A movie trilogy is often considered to be the best and most ideal format in which to present a series of movies. It allows for an overarching storyline to be broken down into sub-sections, adding more depth and intrigue. When done right, a successful movie trilogy can cement itself into history with a legacy of its own, even if one of the movies didn't perform as well as the others.
The Godfather and Back to the Future are examples of movie trilogies that were born in the 20th century that captivated and captured the hearts of millions around the world. While many since then have tried and failed to recapture what those and many others achieved, there have been several emerging trilogies in the 21st century that have made a reputation and legacy of their own.
10 Kung Fu Panda Was A Generally Consistent Animated Success From DreamWorks
Kung Fu Panda is often seen as one of DreamWorks' best and most consistent series of animated movies. While it could be argued that the likes of Shrek was superior, beyond Shrek 2 the series plummeted somewhat. Regardless, in terms of trilogies, Kung Fu Panda captured a level of consistency, with humor, heart, and heroism on display in each movie.
Jack Black's chaotic energy and genius made Po into the iconic character that he was, and alongside other interesting characters and personalities, heroes and villains, the trilogy is deservedly recognized as one of the best animated trilogies of the 21st century.
9 Sam Raimi's Spider-Man Trilogy Provided Memorable Moments & Characters
While it is often a subject for debate as to whom has been the best live-action movie Spider-Man, what cannot be disputed is the fact that Tobey Maguire's take appeared first. His Spider-Man movies were given three editions, making it a trilogy. Regardless of whether or not public opinion favors Maguire or the other Spider-Man actors, what cannot be disputed is how iconic the villains of the original trilogy were.
In the build up to the third instalment of Tom Holland's Spider-Man movies, the multiverse story arc has thrown up speculation and anticipation of previous iconic characters re-emerging, such as Doctor Octopus and Green Goblin, with those from the trilogy being especially clamored for.
8 Iron Man Got The MCU Ball Rolling
Iron Man was the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and kickstarted what would become a huge overarching and overlapping universe consisting of several different worlds and movies. Robert Downey Jr. became the iconic Iron Man and made it his own in not just his three titular movies, but in every other Iron Man performance in the MCU.
While the first Iron Man movie was undoubtedly the best of the three, as a trilogy, it must be considered among the best of the 21st century for its impact and general legacy if nothing else.
7 The Latest Planet Of The Apes Trilogy Eclipsed The Old Movies
The inconsistency of previous renditions of Planet Of The Apes led to a large amount of wide-spread skepticism when Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes arrived in 2011. Little did people know then that it would become its own entity almost separated from the old movies and would eventually establish itself as one of the best trilogies of the 21st Century.
Andy Serkis's performance as Caesar was borderline revolutionary, and the story in general was equal measures tragic, entertaining, and chaotic. From 2011 to 2017, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, and War For The Planet Of The Apes cemented themselves as a top movie trilogy.
6 The Original Pirates Of The Caribbean Trilogy Was Iconic
Although there have been further instalments of Pirates Of The Caribbean in recent years, the original three movies are still to this day considered as a trilogy. Curse Of The Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest, and At World's End kept the likes of Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom as main characters throughout the trilogy, before subsequent movies followed Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow on his own escapades with others.
The first movie was arguably the best of the trilogy, introducing the weird and wonderful world of piracy in a mystical and sometimes terrifying way. The introduction of Davy Jones added further layers of fantasy and intrigue, with constant twists and betrayals to keep everyone on their toes, making for a very enjoyable trilogy of movies.
5 The Initial Trilogy Following Jason Bourne Was Exceptional
The initial three moves in the Jason Bourne series, The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum are often regarded as a trilogy, despite there being two more additional movies added at later dates. This is because they were all exceptional movies in their own right, with Matt Damon's remarkable performances as Jason Bourne.
The Bourne Legacy was released in 2012, five years after The Bourne Supremacy, and it didn't even feature Matt Damon, with it ultimately suffering compared to the previous three and detaching itself somewhat from the successful trilogy.
4 The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy Is The Least Conventional Trilogy Out There
Compared to other trilogies that have a continuous overarching story or the same characters at the very least, the "Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy" is completely different, to the extent that people often forget that the three movies involved aren't actually related by plot or characters. Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End were all written by the duo of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, with Pegg, Nick Frost, and a host of other actors starring or appearing in each of them.
There were no character crossovers, but the general themes of outrageous violence and sheer hilarity reigned supreme throughout each of the movies.
3 The Trio Of Captain America Movies Were All Different Enough To Make Each One Stand Out
Due to the fact that the Marvel universe has so many moving parts and cross-movie and TV appearances, it is often forgotten that there are still several standalone trilogies. In addition to the likes of Iron Man and Thor, Captain America also had his own movie trilogy, with the fact that it had so much variety across each iteration making it arguably the best of the Marvel trilogies.
The First Avenger looked at the origin story of Steve Rogers becoming Captain America, all set during the Second World War. This established the character in time for the first Avengers collaboration movie, and set the tone for The Winter Soldier, which itself is still regarded as one of the best Marvel movies of all time. Civil War completed the Captain America trilogy and despite feeling like an Avengers movie, it still focused on Steve enough to warrant its titular name.
2 The Dark Knight Elevated The Already Impressive Movie Series To Being One Of The Greats
By itself, The Dark Knight is considered to be one of the greatest movies of the 21st century. The incredible performance from Heath Ledger as the Joker, alongside the generally breath-taking story and pacing, made for a true masterpiece. This movie was the second of three instalments in what is typically referred to as Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, sandwiched between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises.
While the other two paled in comparison to the second instalment, they were still exceptional movies, with an incredibly impressive array of talented actors fulfilling already iconic roles in Batman lore.
1 The Lord Of The Rings Welcomed Movie Fanatics To The 21st Century With An Epic Trilogy
To this day, The Lord Of The Rings is still regarded as one of the greatest movie trilogies of all time. All the movies were shot simultaneously in 1999 and 2000, allowing for the entire series to be released to the world from 2001 to 2003. In this way, it could expertly capitalize on the momentum of each previous movie, generating popularity that would eclipse the already-popular book.
While aspects of the movies may seem outdated by today's standards, The Lord Of The Rings movies still maintain their status of being among the best fantasy and war movies of all time. From the story building of The Fellowship Of The Ring, to the all-out chaos of Two Towers and Return Of The King, this trilogy was a true masterpiece to kickstart what Hollywood had in store for the 21st century.