Greatest Movie Trilogy of All Time

Where The Hobbit series is considered overlong in comparison to its source material, Peter Jackson’s initial visit to Middle Earth is the perfect visual accompaniment. The tale of a young hobbit tasked with a monumental amount of responsibility is placed inside a fully-realised universe of Jackson’s making. Standing in for the mythical land is the filmmaker’s home country, New Zealand, a topographical fantasy backdrop for the fellowship’s journey to Mordor. Its expansive cast, intricate plotting and commitment to detail saw it stamped with fan approval, who turned out in droves to soak in Frodo’s adventures finally brought to life on the big screen. Thematically it touches on all the important bases; love, friendship and sacrifice, all of which are amped up by some of the most deft uses of CGI since Jurassic Park. An exciting escape into another world, the Lord Of The Rings series is a true pioneering trilogy.

Films (Release Date): Fellowship Of The Ring (Dec, 18th, 2001), The Two Towers (Dec, 19th, 2002), Return Of The King (Dec, 17th, 2003) | Director(s): Peter Jackson | Writer(s): Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair | Genre: Fantasy

IMDB Scores: 8.8 / 8.8 / 8.9 | Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 91% / 96% / 95% | Total Budget: $281 million | Combined Box Office (Worldwide): $2.9 billion

The first film in Francis Ford Coppola’s gangster trilogy re-defined the genre, with its senseless, unrelenting violence anchored to the story of a mafia family’s domination of New York. Where the second film explored the rise to power of his successor and the third suffered critical blows, taken as a whole the trilogy is a compelling glimpse into a harrowing world. Brought to the screen in a glorious fashion by brilliant cinematography and effective score, the trials and tribulations of the Corleone clan are treated with respect and awe. Thanks in large part to its strong core of central actors; Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, the themes of loyalty, family and sacrifice are wrung of every bit of dramatic tension. There’s simply no other trio of films like it in the movie canon.

Films (Release Date): The Godfather (March, 15th, 1972), The Godfather Part II (December, 20th, 1974), The Godfather Part III (December, 25th, 1990) | Director(s): Francis Ford Coppola | Writer(s): Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Towne | Genre: Drama

IMDB Scores: 9.2 / 9.1 / 7.6 | Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100% / 99% / 67% | Total Budget: $73 million | Combined Box Office (Worldwide): $439 million

The descriptor in its title is a mere hint at the darkness in store for Christopher Nolan’s titular hero. Shrugging off the hyperreal excess of the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher Batman flicks, The Dark Knight series reinvents the caped crusader’s cinematic backstory into a hard-edged gritty trilogy. For many, the first entry Batman Begins stumbled due to the burden of re-telling Bruce Wayne’s origin tale. For The Dark Knight, consensus on its magnificence is nigh-on universal. A superb turn from the late Heath Ledger as The Joker, channels a dread previously unseen in comic book movies. There’s been plenty of attempts to faithfully bring this well-loved property to the big screen, but never has it been accomplished with such ingenuity.

Films (Release Date): Batman Begins (June, 15th, 2005), The Dark Knight (July, 18th, 2008), The Dark Knight Rises (July 20th, 2012) | Director(s): Christopher Nolan | Writer(s): Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer | Genre: Action

IMDB Scores: 8.3 / 9 / 8.6 | Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 85% / 94% / 88% | Total Budget: $585 million | Combined Box Office (Worldwide): $2.4 billion

How do you reinvent a long-standing genre like the western? In the case of Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone, he took a great many risks in bringing his ‘Dollars’ trilogy to life. Based on a Japanese samurai movie, his American remake transformed the original into a force that equally rivalled its source material. The epic sprawl of the three flicks - in particular, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - have been celebrated for their unique approach by creating a fresh take on the genre. With his trio of flicks headed up by a gun-totin’, cigar-chewin’ antihero, the spaghetti western was born. Most praise emanates from the story structure, cinematography and of course, its central performance. Casting Clint Eastwood as The Man With No Name was a masterstroke in invigorating that format, transforming him into a major star when he barely utters any dialogue whatsoever.

Films (Release Date): A Fistful Of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly | Director(s): Sergio Leone | Writer(s): Sergio Leone, Victor Andres Catena, Jamie Comas Gil, Luciano Vincenzoni, Age & Scarpelli | Genre: Western

IMDB Scores: 8.1 / 8.3 / 8.9 | Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 98% / 94% / 97% | Total Budget: $2 million | Combined Box Office (Worldwide): $281 million

Krzysztof Kieslowski’s trio of films delve into the small altercations we experience in our day-to-day lives via three separate stories that wowed audiences beyond the arthouse circuit. In each tale the humdrum natures of human existence is unwrapped through delicate storytelling that puts a magnifying glass to the connections between people. Gloriously shot and effortlessly acted by its leading triplet of actors; Juliette Binoche, Julie Delpy and Irene Jacob, the stories survive singular scrutiny but are better appreciated when approached as one document. The simplicity of Kieslowski’s message - that we all can affect change - that is tenderly brought to the fore by Binoche, Delpy and Jacob in their respective entries. Uncovering the extraordinary in the everyday through warmth, wit and realism there’s no other trilogy quite like it.

