Concluding a film trilogy comes with a tremendous amount of expectations in order to fulfill what was set up in the previous installments. Not only must this threequel be a standalone film that succeeds on its own merits, but it should complete the character arcs that were established from the beginning. There’s no room for a film to simply be “good,” especially if its predecessors are great; The Godfather: Part III is a perfectly adequate film that has the unfortunate task of following up two of the most beloved classics of all-time.
A great trilogy is more valuable now than it has ever been before in cinematic history because of how rare it is to see a self-sustained franchise. In an era where some sagas go on without any clear ending in sight, it is fulfilling when a clean and focused trilogy can offer a definitive beginning, middle, and end.
10
‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ (2007)
The Bourne Ultimatum was tasked with answering all of the questions that had been set up in the first two installments of the trilogy that starred Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. Not only did The Bourne Ultimatum get to the bottom of the Treadstone conspiracy, but it finally unlocked the secret behind why Bourne was selected in the first place.
The Bourne Ultimatum offered the grittiest, most action-packed installment in the franchise yet, and has one of the coolest final shots of the 21st century. It established a standard of excellence that the series would struggle to live up with when it moved past the original trilogy; while The Bourne Legacy and Jason Bourne are both entertaining films in their own right, they can’t stop the precision and emotional power of what Paul Greengrass pulled off with his 2007 masterpiece.
9
‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ (2017)
War for the Planet of the Apes is one of the bleakest summer blockbusters ever made, as Matt Reeves completely committed to telling a brutal story about Caesar’s (Andy Serkis) as a messianic figure within the apes. Although the franchise has often struggled to create human characters that are as compelling as the apes, Woody Harrelson is absolutely terrifying as the military leader known as “the Colonel,” a neo-nazi who plans to eradicate Caesar’s followers by enslaving them.
War for the Planet of the Apes features some of the most groundbreaking computer-generated imagery in history, which has evolved drastically since Rise of the Planet of the Apes had begun the prequel series in 2011. Although the overall franchise continued with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes marked the conclusion of Caesar’s story arc.
8
‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ (2025)
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is the most profound entry in Rian Johnson’s trilogy of detective stories about the brilliant private eye Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) because it is the most profound. While both of the previous films succeeded at being satires, the latest installment in the series had something profound to say about the way faith is used to bring a community together, and how it can be weaponized to sow dissension.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery features Craig at his most charming, but the real breakout star of the film is Josh O’Connor as Father Judd, the compassionate priest who becomes allies with Blanc after his predecessor (Josh Brolin) is murdered. The twists aren’t just satisfying on a narrative level, but successful in showing how the power of truth can offer a pathway to healing.
7
‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises had all the expectations of its predecessor, but Christopher Nolan took a different direction with the conclusion of the trilogy that starred Christian Bale as Batman. In addition to tying in the mythology of the League of Shadows through Bane (Tom Hardy) and his radical ideas for reshaping Gotham City, The Dark Knight Rises examined the power of the Batman legend itself, and how it could actually become more powerful than Bruce Wayne himself.
The Dark Knight Rises has aged very well when compared to other superhero films because it provides an actual ending; now that Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers have made their returns after the characters’ graceful exits in Logan and Avengers: Endgame, respectively, it’s even more admirable that Nolan and Bale were able to go out on their own terms.
6
‘Army of Darkness’ (1992)
Army of Darkness was just as unusual as could be expected of Sam Raimi, who ensured that all of the films within his first trilogy would be completely distinct and unique. The original The Evil Dead was a genuinely disturbing gross-out horror flick, Evil Dead II amped up the gore and comedy even more, and Army of Darkness transported Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) to the medieval era in a case of time travel gone awry.
Army of Darkness is a great spoof of films set in the Middle Ages that includes some of the most inventive puppets and creature effects that Raimi has ever done throughout his entire career. Even though Raimi had to change what was considered to be too dark of an original ending, Army of Darkness features Campbell at his best, and serves as a great farewell to Ash.
5
‘Toy Story 3’ (2010)
Toy Story 3 had the difficult task of addressing the lingering questions of the first two films about what toys did when their owners grew up. Although Toy Story 3 featured a conclusion so emotionally overwhelming that it would take a sociopath not to break down in tears, it also includes some of the best comedy in the series because the midsection of the film is basically a prison break adventure.
Toy Story 3 is the perfect maturation for those who grew up with Toy Story, and it also gave Tom Hanks an opportunity to do something truly new with Woody that made his arc satisfying. Although the franchise has continued, Toy Story 3 marks the conclusion of the “Andy trilogy;” the Oscar-winning Toy Story 4 and the highly-anticipated Toy Story 5 explore the toys’ new lives with Bonnie as their owner.
4
‘The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly’ (1966)
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is one of the greatest Westerns ever made, and is still a great standalone film, even for those that haven’t seen A Fistful of Dollars and A Few Dollars More. Reuniting Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef was a brilliant decision, but Eli Wallach’s presence as a genuine force of chaos added a new wrinkle that made the film ever more thematically interesting.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly set the gold standard for what a Mexican standoff should look like, as the film’s thrilling final shootout is as electrifying as cinema can get. Although there’s barely any aspects of the film that haven’t become iconic in one way or another, the terrific score by Ennio Morricone is what elevated the entire “spaghetti Western” genre from low-budget B-movies to a form of respectable arthouse filmmaking.
3
‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ (1989)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is the most heartfelt installment in the franchise because it explored the themes of fatherhood in a profound way that related to Arthurian mythology, which is befitting for an adventure about the search for the Holy Grail. The beginning sequence in which a young River Phoenix plays Indy as a teenager is so amazing that it’s impressive that the film was able to get better.
No one but Sean Connery was cool enough to play Harrison Ford’s father, and the chemistry between the two legendary A-listers couldn’t be better. Although the bickering and banter marked the height of the franchise’s comedy, the genuine compassion that emerges between them (particularly when Dr. Jones refers to his son as “Indiana” for the first time) proved why Steven Spielberg is better at telling paternal stories that any other filmmaker.
2
‘Return of the Jedi’ (1983)
Return of the Jedi is a perfect finale to the original Star Wars trilogy, and no amount of retrospective complaints about the Ewoks or Special Edition edits will change that. There’s never been a Star Wars action sequence quite like the Sarlaac Pit escape, but it’s the story of redemption and forgiveness that turned Return of the Jedi into a true masterpiece.
The throne room scenes in Return of the Jedi are powerful in a way that the franchise hadn’t been before, as it truly weighed the difference between heroism and villainy. Although Mark Hamill is the best that he ever was as Luke Skywalker, Return of the Jedi is also responsible for introducing some of the most fun side characters in the galaxy far, far away, including Nien Numb, Admiral Ackbar, Oola, Max Rebo, Bib Fortuna, and Wicket the Ewok.
1
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the grandest and most ambitious installment in Peter Jackson’s trilogy of J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations because it expanded the scope of Middle-earth to include the Battle of Gondor and the thrilling duel at the heart of Mount Doom. While the action is some of the most awe-inspiring ever seen, the real heart in the film lies in the strength of friendship between Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) as they are threatened to be split apart by Gollum (Andy Serkis) and the corruption of the One Ring.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King tied an all-time record at the Academy Awards by winning eleven awards, a feat that it achieved alongside Ben-Hur and Titanic. It’s not a record that is likely to be broken anytime soon.
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