8. Return of the Jedi
7. A New Hope
6. Empire Strikes Back
5. The Phantom Menace
4. Revenge of the Sith
3. Attack of the Clones
2. The Force Awakens
1. Rogue One
Disclaimer: Born in the 90s. Never got into the older movies, they just seem way too cheesy (especially those scenes between C3PO and R2D2).
Only missed the 90s by 1 year (born in '89), but I wholeheartedly respectfully disagree with your list. Fixed it for you below:
8. The Phantom Menace
7. Revenge of the Sith
6. Attack of the Clones
5. The Force Awakens
4. Rogue One
3. Return of the Jedi
2. A New Hope
1. Empire Strikes Back
In short: The Empire Strikes Back
As a kid (born in 88, so it wasn't till the the mid 90s I got into Star Wars) I always viewed Return of the Jedi as the best of the three. The action was good, I enjoyed the humor story, and somehow had no issue with the Ewoks. As I've gotten older though I think The Empire Strikes Back is the best of all the Star Wars movies I've seen so far. It's the darkest of the original trilogy, and of course has what it probably the most well known 'twist' in movie history. I've yet to watch Episode III, and don't think much of I or II (which is why I'm not all that motivated to see III).
I enjoyed The Force Awakens for what it was, and admit it has a few issues. The story line was essentially a rehash of the original trilogy condensed into one movie, Rey's ability to use the force so quickly was quite far fetched even if she is the daughter of Luke or some other Jedi. Still, it was a good watch.
Rogue One was a bit of a surprise for me. The initial announcement trailer did next to nothing for me, and subsequent trailers were essentially the same. I didn't plan on seeing it in theaters, however as the release date grew closer I started to get a bit more interested. I ended up seeing it and enjoyed it overall. A number of elements irked me quite a bit, but thankfully they didn't detract from the movie as a whole. I'd probably put it in my top 3 or 4 Star Wars movies (Empire, A New Hope, Rogue). Rogue could easily be replaced by Return of the Jedi or even The Force Awakens, but I really need to give TFA another watch if I'm going to rank it.
I 100% agree that EMPIRE STRIKES BACK is #1 as far as a "dark" theme in star wars but what perplexes me is that 99.9% star wars fans do NOT think REVENGE OF THE SITH was NOT a "dark" movie and/or even a "good" movie overall!!! Maybe it's b/c it was part 3 of the prequels but I do agree PHANTOM MENACE
share(continued)....... PHANTOM MENACE was the ABSOLUTE WORST! JAR JAR BANKS really, truly ANNOYED ME! The surprise as well that most fans do NOT like is ATTACK OF THE CLONES...... again, it's VERY DARK in theme for a star wars movie! Much like REVENGE OF THE SITH, it's plagued w/prequel enigma...... over time, episode 2 and 3 will age like a "fine wine" ~ just like EMPIRE STRIKES BACK! I'm 48 years old and when episode 5 came out in theaters...... everybody HATED it!
shareJar Jar was actually my favorite Star Wars character, but unfortunately, yes, the movie in which he appeared was total garbage. If they would have put Jar Jar in one of the more recent ones (FA, RO), then I think more people would have come around to see what a great character he is. Sort of like a more modern C3PO/R2, providing comedic wit and cheesy humor when you need it to lighten an otherwise dark scene.
shareSORRY, I meant to type just one *NOT* referring to fans NOT thinking "revenge of the sith" was a dark themed star wars movie!
shareThe Empire Strikes Back is my favorite.
Star Wars was pretty good. Don't care about the rest frankly.
none of the above
share