All 4 'Star Wars' Movies Directed by George Lucas, Ranked

Star Wars is Star Wars. That’s the best way to summarize it at this point, because everyone knows the deal, and giving it a formal introduction all these decades on from when it started feels kind of clunky. It’s arguably the sci-fi movie series to which all others are compared; not the first by any means, and perhaps not even the most original, but likely the most influential and popular. Its less-than-original elements aren’t detrimental, though, because series creator George Lucas is well-recognized for taking certain things that appealed to him, especially when he was younger, and blending them all into one science fiction epic, famously set a long time ago and in a galaxy far away.

Much more than just sci-fi, the Star Wars films also have fantasy elements, plenty of action scenes, a sense of adventure throughout, and even a little romance for good measure. They’re mass-appeal movies because of how much they all manage to do; there’s something in Star Wars for everyone. That popularity has led to plenty of division surrounding the series, sure, particularly since Star Wars has expanded in scope and continued on without the involvement of Lucas, who sold Lucasfilm – and the rights to Star Wars – to Disney in 2012. Even when it comes to the original three movies, Lucas himself didn’t direct The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, being credited as a co-writer and executive producer on those films instead. Before Star Wars went to Disney, there were six live-action films, and George Lucas served as director for four of them. They do vary in quality, and are all ranked below, starting with a bit of a misfire and ending with what’s often considered one of the best movies of all time.

4 'Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones' (2002)

Starring: Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman

The prequel trilogy was once generally looked down upon, with the films being criticized for not having the same sense of simple and purely escapist qualities found in the original trilogy. On one hand, that’s technically true, but as the years have gone on, people have warmed up to some of the differences inherent in the prequel trilogy and gained more admiration for what George Lucas was trying to do. There’s subtext inherent in these movies about certain political issues, with commentary on war and a slow breakdown in democracy being explored over three films, ultimately ending in tragedy. The whole story being told can be appreciated more in hindsight, and Episodes I and III are probably better than they were originally given credit for. But Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones? As a film, it’s a bit harder to defend, because while it sort of bridges the gap between the other two episodes, it’s also quite dull and strangely uneventful.

You could almost skip Attack of the Clones… almost. It’s a necessary film in building the romance between Anakin and Padme (even if some of those romance scenes are awkwardly written), with the pair ultimately going on to be the parents of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. Skipping the film would also result in missing out on a typically excellent John Williams score, and it’s fun to see horror icon Christopher Lee show up in a villainous role (he’s only in Episode III for a very short amount of time). Elsewhere, Ewan McGregor is doing his best, even though Obi-Wan’s not given a ton to do, and Ian McDiarmid’s Palpatine makes less of an impression here compared to the other two prequels. It’s a bit of a flat movie; not awful, and not without some small redeeming moments here and there, but it is ultimately the least compelling Star Wars movie George Lucas directed.

Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones

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3 'Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace' (1999)

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman

Coming out during an impressive year for movies, and likely being one of the most hotly anticipated, if not the most, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace saw Star Wars return to the big screen for the first new installment in 16 years. Since 1983’s Return of the Jedi, a new generation of Star Wars fans had essentially come of age and become fans, and those both young and old were united by the opportunity to see a new chapter set within the world they’d all come to love. Also, back in 1999, “prequel” was a bit less of a dirty word, and there was clearly a great deal of history within the series worth exploring. Adding to the optimism was the fact that George Lucas had always planned more than one trilogy for Star Wars, and that he waited for digital technology to be advanced enough to tell the sort of grand story he had in mind for the prequel trilogy.

After all those years spent speculating and anticipating, The Phantom Menace didn’t quite deliver in the same way the original movies did. Sure, this caused disappointment at first, but that backlash snowballed, perhaps even eventually out of control. Nowadays, a quarter of a century later, The Phantom Menace feels like more of a noble/partial failure. It’s unwieldy, sections of it are quite dull, and yes, certain characters have the potential to annoy viewers more than anyone from the original trilogy. Yet there are also parts of The Phantom Menace that are exciting and genuinely alive, with action sequences like the podrace and the showdown with Darth Maul in the climax being particularly great. Certain new characters make an impression, the blending of digital effects with more practical elements than you might remember works wonders, and there is a sense of adventure, with the galaxy indeed feeling more populated and expansive than before. The Phantom Menace is inconsistent, for sure, but going in with an open mind shows there’s quite a lot of good to be enjoyed, alongside tolerating the stuff that’s not so good.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

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2 'Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith' (2005)

Starring: Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman

Even if Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith had done nothing but birth countless memes, it would still be a good deal better than The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. It is quite easily the best of the prequels, with those aforementioned memes playing a part, sure, but Revenge of the Sith also shines because it’s the prequel where – to be perfectly blunt – things actually happen. The Phantom Menace was functional as a starting chapter, Attack of the Clones meandered disappointingly, but stuff goes down in Revenge of the Sith. Everyone knows, going in, that it’s going to be the movie where Anakin fully embraces the Dark Side and becomes Darth Vader, the (at this stage) beyond-iconic villain. The fates of other characters aren’t always explicitly known, but one can assume other bad things will happen, what with how the Jedi Order has been totally decimated for years, come the start of the original trilogy.

It's that knowledge that creates a sense of palpable dread throughout Revenge of the Sith. The drama is appropriately heightened, and while it can go over the top (hence those pesky/beloved memes), at least it’s something; at least it’s big and undoubtedly dramatic. Revenge of the Sith is the most outwardly tragic and borderline Shakespearean of any Star Wars movie, making the end of The Empire Strikes Back look like nothing but sunshine and rainbows spread all across the galaxy in comparison. There’s also almost no downtime to be found in Revenge of the Sith, and it’s the most action-packed of all the Star Wars movies Lucas directed. Even if parts border on being silly, the technical qualities and the dedication to going to some truly dark places make Revenge of the Sith honestly very good, at the end of the day. Whether it matches any of the original trilogy movies might well be a matter of taste, but hey, in the end, it’s certainly the second-best Lucas-directed Star Wars film.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

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1 'Star Wars' (1977)

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher

It’s no competition really, is it? 1977’s Star Wars is considered one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time, and was naturally responsible for kicking off the entire Star Wars series (and doing so in style, at that). It’s usually up against The Empire Strikes Back when it comes to crowning the best Star Wars movie overall, but as far as the George Lucas-directed ones go, Star Wars does ultimately trump the prequel trilogy movies. Those films, while inconsistent, were about the gradual corruption - and turn to villainy - of Anakin Skywalker, all the while the original trilogy functions as a famed hero’s journey, focusing on Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Anakin’s son. Equally iconic and heroic in their own ways are Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford), but to name all the other characters introduced in this film who’ve become legendary would take all day. Even background characters seen in just the cantina scene are memorable, and have come to have their own backstories/biographies in the years since Star Wars came out.

As a straightforward science fiction adventure that tells one wholly satisfying story, all the while leaving places for the characters to go and hinting at a rich history of events that happened earlier, Star Wars is pretty much perfect. It was the highest-grossing movie of the 1970s for good reason, and even with some technical hiccups here and there, there’s a purity to Star Wars that still shines through, and makes it feel timeless. George Lucas has directed a total of six movies (including the engaging non-Star Wars-related movies THX 1138 and American Graffiti), but Star Wars is likely going to remain the film he’s most well-remembered for. It’s a classic, and easily the best of the four films in the series that Lucas directed.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

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