The Greatest Movie Trilogies Of All Time

The logline for 1981's "Evil Dead" might seem like well-trod ground for '80s slashers. Ashley "Ash" Williams (Bruce Campbell) and his friends head to a cabin in the woods, only to cause a demonic uprising after finding the Necronomicon and (unwisely) reading it aloud. But in spite of surface appearances, this is no paint-by-numbers slasher. Ash is far more of a fighter than anyone Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees ever hunted, with Bruce Campbell's hilarious, high-energy performance making him one of the best horror protagonists of all time.

This delightful gorefest got two sequels. "Evil Dead II" continues the story by essentially retelling it, only with more of the horror-comedy thrills fans had already come to expect. But director Sam Rami veered into a new direction for third installment "Army of Darkness," where Ash finds himself in a medieval fantasy, searching for the Necronomicon to get back home. It's a jarring third act, but Campbell's dependably badass performance is more than enough of a reason to give it a watch. Campbell and Raimi are a tour de force throughout all three campy, gory entrants into the greatest cult classic trilogy in horror history.

At the time Marvel was casting for "The Avengers," Chris Evans wasn't necessarily an obvious choice for the role of Steve Rogers aka Captain America. His best roles prior to "Captain America" were as bad guys ("Scott Pilgrim vs. the World") or meatheads ("Not Another Teen Movie"). He wasn't a total stranger to playing superheroes, but few would consider his turn as the Human Torch in Fox's "Fantastic Four" movies a point in his favor.

But when Marvel's Captain America films came out, Evans was Steve Rogers. His performance is the best part of "The First Avenger," showcasing the character's World War II-era origins. This is followed by "The Winter Soldier," in which his old pal Bucky returns as a brainwashed Hydra assassin, and "Civil War," in which international collateral damage control turns friendships into rivalries, both of which represent blockbuster cinema at its finest.

It's not easy playing characters who could come across as too perfect. The writers keep things fresh not by giving Rogers flaws to overcome, but by putting obstacles in the character's path that challenge him, and us, to rethink the nature of patriotism and what it means to be a hero. The result is surprising: "Captain America" makes it cool to be truly, wholesomely good.

You might also know it as the "Blood and Ice Cream" trilogy, or simply as "The Cornetto" trilogy. Still not ringing any bells? Don't be too hard on yourself. The trilogy isn't named after characters or overarching plots, because there is are none. "Shaun of the Dead" is about two immature best buddies who have to lead their friends to safety when a zombie virus breaks out in London. "Hot Fuzz" follows a no-nonsense London cop who uncovers a criminal conspiracy in a small English town with the help of a bumbling local constable. In "The World's End," old friends reunite for an epic pub crawl, only to find themselves in the middle of an alien invasion. What do you call a spiritual (but not literal) trilogy like this? As a joke, the creators made sure to include a specific brand of ice cream cones in each film and just named the whole thing after those.

But a dessert brand isn't the only thing these movies have in common. There's also brilliantly inventive direction from Edgar Wright, charming performances from twin leads Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (altogether one of film history's greatest director-actor teams), as well as huge laughs, peerless writing, and heartfelt themes that are consistently explored with disarming power. They might be narratively disconnected, but each of these films ranks among the most lovingly crafted comedies ever made. And that's more than enough.

Like the "Three Flavors Cornetto" trilogy, there's no central plot that links the three films in the "Dollars" trilogy (also known as the "Man With No Name" trilogy). These spaghetti westerns, helmed by Italian director Sergio Leone, are instead named after the Man With No Name, played by Clint Eastwood in all his squinty-eyed, no-nonsense glory.

Each film features this nameless, poncho-wearing antihero of few words practicing vigilante justice throughout the sand-blasted Old West of the 19th century, when the only law enforcement around was whoever had the quickest draw.

In 1964's "A Fistful of Dollars," the Man With No Name enters a town split by corruption and greed, and plays the two rival families in charge against each other. In 1965's "For A Few Dollars More," the Man teams up with a bounty hunter to track down a Mexican outlaw. And in 1966's "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," the Man (the titular "Good") teams up with a rival (the "Ugly") to race a vicious criminal (the "Bad") to find buried treasure in a remote cemetery.

Other than the Man himself, the setting, and certain themes, the main thing linking these distinct chapters is the quality of Sergio Leone's work. All three rank among the finest westerns ever produced (the latter is considered one of the greatest films ever made, period, independent of the genre). Maybe westerns themselves declined in popularity after this because these three simply couldn't be topped.

The three movies in "The Dark Knight" trilogy might be stylistically inconsistent, but that's a feature, not a bug. It means each film is a standalone work of art with a distinct visual style that matches appropriately dark themes of fear, chaos, and pain. "Batman Begins" is rough around the edges to reflect the origins of the character. Bruce Wayne is inventing Batman as he goes along: Making mistakes, suffering, and learning what works. The two sequels are more polished because by then, both Christian Bale's Batman and director Christopher Nolan are more confident in their vision.

"The Dark Knight" is the trilogy's crown jewel as one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. Heath Ledger's Joker arguably outshines the rest of the cast, but he's far from the only thing here that works. And while "The Dark Knight Rises" doesn't quite live up to the standard set by its predecessor, it has more than enough energy, heart, and bombast to work.

Never before have movies treated the Batman mythos not just with respect, but as literary texts in their own right. By taking the material seriously and covering everything with grit and shadows rather than campy, mind-numbing action, these movies turn a story we're all familiar with into something fresh, engaging, and truly unforgettable.

In "The Fellowship of the Ring," nine companions set off to destroy Sauron by casting his One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom, where it was forged. In "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King," Frodo, Sam, and Gollum continue their journey to Mordor while Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin rally the free peoples of Middle Earth for the epic battle to come.

You could make the argument that it's cheating to include movies based on someone else's story, especially if the first two parts are clearly the beginning and middle chapters of a larger tale and not complete stories on their own. Our counter-argument would be this: The well-documented difficulties of adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's epic, massive, and labyrinthine "Lord of the Rings" books for the screen more than offset the convenience of having the story plotted out beforehand.

And even if that wasn't the case, Peter Jackson's impeccably cast, brilliantly acted series is too much of a masterpiece to ignore. It's filled with some of the greatest battle scenes ever filmed, breathtaking cinematography, and set to one of Hollywood's greatest musical scores by Howard Shore. Each movie tops the last and holds up incredibly well. But why are you taking our word for it? You're overdue for a rewatch.