Star Wars Movies In Order
Like many successful movies, Star Wars has since been turned into comics, books, and has had multiple trilogy series made out of it. Since its original film date in 1977, Star Wars has formed a cult following of science fiction lovers from all walks of life. There have been a total of two independent trilogies filmed and Disney, the current rights holder is planning a third one which is scheduled for 2015. So far each movie produced was released three years after the last one, so if the new trilogy follows the same pattern we’ll see new movies in 2018 and a completion of the series in 2021. The first two series were produced by George Lucas and 20th Century Fox, so it remains unclear if Disney will follow in their footsteps.
Many fans will have varying opinions of the proper way to watch the Star Wars movies in order. Because there are two different trilogies, it’s kind of a loaded question. Should you watch the newer prequels first, or watch the movies by release date? Or how about a totally different order that still follows a chronological timeline? Here’s the order I recommend, and I’ll tell you why in just a bit:
Recommended viewing order
- I: The Phantom Menace
- II: Attack of the Clones
- III: Revenge of the Sith
- IV: A New Hope
- V: The Empire Strikes Back
- VI: The Return of the Jedi
- VII: The Force Awakens
If you notice, this list bounces around a bit, both starting and ending with movies from the original series. I think A New Hope does a great job at introducing the Star Wars series to newcomers, while episode VI finishes it off with a bang. This allows you to understand what’s happening, while not spoiling anything. Many people will also suggest that you remove The Phantom Menace from that list altogether. Those fans cite poor acting, directing, and story line, among a few other things. It’s totally up to you, and to be honest that movie doesn’t really add anything to the series anyhow. Heck, you could even watch them in the order that they were released, it’s really up to you.
No matter what order you choose to watch it in, there’s no denying that this is one of the hottest science fiction movies to hit the markets. Star Wars remains one of the most successful trilogies to hit the big screen with a worldwide box office earnings of over 4 billion dollars across both series. In fact, the only movie to not break the 500 million box office earning mark is the latest one which was the animated version. In other words, if you haven’t yet watched this amazing flick, check it out on Amazon as soon as you get the chance!
