If you’re reading through and think Men in Black, Jurassic Park, The Matrix, Alien, and Back to the Future deserve to be here we absolutely agree with you. In fact, they already made it onto one of these more geared more towards sci-fi franchises. That said, we didn’t include the Star Wars original trilogy because, while the first film was seminal, more people would point towards Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back as the best of the trilogy over Star Wars: A New Hope. Toy Story also sat this one out, because Toy Story 3 managed to be even more poignant and entertaining than film one. But in the case of these trilogies, the first entry is the most poignant, entertaining, or both.
10) The Hangover
image courtesy of warner bros. pictures
We’re stretching the usage of the word “Great” here, as far as its description of overall trilogies go, but The Hangoveris absolutely a case of the first entry being the best entry. The Hangover Part II is a little underrated and was a blast in theaters back in 2011, but it still doesn’t hold a candle to the first film.
The Hangover was such a movie of the moment. It was also the very definition of a comedy you just had to see on the big screen in a crowd consisting of both your friends and strangers. That’s a rarity these days, and it was something that made Todd Phillips’ movie pretty special.
9) Captain America
image courtesy of walt disney studios motion pictures
Guardians of the Galaxy is the most consistent trilogy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, in terms of the respective films’ scope and tone, but Captain America’s trio of films are better. And, to this day, Captain America: The First Avengeris the best of them.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a great political thriller and Captain America: Civil War is certainly ambitious, but The First Avenger is such a standout in MCU canon. It’s a pulp period piece with the most engrossing romantic dynamic of the whole universe and note-perfect supporting performances from Stanley Tucci and Tommy Lee Jones. A lot of credit also needs to go to director Joe Johnston, who essentially got to remake his The Rocketeer with a massive budget.
The early scenes in the shire are lovely in their peacefulness. The introduction of the Nazgûl is the perfect escalation of tension. The establishment of the Fellowship is one of the most hopeful scenes in film history. Gandalf the Grey’s death tears your heart out, as does Boromir’s arc. There isn’t a scene in it that doesn’t work.
7) The Godfather
image courtesy of paramount pictures
To decide which is the best of the first two The Godfathermovies is no easy task. The Godfather Part II is undoubtedly more ambitious in its storytelling, and it is overall a more thought-provoking work with a lens aimed at the public’s reaction to the mob.
But the edge goes to The Godfather. The sequel may have been deeper and more of a technical achievement, but the first movie has got to be the breeziest three-hour experience under the sun. It feels more like one big puzzle where everything fits into place, while Part II can occasionally play as a little unfocused (comparatively). Plus, with the first movie you get Marlon Brando’s iconic performance and the vast majority of the quotes people remember from the saga. “Leave the gun, take the cannoli.”
6) Die Hard
image courtesy of 20th century studios
Die Hardis an example of a trilogy that should have been left as is. Neither Live Free or Die Hard or A Good Day to Die Hard capture an ounce of the first three films’ specific tone and magic.
As for those first three films, the ranking essentially goes one, three, two. Die Hard 2: Die Harder was a retread, but an enjoyable one. Die Hard with a Vengeance altered the formula successfully and allowed John McClane to go from lone wolf to half of a bickering duo (and few movies have done that odd coupling better than Vengeance). And yet the original film is the clear victor. Nakotomi Plaza, Hans Gruber, the walking on glass scene…it’s the best action movie of all time.
5) Hannibal Lecter Trilogy
Image Courtesy of Orion Pictures
It took a while for Anthony Hopkins to reprise his role as Hannibal Lecter, but when he did it was twice in two years. The results were…fine. Hannibal and Red Dragon have their assets (the dinner scene in the former, Ralph Fiennes in the latter), but they’re still nothing compared to The Silence of the Lambs, which was and remains the most skin-crawling thriller out there.
Lambs grabs you and pulls you in for an uncomfortable bear hug as soon as the credits roll. And then, for two hours, it just doesn’t let up. That’s all thanks to Jonathan Demme’s sublime direction, the cinematography, Ted Levine’s work as Buffalo Bill, the music, the pacing of the investigation, and Hopkins’ chemistry with Jodie Foster, delivering her best work in a career loaded with amazing performances.
4) George A. Romero’s Dead Trilogy
image courtesy of continental distributing
Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead are all horror masterworks. Intelligent, thought-provoking, and intense as can be, they are the gold standard of zombie cinema.
But while Dawn of the Dead and its mall setting is genuinely iconic and Day of the Dead is a sorely underrated look at how humanity rips into itself during times of great trouble, it’s still Night that stands as the best of the bunch. The farmhouse is a perfectly vulnerable central locale, none of the characters ever feel safe. And, speaking of the characters, this one has a sublime mixture of personalities, from the kindhearted Ben to the insufferable jerk Harry. Toss in its jaw-dropping ending and Night may very well be the best horror film of the ’60s.
3) Austin Powers
image courtesy of new line cinema
The funniest moment in the Austin Powers trilogy is in the second film, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. It’s when we first meet Fat Bastard, guarding the frozen Austin Powers. A superior officer is telling him and two other guards to be alert, then starts telling Fat Bastard he needs to lose weight. Before the man even leaves the room, Fat Bastard starts yelling “Ohhh! Mr. English colonel telling me to lose weight!” before swiftly dovetailing into a story of how he once ate a baby.
But outside that, and that specific new character in general, The Spy Who Shagged Me is a copy-paste of Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. The first movie is the one that established the variety of jokes that would become trademarks of the trilogy, featured excellent chemistry between Mike Myers and Elizabeth Hurley, and has a better balance of tender moments and scatological humor.
2) Indiana Jones
image courtesy of paramount pictures
The Indiana Jones movies sublimely merged world history with fast-paced action and dashes of romance. With Raiders of the Lost Arkthat felt extremely fresh, and it still does. It’s very easy to see why distributors like Cannon tried to replicate its success with lower quality fare such as Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold.
The third film of the initial batch, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, benefited greatly by making it a father-son adventure, but it still came second after Raiders. Raiders is so perfectly paced, it contains an aura of true danger, and the chemistry between Harrison Ford and Karen Allen couldn’t be any more white hot. It’s a masterpiece, from boulder dodging beginning to face-melting end.
1) Pirates of the Caribbean
image courtesy of walt disney studios motion pictures
The first two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels weren’t properly appreciated at the time of release, but the fact remains that Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is the best. It has plenty of bells and whistles, but at is core is a pretty simple and engrossing ghost story.
The Curse of the Black Pearl also deserves a lot of credit for establishing such a wacky and entertaining franchise in a subgenre that hadn’t done well for a while (just look at Cutthroat Island‘s box office for proof). There were plenty of decisions made that could have blown up in everyone’s face, right down to the casting of Johnny Depp as a drunkard Keith Richards pirate. But it all worked, and the result is one of the most rewatchable movies of the 2000s.
What other trilogies do you think peaked with the first movie? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
