Best Movie Trilogies

Hi, Everybody! Today I made a list of all the movie trilogies that have defined our way of life! This wouldn't be a movie blog with a list of film trilogies. Franchises with a fourth installment like Toy Story, Scream, Avengers and Shrek will not be included.

10. The Godfather trilogy

Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of Mario Puzo's book has gone down as one of the greatest movies ever made! Coming from an Italian-American family himself, Coppola understood the book's themes about family, immigration and the American Dream and added the life of crime into the mix and turned it into something so beautiful. Part II took everything amazing about the first movie and made it better with both movies earning Best Picture at the Academy Awards. However, Part III nearly ruined its legacy and didn't hold a candle to its predecessors. Regardless, the third movie did close out Michael Corleone's story in a creative way. If you haven't seen these movies yet, do it before you sleep with the fishes.

9. Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy

In 2000, the movie industry forever changed when X-Men released in theaters and has set a gold standard for future superhero movies. 2 years later, Manhattan's friendly neighbor graced the silver screen, becoming a box-office smash and placing Tobey Maguire in the Hollywood A-List. While 2002's Spider-Man was a game-changer, Spider-Man 2 took everything great about its predecessor and made it better, making it one of the greatest Superhero movies ever made and it's the best Peter Parker story! With every trilogy there's always the weak link, case in point, Spider-Man 3. But I can always come back to Peter Parker's personal journey in this trilogy.

8. The Matrix Trilogy

In 1999, Hollywood was forever changed when The Matrix was first released in theaters and defined the Millennium. Despite the mixed reactions to the sequels, it did have impressive special effects and made Keanu Reeves a household name and certified The Wachowskis as respectful filmmakers.

7. The Bourne Trilogy

It's hard to believe that Matt Damon was never born(no pun intended) to be an action star. Throughout the 90s, he has played a prep school student, a con artist, a lawyer, a gambler and a deeply troubled young man. To followup his supporting role in Ocean's Eleven, he was cast as Jason Bourne, a man suffering from amnesia and attempts to uncover his identity amidst a conspiracy within the CIA. This entire trilogy was expertly-shot with "Supremacy" and "Ultimatum" getting the most praise due to Paul Greengrass' frenetic direction. The less said about The Bourne Legacy and Jason Bourne, the better.

6. Planet of the Apes Reboot trilogy

Andy Serkis' ape trilogy is by far already one of the best trilogies in cinematic trilogy because of the groundbreaking mo-cap effects! Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a perfect and admittedly slow origin story kickstarting the journey of Caesar and his fellow apes. Cloverfield director Matt Reeves closed out the saga with two films in the form of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes. Beautifully shot with morally complex themes, this trilogy will be remembered for years to come.

5. Indiana Jones trilogy

Let's all pretend that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull did not happen and talk about these 3 great films! Raiders of the Last Ark was THE definite adventure film and one of Steven Spielberg's best films, Temple of Doom was unexpectedly dark but thrilling sequel and The Last Crusade took everything great about Indiana Jones and made it better by having Sean Connery play the role of Indy's estranged father with River Phoenix added into the mix to play Indiana as a kid. It's PEAK adventure cinema and I wouldn't have it any other way.

4. Captain America trilogy

With Iron Man and Thor already introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was one more member that was going to bring Earth's Mightiest Heroes together, Captain America. In The First Avenger,  Chris Evans took on the role of a lifetime to play iconic superhero. While that movie was a great origin story, it's got nothing on its amazing sequels, The Winter Soldier and Civil War directed by The Russo Brothers who became mainstays in the franchise until Avengers: Endgame. If I had to pick, it's Winter Soldier. Can you even the surprise that SHIELD was infiltrated by HYDRA many years ago and that Bucky survived and was experimented and brainwashed to become an assassin. It's the best trilogy in the MCU, change my mind.

3. The Dark Knight trilogy

Back in 1997, Batman & Robin nearly destroyed Batman's legacy and there hasn't been a theatrically released film of the Caped Crusader in years. When Superhero movies became popular again in the 2000s, Christopher Nolan came up with his own take on Bruce Wayne and the result was cinema gold. Batman Begins was released in 2005 which sees Bruce go to the Himalayas where he's trained by Henri Ducard who "spoiler alert" is actually Ra's Al Ghul, the leader of the League of Shadows. However it's sequel The Dark Knight is widely regarded as the best movie in the trilogy and the greatest Superhero Movie ever made due to its cinematography, bold direction, action sequences, Heath Ledger's iconic performance, deep themes and musical score. The Dark Knight Rises may have divided a lot of moviegoers, but there was no denying that it was a great conclusion to an already perfect movie trilogy.

2. Star Wars: The Original Trilogy

Whether you liked the prequel or sequel trilogy, the original trilogy of this legendary franchise is top-tier. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away George Lucas came up with a zany sci-fi idea and the result was pure cinematic magic that changed everything. New Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi were all amazing but "Empire" stands out due to its dark tone and the most well-known plot twist in movie history, setting a gold standard for sequels outdoing its predecessors. As for Return of the Jedi, it's a great conclusion to this space-opera saga that made us wish for more of Luke's next steps in his journey which were told in books.

Honorable Mentions:

- the "Before" trilogy

- Back to the Future trilogy

- The Dollars Trilogy

- The Evil Dead trilogy

- Millennium trilogy

- Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy

1. The Lord of the Rings 

I mean what else was it going to be?! It's been said for years that J.R.R. Tolkien's novel is unadaptable, but  New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson proved the naysayers wrong and brought Middle Earth to the big screen in a very respectable manner. Like most fantasy adaptations, these movies were faithfully adapted and got everything right and I mean EVERYTHING!! It was perfectly cast, directed, edited and the musical score felt like it was conducted by elves! In short, The Lord of the Rings is GOD-TIER epic fantasy cinema. Like how most movie trilogies have a weak link, this one has zero weak films! Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and Return of the King were PERFECT movies. Best opening scene, best fight choreography, iconic battle scenes, great performances, philosophical themes, deep lore and best conclusion ever and a total of 17 Academy Awards earned Lord of the Rings its place in legendary status. What else can I say except... for Frodo.

Thank you so much for reading and don't forget to comment below what your favorite trilogy, if I missed one please type below.