10 Movie Trilogies That Peak With Their First Chapter
Ryan Heffernan is a Senior Writer at Collider. Storytelling has been one of his interests since an early age, with his appreciation for film and television becoming a particular interest of his during his teenage years.
This passion saw Ryan graduate from the University of Canberra in 2020 with an Honours Degree in Film Production. In the years since, he has found freelance work as a videographer and editor in the Canberra region while also becoming entrenched in the city's film-making community.
In addition to cinema and writing, Ryan's other major interest is sport, with him having a particular love for Australian Rules football, Formula 1, and cricket. He also has casual interests in reading, gaming, and history.
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Peaking too soon or storming out of the gates with a sense of bravado? To a degree, the movies that launched these trilogies exist somewhere on a scale between those points. Are they their first chapters that stand as attention-grabbing beginnings to cinematic sagas that almost match their level of brilliance, or are they inspired triumphs that stand alone after sparking sequels that squander their success?
Perhaps it is better to simply ask what makes a great first chapter to a film trilogy. Regardless of the genre, it needs to introduce viewers to the story world, establish the stakes of the story at large, and ground the audience in the first phase of the characters’ journeys while still delivering a movie that is rewarding in its own right. From blockbuster fantasy and sci-fi spectacles to animated family adventures, spoof comedy, and even international crime thrills, these trilogies all find their defining strength in their first movies.
10 The 'Pirates of the Caribbean' Trilogy (2003-2007)
The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is an interesting one. There is a set trilogy of ravishing fantasy adventure flicks… and then there are another two movies, though many would understandably have forgotten about them. Even with the initial three films delivering a rousing treat of blockbuster fun, the 2003 original is a noteworthy standout of immersive excellence as it strikes the perfect balance between swashbuckling adventure, dark fantasy intrigue, romantic passion, and gorgeously-constructed action spectacle.
Every single character dynamic, tonal shift, stylistic choice, and narrative turn excels at hooking viewers deeper into the story, which revolves around a lovestruck blacksmith’s journey to rescue the governor’s daughter from a crew of undead pirates while being aided by the deceitful and nefarious Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Its two immediate sequels are underrated blockbusters and triumphs of fantasy adventure in their own right, but Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl stands tall as one of the most infectiously fun movies of the century so far, and the defining highlight of the franchise at large.
9 The 'Star Wars' Sequel Trilogy (2015-2019)
Interestingly, each of the Star Wars trilogies has a different movie that stands out as the strongest. The original saga has Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, which stands among the greatest mid-trilogy movies ever made, the prequels end on a high with Star Wars: Episode III – The Revenge of the Sith, and, while the ill-fated sequel trilogy has become a source of fierce derision for the wider franchise, it did begin with an invigorating sense of adventure and fun in the form of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens.
While it does unfold in a very similar fashion as Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, its storytelling is as assured and emotionally gratifying, its characters are brilliantly defined, and its sense of spectacle is absorbing even if not entirely original. Star Wars fans the world over were left in a state of joyous excitement for what the remainder of Disney’s trilogy would deliver, and while Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi does deserve some praise for making bold decisions, the ensuing two movies ultimately slumped as a poorly planned and shambolic continuation of what was a promising start to one of the most anticipated movie trilogies of all time.
Collider Exclusive · Star Wars Quiz
Which Force User
Are You?
Light Side · Dark Side · Or Somewhere Between
The Force is not a binary. It is a spectrum — from the serene halls of the Jedi Temple to the shadowed corridors of Sith space. Ten questions will reveal where you truly fall. The Force has always known. Now you will too.
🔵Jedi Master
🟡Padawan
🔴Sith Lord
⚫Inquisitor
⚪Grey Jedi
01
What is the Force to you? Your relationship with the Force defines everything else.
02
When you feel strong emotions — anger, grief, love — what do you do? The Jedi suppress. The Sith feed. Others choose differently.
03
The Jedi Council gives you an order you disagree with. You: How you handle authority reveals your alignment.
04
You are offered forbidden knowledge that could give you enormous power. The cost is crossing a moral line. You: The dark side's pull is never more than a choice away.
05
Your approach to training and learning is: A student's habits become a master's character.
06
In a duel, your lightsaber fighting style reflects: Combat is the purest expression of a Force user's philosophy.
07
A defeated enemy lies at your feet, powerless. You: Mercy — or its absence — is the truest test of alignment.
08
The Jedi Code forbids attachment. Your honest view on love and bonds: The source of the greatest falls in the galaxy.
09
Why do you use the Force at all? What's the point? Purpose is the difference between a knight and a weapon.
