Every Star Wars Movie Ranked From Worst To Best

4. Return Of The Jedi

The movie from the Original Trilogy to have aged the worse, and the one that gets the most stick as a result, there's been something of an unfair turn in opinion on Return of the Jedi. It is the weakest of that first run, but should still be remembered as a worthy finale to it (even if, after The Force Awakens, it's technically no longer an end-point).

There are some stellar moments in this film, not least in giving us dark-clad, green saber wielding, badass Jedi Luke Skywalker. The main strength of this movie lies in its resolution of the Luke-Vader conflict, which gives us a couple of big twists (Leia is Luke's sister?!), an epic, intense lightsaber duel, watched on by an Emperor Palpatine who gets to unleash his Force powers, and the poignant reclaiming of Anakin Skywalker by the Light Side.

It's also a film that is a lot of fun to watch, with some great monster moments - the Rancor - and all kinds of mayhem (Jabba's Sail Barge, the Speeder Bike chase). The Ewoks are one of the most contentious points, and how you feel about them will likely colour your opinion of the movie, and this is the film where you can see signs of the George Lucas who'd make the prequels.

The Ewoks are designed to sell merch, and he takes back creative control after letting go of the reigns on Empire; Richard Marquand isn't a great director, and it shows, but there's also plenty of visible interference from Lucas, resulting in it being a more muddled movie with some bad dialogue. Still, as an end to the arc of the trilogy - and even now that it isn't - it's a thrilling and powerful finish.