Fun lists! My favorite comments so far: Moe pointing out that not every single thing needs to be dramatized on-screen; Asterixsmeagol saying that either a full Lord/Miller
Solo or a full Ron Howard
Solo would have been better than the mixed bag; and henzINNIT giving props to
KotOR and also saying about the prequel films: "It starts in the wrong place, treads water, then back-loads all the interesting material into a rushed part 3." Yes, yes, yes! That's so true, and an aspect that people don't talk about as much.
Here are my rankings, for what they're worth. I skipped things if I haven't seen them or haven't seen enough of them.
Star Wars - A+ - While
Empire would manage to be even better, the original film was so great that we're still talking about the franchise 46 years later.
Holiday Special - F - It's not so bad it's good. It's so bad it's bad.
Empire - A+ - Of course!
Jedi - A- - Loses a couple of points for rehashing some stuff, but the tone, the pacing, the dialogue and the acting are still overall top-notch. If
Jedi had been on the same level as
Superman III and
Jaws 3-D (both released the summer as
Jedi), again, we might not be talking about this franchise 40-plus years later.
Droids - C - I love Threepio and Artoo so much that they elevate the dry material for me.
Ewoks - C - While I enjoy the Ewoks in
Jedi, I never felt the need to watch that much more of them.
Prequels - D - I have a bit more appreciation for these after watching multiple fan edits. And I feel bad for Ahmad Best and Jake Lloyd, who never deserved the abuse they received. (I'm glad Best is doing better and I pray for Lloyd to recover one day.) I even acknowledge that Lucas didn't make the films as a lazy cynical cash-in; he genuinely made the movies he wanted to see. But the series as a whole still needed better direction and acting, and someone to rein in the ideas that didn't work. There are some underlying ideas that could have led to an amazing story, but we mostly got missed opportunities.
Clone Wars (2003) - B+ - I honestly would have preferred a series of this instead of the 2008 version.
Clone Wars theatrical movie - D - When I saw this movie in the theater at the time, my highest compliment was that it was the only Star Wars film in the prequel era that didn't leave me with a terrible pit in my stomach when it was over. It was just "Yeah, that was fine, I guess." On a recent re-watch, though, I agree that the Stinky the Hutt movie is as bad as everyone says it is.
Clone Wars (2008-2020 series) - C+ - I've only seen about 20 or 30 episodes. It gets such praise from other Star Wars fans, I keep hoping I'll like it better. Also, the four-episode "Siege of Mandalore" arc is amazing, and tonally what the rest of the series should have felt like. But I feel like the series wants me to cheer for the Jedi unironically, yet I don't really root for anybody in a puppet war manipulated on both sides by the same person. A movie or short arc is one thing, but over 100 episodes of that? Also, the blocky art style (i.e. Obi-Wan's wooden-looking hair) doesn't do much for me. All that said, the voice work is terrific, with James Arnold Taylor particularly shining as Obi-Wan.
Force Awakens - B+ - A bit derivative, but there are signs of new ideas. (A defecting stormtrooper with a conscience is a great idea, for one.) It seemed like the franchise was going somewhere, but this turned out to be the best film in the sequel trilogy.
Last Jedi - B- - I couldn't stand the movie when I first saw it, but a number of well-reasoned posts and videos have helped me to appreciate it more. I still don't have much fun watching it, but I respect what it's trying to do.
Rise of Skywalker - C- - I confess that I had fun watching this in the theater. It was an exciting thrill ride on first watch even though it isn't good cinema and none of the plot points hold up to scrutiny after the film. While Rey and Kylo and the Emperor go through cliched motions, Finn and Poe have their character arcs completely destroyed. Still, I didn't nearly fall asleep like I did during the theatrical prequels; JJ Abrams knows how to keep things moving more than that. And bonus points for Threepio finally getting something useful to do and having some actually funny lines for the first time in a Star Wars movie since 1983.
Rogue One - A - One of the best things Disney has done with the franchise, and extra points for making Vader a scary villain again.
Solo - B- - I like this film probably more than it deserves. We didn't need all this backstory, and Alden E. is a good actor who nonetheless can't live up to Harrison Ford (could anyone?). Still, it has the right tone and pacing; I liked the new characters; and there were some good twists. Lawrence Kasdan is the unsung hero of Star Wars.
Mandalorian - A - Still catching up. The first two seasons were great and ended on the right note. What I've heard about Season 3 makes me very nervous.
Andor (5 episodes in) - B- - Good series and good science-fiction, but so far, not really good at capturing the Star Wars feel and tone. Props for not overdoing the fan service, but paradoxically, this could have just been Star Trek or its own standalone series.
Tales of the Jedi - C - On the same level as Clone Wars. It's fine, I guess.
Book of Boba Fett (6 episodes in) - C+ - Why am I supposed to cheer for one crime lord trying to rule Tattooine over another crime lord? Also, does every single Star Wars production have to visit Tattooine? (The first four episodes never leave the planet once.) The last two episodes have been the best, but they should have been episodes of a different series.
I'm done rambling, I guess. Someone else's turn!