Greatest Trilogies of All Time

[Octoberist]

Leprechaun

(I kid, I kid)

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

Hi,

The one armed swordsman
Return of the one armed swordsman
One arm to kill them all

 

[jmc]

Personally, I consider LOTR as one work given the story and the way in was made. I also believe in the future it will be considered a single work by most people much in the same way the books eventually were. So discounting LOTR from the list I think by far Toy Story is the most consistent and the best, especially considering it's three entirely different stories that can be viewed as stand alone movies. Next to that I've gotta say The Bourne series is probably the best, each film is equally entertaining and engaging, film 3 is surprisingly the best I find. Most other Trilogies get diminished for me simply because at least one of the films, usually the third, is below par, or in some cases two of them. There's a few close but no cigars, Godfather, Back To The Future, Star Wars original, and some down right appalling ones, Pirates, Matrix.

 

[TheShah]

Redskull!

Ah yes!!

That's right.
Thanks for the remind!

 

[CFE]

1: "Star Wars" (1977/1981/1983)
2: "Indiana Jones" (1981/1984/1989)
3: "The Man with No Name" (1964/1965/1966)
4: "Vengeance" (2002/2003/2005)
5: "Alien" (1979/1986/1991)

----

NOTES:

While it doesn't include the first film, I think it's safe to count the trilogy of "Star Trek" films that consists of "The Wrath of Khan," "The Search for Spock" and "The Voyage Home."

As three stand alone adventures, and for all the faults of the third, I actuall quite enjoy the "Blade" trilogy.

And I personally think the time has come for people to reacquiant themselves and reanalyze the "Matrix" sequels...I think they're far better than audience and critic reactions back in 2003 would lead you to believe.

 

[Sentinel X]

Did a quick Wiki search and found this with relation to your post. I'm not saying you're right or wrong, I just thought it was kind of interesting. Especially the last bit.



Could we look at LOTR as the metaphorical "film version" of a triptych then?

Sort of switching gears, but reading the Wiki entry really got me thinking about the whole trilogy deal and how, for some reason, three seems to be this magic, desired number. Interesting stuff.

LOTR can definitely be seen as a metaphorical triptych. If you take away one of the films and its incomplete. Where as with the Toy Story saga, you can watch part 3 without having to watch part 2 or 1.

Also I don't understand the obsession with three. There have been some great duologies (ie. The Godfather, Kill Bill) and some sagas would've worked much better as duologies (ie. The Matrix and Pirates of the Carribean)

You're right Indy wasn't, but Toy Story and Spider-Man both had overarching plot lines linking them as trilogies.

I can see how Spider-man is since the Goblin storyline spans all three films (even though it was a subplot for SM2) but Toy Story? Why does that qualify?

 

[VenomVsSpidey]

Star Wars, Originals + Prequels
Spider-Man
Jurassic Park
Back to the Future
Matrix.
Toy Story
Evil Dead

 

[night0205]

1. The Shark Attack Trilogy. Shark Attack 1, Shark Attack 2, and yes, Shark Attack 3...
2. The Second Shark Attack Trilogy...
Just for the fact that Shark Attack has more trilogies with the same name then any other movie makes it a must for the list.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

what I think is interesting about trilogies or at least the ones of the past 10 years or so are how they are often linked by common actors.

Bruce Spence played two different characters in the Mad Max Trilogy, but recently has had small parts in The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy (as the scary looking official from utapau that obiwan talks to) in The Matrix Trilogy as The Train Man, and The Mouth of Sauran in the Extend Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Christopher Lee of course played Count Duku in star wars and Sauruman (sp?) in the lord of the rings.

Hugo Weaving plays Agent Smith in the matrix and Elrond in Lord of the rings.

Sir Ian Mckellan plays Gandalf in lotr and Magneto in the 3 X-men films.

Its all rather arbitrary and probably just has more to do with good actors who are open to doing genre movies, but I think it's interesting.

I like that. Don't forget Harrison Ford on that list.

I gotta put Toy Story at the very top. Every other trilogy I can think of has installments that I can clearly put above the others. All had at least one that felt inferior to the others. Even LOTR, in which I loved all three, was one that I honestly think never quite matched the greatness of Fellowship with the second two.

With Toy Story, I have no idea which one I would put as "best of the three". It could be any of them depending on my mood. Pixar truly achieved the impossible (since no one else has done it).

So I'll go:

1-Toy Story
2-LOTR
3-Star Wars (OT) (ROTJ hurts it slightly)
4-Alien (the first two are that good)
5-Spider-Man (the first two are that good)
6-Indiana Jones (1 and 3 are that good)
7-Back to the Future (the first one is that good)
8-X-Men (Like all three)

 

[scifiwolf]

Back to the Future
Lord of the Rings
Man With No Name
Star Wars OT
Toy Story

If I'm going to include Star Wars, which is part of a bigger series, I HAVE to include the trilogy formed by The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

Back to the Future
Lord of the Rings
Man With No Name
Star Wars OT
Toy Story

If I'm going to include Star Wars, which is part of a bigger series, I HAVE to include the trilogy formed by The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home.

