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The Lord of the Ringsis the gold standard for cinematic trilogies because every single installment is a masterpiece. It’s possible to watch all three films in succession and feel as if it is a single, comprehensive experience; similar to how J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the novels as a single entry and later divided them into three separate installments, Peter Jackson shot the entire trilogy back-to-back in one of the most ambitious movements in cinematic history. The fact that Jackson was able to be incredibly faithful to the source material, cast actors that perfectly fit within the descriptions of the characters, created a grounded world filled with practical effects, and weathered a difficult period in cinematic history to create a true blockbuster success is something that likely will never be accomplished again. Desire to capture the same magic have been fruitless; The Hobbit trilogy is something Jackson personally admitted to be disappointed with, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues to shed viewers with each season. While many have pinned their hopes on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum as a potential redemption moment for the franchise, Andy Serkis’ track record as a director suggests otherwise.
Creating a great sequel is very challenging, and it's even harder to nail all three installments in a trilogy. There are many trilogies that are outdone by one bad entry; Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 are among the best superhero films ever made, but Spider-Man 3 was such a colossal disappointment that it tarnished the trilogy’s legacy. There’s also cases in which only one installment in a series is the standout; all three Back to the Future films are entertaining, but only the original is an all-time masterpiece. Perhaps the most disappointing are trilogies that have never been completed; although Guillermo del Toro delivered two wonderful Hellboy films, he sadly never got to end his franchise because it was rebooted instead with a different creative team. The best bet of a franchise that could potentially top The Lord of the Rings is Dune, as the first two installments in Denis Villeneuve's trilogy are instant classics, and Dune: Part Three is among the most anticipated films of 2026. Otherwise, there are only a few other cinematic sagas that come close to touching the genius of Jackson and The Lord of the Rings.
‘The Godfather’ Trilogy (1972-1990)
The Godfatherbeing one of the greatest trilogies of all-time is a debate among cinephiles that will likely last forever based on how fans feel about the conclusion of the series. It goes without saying that The Godfather is one of the most important films ever made, and is responsible for turning a trashy gangster novel into a true American epic that has influenced generations of filmmakers; The Godfather: Part II is the perfect movie sequel because it closes out the story by exploring the younger days of Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) as well as the future of his son Michael (Al Pacino), showcasing the insidious power of corruption and the lie inherent to the American dream. Both films would be required viewing in any film class, and it is the only franchise in which two entries have won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Whether or not The Godfather can be considered a great trilogy is determined by the amount of forgiveness granted to The Godfather: Part III, which Francis Ford Coppola returned to direct when he was in financial strife. It’s certainly not a film that destroys any good will towards the first two entries, and isn’t a disappointment on the level of X-Men: The Last Stand or Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. However, the fact that the film is merely “good” when the other two are essential does complicate its legacy, especially when considering that the series already felt complete. Although the director’s cut, retitled The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone is a lot better than the version that was released in theaters, it still has a number of issues, including the underdeveloped storyline involving the Catholic Church and the terrible performance by Sofia Coppola. Even for those that consider the first two entries in The Godfather trilogy to be better than all three parts of The Lord of the Rings, no one would argue that The Godfather: Part III isn’t the worst of the six films by a significant margin.
The Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy (1977-1983)
Star Warsis the most famous and successful franchise of all-time, and the original trilogy is why. There have been a number of great Star Wars projects released since 1983, such as Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Andor, but the first three films changed Hollywood’s approach to blockbuster filmmaking and provided the perfect hero’s journey. They aren’t just films that hold up incredibly well today, but stand out as completely unique entries. One criticism that could be made of The Lord of the Rings is that they are such a totality that it requires watching all three in a row to have a complete experience. Comparatively, each of the original Star Wars films have distinguishing qualities based on their directors; Star Wars had the hope and humanity of George Lucas, The Empire Strikes Back had the darkness and maturity of Irvin Kershner, and Return of the Jedi had the energetic optimism of Richard Marquand.
A debate between Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings is one that all movie nerds have had at one point in their lives, as it even made for a particularly memorable exchange in Clerks II in regards to the morality of certain characters. The Lord of the Rings might have the slight edge because of some of the complaints that can be lodged at the original Star Wars films based on their Special Editions. Due to the fact that the original theatrical cuts of the Star Wars films are not currently available through any legal means, the only versions available include all the strange edits that Lucas made, which added unnecessary CGI and altered dialogue. While Disney plans to re-release all three films in theaters in 2027 for the franchise’s 50th anniversary, it’s not possible to fairly judge the series when it includes goofy moments like Greedo shooting first, CGI aliens in Jabba’s palace, and the insertion of Darth Vader’s scream in Return of the Jedi. Although both Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings had disappointing prequel trilogies, Jackson had yet to go back and change anything in his original films.
The ‘Before’ Trilogy (1995-2013)
Before Sunriseisn’t the type of film that would be expected to have launched a massive franchise, given that it was a hit independent title released before Richard Linklater became a household name. The ambiguity as to whether Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) ended up together is part of what makes Before Sunrise so magical, and Linklater was tempting fate when he announced plans to do a sequel set nine years later. As it turned out, Before Sunset was an even more mature film that showed the complications of returning to a long lost love, questioning themes of fate, loyalty, fantasy, and intimacy. That the film was so miraculously well-received made it even more impressive that Before Midnight became such a beautiful end to the series when it was released nine years after that. Linklater was able to look at the realities of an aging marriage without any rose-tinted optimism, yet found an underlying compassion between the characters that showed why they were so endearing in the first place.
The Before trilogy is easily the most unique trilogy ever madebecause it is not a genre story that relies on suspense, setpieces, or mythology. They are relatable stories that exist in a very specific place in time, and benefitted from the fact that Linklater, Delpy, and Hawke matured with age. Linklater would not have been equipped to make a film as devastating and complex as Before Midnight in 1995 because he didn’t have the appropriate life experience needed to make it feel realistic; similarly, Before Sunrise wouldn’t have worked as well had Linklater made it more recently because the film perfectly embodies what it is like to fall in love during a young age. Although Linklater has made projects that feel like companion pieces, such as the animated film Waking Life and the similarly ambitious Boyhood, the Before series is the masterpiece that he will always be best known for. As for whether or not it is better than The Lord of the Rings, the answer lies in how much the viewer values originality and collaboration. The Lord of the Rings is an adaptation of what may be the greatest book ever written, and was shot with a tremendous amount of planning. Conversely, the Before series was not pre-planned, and is credited to Linklater’s friendship with both Hawke and Delpy. The only potential wrinkle is if Linklater ever decides to make a fourth film, which remains a possibility.
