The Trilogy.
This seems to be the benchmark of movie franchises. Yes, a successful series can go way beyond three films (I'm looking at you Fast and Furious), but it seems to me that the goal and the hope of a sequalized story is to get to at least a trilogy.
And throughout movie history, there have been dozens of trilogies. But I thought it would be fun to look at the top 20. Originally I was only going to do the top 10, but I found that I was leaving way too many stories off of my list.
How do I decide what is a good trilogy?
First of all, there has to be a level of quality maintained throughout the trilogy. Even if the first movie is excellent, if the two sequels that follow are terrible then it does not qualify as a great trilogy (eg. The Hangover, The Pirates of the Caribbean). To be sure, most of the time there is going to be a drop in quality by the third film.
Also, the movies had to be sequentially three parts without skipping. This gets tricky when doing interconnected universes like the MCU, but if the main series has a trilogy it qualifies. For example, the above mentioned Fast and Furious franchise could qualify if you held that parts 5, 6, and 7 are a trilogy. However, looking at the Avengers films, you have a weaker entry in part 2 of the four. As a result, you could not form a trilogy from this series without including that weaker entry.
With this in mind, here are the top movie trilogies #20-#11
#20 The Chronicles of Narnia
The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
I think the first film in this series is truly magical and stands up to any of the great children's book adaptations that have ever been done. The second one was also of outstanding quality, but unfortunately was squeezed out by the premieres of both Iron Man and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The final one did not live up to the first two, but there was enough magic left in the story to leave a strong impression with me. I own all three of these movies and recommend them to any family to watch.
#19 Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, Ghostbusters: Afterlife
This one barely makes it on the list as a trilogy because of soft reboot of Afterlife. The first one stands alone as a cinematic and comedic masterpiece. I am one of the few people that will defend the sequel as a worthy follow-up with some great moments. Afterlife lacks the true comedic power of the first, but there is enough nostalgia, catharsis, and good will to help this franchise earn its place on this list.
#18 John Wick
John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
The first entry felt like it should have been a simple stand-alone feature. But once this movie exploded on home video (has any other movie recently done this?) the sequels were enevitable. Like many others on this list, the movies that came after never reach the heights of the first. But each movie delivers exactly what it advertises: high-octane, fun ultra-violence.
#17 Captain America
Captain America, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War
One of the things I love about this trilogy is how it was allowed to evolve in its style. The first one felt like a throwback to a more innocent style of storytelling, like The Rocketeer. But there is such a strong stylistic change in the second film that does not dishonor the first, but the difference enhances the story. You feel how Steven is in a world that is so alien and so familiar. But because we saw him come from that world, we understand how he can stand like a rock of virtue in a world that seems only to be filled with shifting morality. And this strength of character is really put to the test in the final film that questions if Steve needs to remain true or if he needs to evolve. All the while, the films give great action.
#16 Spider-Man Home Trilogy
Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home
This series did something that I love to see happen in a trilogy: the movies get better. Homecoming is a fun introduction to Peter's world with a great nemesis in Michael Keaton's Vulture. Far From Home was like an exciting road trip. Both of these movies felt like superhero films infused with some John Hughes DNA. But the third one truly knocked it out of the park. Two years ago, No Way Home won my Best Picture award. Besides the multiverse-sized scope of the film along with all the cathartic moments, the movie did something remarkable in the way it took Tom Holland and showed us how he grew from a boy into a man.
#15 Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, Vol. 3
Like John Wick, the first one is lightning in a bottle. And while the second volume does not have quite the same magic, the third film ended in a way that brings such satisfaction and closure to the character arcs and relationships that it places the entire series in a good light.
#14 The Naked Gun
The Naked Gun, The Naked Gun 2 and 1/2: The Smell of Fear, The Naked Gun 33 and 1/3: The Final Insult.
Yes, there are some truly childish and vulgar parts to this series. And yes, it is clear by the third one that the series was running out of comedic energy and ideas. But the sheer volume of amazing jokes that STILL make me laugh as if their were brand-new is something that makes this comedy trilogy truly phenomenal.
"That's a pretty tall order, Nordberg. You're going to have to give me a couple of days on that one."
"I've just been swimming in raw sewage. I LOVE IT!"
#13 Harry Potter
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts 1 and 2
This is the clearest example of a trilogy in the Harry Potter franchise. Half-Blood Prince sets up the main quest and draws the battle-lines. Deathly Hallows Part 1 thrusts our heroes into their quest without the support of anyone else around them and it brings them to the breaking point. Part 2 takes all of the story threads and pulls them together in a deeply emotional and satisfying conclusion.
#12 The Dark Knight Trilogy
Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises
The first movie in this trilogy is often overshadowed by the sequel. But Batman Begins is an excellent superhero origin story that gives us a new perspective into how Bruce became Batman. Of course, The Dark Knight is a modern classic which looks so different from the first that you couldn't be blamed for thinking that they had a different director. There are so many reasons that I will not get into here about what makes this movie so good. Suffice to say that there is a reason why The Dark Knight is on the top of many people's lists for Best Superhero Film. The final film has a few logic and continuity issues, but there are enough good things in it to keep this trilogy from sinking. Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Leavitt, and Tom Hardy turn in fantastic performances. And to this day, I get chills when Selina says to Bruce that he has already given the people of Gotham everything and he simply responds, "No, not everything. Not yet."
#11 Back to the Future
Back to the Future 1, 2, and 3
The first movie was one of the highest-grossing films of its decade. On paper, the story could have been just another generic sci-fi comedy. And those were a dime-a-dozen in the 1980's. But the fantastic performances by Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd along with the inspired direction by Robert Zemeckis, created a cinematic classic. The movie blends things together that shouldn't work (and quite frankly should be repulsive) and creates something fun and exciting. Part II is a creative expansion of the original, but also feels a little disjoined, like three different movies rolled into one. Part III is the weakest of the series. By this point, the callbacks almost felt like parodies of the original. But there was a enough good will to see the story through. And I will admit that the train sequence is still incredibly exciting to watch.
Stay tuned next week for the Top 10.
Thoughts?
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