I did mention several times and in the original post that any 3 consecutive films of a series with some continuity count. The star trek trilogy you mentioned counts.

 

[Poetic Chaos]

It is seriously just the Ewoks that ruin ROTJ for people? Cuz I think every other aspect of that movie was amazing and the ewoks just didn't matter all that much to me. Luke being badass, the Rancor, speeder chases, the Emperor, Vader's redemption and probably the best light saber fight in the whole trilogy.

 

[nite-owl]

Lord of the Rings
Faith Trilogy
Back to the Future
The Man with No Name
Vengeance Trilogy

 

[Punisher Rising]

No order:


Indiana Jones
Jurassic Park
Star Wars (OT)
Evil Dead
Back To The Future
Die Hard

 

[co2]

Damn you Star Wars!! Now everything must be a trilogy?!

 

[bullets]

It is seriously just the Ewoks that ruin ROTJ for people? Cuz I think every other aspect of that movie was amazing and the ewoks just didn't matter all that much to me. Luke being badass, the Rancor, speeder chases, the Emperor, Vader's redemption and probably the best light saber fight in the whole trilogy.

Star Wars is about on everyone's list here so I wouldn't worry about that. If your a big fan of the prequels , that's another story , lol.
I think the complaints with Jedi go beyond Ewoks but part of that was considered Lucac's turn to the darkside. I've always been fond of Jedi and seeing a Kashykk in Episode 3 made up for the lack of Wookies.

 

[Smegger56]

The original Star Wars trilogy
Lord if the Rings
Indiana Jones (the 4th never happened damn it)
The Nolan Batman films (I'm guessing the 3rd one will be amazing)

Ok, i've cheated on two of them, but meh, my list :-D

 

[JeetKuneDo]

It is seriously just the Ewoks that ruin ROTJ for people? Cuz I think every other aspect of that movie was amazing and the ewoks just didn't matter all that much to me. Luke being badass, the Rancor, speeder chases, the Emperor, Vader's redemption and probably the best light saber fight in the whole trilogy.

I certainly wouldn't use the term "ruin". I just think it knocked it down a few percentage points from Empire. Still miles better than the prequels.

Actually watched them last month (had to let me nephew see them...he loved them). The cheese factor of the Ewoks can now be seen as a precursor to Lucas' mind melting into velvetta for the prequels. Just the next step in him falling into Jar Jar Binks land. I mean...he thought having teddy bears in a Star Wars movie was a good idea...so naturally he later thought Scobby-Doo would be a great addition to the cast.

 

[DACrowe]

Is this really the most recent trilogy thread?

Anyway, I brought this thing back because I had the chance to see last night: Before Midnight.

And with that, Richard Linklater's lovely fairy tale films gained a new dimension of reality and solidified themselves as one of the great all-time trilogies.

If you have not had the chance to check out "Before Sunrise," "Before Sunset" and "Before Midnight" do yourself a favor and see them all now. An amazing achievement in writing, acting and direction. And I say this as someone who never thought much of Ethan Hawke. But he and Delpy are phenomenal in these movies.

 

[Victarion]

1.) The Dark Knight Trilogy
2.) Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy
3.) Dollars Trilogy

Riddick might make it to spot 4 if the new one is good as Pitch Black.

 

[DACrowe]

If I had to do a list:

1. Star Wars Trilogy (OT)
2. Lord of the Rings Trilogy
3. The Dark Knight Trilogy
4. Indiana Jones Trilogy
5. Before Trilogy (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight)
6. Back to the Future trilogy
7. The Godfather Trilogy (features the absolute best two films among any on this list, as well as the worst for its third)
8. The Man with No Name Trilogy (Dollars Trilogy)
9. Toy Story Trilogy

My list.

 

[childeroland]

1. Three Colors Trilogy (Three Colors: Blue, Three Colors: White, Three Colors: Red)
2. Man With No Name Trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good the Bad and the Ugly)
3. Days of Being Wild Trilogy (Days of Being Wild, In the Mood for Love, 2046)

Runners-up:
1. The Vengeance Trilogy (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance)
2. Toy Story Trilogy (Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3)
3. Hou Hsiao-Hsien's Taiwanese History Trilogy (A City of Sadness, The Puppetmaster, Good Men Good Women)
4. Trilogy of Faith (Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, The Silence)

 

[TheHeatKitchen]

Star Wars Original Trilogy
Dark Knight Trilogy
Alien Trilogy
Evil Dead Trilogy

 

[DirtyHarry]

1. Dollars Trilogy (Everyone's saying that Toy Story is the only trilogy where each film is better than the previous one )
2. LOTR
3. Toy Story
4. Original Star Wars
5. Evil Dead

 

[DCW]

1. Star Wars
2. Indiana Jones
3. Lord of the Rings
4. The Dark Knight
5. Back to the Future
6. Spider-Man (Just watched the trilogy recently and was really impressed how it all flowed together.)

The first three James Bond and Rocky films are great too, but I don't really view them as a trilogy.