10
At the final moment — light side or dark side pulling at you — what wins? In the end, every Force user faces this moment. What does yours look like?
Your Alignment Has Been Determined Your Place in the Force
The scores below reveal how the Force sees you. Your highest number is your true alignment. Read on to understand what that means — and what it will cost you.
🔵 Jedi Master
🟡 Padawan
🔴 Sith Lord
⚫ Inquisitor
⚪ Grey Jedi
Disciplined, compassionate, and deeply attuned to the living Force, you have walked the path long enough to understand its demands — and accept them. You lead not through authority alone, but through example. You have felt the pull of the dark side and chosen otherwise, every time. That is not certainty. That is courage.
You are earnest, powerful, and brimming with potential — and you know it, which is both your greatest asset and your most dangerous flaw. You act before you think, trust your gut over your training, and sometimes confuse impatience for bravery. The Masters see something in you, though. The question isn't whether you have what it takes — it's whether you'll be patient enough to find out.
You are not simply dangerous — you are certain, and that is worse. You have decided what the galaxy needs, and you have decided you are the one to deliver it. Your power is genuine and formidable, earned through sacrifice that would have broken lesser beings. But examine your victories carefully. Every Sith believed their cause was righteous. The dark side's cruelest trick is that it agrees with you.
You were forged in fire and reshaped by those who found you at your lowest. You serve, because service gave you structure when you had none. Your allegiance is not to an ideology — it is to survival and to the master who gave you purpose. But there is something buried beneath the conditioning. The Jedi you hunt? You recognize them. Because you remember what it felt like before the choice was taken from you.
You have looked at the Jedi Code and the Sith Code and found both of them incomplete. You walk the line not out of indecision but out of conviction — you genuinely believe both extremes miss something essential. The Jedi don't fully trust you. The Sith think you're wasting your potential. They're both partially right. But so are you.
8 The 'RoboCop' Trilogy (1987-1993)
One of the more remarkable and enduring titles of ‘80s action excess, RoboCop finds an intriguing balance between bombastic bravado and the social commentary of dystopian sci-fi. Set in a futuristic Detroit, it unfolds as a terminally injured police officer on the brink of death is repurposed by the evil Omni Consumer Products corporation when they turn him into a prototypical cyborg crime fighter.
The film was an instant hit that wowed audiences with its hypnotizing appetite for carnage while also impressing critics with its mindfulness towards issues of corporate greed and consumerism, the privatization of the police force, and the impact of media desensitization. It is little surprise that RoboCop spawned two sequels to spearhead a trilogy, but both of its follow-ups faltered on every level to leave the 1987 original as the sole highlight of the trilogy and, if the ill-fated 2014 reboot is considered as well, then the only triumph of the franchise at large.
7 'The Naked Gun' Trilogy (1988-1994)
Spawned from the short-lived though underappreciated 1982 television series Police Squad!, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! delivered a hit of crime parody fun from the spoof comedy geniuses behind 1980’s Airplane!. Operating with the same absurdist style, it soars off the back of its laugh-a-minute lunacy that implements everything from inspired ridiculousness to slapstick hysterics to conjure hilarity as it takes aim at the hard-edged detective drama of the ‘70s and ‘80s.
Fresh, fiery, and frenetic, the first of The Naked Gun movies occupies an air of comedy exuberance that is as captivating as it is uproarious, and while the two sequels maintain this drive for non-stop laughs, their formulaic platform does show through. While it would be a stretch to call them stale, the trilogy’s middle and climactic chapters do also lack some of the energized originality that made the first film such a treat, making 1988’s The Naked Gun a clear peak of the series as well as one of the defining comedies of the decade.
6 The 'Austin Powers' Trilogy (1997-2002)
Not dissimilar to the progression of The Naked Gun trilogy, the Austin Powers series started with a sense of inspired comedic fervor that gradually became repetitive as it went on. Lampooning spy action blockbusters, with a particular emphasis placed on the early James Bond films, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery offers intoxicating fun as it follows the titular Austin Powers (Mike Myers), a cryogenically frozen British spy from the ‘60s who is recommissioned when his nemesis, Dr. Evil (Myers again), returns from outer space.
As ludicrous as its story is, International Man of Mystery does unfurl with a tight narrative focus that serves as the perfect platform for all its outlandish gags, a focus that the succeeding movies in the Austin Powers trilogy sometimes lack. Everything from the sight gags and anachronistic send-ups to the dynamic between Powers and his co-star—in this case, Elizabeth Hurley as Vanessa Kensington—and even the narrative itself works a charm in International Man of Mystery whereas, in the ensuing movies, it becomes cyclical and loses some of its comedic punch and polish.
