The Dark Knight trilogy is cinema royalty, one of the greatest film trios of its generation and arguably all-time. Upon its release in 2008, Christopher Nolan's second installment in his Batman series became the fourth highest-grossing film ever at the time, and it received a staggering eight Academy Award nominations, including a nod and posthumous win for Heath Ledger.
The Dark Knight trilogy's fanbase continues to grow today, with superhero movies taking center stage in Hollywood. Many movie trilogies have taken inspiration from Nolan's take on the Caped Crusader, and there are those that came before and paved the way for The World's Greatest Detective on the big screen. When it comes to these movies, three is in fact the magic number.
10 The Scowl Under The Cowl Is No Match For Lisbeth In The Millennium Trilogy
Commencing with 2009's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the Swedish crime thriller kicked off a gripping trio of movies featuring one of cinema's fiercest females in Lisbeth Salander, played in this trilogy to fascinating effect by Noomi Rapace. The Girl Who Played with Fire, and then The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest followed, and both sequels continue Lisbeth's captivating tale.
All three movies are unforgettable in the best way, though the graphic violence, though hardly gratuitous, can prove too much for some viewers to stomach. The first film in the trilogy received an excellent North American remake in 2011, though it didn't perform well enough to justify its own sequels.
9 Captain America's MCU Trio Is More Hard-Hitting Superhero Fun
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is likely to appear overwhelming to the uninitiated due to its whopping 24 movies, but there's a fantastic trilogy within that won't take weeks to sit through: That of the First Avenger, Captain America.
The First Avenger, The Winter Soldier, and Civil War are all solid, action-packed entries in Marvel's always impressive catalog, and they each tell a thought-provoking, mostly grounded central story that will appeal to fans of Nolan's Batman and the less-cartoonish variety of comic book movies.
8 Before Bale's Batman, Spider-Man Had Three Great Movies Of His Own
Batman is far from the only superhero to get his own trilogy, and years before Christian Bale donned the cowl and adopted his raspy bat voice, Tobey Maguire was treating audiences to one of the superhero genre's greatest portrayals. Maguire embodied both Peter Parker and Spider-Man in a way audiences had never seen, and to some fans, the gifted actor is still who they picture when thinking of the friendly neighborhood crime fighter.
Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy maintains a massive fanbase even today, and with multiple excellent big-screen installments of the web-slinger in the years since, it's testament to the quality of Raimi's original three.
7 Tony Versus Bruce Would Make For A Seismic Showdown
Bruce Wayne has many wannabes, though you'll never catch Tony Stark wearing hockey pads. Marvel's genius billionaire is arguably their answer to Wayne, an ultra-rich playboy with a penchant for crime-fighting with the help of some rather nifty high-tech gadgets.
Another trilogy within the ever-expanding MCU, the Iron Man movies are exactly the kind of exciting, action-heavy, family-friendly films that audiences have come to expect from Disney's Marvel. Robert Downey Jr.'s character has far more of a habit of trash-talking than Nolan's Batman though.
6 Step Back Into The Darkness With Wesley Snipes' Blade Trilogy
Back before the MCU was breaking box office records, one man was paving the way for all of Hollywood's superhero success. 1998 was a simple time for comic book heroes on the big screen as bright colors and family-friendly action were regular features— then the daywalker stepped out of the shadows and defied all expectations.
Blade is visceral vampire-slaying fun, and though the third film in the trilogy is largely a disaster aside from some typically hilarious Ryan Reynolds scene stealing to save the day, Blade and Blade II are enthralling, hard-hitting superhero cinema. The trilogy features Wesley Snipes at his action star best, and he's well supported by the likes of Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Dorff, Norman Reedus, and Jessica Biel.
5 Vengeance Indeed, Park Chan-wook's Trilogy Is An Even Darker Tale Of Redemption
For fans of the darker and more adult elements of Nolan's take on the caped crusader, Park Chan-wook's Vengeance Trilogy makes for a jaw-dropping alternative. Linked by theme rather than story or characters, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Lady Vengeance are three of South Korea's greatest cinematic exports regardless of genre.
Park Chan-wook's three Vengeance films are each hyper-violent tales of redemption, revenge, and salvation. Oldboy, in particular, is utterly breathtaking, and a frequent sight on "Best Films of the 2000s" lists— though in no way is it suitable for the faint of heart. Definitely check the original out in favor of Spike Lee's disappointing American remake.
4 From Bats To Chimpanzees, There's Just As Much Action In The Planet of the Apes Trilogy
Action, high stakes, and a frighteningly brooding protagonist, the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy shares more things with The Dark Knight than it may initially appear.
With each film, the action grows more intense, and the special effects all the more impressive. Andy Serkis' motion-capture performance as the highly intelligent chimpanzee Caesar has to be seen to be believed. Rise, Dawn, and War are mesmerizing, highly enjoyable additions to one of cinema's great franchises.
3 With A Guitar Instead Of A Batarang, The Mariachi Means Just As Much Trouble For The Villainous
Robert Rodriguez remains one of cinema's best when it comes to crafting exciting and highly stylized action sequences, and the filmmaker has been doing it since his debut in 1992. El Mariachi is one of Hollywood's most surprising success stories— made for around $7,000, the Spanish language action film spawned The Mexico Trilogy and gave Rodriguez his ticket into Tinseltown.
For the sequel Desperado, Antonio Banderas took over as the lead character, and the assassin with the guitar case full of guns never looked back. The third film Once Upon a Time In Mexico added the eclectic talents of Johnny Depp, concluding one of cinema's sharpest action trilogies.
2 The Infernal Affairs Trilogy Is Incredible, Unpredictable Action Cinema
The action thrillers of Hong Kong cinema have influenced countless Hollywood films over the years and for those Dark Knight fans unfamiliar with these game-changing works, Infernal Affairs is the ultimate introduction.
Blistering with its thrills and unpredictable characters, all three installments are full of twists, turns, betrayals, and heartbreak. Infernal Affairs II serves as a prequel to the original, and the third film acts as both sequel and prequel. Infernal Affairs received an American remake in 2006 in the form of Martin Scorsese's The Departed.
1 The Bourne Trilogy Hits Almost As Hard As Nolan's Batman Films
Christopher Nolan's use of hard-hitting stunt work over computer-generated imagery makes for a refreshing and shockingly real watch in each of the British director's movies, and very few can match them in this regard. The original Jason Bourne trilogy can certainly make their challenge though, as the Matt Damon starring action films are some of cinema's most exciting thrill rides.
In a somewhat rare trend, the Bourne trilogy arguably gets better with each installment, with Identity, Supremacy, and Ultimatum improving on its predecessor in a number of ways. The trend came to a stop with 2012's The Bourne Legacy, as Matt Damon temporarily stepped away from the franchise.