13 of the best movie trilogies you need to see in your lifetime

Gabbi ShawOct 26, 2022, 20:43 IST

"Back to the Future."Universal Pictures

Trilogies have been part of storytelling for decades; they have a clear beginning, middle, and end.
But not all cinematic trilogies are created equal.

"Back to the Future" starred Michael J. Fox as the time-traveling teen Marty McFly in the 1985 original and its two sequels in 1989 and 1990.

"Back to the Future."Universal Pictures

The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, released from 2001 to 2003, told a sprawling tale of good versus evil set in a fictional world called Middle Earth.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."New Line Cinema

"The Naked Gun" was such a huge success upon its 1988 release that two more sequels following the lovably dimwitted cop Sgt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) were commissioned in 1991 and 1994.

"The Naked Gun."Paramount Pictures

"The Naked Gun" was such a huge success upon its 1988 release that two more sequels following the lovably dimwitted cop Sgt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) were commissioned in 1991 and 1994.

Clint Eastwood starred in the "Man with No Name" trilogy, consisting of 1964's "A Fistful of Dollars," 1965's "For a Few Dollars More," and 1966's "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."

"A Fistful of Dollars."United Artists

Clint Eastwood starred in the "Man with No Name" trilogy, consisting of 1964's "A Fistful of Dollars," 1965's "For a Few Dollars More," and 1966's "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."

There's an argument to be made that Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy, released from 2005 to 2012, are part of the best superhero trilogy of all time.

"The Dark Knight."Warner Bros.

Its other competition would be director Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy released from 2002 to 2007.

"Spider-Man 2."Sony

But arguably the most significant trilogy in pop culture history remains George Lucas' original "Star Wars" trilogy: 1977's "A New Hope," 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back," and 1983's "Return of the Jedi."

"Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back."Disney

But arguably the most significant trilogy in pop culture history remains George Lucas' original "Star Wars" trilogy: 1977's "A New Hope," 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back," and 1983's "Return of the Jedi."

George A. Romero kicked off a zombie craze that we're still living in when he released the original "Night of the Living Dead" trilogy from 1968 to 1985.

"Night of the Living Dead."Continental Distributing

"The Godfather," "The Godfather Part II," and "The Godfather Part III" were each nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards in 1973, 1975, and 1991, respectively.

"The Godfather."Paramount Pictures/IMDb

The original "Indiana Jones" trilogy, 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1984's "Temple of Doom," and 1989's "The Last Crusade," remain exciting adventure films decades later.

"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade."Paramount Pictures

The original "Indiana Jones" trilogy, 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1984's "Temple of Doom," and 1989's "The Last Crusade," remain exciting adventure films decades later.

The sole animated trilogy on this list, the "How to Train Your Dragon" trilogy, proved that Disney didn't have a monopoly on beautifully told stories from 2010 to 2019.

"How to Train Your Dragon."DreamWorks Animation

The "Before" trilogy (1995's "Before Sunrise," 2004's "Before Sunset," and 2013's "Before Midnight") checks in on the same couple every nine years.

"Before Sunrise."Columbia Pictures

Sam Raimi has another trilogy on this list: the "Evil Dead" trilogy, consisting of "The Evil Dead" in 1981, "Evil Dead II" in 1987, and "Army of Darkness" in 1992.

"The Evil Dead."New Line Cinema

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13 of the best movie trilogies you need to see in your lifetime

"Back to the Future" starred Michael J. Fox as the time-traveling teen Marty McFly in the 1985 original and its two sequels in 1989 and 1990.

The "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, released from 2001 to 2003, told a sprawling tale of good versus evil set in a fictional world called Middle Earth.

"The Naked Gun" was such a huge success upon its 1988 release that two more sequels following the lovably dimwitted cop Sgt. Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) were commissioned in 1991 and 1994.

Clint Eastwood starred in the "Man with No Name" trilogy, consisting of 1964's "A Fistful of Dollars," 1965's "For a Few Dollars More," and 1966's "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."

There's an argument to be made that Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy, released from 2005 to 2012, are part of the best superhero trilogy of all time.

Its other competition would be director Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man" trilogy released from 2002 to 2007.

But arguably the most significant trilogy in pop culture history remains George Lucas' original "Star Wars" trilogy: 1977's "A New Hope," 1980's "The Empire Strikes Back," and 1983's "Return of the Jedi."

George A. Romero kicked off a zombie craze that we're still living in when he released the original "Night of the Living Dead" trilogy from 1968 to 1985.

"The Godfather," "The Godfather Part II," and "The Godfather Part III" were each nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards in 1973, 1975, and 1991, respectively.

The original "Indiana Jones" trilogy, 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1984's "Temple of Doom," and 1989's "The Last Crusade," remain exciting adventure films decades later.

The sole animated trilogy on this list, the "How to Train Your Dragon" trilogy, proved that Disney didn't have a monopoly on beautifully told stories from 2010 to 2019.

The "Before" trilogy (1995's "Before Sunrise," 2004's "Before Sunset," and 2013's "Before Midnight") checks in on the same couple every nine years.

Sam Raimi has another trilogy on this list: the "Evil Dead" trilogy, consisting of "The Evil Dead" in 1981, "Evil Dead II" in 1987, and "Army of Darkness" in 1992.