The fictional trilogies date back to Dionysia, an ancient Greek theater festival around the 5th century BCE. The first film trilogy — Bab’s Diary, Bab’s Burglarand Bab’s Morning Idol – was made and released during the silent era. Starring Marguerite Clark as the titular protagonist, the so-called Babs Trilogy is an early example of the rom-com genre.
Three-part movies have been around for a long time, though they’ve become more common over the decades. Several movie studios attempted to capitalize on their most successful films by releasing direct-to-video sequels, many of which proved notoriously unpopular. At the other end of the spectrum are movie trilogies that are true cinematic benchmarks, at least according to IMDb voters.
ten Peter Jackson’s Hobbit Trilogy is a delightfully nostalgic trip to Middle-earth — 7.66
that of Peter Jackson The Hobbit Trilogy was a huge success financially, raking in nearly $3 billion at the box office. An Unexpected Journey (2012), The desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) borrow most of their respective plots from Tolkien’s 1937 novel.
The films also incorporate several elements of The Lord of the Ringsas well as movie scripts only written just for The Hobbit. Most reviewers praised Middle-earth’s lavish aesthetic, but complained about the extended runtimes and superfluous story padding. The Hobbit Trilogy’s average IMDb score is 7.66, a half-decent achievement considering the critical backlash.
9 Alejandro Iñárritu’s Death Trilogy is not for viewers with hard stomachs, but rather with open hearts – 7.76
With an average IMDb score of 7.76, Alejandro Iñárritu Trilogy of Death blends three loosely intertwined storylines into one philosophically deep saga. Love Perros (2000) won the Grand Prize at Critics’ Week in Cannes, 21 grams (2003) earned two Oscar nominations, and babel (2006) won Iñárritu the Cannes Award for Best Director.
The Trilogy of Death examines the human condition under a sociopolitical microscope, drawing unmistakable parallels between cultures and traditions around the world. Despite its ominous atmosphere, the Trilogy of Death is not for viewers with the toughest stomachs, but for those with open hearts.
8 Park Chan-Wook’s Vengeance Trilogy is woven around a deeply poignant narrative center – 7.8
Mr Revenge (2002), Old boy (2003), and lady revenge (2005), unofficially clubbed under the Revenge Trilogy, have an average IMDb score of 7.8. All three films are built on similar foundations and contain surprisingly similar themes, even if their plots are essentially unrelated.
The Revenge Trilogy can be interpreted as an analytical exploration of modern South Korea, a morbid social commentary that doubles as a hallucinatory action-thriller series. Park Chan-wook’s directorial vision is nothing short of innovative, forging layers of suspense, tension and dramatic flair around a deeply poignant narrative center.
seven Krzysztof Kieślowski’s three colors are intriguing, stimulating and perfectly graceful — 7.86
One of the most eminent filmmakers of the 20th century, Krzysztof Kieślowski has an array of prestigious awards and achievements to his credit. His Trilogy of three colors is widely recognized as his finest work, earning near-universal praise from critics and audiences alike.
With an average IMDb score of 7.86, Three colors: blue (1993), Three colors: white (1994), and Three colors: Red (1994) garnered numerous Oscar and Golden Globe nominations. Although White is noticeably lighter in tenor, the three episodes of Kieślowski’s iconic trilogy are intriguing, thought-provoking and utterly graceful.
6 Back to the Future by Robert Zemeckis will long retain its pop-cultural influence — 7.9
The Back to the future The trilogy’s average IMDb score is 7.9, a surprisingly low rating considering the franchise’s defining impact on Hollywood. Roger Ebert claimed that the first “the surprises of the film are […] his great pleasures“, but criticized the sequels as”an exercise in stupidity.”
Nonetheless, this time-traveling adventure works best as a trilogy, pushing the boundaries of the comedy, coming-of-age, and sci-fi genres to their highest degree. Back to the future has since become a cinematic landmark, a trilogy that will no doubt retain its pop-cultural influence for a long time. Countless television programs, movies, video games, novels, and even rock band names contain recognizable references to Back to the future.
5 Richard Linklater’s Before the Trilogy is a lovingly sculpted character study – 8.0
by Richard Linklater before the trilogystarring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in the lead roles, has an average IMDb score of 8.0. before sunrise (1995), before sunset (2004), and Before midnight (2013) follows the romantic story of Jesse and Céline – a pair of star-crossed lovers who walk the blurry line between chimerical fantasy and separation anxiety.
The films are wonderfully minimalist in their approach, eschewing action and melodrama in favor of pure dialogue. The before the trilogy is essentially a character study, but Jesse and Celine don’t feel like pawns in Linklater’s hands. On the contrary, they express themselves with as much candor and passion as physically possible through the cinematic medium.
4 Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy Effectively Transformed the Cinematic Landscape – 8.3
by Sergio Leone Dollar Trilogy sees the Western genre through the lens of European cinema. Each film in the trilogy is also central to the development of the spaghetti western. With an average IMDb score of 8.3, a handful of dollars (1964), For a few dollars more (1965), & The good the bad and the ugly (1966) effectively transformed the cinematic landscape of their time.
Clint Eastwood’s performance as “the man with no name” was widely praised, making him one of the most memorable action movie stars in Hollywood history. Although initially panned by critics, the Dollar Trilogy deservedly gained fame after retrospective critics began praising the films’ radical approach to cinematography and direction.
3 George Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy set several cinematic benchmarks – 8.53
Marketed as an American space opera, the original Star Wars Trilogy has an average IMDb score of 8.53. Director George Lucas’ attempt to combine the sci-fi, western, and fantasy genres was incredibly successful, not to mention profitable. star wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983) established several cinematic references, especially in visual effects and sound design.
In fact, the Star Wars Trilogy further cemented the blockbuster concept formulated by Steven Spielberg Jaws (1975). The well named skywalker saga eventually incorporated a prequel and sequel trilogy, earning over nine billion dollars at the box office in total.
2 Francis Ford Coppola’s godfather inspired a global array of filmmakers – 8.6
Inspired by the eponymous novel by Mario Puzo, the three episodes of Francis Ford Coppola The Godfather trilogy were released in 1972, 1974 and 1990. The first two films are generally considered cinematic masterpieces, whereas The Godfather Part III was criticized for its disorganized tone and poor performance.
Nonetheless, the trilogy’s average IMDb score is an impressive 8.6. In a review for The New Yorker, Pauline Kael summarized The Godfather as “a great example of how the best popular movies come from a fusion of commerce and art.” This trilogy went on to inspire a worldwide range of authors, such as Brian de Palma, Martin Scorsese, Bong Joon-ho and Guy Ritchie.
1 Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings remains incredibly popular to this day – 8.86
that of Peter Jackson The Lord of the Rings boasts an average IMDb score of 8.86, making it the highest-rated film trilogy on the website. Adapted from JRR Tolkien’s series of high fantasy novels, The Lord of the Rings is all that The Hobbit could (or should) have been. The trilogy won 17 Oscars out of 30 nominations, including eleven for The king’s return (2003).
Writing for Variety, Todd McCarthy categorized the trilogy as “one of the most ambitious and phenomenal dream projects of all time“, a description that is both precise and convincing. The Lord of the Rings The franchise remains incredibly popular to this day, spawning a range of multimedia products ranging from Middle-earth based video games to the recent subtitled Amazon series power rings.
