me groan and roll my eyes. 3 ½ stars out of 5
Episode XI – Rise of Skywalker – released in 2019 it wrapped up the sequel trilogy well, but there’s even more moments that make you groan and roll your eyes. It’s a fun Star Wars movie. If you’re able to just sit back and enjoy Star Wars, this movie is great, but it gets a lot of hate from the Star Wars fandom due to it feeling like a lackluster finale to the latest trilogy. Overall, it’s a fine watch for the base story and characters. 3 out of 5 stars
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – released in 2016 this was the first Star Wars movie Disney made that wasn’t a part of the overall saga. It’s about the rebellion uprising stealing the plans for the Death Star and leads up to the events of A New Hope. It’s a GREAT Star Wars movie that’s it’s own thing. It was able to have it’s own story, it’s own characters, and not rely on a ton of nostalgia. It’s GREAT. 4 out of 5 stars
Solo: A Star Wars Story – released in 2018 it follows a young version of Han Solo and tells his origin story of how he met Chewbacca, Lando, and many others. Han Solo never had much of a backstory, so seeing this was a fun new adventure to see where he’s been and what kind of smuggler he truly is. While it’s a prequel they still had a lot of room to play around. It’s a fine movie, but falls flat in certain areas. 3 ½ stars out of 5
Go watch a Star Wars movie if you haven’t seen them before.
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