A trilogy is a wonderful thing, or at least it can be. If it’s a case where the first movie was a hit so why not expand that success, the trilogy can be rough. But when it’s a three-part telling of a grandiose story, that can be an exciting and worthy binge. But some trilogies are better than others. For instance, the Star Wars sequel trilogy feels like it knew where it was going only to have a wrench thrown into that. That resulted in it diving into a sharp course correction that, as far as many were concerned, wasn’t as interesting as the wrench. Then there’s The Matrix trilogy, which started with a masterpiece and was followed up by two movies that simply didn’t recapture the magic, though they were not without their ambition. But today we’re looking at the best of the best of movie trilogies, the ones that didn’t have a single “bad” entry amongst the three. Perhaps an entry that falls short of the other two, but not objectively poor all around.
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If a trilogy was later expanded, it still counted. For instance, with the rebooted Planet of the Apes trilogy, we ended up getting Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and it did pick the narrative up after Ceasar’s story, but in that lies the point. The trilogy is the beginning, middle, and end of Caesar’s story. The following examples, including that one, are also overall successful beginnings, middles, and ends of stories worth telling.
10) Planet of the Apes Reboot Trilogy
It seems that a lot of the best trilogies peak with the second installment, and the rebooted Planet of the Apes trilogy is no exception. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of the absolute best blockbuster films of the 2010s. Fortunately, the two movies that surround it are solid, too.
But for all of Dawn‘s brilliant social commentary and gorgeous cinematography, not to mention Matt Reeves’ direction of both it and War for the Planet of the Apes, what makes the trilogy soar is Andy Serkis’ work as Caesar. It’s right up there with The Lord of the Rings‘ Gollum.
Stream the entire rebooted Planet of the Apes trilogy on Hulu (which is being phased out, at which point they will be on Disney+).
9) Back to the Future
There is an argument to be made that Back to the Future shouldn’t be here. After all, it’s a case of the first one absolutely being the best one. But let’s face it, it’s not as if the sequels are of poor quality. They’re just not “as good.” Back to the Future Part II has a future Biff that feels super relevant these days and Back to the Future Part III comes across as the most heartfelt of the trio.
Furthermore, it all feels very full circle. Even though we’re going to different time periods the movies manage to incorporate the same characters and end up at the same place: Marty McFly’s house in 1985. Some might argue that bringing the same characters in amounts to nothing more than a rehash, but when you have so many cases of perfect casting, you make the most of their presence and talent.
8) The Dark Knight Trilogy
Going for a more grounded approach has become a recurring tactic in the superhero subgenre, but when Christopher Nolan did it with his The Dark Knight trilogy it was quite fresh, and quite effective. They were superhero movies that could be taken seriously even by those who didn’t take to them easily.
As we all know, it was a trilogy that peaked with its middle installment, but the movie that opened this era of Batman movie history was also extremely important in its own right. Batman Begins was Nolan’s first time working on a blockbuster, it greatly expanded the profiles of Christian Bale and Cillian Murphy, and introduced an iconic score by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard into the annals of Hollywood movie music history. The Dark Knight Rises is inferior to the two movies that precede it, and it plods in sections, but it too is an ambitious work with standout elements such as Anne Hathaway’s performance and a large scope.
Stream The Dark Knight Trilogy on HBO Max.
7) Dollars Trilogy
It’s hard to argue that a trilogy that only gets better the further it goes along doesn’t qualify as one of the best. That is exactly the case with Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy.
These were the movies that put spaghetti Westerns on the map and established Clint Eastwood as a worldwide movie star after his time on the small screen’s Rawhide. And as far as The Good, the Bad and the Ugly went, it both introduced the world to Ennio Morricone’s all-timer of a score and gave Lee Van Cleef the best role of his career as Angel Eyes (he also was in For a Few Dollars More, though he played a different character).
Stream the Dollars Trilogy on Prime Video.
