To celebrate the release of The Hobbit, I’m counting down the top 10 movie trilogies.
As always, there are a few rules to review. In this case, what constitutes a trilogy. Obviously, a series of three films is technically a trilogy. However, while three is a minimum requirement, I won’t disqualify a film series that extended beyond three films. Ideally the series should contain three films that tell a tightly connected story.
10. Pirates of the Caribbean
I nearly gave the bottom spot on this list to the Indiana Jones series. The truth is, the first three Indy movies are better than the first three Pirates films. But the Indiana Jones movies don’t really tell a cohesive story.
Intro: When the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie was released, expectations were low. It was based on a theme park attraction for crying out loud! Kiera Knightly and Orlando Bloom were unkowns. Johnny Depp had a long track record of starring in box office disappointments. Plus, the last big-budget pirate movie (Cutthroat Island) was a notorious bomb.
The first film in the series, Curse of the Black Pearl, exceeded those low expectations and became a surprise hit. Depp’s Jack Sparrow became one of the most beloved characters of 21st century cinema. And Knightley and Bloom became international sex symbols.
Disney (who has historically struggled with starting franchises) commissioned back-to-back sequels. While the reviews for Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End weren’t nearly as good as they were for the first film, they were all successful at the box office.
Best of the series: It was all downhill after the first film.
Worst of the series: At World’s End which became so twisted and convoluted it was impossible to remember who was double-crossing whom. And even more difficult to care. In a move that confused and angered audiences, the “happy ending” for the Bloom and Knightley characters was tacked on after the closing credits.
State of the Series: On-going. After taking a few years off, Depp returned to the role of Jack Sparrow for On Stranger Tides which jettisoned most of the ongoing storylines of the previous three films. While the fourth film in the series was a little underwhelming in the US, it was a big hit over-seas. A fifth film seems likely at some point.
9. Terminator
Intro: James Cameron was still an up-and-coming film-maker when he made the first Terminator film. Schwarzenegger was still seen primarily as a body builder trying to transition into acting. It was a relatively modest science fiction movie that turned into a relatively modest hit.
But after Cameron and Schwarzenegger built up some clout, they returned for Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The sequel wisely upped the ante with CGI effects that were groundbreaking at the time. T2 smashed all expectations to become a world-wide phenomenon. It cemented Schwarzenegger as the biggest action star of the decade.
Both Cameron and Schwarzenegger talked about making a third Terminator movie. But when Cameron became “King of the World” he lost interest. He gave Schwarzenegger (whose career was sagging) his blessing to make a third film without him. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines wasn’t bad, but Cameron was definitely missed.
Best of the series: This is up for debate. T2 is definitely the most popular film in the series. But I keep finding myself coming back to the relatively straight-forward pleasures of the first film. Both are winners.
Worst of the series: If we are talking about the first three films in the trilogy, the third film is definitely the “girly man” of the bunch. It’s not bad, but it’s nowhere near as good as the first two.
State of the Series: In 2009, the series was rebooted with a prequel, Terminator: Salvation. But the reboot didn’t take. There have been legal disputes over the rights to the series which have recently been settled. Schwarzenegger has been in talks to come back, but at this point nothing is certain.
8. Spider-man
This was another tough call. I debated whether to include Spider-man or the X-Men. Both series have similar highs and lows. But ultimately, I thought the Spider-man films were just a bit better.
Intro: The film rights to Spider-man were the subject of a long, drawn-out legal battle. At one point, James Cameron was intent on making his own Spider-man film. But by the time the legal dispute was settled, Cameron had moved on.
Sony came up with the rights to the wall-crawler. And they selected cult film maker Sam Raimi to direct. Raimi cast Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker and Kirsten Dunst as his love interest, Mary Jane Watson. When the movie was released in 2002, it kicked the super hero movie craze into over-drive.
Two years later, Raimi reunited his cast for Spider-man 2. The Green Goblin was replaced as the villain by Dr. Octopus who made for a more complex villain without having to wear the face-obscuring helmet/mask. Spider-man 2 was another box office hit and got even better reviews than the original.
In 2007, Raimi ended his Spider-man saga with the third film in the series. It got over-stuffed with three villains (Sandman, Venom and a new Goblin) and two love interests (Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy). The end result was disappointing and occasionally infuriating. But it is still better than X-Men: Last Stand.
Best of the series: Conventional wisdom puts the second film ahead of the first. But it’s a close call.
Worst of the series: Spider-man 3. Emo Peter Parker dancing. I haven’t been able to make myself watch it a second time.
State of the Series: In 2012, the Spider-man series was relaunched with Amazing Spider-man. A second film in that series is in development.
