The Rise of Skywalkeris now the worst-reviewedStar Warsmovie ever. Last week, the final installment in the Skywalker Saga was tied for the worst withThe Phantom Menace. However, the latest movie has now taken the record as it crossed the $1 billion mark at the box office. Critics did not warm to the movie like the fans did, which is the complete opposite of how it worked with Rian Johnson’sThe Last Jedi.
The Rise of Skywalkerhas slipped down to a52% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, whileThe Phantom Menacesits at 53%. Early reviews have not changed and have only gotten worse as the weeks go on. The audience score tells a completely different story with an 86% rating, which like the critical score, has remained constant. A certain faction ofStar Warsfans were extremely happy with the way that J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio wrapped up the sequel trilogy, especially after the divisive feelings surroundingThe Last Jedi. The second installment has the worst of the franchise audience scores at 43%.
Unsurprisingly,The Empire Strikes BackandA New Hopeare the best-reviewed movies in theStar Warsfranchise with 94% and 93%, respectively. It’s important to note that the attitudes towards the second movie in the original trilogy have changed a lot over the years, with many fans calling it their favorite when it was initially not well-received.The Force Awakensis tied withA New Hopeat 93%, which seems surprising, whileThe Last Jediis next on the list at 91%. TheseStar Wars reviews will always be hotly debatedamong fans who vehemently disagree.
Rogue OneandReturn of the Jediare next up on the list with 83% and 82%, respectively.Jedihas always been a bit of a black sheep amongst hardcoreStar Warsfans, while for the most part,Rogue Onewas treated as a pleasant surprise. The critical ratings start to slip further down the road withRevenge of the Sithat 80% and thenSolodown at 70%.Attack of the Clonesis next up at 65% andthe worst reviewed are The Phantom Menace and The Rise of Skywalkerwith the two lowest scores. When looking at the critical reviews, this might not be the most accurate representation.
Theprequel trilogy was largely dismissed and hated by Star Wars fansupon its release. However, a younger audience that grew up with those three movies is looking back on them fondly because they were the first movies in the franchise that they were introduced to. The same thing could very well end up happening with the latest sequel trilogy in time. For now, critics were not intoThe Rise of Skywalkerfor various reasons, while the fans seem to be perfectly satisfied with it. you’re able to check out the rest of the reviews over atRotten Tomatoes.
