10 Best Movie Trilogies of All Time

Film franchises are often created with trilogy in mind. Other times, sequels ride on the coattails of the original installment’s box office success.

This is a look at the ten best movie trilogies of all time.

 

10. Back to the Future 1-3

Great Scott! I was a mere eight years old when this trilogy wrapped in 1990, but I remembered these films vividly until I saw them again in 2001.

What’s not to love about Back to the Future? How many of us saw these films and desperately wanted a hoverboard, or those kick-ass self-tying shoes from the second installment? *raises hand*

What with the DeLorean entering production once more, there’s even more reason for us to appreciate this trilogy of well-crafted films.

 

 

9. Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade)

Yes, I know, the new Indiana Jones & the Late Social Security Check is due for release in May 2008, and will make this a tetrology (not a quadrilogy, as many say); however, ignoring this upcoming release, we can safely say that the first three installments of the Indiana Jones adventures were a massive success, both critically and commercially.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is undoubtedly the strongest installment of the three, but every film in this series is a satisfying experience.

 

 

8. Spider-Man 1-3

Spider-Man, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways:

One, Sam Raimi; The Spidey flicks were directed by the same man/God who wrote/directed the Evil Dead movies. This gives us the over-the-top action that fits Spider-Man so well.

Two, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Thomas Haden Church, and Topher Grace. Great villians.

Three, Tobey Maguire. Love or hate him, Seabiscuit does play the timid nerd role well.

 

7. Evil Dead (Evil Dead, Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn, Army of Darkness)

The Evil Dead series has a fond place in many hearts. Any installment in this series could be called the greatest campy-horror movie ever made, and this is thanks in no small part to the manic genius of Bruce Campbell, who revels in his portrayal of Ash Williams.

 

 

6. Star Wars (IV: A New Hope, V: The Empire Strikes Back, VI: Return of the Jedi)

Lucas’ original space opera remains to this day one of the most beloved film trilogies of all time.

Almost every person in the free world has seen these films, and for good reason: they’re campy and bewilderingly far-fetched, yet we are able to identify with each and every one of the characters.

 

 

 

 

5. Three Colors trilogy (Blue, White, Red)

Krzysztof Kie?lowski’s masterpiece.

Each film represents a different color in the French ideology: Blue showed a touching story of liberty, White was a film based on equality, and Red represented fraternity.

Each installment was beautiful and won numerous critical accolades, deservingly.

 

 

 

4. Lord of the Rings (Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, Return of the King)

 

Director Peter Jackson did a rare thing with the Lord of the Rings trilogy: he was able to find a balance between cinematic aestheticism and faithfulness to the literature, thus appeasing both die-hard Tolkien fans and people who had never read the books.

 

3. Godfather 1-3

Godfather I and II were both perfect films; if the third installment had lived up to the bar set by the first two, this trilogy would be at the top of the list.

 

 

 

 

2. The Dollars trilogy (Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good The Bad and the Ugly)

 

Before Mr. Eastwood was directing wonderful films like Unforgiven and Mystic River, he was changing cinema forever with his now-legendary role of The Man with No Name.

This is the trilogy that made spaghetti westerns respectable.

 

 

1. Alien (Alien, Aliens, Alien3)

The first three Alien films were helmed by three then-relatively new directors: Ridley Scott, James Cameron, and David Fincher.

It is no wonder that the first three Alien installments are perfect sci-fi movies, individually and as a whole.