Hey guys, this is the continuation of 25 of The Best Film Trilogies of all time list! If you missed the first article, check it out here!
12. Jurassic Park!
Jurassic Park is one of my favorite films, it’s just got everything going for it. The legendary setting, an amazing cast, a story for the ages and all the tension and suspense you could ever want are all there. Of course, there was never any way that the sequels could live up to the hype following that film, but the second and third installments in the original trilogy were by no means bad, and they well rounded out an incredible trilogy!
11. Toy Story!
I’m not as big a fan of the third Toy Story film as many people, but it was a great ending to a trilogy that made every person who grew up in the nineties believe in the magic of toys. The first and second films are surely two of Pixar’s best to date, and that’s saying something! In addition to that, the success of the later films has driven Pixar into a bit of a sequel frenzy, which hasn’t been quite as successful for them as these sequels were. Cars 2 and 3, The Incredibles 2, Finding Dory and Monsters University wouldn’t have happened/be happening without the success of this trilogy!
10. Cornetto!
The Cornetto trilogy! For anyone who doesn’t understand, The Cornetto Trilogy is the name given to three of the films starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and directed by Edgar Wright. They are Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The Worlds End. The classic British comedy and wonderful casts in these films made for some of my favourite comedies, and while the characters are different in each film, it all feels like it ties in together. The quality of each film is high and this all made for a brilliant trilogy, who doesn’t love these films?
9. Alien!
Ah the Alien films. If we ignore the newer batch like Prometheus and Alien: Resurrection, and just look at Alien, Aliens and Alien 3, we’ve got a great trilogy right there! Alien was a genre defining horror film, still remembered for the terror you felt watching Ripley on her own on that ship with an alien menace hunting her. Aliens was possibly even better than Alien, and was certainly a genre defining action film, with the Marine squad taking on a whole army of Xenomorphs in an epic showdown, which is so quotable! Alien 3 may not be remembered as quite the epic of the other two, but it really tied Ripley’s tragic story up well and brought the franchise back towards the roots of the first Alien film. Overall, I do think that this is one of the better trilogies of all time!
8. Spider-Man!
Yes, I do know how bad Spider-Man 3 was. Yes, I use the gifs of emo dancing Peter Parker far too often. But yes, Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire deserve this spot, because the first and second Spider-Man films were amazing! If the original X-Men films helped set off the modern era of superheroes, then Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man helped define the new era for what it was. We’ve almost gotten sick of seeing Peter Parker’s story now, which is forcing Marvel and Tom Holland to be all the more creative with their new version, but these difficulties stem from the fact that Maguire was so iconic in his portrayal of Parker in the origin story.
7. Captain America!
Iron Man’s trilogy of films may not have lived up to expectations with the sequels, but the Captain America films started strong and have only improved! Captain America: The First Avenger is a vastly underrated film, which in my mind is one of the best superhero origin films to date, and both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War were epic films that have elevated the entire MCU and introduced many new characters, putting Captain America on a pedestal that even Iron Man cannot reach. This trilogy, now rounded out, is second to only one other superhero trilogy in my mind.
6. Back to the Future!
Back to the Future, THE time travelling film. The adventures of Marty McFly and Doc Brown are legendary beyond legendary, and the pop culture impact of these films is truly something to behold. There is a Back to the Future day now, and it is thoroughly deserved. When I met Christopher Lloyd at Berlin Comic Con, his line was ten times the length of anybody else’s, such is the love for the characters in this series.
5. Indiana Jones!
Of course! The quintessential adventure films, the original Indiana Jones trilogy are incredible films, all living up to the hype and finishing incredibly strongly, tying up the loose ends and being a perfectly complete circle. The mystery, the biblical and supernatural nature of everything and the lead character with his brash and incomprehensible ways makes this one of the top trilogies of all time!
4. Godfather!
The Godfather trilogy. Everyone has heard of the Godfather trilogy. People bag on the third film because it doesn’t match the first two, but it’s still an excellent film in its own right. Winning nine Oscars, including two best pictures (the second film was the first ever sequel to win the best picture Oscar) and even getting seven nominations for the third film, this series was absolutely stunning, and the first two parts remain two of the greatest films of all time.
3. The Dark Knight!
The greatest superhero trilogy of all time. Sure, you can argue with that, you can personally prefer a different by three one, but this trilogy had it all. Every villain was epic, especially the incredible Oscar winning performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker, the hero has his tragic story but manages to come through it at every turn, and the supporting cast like Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman are all unbelievably good. Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece comes off, and is far less controversial than many of his other works.
2. Star Wars IV-VI
Often referred to as THE trilogy, the original three Star Wars films are three of my favorite films to watch, period. The story they tell, the struggles George Lucas went through to get them made, the characters, and the way it all ties in and was all perfectly planned, it is all perfect. All three of these films are considered legendary, and even the prequels weren’t able to tarnish these. The continuing story and huge universe we are now getting all began with George Lucas’ dream and the words “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.” But, despite the legendary status of these films, there is one other trilogy that ties together so completely, is so epic in scale, and was such an incredible undertaking, that I cannot help but put it atop this list.
1. Lord Of The Rings!
The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson’s masterpiece, the most incredible undertaking ever in film. Jackson managed, somehow, to assemble a cast for the ages, put together sets that have become major New Zealand tourist attractions, juggle a budget bigger than the worth of some small countries, and make all three films in one immense filming session, all to create a trilogy that won fifteen Oscars, including one for best picture for Return of the King. Each instalment is considered legendary in its own right, and the overall trilogy is one of the best film experiences you will ever have.
And there it is folks, The Best Film Trilogies , I know there will be a lot of controversy over these choices but let me know what you think of the list in the comments. Check out more of my articles below and like The Comical Theory on Facebook or @ComicalTheory on Twitter!