5 The Millennium Trilogy (2009)
Released two years before David Fincher’s Americanized adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s crime novel, 2009’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a moody descent into Nordic noir intrigue accentuated by an arresting sense of slow-burn tension and the boldness to explore the depths of human depravity. Not only did the Swedish crime thriller deliver one of the genre’s greatest movies of the 21st century so far, it was also followed by two sequels released in the same year that adapted all of Larsson’s books in the series.
The trilogy as a whole is a triumph of international thriller cinema, a richly atmospheric journey of mystery suspense, human evil, and power and corruption, but The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo thrives as it introduces viewers to the callous, icy brutality of the story world with striking perfection. It is the noteworthy standout of what is an exceptional crime trilogy, one that benefits from its concentrated story arc and the chemistry between stars Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist, which isn’t featured as prolifically in the two follow-up films.
4 'How to Train Your Dragon' (2010-2019)
Animated cinema has produced some of the best and most consistent trilogies audiences have ever been treated to, from groundbreaking triumphs like Toy Story to modern-day sensations like The Lego Movie saga. Few trilogies in the animated format have been as unwavering in their quality as the How to Train Your Dragon movies, but even that has a notable high point which comes in the form of its mesmerizing original film.
The trilogy as a whole focuses on the bond between a young Viking leader and his dragon that shifts the social values of the land. The first movie revels in the charm and fun of seeing Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) defy Berk’s culture of hostility and dragon hunting in what is a heartwarming tale of friendship, camaraderie, and coming-of-age self-discovery. Complimented by the majesty of the animation—a quality that is consistent throughout the whole trilogy, to be fair—and the intimacy of its more focused, small-scale story, How to Train Your Dragon emerges as the strongest chapter of what is arguably the best animated trilogy of all time.
3 The 'Jurassic Park' Trilogy (1993-2001)
Even within a filmography as illustrious and decorated as Steven Spielberg’s, Jurassic Park has emerged as a defining triumph, a masterpiece of blockbuster spectacle that combines its groundbreaking achievements of visual effects with a beautifully orchestrated story of adventure and excitement. To be fair, despite what their reputations may suggest, neither of its sequels are terrible movies, but they fall well short of the first film with regard to cultural impact, storytelling prowess, and technical excellence.
Based on Michael Crichton’s novel of the same name, it unfolds as a small cohort of special guests are invited to a soon-to-be-opened amusement park where scientists have cloned dinosaurs. However, a power failure places the lives of everyone in danger and calls into question the morality and purpose of the achievement. Littered with iconic moments, Jurassic Park isn’t just the best movie in the trilogy, it stands tall among Hollywood’s most beloved and distinguished accomplishments as well.
2 The 'Back to the Future' Trilogy (1985-1990)
One of the most beloved movie trilogies of all time, Back to the Future epitomizes the essence of ‘80s adventure fun while incorporating elements of time-travel sci-fi, uplifting romance, and plenty of comical fun. In many respects, the two sequels could be viewed as the more extravagant stories as they venture to the exciting future of 2015 and the lawlessness of the Old West respectively, but in terms of storytelling perfection, it is the 1985 original that delivers the best movie of the trilogy.
Soaring off the back of its screenplay, Back to the Future delivers a structurally perfect story that balances high-stakes thrills against meaningful character development while maintaining flawless pacing and never once losing any of its effortless charm. Furthermore, the time-travel paradoxes that become somewhat convoluted in the sequels are handled with impeccable clarity and logic in the ’85 original.
1 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy (2001-2003)
Marking one of the most breathtaking feats in cinematic history, The Lord of the Rings trilogy at large is ceaselessly brilliant across the entirety of its 9+ hour runtime (11+ hours for the extended editions). The adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s epic books captures the essence of movie magic, immersing viewers in the realm of Middle Earth as it follows Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and the fellowship in their journey to Mordor to destroy the ring of power and defeat the evil of Sauron.
The Two Towers features what is arguably the greatest battle cinema has ever seen, and The Return of the King delivers a perfect conclusion to the epic, overarching story, and yet The Fellowship of the Ring is the trilogy’s magnum opus. Its elaborate and engrossing world-building works beautifully in tandem with its enrapturing air of warmth, the air of eye-opening grandeur, and the charm of the fellowship adventuring as one tight-knit unit. The trilogy as a whole is packed with awe-inspiring sequences that stand among the greatest moments of 21st century cinema, but The Fellowship of the Ring is a divine highlight amid a trilogy of utter perfection.
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