7. Jason Bourne
Intro: In the summer of 2002, best buds Matt Damon and Ben Affleck both starred in big budget action movies which were intended to produce sequels. Affleck starred in The Sum of all Fears which was intended to restart the Jack Ryan franchise, but didn’t. Damon’s film, The Bourne Identity, seemed like less of a sure thing. But it successfully kicked off an extremely lucrative action franchise.
Damon came back in 2004 for a sequel directed by Paul Greengrass. Greengrass infused The Bourne Supremacy with a kinetic energy that critics and audiences loved. The sequel outperformed the original at the box office and got rave reviews.
In 2007, Damon and Greengrass returned for The Bourne Ultimatum. The third film in the series brought Jason Bourne’s story to an end although there is always room for more adventures should Damon ever agree to reprise the role. Ultimately, Ultimatum was the best-received film in the series.
Best of the series: One of the things that differentiates the Bourne movies from other franchises is that each film in the trilogy arguably improves on the one before it. While all the movies are good, Ultimatum is considered by many to be the best.
Worst of the series: The Bourne Identity, which was not directed by Greengrass, is generally considered to be the weakest of the original three films.
State of the Series: The series was too lucrative to let the story end. When Damon refused to come back without Greengrass, the studio went the reboot route with 2012’s The Bourne Legacy which cast Jeremy Renner as a stand-in for Damon’s Bourne. Although Legacy was not as well-received as the Damon films, it performed well enough at the box office that the series is expected to continue with or without Damon.
6. Back to the Future
Intro: The idea for the first Back to the Future came when writer Bob Gale found his father’s high school yearbook and realized for the first time that his dad was president of his graduating class. Gale thought about the president of his high school and how the two had nothing in common. He wondered whether or not he would have been friends with his dad if they had gone to high school together.
That question led Gale to write a cross-generational time travel comedy. The original script was rejected by just about every studio for not being risqué enough. Columbia Pictures actually suggested that Gale and director Robert Zemekis take their film to Disney. But Disney wasn’t interested in making a movie in which a mother “had the hots for” her son.
Originally, Michael J. Fox was unavailable to film Back to the Future due to his commitments to the TV show, Family Ties. Eric Stoltz was instead cast as Marty McFly. Four weeks later, Zemekis decided that Stoltz was wrong for the role and needed to be recast. Fortunately, Fox was then available to film Back to the Future at night while taping Family Ties during the day.
The first Back to the Future was a critical and box office hit. So naturally, the studio wanted a sequel. But despite the fact the first movie teases a sequel, there really wasn’t any story left to tell. Reluctantly, Zemekis agreed to come back to film the sequels. He rationalized that they were going to be made one way or another. So he might as well make them himself.
The sequels, Back to the Future 2 and 3, were filmed back to back to keep costs down and take advantage of Fox’s break from shooting Family Ties. The second film in the series saw Marty and Doc travel back and forth through time including an alternate 1985. The third film went back to the old West.
The sequels were not as well-received as the original film. Reviews were mixed. While all three films were hits at the box office, the sequels did not perform as well as the first movie.
Best of the series: Easily the first.
Worst of the series: Over the years, many have complained about the hyper-kinetic middle film. But over time, it has grown more accepted while the third film seems a little slow by comparison.
State of the Series: Back to the Future has inspired a cartoon, comic books, video games and a theme park attraction. Every now and then, there are rumors the series may be rebooted for a new generation.
5. Toy Story
Intro: When Toy Story was released in 1995, it changed animation forever. At the time, the idea of a computer animated movie seemed like a gimmick. I remember people asking whether or not audiences would sit still to watch 90 minutes of video game graphics. But John Lasseter and his team at Pixar delivered such a compelling story that the technology didn’t matter.
Audiences and critics alike loved the first Toy Story. Disney commissioned a direct-to-video sequel. But production on the sequel was bumpy. Eventually, Lasseter stepped in to direct the sequel himself. When Disney saw the results, they decided to give Toy Story 2 a theatrical release instead.
Toy Story 2 was the rare sequel that is arguably better than the original. It was successful enough that Disney wanted a third film. At one point, Toy Story 3 was used as leverage in contract negotiations between partners, Disney and Pixar. But after Michael Eisner’s departure from Disney, the company acquired Pixar outright and Toy Story 3 was released.
Best of the series: I can already imagine the fights that will break out in the comments section. I have heard people argue passionately for each of the three films being the best. It’s a tough call, but for me the middle film has the best blend of comedy and emotional complexity.
Worst of the series: They are all great movies. Can we just leave it at that?
State of the Series: Toy Story isn’t going anywhere. As one of Disney’s most marketable franchises, it is everywhere. Tom Hanks made a fuss in 2011 when he commented on the possibility of a fourth Toy Story movie. But nothing has been officially announced.
