The 10 Best Movie Trilogies of the 21st Century So Far, Ranked (2024)

There aren't many things that movie fans enjoy more than a good, consistent trilogy. Ever since the infancy of cinema as an art form, it's been the perfect medium for these kinds of expansive stories so vast that they need to span several films — on many occasions, three being the magic number. There have been numerous outstanding movie trilogies throughout film history, and the 21st century has more than its fair share.

From highly popular superhero triads like The Dark Knight to arthouse franchises like Joachim Trier's acclaimed Oslo trilogy, many incredible film three-packs came out during the 2000s and beyond. These franchises allow directors to tell epic yet self-contained stories or simply follow a potent thematic or stylistic thread. Whichever the case, these 21st-century trilogies are as good as they get.

10 Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man' Trilogy

Best Installment: 'Spider-Man 2' (2004)

For a long time, Sam Raimi was best known for his work in the horror genre, having created a trilogy as influential as the Evil Dead movies. Being the highly talented filmmaker that he is, it's no wonder why his Spider-Man trilogy worked out so well, too. The three films follow the story of Peter Parker, a young man who was stung by a radioactive spider and given superpowers. Choosing to use them for good, he fights crime as the masked Wall Crawler that audiences know and love.

The early 2000s were the time when the superhero movie genre began to see the boom in popularity that today's audiences are abundantly familiar with, and this rise would have definitely not happened without Raimi's Spidey trilogy. As poorly received as Spider-Man 3 was, it's undeniable that the first two installments redefined the genre with their entertaining tone, awesome action scenes, and high-quality scripts.

Spider-Man 2

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

June 25, 2004

Director

Sam Raimi

Cast

Tobey Maguire , Kirsten Dunst , James Franco , Alfred Molina , Rosemary Harris , J.K. Simmons

Runtime

127

Writers

Stan Lee , Steve Ditko , Alfred Gough , Miles Millar , Michael Chabon , Alvin Sargent

9 The 'Ocean's' Trilogy

Best Installment: 'Ocean's Eleven' (2001)

Queen among 21st-century heist comedies, the Ocean's trilogy starring George Clooney as the slick titular gangster may be a little uneven, but that doesn't mean it's any less fun. Ocean's Eleven is about Danny Ocean rounding up a gang of associates to stage an elaborate casino heist in Las Vegas, while the two sequels see the gang grow to pull off yet another two heists.

The first film is by far the best; Steven Soderbergh's fast-paced approach gives it an irresistibly cool energy that's bound to have any viewer feeling like a kid in a candy store. Ocean's Twelve isn't quite as clever, while Ocean's Thirteen was a welcome return to form. Throughout the whole adventure, something remained consistent: a tremendously good cast, fun stories that made it easy to relax for a good couple of hours, and an enjoyable tone reminiscent of old heist movies like the one the first installment is based on.

Ocean's Eleven

PG-13

Crime

Thriller

Release Date

December 7, 2001

Director

Steven Soderbergh

Cast

George Clooney , Cecelia Ann Birt , Paul L. Nolan , Carol Florence , Lori Galinski , Bernie Mac

Runtime

116 minutes

Writers

George Clayton Johnson , Jack Golden Russell , Harry Brown , Charles Lederer , Ted Griffin

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8 The 'Millennium' Trilogy

Best Installment: 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' (2009)

The title is likelier to remind North American audiences of David Fincher's 2011 film of the same name, but Niels Arden Oplev's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was the first adaptation of Stieg Larsson's novel. This Swedish film starring a bravura Noomi Rapace spawned a phenomenal franchise called the Millennium trilogy, about the alliance between journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rapace) as they unravel dark mysteries while struggling to protect themselves.

While the original is without a doubt the best in the series, all three installments are taut, gripping thrillers with a fascinating pair of lead characters anchored by extraordinary performances by Nyqvist and Rapace. Fincher's version of the story has a lot going for it, but those who want a thriller experience that's arguably more potent, suspenseful, and unarguably longer are better served watching the original Swedish trilogy.

Watch on Plex

7 The 'Guardians of the Galaxy' Trilogy

Best Installment: 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3' (2023)

It may be a little hard to notice for audiences that don't tend to look closely at trends, but the superhero movie genre has kind of been really popular since 2008. This surge has mostly been thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has delivered plenty of the genre's most memorable outings. Among these outings are a few series and the best is arguably James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, following the titular team of initially reluctant misfits traveling the galaxy while helping people out.

