The Seven Best Film Trilogies

7: Star Wars: Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), The Return of the Jedi (1983)
Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
In Seven (or more) Words: I don't fully appreciate the view of intergalactic relations gone haywire, but one cannot dismiss the spectacle each of these films enforce, all through the infinite mind of George Lucas.
The Best: The Empire Strikes Back: The daddy of all six Star Wars films.

6: Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989)
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen and John Rhys Davies
In Seven (or more) Words: Indy whips the action genre back into shape, with Spielberg and Lucas setting up the geek dream of what it's like to be an archaeologist (there's probably a lot more paper work).
The Best: The Temple of Doom: Indy goes dark, with Jonathan Ke Quan (of The Goonies fame) as the scene stealing sidekick.

5: Toy Story: Toy Story (1995), Toy Story 2 (1999), Toy Story 3 (2010)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Don Rickles
In Seven (or more) Words: Previously endorsed in my 'Pixar List', as one of the greatest trilogies of all time, Toy Story manages to crackle the imagination of every kid (young and old) on planet earth.
The Best: Toy Story 3: Never has there been a greater third entry to a trilogy.

4: Batman: Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Starring: Christian Bale, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine
In Seven (or more) Words: Christopher Nolan is perhaps the Akira Kurosawa of his generation, invariably revolutionising cinema with every picture he gifts us. Comic book films conjoin with a twisted reality of heroes and villains.
The Best: The Dark Knight: Heat in Gotham. Heath Ledger won a posthumous Oscar for his exhilarating ride as the Joker. How about a magic trick? He gave us one with a beautifully sadistic performance in the greatest superhero film ever made.

3: The Godfather: The Godfather Part 1 (1972), The Godfather Part 2 (1974), The Godfather Part 3 (1990)
Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and Diane Keaton
In Seven (or more) Words: Shakespearean in style, this Gangster tragedy, exploring the rise and fall of the Corleone family, is one of Cinema's most epic sagas. Acting and Direction have never syncopated so magnificently, and Nino Rota's dark, looming score underpins the tribulations of the Mafia perfectly. If it wasn't for Part 3 failing to encapsulate the vision of the previous films, this would be the greatest trilogy ever made.
The Best: The Godfather Part 1: Many say Part 2 is superior, but as an acting lesson, Part 1 is of a higher calibre, due to Brando and Pacino in particular, implying a distinctive range in subtlety.

2: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), The Return of the King (2003)
Starring: Elijah Wood, Sir Ian McKellen and Viggo Mortensen
In Seven (or more) Words: To quote Andy Serkis: 'Frustrated boy loses ring'. That and a lot more from the greatest ever fantasy epic.
The Best: The Two Towers: A benchmark in how to create battle scenes, Peter Jackson made the unfilmable, well, filmable. The Battle of Helms Deep remains one of the great set pieces committed to screen.

1: Apu: Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956) and The World of Apu (1959)
Starring: Kanu Banerjee and Karuna Banerjee
In Seven (or more) Words: Satyajit Ray is one of the greatest Directors to have ever lived. Mostly down to these sets of films. A personal journey into life in rural Bengal and a coming-of-age story. With an amateur cast and crew, Ray produced a milestone of Indian cinema. It'll make the most stony of men laugh, cry and appreciate life. Seek it out!
The Best: Pather Panchali: It received worldwide acclaim and influenced many, including Kurosawa, Scorsese and Attenborough. With a heartbreaking ending, Ray achieved magic.

The Next Article is... The Seven Best Matthew McConaughey Performances