Best Movie Trilogies

With this summer seeing a rash of sequels and trilogies (Spider-Man, Shrek, Pirates of the Carribean, Rush Hour, Bourne series, Die Hard, Harry Potter, and others...I'm sure), I've decided to give a list of my favorite movie trilogies.

Here are the rules for inclusion: 1) I must have seen all 3 movies (sorry Godfather), 2) There can only be 3 movies (a true trilogy at time of posting...sorry franchises)

Criteria for grading: 1) Enjoyment/entertainment, 2) Continued character development, 3) Story elements are consistent, 4) Personal opinion....Basically it all amounts to the desire to watch all 3 back-to-back-to-back.

With all of that said heres the list (in reverse order...of course):

5) Terminator - The story of the original was excellent with good action. The second had amazing special effects and a great action. The third was very entertaining despite being panned by critics. It is an interesting way of doing a trilogy, same characters (not necessarily actors), same story, but 3 different eras. All entertaining and worth watching on their own, but all 3 together tells the story. (Personally, I want a 4th actually set in the future during the war, Arnold not required).

4) Indiana Jones - How can this not be on any trilogy list? The title character is quite possibly the coolest action/adventure movie character ever. The first movie is simply awesome. The second veers a little, but is still entertaining. And the third is arguably the best of the trilogy. Pure fun and enjoyment. The 4th film being filmed this summer should be excellent as well.

3) Star Wars Prequel trilogy - Two things stand in the way of this being the best movie trilogy of all time. Episode I and....well, I'll get to the other thing. Episode I was really pretty bad. However, Episode II was super-fun and a good flick. Episode III is simply one of the greatest films of all time. I can watch it any time and over and over. Plus the desire to watch these films in order over time is often overwhelming.

2) Lord of the Rings - Its hard to put these films second, but the length is the main deterent. As much as I enjoy the LotR, each film clocking in over 3 hours (or nearly 4 hours for extended edition) it is tough to justify watching them frequently or in order. On the positive side, of all the trilogies, these movies tell the most coherent story. Each one tells its episode (as given by the title of the film), but it is not justified until the end. Possibly the most well done and extravagant movie trilogy ever.

And the best movie trilogy of all time....

1) Star Wars - The other reason that the prequel trilogy can't be number one. It contains some of the most memorable characters of film (Darth Vader, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2, Yoda etc. etc. etc.). The story runs throughout all three movies and is furthered in each movie. Yet, each film could be viewed as a stand alone. Again, watching all three in a row should be done by all fans of the movies. Simply put, this is the best story, the best characters, and the best movie trilogy!

Honorable Mentions: Back to the Future, Spider-Man, the Matrix, X-Men, Die Hard, Predator

I hope you enjoyed. Feel free to comment if you disagree, or would like to list your top 5. That's all for now, but stay tuned for my post about sequels.