6) Captain America
Calling Captain America: The First Avenger the best Marvel Cinematic Universe film is a hill worth dying on. It’s only gotten better since its 2011 release, partly because it doesn’t 100% feel like the rest of the MCU, it more functions as a throwback to the serials of the ’30s which was, of course, director Joe Johnston’s goal (one need only look at his The Rocketeer for further proof that he’s really great at going retro).
But then The First Avenger was followed by two films that are excellent in their own right. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a brilliant MCU take on political thrillers that is also a high ranker in the overarching universe while Captain America: Civil War continues with the tone Winter Soldier set and rarely feels overstuffed, which was the major risk. Even with Tony Stark and Hawkeye and Ant-Man et al. thrown in the mix it doesn’t forget to keep its eye mostly on Steve Rogers. This is the MCU’s definitive trilogy, though Guardians of the Galaxy is also a knock-out.
Stream the entire Captain America trilogy on Disney+.
5) Romero’s Dead Trilogy
Have there ever been three more throught-provoking horror movies than George A. Romero’s Dead trilogy? It so, it’s mighty hard to think of what they may be. You get one that subtly looks at race relations, another that aims its lens at commercialism, and a third that unpacks just how willing society is to consume itself with animus.
Oh yeah, you also get some of the best practical effects in horror movie history thanks to effects legend Tom Savini. This is horror’s definitive trilogy. It shows a world being torn apart gradually but we perpetually are focused on a relatively small group of characters. There aren’t any massive, World War Z-esque set pieces, there’s just us getting to know a group of characters, learning how they interact with one another, and seeing which, if any, of them survive.
Stream Night of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead on Peacock.
4) Toy Story
Toy Story has the best ending of any trilogy on this list. Never has an overarching narrative been tied up with such a lovely, heartfelt bow. In fact, the ending of Toy Story 3 is so perfect that it really makes one question why Pixar just had to go on making these movies.
Outside the number one pick on our list, there’s no other trilogy that has three installments of relatively comparable quality. There’s typically a drop somewhere along the line. Not a fatal drop, but a drop. The Toy Story trilogy doesn’t have that. Some point to Toy Story 2 as the low point of the trilogy, but just as many people consider it to be a hair better than the first movie. There’s no accounting for taste.
Stream the entire Toy Story trilogy on Disney+.
3) The Godfather
The Godfather is here because of its first two chapters, yes. At that point, the story Mario Puzo told on the page had been told on the screen. But this is still a world where averages count for something, so it’s taking a high-ranking spot. You can’t have a trilogy that is two-thirds perfect and not make the list.
The Godfather Part III is undoubtedly a step down. A big step down, in fact. However, The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is more in line with what Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola had in mind for this “epilogue” to the story. And to a degree it does save what was once a heartbreakingly disappointing film.
Stream The Godfather and The Godfather Part II for free on Kanopy.
2) Star Wars Original Trilogy
There’s a good chance that were someone to be asked to think of a movie trilogy, they would think of the original Star Wars trilogy. It would definitely be either that or the next entry on our list.
What can be written about the original trilogy that hasn’t been written oodles of times elsewhere? The three movies were integral to any number of childhoods and because of their tonal balance they appeal to adults and children alike. You get heavy themes of betrayal and parentage, lightsaber battle, and expansive world (galaxy?) building. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is the only offender when it comes to that tonal balance aspect, but even it is a Hollywood classic, it just doesn’t reach the level of the two films that precede it.
Stream the entire Star Wars original trilogy on Disney+.
1) The Lord of the Rings
Speaking from experience, even if one couldn’t care less about fantasy they absolutely find themselves mesmerized by Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Never before and never since has there been such lovingly assembled trio of films, where every conceivable element of the filmmaking process was given the attentive concern it was due.
It also helps that the movies are not just technical wonders, but extremely entertaining and moving, as well. No performance is off, even in the extended editions not many scenes feel even a little superfluous (and none feel entirely superfluous), and thanks to the usage of practical effects they still look stunning. It says a lot that you can sit through a four-hour cut of one third of the trilogy and immediately want to put in the 4K disc for the next one.
Stream the entire The Lord of the Rings trilogy on HBO Max.
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