The fact that Gunn was able to craft such a consistently strong trilogy in a franchise characterized by inconsistent movie series is admirable, to say the least. All three installments are among the MCU's best movies, from the wonderful original to the arguably superior finale. The characters are endearing, the world-building is imaginative, the villains are cool, and the emotional heart at the core of the narrative is surprisingly effective and probably the main reason behind its success.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

PG-13

Science Fiction

Action

Adventure

Release Date

May 5, 2023

Director

James Gunn

Cast

Zoe Saldana , Dave Bautista , Vin Diesel , Bradley Cooper , Karen Gillan , Pom Klementieff , Elizabeth Debicki , Chris Pratt

Runtime

150 minutes

Writers

James Gunn

Watch on Disney+

6 The 'Dark Knight' Trilogy

Best Installment: 'The Dark Knight' (2008)

Credit where credit is due: in spite of all its shortcomings, the Dark Knight trilogy remains the most highly praised superhero franchise of not just the 21st century but all of cinematic history. A more grounded and realistic adaptation of the stories of Batman, a millionaire who fights crime at night as a masked vigilante, Christopher Nolan's commendable trilogy changed the genre and character forever.

Full of memorable quotes, iconic characters, and some of the most thrilling action sequences the 21st century has thus far been blessed with, the Dark Knight trilogy proves why Batman is such an interesting character. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight Rises are among the most popular superhero movies of all time, while The Dark Knight is referred to by many as the crowning achievement of the genre. Its uncompromising approach sometimes hinders it, but the Dark Knight trilogy remains a pivotal point for blockbuster filmmaking in the new millennium.

The Dark Knight

PG-13

Action

Crime

Thriller

Superhero

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

July 18, 2008

Director

Christopher Nolan

Cast

Christian Bale , Heath Ledger , Aaron Eckhart , Michael Caine , Maggie Gyllenhaal , Gary Oldman

Runtime

152 minutes

Writers

Jonathan Nolan , Christopher Nolan , David S. Goyer , Bob Kane

5 The 'Cornetto' Trilogy

Best Installment: 'The World's End' (2013)

Not all movie trilogies follow the same story or even the same characters, and famous English director Edgar Wright was delighted to prove that with his "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy, simply known as the Cornetto trilogy. Shaun of the Dead is one of the best horror comedies about a sad London salesman seeing his life disrupted by the zombie apocalypse. Hot Fuzz is an action comedy about an overachieving police sergeant being transferred to a town full of incompetent cops while a string of murders strikes the town. Lastly, The World's End is a sci-fi comedy about five friends' pub crawl being disrupted by a world-ending alien invasion.

All Edgar Wright fans will have a different answer to the question of which installment is the best one — though The World's End's highly underrated style and sense of humor slightly give it the edge over its two predecessors. In any case, the Cornetto trilogy is one of the funniest and most original of the 21st century, bolstered by Wright's idiosyncratic, colorful, and endlessly vibrant style.

The World's End

R

Action

Comedy

Sci-Fi

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

July 18, 2013

Director

Edgar Wright

Cast

Thomas Law , Zachary Bailess , Jasper Levine , James Tarpey , Luke Bromley , Sophie Evans

Runtime

109

Writers

Simon Pegg , Edgar Wright

4 The 'How to Train Your Dragon' Trilogy

Best Installment: 'How to Train Your Dragon' (2010)

Let no one say that animated movie trilogies aimed at families are only for kids. For proof, one needn't look further than DreamWorks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon trilogy, three of the best high fantasy movies of the 2010s. They tell the story of Hiccup, a hapless young Viking from a village that hunts dragons. One day, after accidentally befriending one, he discovers that there's more to the monsters than he used to think, changing the course of his village's history forever.

What's not to love about the How to Train Your Dragon movies? The characters are fun and endearing, Hiccup being one of DreamWorks' most memorable protagonists. The world-building and fantasy elements are all excellent, from awesome dragon designs to cool magical concepts. The overarching narrative that all three films follow is as gripping for adults as it is for kids, conveying a hard-hitting and emotional tale about the world-changing power of forbidden friendship.