4. Batman (Nolan)
Intro: After Batman and Robin killed the lucrative Batman franchise, director Christopher Nolan decided to go back to the beginning with 2005’s Batman Begins. In addition to restarting the Batman franchise, Begins was also responsible for kicking off the current trend of rebooting lagging franchises.
As successful as Batman Begins was, it was completely eclipsed in every way by its sequel, The Dark Knight. Powered by the late Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker, The Dark Knight was viewed as an Oscar contender and broke box office records. Until the release of Avatar, it was the second highest grossing movie in film history.
After that level of success, the third film has no place to go but down. The Dark Knight Rises is a divisive movie. Reviews were generally favorable. But they fell short of the raves the previous film received. Even the positive reviews noted some troubling plot holes. It ranks as one of the highest-grossing films of all times, but lags behind Dark Knight.
Best of the series: The Dark Knight is the movie that holds the trilogy together. The other two films are good, but fall short of greatness.
Worst of the series: This is another tough call. The first film is clean but comparatively unambitious. The third film is messy and over-reaching. I think I prefer the movie that aimed for the stars and fell a little short to the movie that achieved relatively modest goals. While all three films are good, Batman Begins is the least exciting.
State of the Series: Nolan has announced that he has said all he has to say about Batman. While it is unlikely this series will continue, there are rumors of a continuation of some kind. It is certain that Batman will appear on the big screen again eventually.
3. Godfather
Intro: There are few films as quotable as Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. The big screen adaptation of Mario Puzzo’s pulpy crime novel is one of the most iconic films of all times. It is the standard by which all subsequent mob movies are judged.
After proving himself with the first film, Coppola was able to complete the story of the Corleone family in The Godfather Part II. It was the rare sequel that was equal to or better than the original.
The sequel was nominated for and won a slew of Oscars including Best Picture. That gives the Godfather films the distinction of being the only film series to win two Best Picture Oscars.
Given the success of the first two films, Paramount tried unsuccessfully for years to get a third Godfather film. At one point, they even approached Sylvester Stallone about directing and starring in a sequel. Fortunately, the Italian Stallion refused.
Eventually, Coppola’s financial troubles forced him to accept Paramount’s offer to make a third Godfather film. While not terrible, the third film in the series is clearly not deserving of its pedigree.
Best of the series: Arguments can be made for both 1 and 2. I personally view them as one long film.
Worst of the series: The third film is the biggest drop-off in quality in any of the series on this list. The only good that came of Godfather 3 is that the series can now be considered a trilogy.
State of the Series: We live in an age of reboots. It seems inevitable given enough time.
2. Star Wars (original)
Intro: The original Star Wars trilogy is the series that started the obsession with stories told in three parts. When it was released in 1977, Star Wars changed movies forever. Although Jaws is arguably the first summer blockbuster, Star Wars took the concept to the next level.
The sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, dared to be a much darker film than the original. It ended with the bombshell revelation of Luke Skywalker’s parentage and a cliffhanger that audiences would have to wait three years to see resolved. Like Godfather 2, Empire is the rare sequel that eclipses the original.
The series concluded with Return of the Jedi. Jedi lacked the dark complexity of Empire and relied too much on cutesy muppets. But it was still an audience-pleasing finale.
Best of the series: The Empire Strikes Back is the heart of the series. It is the reason people still care about Star Wars.
Worst of the series: Jedi, while enjoyable, comes up a little light when compared with the others.
State of the Series: Lucas went back and made a trilogy of prequels which were commercially successful but nowhere near as beloved as the original films. With the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney, more Star Wars films are certain.
1. Lord of the Rings
Intro: Author J. R. R. Tolkien was against the idea of a film version of The Lord of the Rings. Studios balked at the idea of committing to three films up front. But eventually, director Peter Jackson was able to convince New Line Cinema to make all three films.
The films were shot back-to-back in New Zealand and were released annually from 2001-2003. It is almost pointless to discuss them as individual movies since they are practically one extremely long film.
All three films were extremely successful both commercially and critically. The final film in the trilogy, The Return of the King, won the Best Picture Oscar. But it was arguably an award for the entire series.
Best of the series: Despite the Oscar, I have to go with the middle chapter which introduces Gollum to the series. But picking a favorite is nearly impossible when all three films are so equal.
Worst of the series: Some complain (rightfully) about the multiple endings of The Return of the King. But inspite of a clumsy ending, I have to single out the first film as the weakest. Fellowship suffers from too much exposition.
State of the Series: The Hobbit opened to mostly positive reviews this weekend and is sure to make a boatload of money. It is the start of another planned trilogy.