Films (Release Date): Three Colours: Blue, Three Colours: White, Three Colours: Red | Director(s): Krzysztof Kieslowski | Writer(s): Krzysztof Kieślowski, Krzysztof Piesiewicz | Genre: Drama

IMDB Scores: 8.0 / 7.7 / 8.1 | Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100% / 90% / 100% | Total Budget: Below $1 million | Combined Box Office (Worldwide): $6.8 million

The global scale of the Indiana Jones trilogy uses its array of exotic far-flung locales as the perfect canvas for the archaeologist’s adventures. During the day, Dr. Jones is your typical bespectacled professor, but in his off time he’s an intrepid explorer only too happy to risk life and limb in the pursuit of preserving a schema of valuable artefacts. It’s a cool riff on the superhero - albeit, Indy doesn’t wear a cape - that expands into a forgotten era of prestige over antiquity. In the wrong hands, the trilogy could have stagnated, but under Spielberg’s careful eye the movies burst with excitement, a boyish playfulness to Indy’s gallant missions as he encounters a slew of iconic baddies while wooing a string of damsels.

Films (Release Date): Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Director(s): Steven Spielberg | Writer(s): Lawrence Kasdan, William Huyck, Gloria Katz, Jeffrey Boam | Genre: Action

IMDB Scores: 8.6 / 7.6 / 8.3 | Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 95 % / 84% / 88% | Total Budget: $94 million | Combined Box Office (Worldwide): $1.1 billion

Kickstarted in 2002 with Doug Liman’s first entry, The Bourne Identity, the series has revolved around Matt Damon’s amnesiac spy and his ongoing mission to discover who exactly he is. Arriving at a point in cinema where action and espionage were only catered to by James Bond - that old customary gent - Bourne took the baton and carried into the next century. Both Liman and his successor Paul Greengrass threw the long-suffering agent into a series of brilliantly-staged set pieces across an ever-changing landscape of exotic international locations. From his humble beginnings, it’s Matt Damon’s assured, confident performance that gifted this trilogy with its biggest asset. At the time of casting his involvement had its fair share of doubters, who were proven wrong by his solid performances throughout all three.

Films (Release Date): The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum | Director(s): Doug Liman, Paul Greengrass | Writer(s): Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns, William Blake Herron, George Nolfi, Dan Gilroy | Genre: Action

IMDB Scores: 7.9 / 7.8 / 8.1 | Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 83% / 81% / 94% | Total Budget: $245 million | Combined Box Office (Worldwide): $945 million

The original Star Wars trilogy reimagined the good vs. evil trope as an intergalactic space opera told through a science fiction lens. Since the release of A New Hope in 1977, its impact on an entire generation has continued to ripple out into popular culture; a feat that no-one, not even George Lucas, could have forecast. At its core it’s a classic tale of the rise of the underdog. Luke Skywalker, a humble farmboy, comes to learn that his greatest adversary Darth Vader, is actually his father. And that’s just the backbone. The entire trio of films enraptured audiences by retelling an age-old fable in a brand new universe bursting with playful detail. Exotic locations, advanced technology, and a whole new vocabulary to describe that world, latched onto the public’s imagination. Some devotees believe The Empire Strikes Back to be superior to the original, and a small clutch count the final chapter, Return Of The Jedi, as the greatest. If you approach them as one body of work, the Star Wars trilogy is undoubtedly a landmark piece of cinema history.

Films (Release Date): A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi | Director(s): George Lucas, Irvin Kershner, Richard Marquand | Writer(s): George Lucas, Lawrence Kasdan, Leigh Brackett | Genre: Sci-Fi

IMDB Scores: 8.7 / 8.8 / 8.4 | Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 93% / 96% / 79% | Total Budget: $61.5 million | Combined Box Office (Worldwide): $1.8 billion

Back in 1995, the first Toy Story wowed with its use of cutting-edge technology to bring the tale of a group of sentient playthings to life. Computer animation has never been the same since, yet it’s not the only component to make the story of Buzz, Woody and co. so captivating. It’s in the title; this is a story. And, unlike a lot of trilogies, which narrowly miss out on better ratings due to a weak link, the Toy Story saga maintains a level of consistency throughout. The characters, that madcap bunch, are drawn so intimately that they’re as real as any live-action counterpart. Their joys and woes form the trilogy’s emotional core, told through three brilliant storylines. As fresh and original today as when they were released, the Toy Story movies offer solid proof that animation exists as a powerful storytelling tool.

Films (Release Date): Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3 | Director(s): John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich | Writer(s): Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, Rita Hsiao, Doug Chamberlin, Chris Webb, John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich | Genre: Comedy

IMDB Scores: 8.3 / 7.9 / 8.4 | Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100% / 100% / 99% | Total Budget: $320 million | Combined Box Office (Worldwide): $1.9 billion

For an ‘80s child, the Back To The Future trilogy is a time-traveling document in itself. Robert Zemeckis’ trio of films charting teenager Marty McFly’s time-traveling adventures transports audiences back to that decade’s vision of what the next century would bring. Self-tying Nikes, hoverboards and flying cars are but some of the exotic technological advances Marty and his trusty comrade Doc Brown encounter as they traverse the space-time continuum to prevent catastrophe from occurring. The best part is the people who Marty bumps into, the real characters who behave exactly the same across a span of some 100 years. It’s packed with magic realism, an adventurous spirit and that wishful possibility of turning a beat-up Delorean into a badass time machine.

Films (Release Date): Back To The Future, Back To The Future Part II, Back To The Future Part III | Director(s): Robert Zemeckis | Writer(s): Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale | Genre: Sci-Fi

IMDB Scores: 8.5 / 7.8 / 7.4 | Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96% / 64% / 73% | Total Budget: $99 million | Combined Box Office (Worldwide): $965.5 million