How to Train Your Dragon

PG

Animation

Adventure

Comedy

Family

Fantasy

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

Not available

*Availability in US

Release Date

March 26, 2010

Director

Dean DeBlois , Chris Sanders

Cast

Jay Baruchel , Gerard Butler , Craig Ferguson , America Ferrera , Jonah Hill , Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Runtime

98 minutes

Writers

Cressida Cowell , William Davies , Dean DeBlois , Chris Sanders

3 The 'Oslo' Trilogy

Best Installment: 'The Worst Person in the World' (2021)

Blockbusters are cool and all, but occasionally, cinephiles will surely crave a good arthouse trilogy to challenge their minds and move their souls. The best the 21st century has offered so far is Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier's Oslo trilogy. As opposed to telling a single narrative, each film tells a different story driven by the common theme of youth lost in the modern world. Reprise follows two friends struggling with love, depression, and their burgeoning careers as writers. Oslo, August 31st follows a day in the life of a recovering drug addict away from his treatment center. Finally, The Worst Person in the World chronicles four years in the life of a young woman navigating the turbulent search for her identity.

Each film is different tonally, in terms of narrative and in how its characters behave, but they're all just as engaging, nuanced, and marvelously made. Strung together by themes and by the leading presence of actor Anders Danielsen Lie, these incredible movies will deeply resonate with those troubled by their youth and those who remember what that confusion and inner turmoil were like.

The Worst Person in the World

R

Romance

Comedy

Drama

Release Date

July 8, 2021

Director

Joachim Trier

Cast

Renate Reinsve , Anders Danielsen Lie , Herbert Nordrum

Runtime

128

Watch on Hulu

2 The 'Planet of the Apes' Reboot Trilogy

Best Installment: 'War for the Planet of the Apes' (2017)

Back in 1968, the original Planet of the Apes revolutionized cinematic sci-fi with its goofy yet fun B-movie story and iconic ending, but it was definitely a box office hit popular enough to birth a highly prolific franchise. That franchise lay stagnant for a long time until director Rupert Wyatt brought it back to life with the outstanding Rise of the Planet of the Apes. After that, with Matt Reeves on the director's chair, the story of Caesar and his leadership of his ape brethren through a post-apocalyptic era continued.

Though Apes is one of the rare instances where a trilogy's first film is the weakest, let there be no confusion: every single installment comes close to perfection. Caesar is one of the 21st century's most interesting movie protagonists, played magnificently by motion-capture performance king Andy Serkis. Paired with three super strong scripts and two phenomenal directors, it's no wonder why this trilogy stands out as such a powerful character study with action, suspense, and sci-fi.

War for the Planet of the Apes

PG-13

Science Fiction

Action

Adventure

Drama

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

July 14, 2017

Director

Matt Reeves

Cast

Judy Greer , Steve Zahn , Mercedes de la Zerda , Max Lloyd-Jones , Woody Harrelson , Alessandro Juliani , Amiah Miller , Terry Notary , Andy Serkis , Aleks Paunovic , Ty Olsson , Devyn Dalton , Gabriel Chavarria

Runtime

140 Minutes

Writers

Matt Reeves , Mark Bomback , Rick Jaffa

1 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Best Installment: 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)

Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, an adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's legendary books about a fantastical group journeying to destroy an evil tyrant's most powerful weapon, needs no introduction. Many would call it one of the greatest movie trilogies of all time, let alone of the 21st century. It's fantasy at its finest, with some of the best world-building, most compelling characters, and most iconic moments the genre has to offer.

There's something in Jackson's trilogy for all kinds of audiences: those who like romance, those who like sweeping action scenes, those who like terrifying villains, and those who like epic fantasy with some of the most imaginative and original concepts they can imagine. The ten-hour investment (even longer if one watches the incredible extended editions) is one hundred percent worth every single second. The Lord of the Rings is the pinnacle of fantasy and probably one of the top three trilogies in cinematic history.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

PG-13

Action

Adventure

Fantasy

Where to Watch

• stream
• rent
• buy

*Availability in US

Release Date

December 17, 2003

Director

Peter Jackson

Cast

Noel Appleby , Alexandra Astin , Sean Astin , David Aston , John Bach , Sean Bean

Runtime

201 minutes

Writers

J.R.R. Tolkien , Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Peter Jackson

NEXT:The Best Movie Trilogies of All Time, According to Metacritic