Making a great trilogy is not easy. It’s hard enough to make one great movie, but making three seems almost impossible. Often, a great trilogy doesn’t contain three perfect films, but it contains enough greatness within it that it becomes easier to overlook whatever flaws there might be.
The best trilogies feel unified by an aesthetic and a tone. They may tell different stories, but those stories should all fit together to create something that feels whole. For the purposes of this list, a trilogy may have a legacy sequel. In general, though, these trilogies are well-defined, and while more material may exist in their universes, they serve as a more unified artistic statement.
10. The Planet of the Apes Trilogy
The recent trilogy of Planet of the Apes movies, which tells the story of how the world came to be run by apes, is a surprisingly effective sci-fi trilogy about humanity’s self-destructive nature. The series features a remarkable CGI performance from Andy Serkis, and Dawn and War are particularly well-directed. Featuring truly thrilling action sequences, compelling characters both ape and human, and a sense of definitive finality, the new Planet of the Apes trilogy might not have been necessary, but we’re glad it exists.
9. The Evil Dead Trilogy
The horror trilogy that put Sam Raimi on the map, The Evil Dead movies are remarkable in how ambitious each one of them is. The first was made on a tiny budget, and is a much more straightforward horror movie than either of its sequels. Evil Dead 2 is almost a remake, featuring a new cast with the exception of Bruce Campbell, and a very similar premise. This time, though, everything is much, much funnier. That tone continues into Army of Darkness, which caps the trilogy and transformed Ash into one of the definitive horror protagonists.
8. The Matrix Trilogy
The first Matrix movie is widely beloved, but its two sequels have a much more mixed reputation. More recently, though, the worm has turned somewhat on these later installments, an indication of how ahead of their time the Wachowskis often are. Reloaded and Revolutions are far from perfect, but they complicate the story of The Matrix in pretty compelling ways. That, plus an expanded budget which allows for outstanding set-pieces that hold up decades later, make the entire trilogy worth revisiting.
7. The Before Trilogy
A trilogy unlike any other on this list, each Before movie is all about capturing a specific moment in time, chronicling a single relationship as it evolves and transforms over nearly two decades. Jesse and Celine meet on a train in Europe in 1995. Nine years later, they reunite in Paris and decide to give their relationship a real shot, in spite of other romantic entanglements. By 2013, they’re together, but anger and resentments linger. It’s an honest depiction of two people moving through life together, and a fitting tribute to the ways that real love can only come with time.
6. The Man With No Name Trilogy
The man with no name movies launched Clint Eastwood into stardom, but they’re not a trilogy in the modern sense. These movies don’t really have any overlapping story beats. Instead, A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly are three stories that all have a single character in common. All three movies are terrific, old-fashioned westerns, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is a masterpiece, taking what worked about the first two movies and elevating it to greatness.
5. Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy
Sam Raimi is the only director with two entries on this list, and he deserves them. The Spider-Man trilogy that gave birth to the superhero genre still holds up as the best example of how to make these movies work, and movies like Spider-Man: No Way Home only reinforce the idea that Raimi’s trilogy is definitive. Spider-Man 3 is not widely beloved, but it still features plenty of great filmmaking, the first two movies in this trilogy are pretty terrific, and Spider-Man 2 remains the best superhero movie ever made
4. The Dark Knight Trilogy
Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman has proved so definitive that, even though there have been two Batman films since it ended, The Dark Knight trilogy always comes up as the natural point of comparison. Each of Nolan’s movies has a slightly different tone, but his decision to make Batman a character who could exist in the real world has shaped how fans perceive these films. Thanks to legendary performances by Heath Ledger and others throughout the trilogy, few superhero trilogies have stood the test of time as well as this one.
3. Star Wars: Original Trilogy
The original Star Wars trilogy was such a big deal that it’s hard to imagine a time before Star Wars existed. Return of the Jedi may not be quite as stupendous as its predecessors, but every film in this original trilogy is imaginative, compelling, and filled with the kind of dramatic stakes that are hard to replicate. The original trilogy is remarkably talky and solemn, and all of the action is relatively small in scale. Star Wars was simpler back then, and it was all the better for it.
2. The Godfather Trilogy
Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather trilogy contains two of the best movies ever made, and a third movie that is not quite as good, but is still better than most things playing at the average multiplex. Following the Corleone family over almost a century, The Godfather trilogy is an epic look at how the American dream can be corrupted. It launched a generation of young actors who would become icons, and it is also iconic in and of itself. Few movie trilogies have a larger legacy, and few movie trilogies are as consistently great.
1. The Lord of the Rings
When he filmed all three Lord of the Rings movies at the same time, Peter Jackson effectively cheated. He ensured that nothing would mess with the world of Middle Earth that he created, which is why it feels so vivid, immersive and detailed. Each chapter in this trilogy is great, but all three movies work even better when combined. The Lord of the Rings movies are a piece in a broader puzzle, and they’re one of the great movie achievements of all time.
