Although the restrictions on the Covid lockdown have been lifted a little, we are all looking for ways to fill our time which means now is a perfect time to share my top ten trilogies.

As with all my top tens, I only include films that I have seen so if they are any great trilogies that I have missed let me know in the comments and I’ll add them to my watchlist.

#20 Cars #19 Star Wars – Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith #18 The Hobbit, Desolation of Smaug, Battle of the Five Armies #17 Hotel Transylvania #16 Pitch Perfect #15 Hannibal, Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs #14 Back to the Future #13 High School Musical #12 Men In Black #11 Bridget Jones’ Diary

#10 Unbreakable / Split / Glass

The Unbreakable Trilogy (also known as the Eastrail 177 trilogy) is a series of psychological thrillers with a superhero twist from director M. Night Shyamalan and featuring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson and James McAvoy.

Whilst I enjoy each one in their own right, my favourite of the three has to be Split if only for McAvoy’s captivating performances.

#9 The Matrix

Written and directed by the Wachowskis, The Matrix is a mind-bending sci-fi action series that questions reality as we know it as those who have disconnected from the Matrix fight to save humanity from the artificial intelligence that has entrapped the human race.

This trilogy won’t be allowed on here much longer with a fourth film due for release in 2021 – fourteen years after what we last saw Neo and Agent Smith but for now I’m happy for it to sit here within my top ten.

#8 Star Wars – New Hope / Empire Strikes Back / Return of the Jedi

I know, I know! A lot of you aren’t going to agree with this being so low but if you consider that I hated the Star Wars films until very recently, I think it says a lot about my new found appreciation for the franchise that this even sits within my top ten. And considering I’ve probably pissed a lot of you off already, I think now’s a good a time as any to declare that I can’t stand Yoda.

#7 Star Wars – Force Awakens / Last Jedi / Rise of Skywalker

Again, many of you are going to disagree with me on this one but these are the films that made me like the Star Wars franchise, if it wasn’t for this sequel trilogy I don’t the others would have made it onto my list.

Chapters VII – IX follows young orphan Rey as she learns the ways of the force under Luke and Leia and confronts Kylo Ren (Leia and Han Solo’s son) who has fallen to the dark side and the will of Supreme Leader Snoke.

#6 Shaun of the Dead / Hot Fuzz / The World’s End

Not a trilogy in the traditional sense but these three comedy films from Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost make up the ‘Three Flavours Trilogy’ or ‘The Cornetto Trilogy’, something that originally started out as a joke cure for a hangover but evolved to be central to the overall theme of each film. Shaun of the Dead is Strawberry, signified by the blood and gore of the zombie genre, Hot Fuzz is the original Blue cornetto, signified by the police force uniforms and The World’s End is mint choc chip, signified by the ‘little green men’.

Okay so I have a bit of a confession to make, I haven’t actually seen The World’s End but the brilliance and cult classic status of the first two films is enough to justify this trilogies position in my list.

#5 John Wick

The simple story of a retired hitman who seeks vengence following the murder of his dog and the theft of his car was a overwhelming success and catapulted Keanu Reeves back into the Hollywood limelight. Chock full of brilliant action and fight sequences, these films are pure unadulterated entertainment.

With a fourth film has been announced for release in 2022, as well as a spin off film Ballerina and a TV prequel series based on The Continental, this trilogy will soon become a full blown franchise, so let’s enjoy this as a simple trilogy whilst we still can.

#4 Star Trek / Into Darkness / Beyond

Chris Pine dons the iconic yellow Captain’s jersey in these sci-fi action films, starring alongside Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana. As with the Star Wars Sequels, I was not particularly enamored with the Star Trek franchise until director J J Abrams worked his magic with the Star Trek reboot.

#3 Batman Begins / The Dark Knight / The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy is a staple in every comic book fans movie collection, his dark and gritty interpretation features Christian Bale as, arguably, the best Batman/Bruce Wayne and some great villains including Heath Ledger’s iconic Joker.

#2 Planet of the Apes – Rise / Dawn / War

The Planet of the Apes reboot series tells the story of Ceasar, an infant ape who’s cognition is genetically enhanced. After living happily with his owner for much of his adolescent life, unforeseen events lead to an uprising that changes the face of the planet forever.

I absolutely love this trilogy, from the brilliant storyline to the amazing digital effects it totally delivers, each film gets better and better.

#1 LotR – Fellowship of the Ring / Two Towers / Return of the King

Based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, this fantasy epic from Peter Jackson tells the story of Frodo and the fellowship as they embark on a quest to destroy the One Ring and rid Middle Earth of its creator, the Dark Lord Sauron.

Let’s be honest, this was always going to be in my top spot, I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve watched these, without a doubt my absolute favourite trilogy of all time.

So there you have it, my favourite trilogies. Do you agree with my ranking? Let me know if I’ve missed any great trilogies, I’ll add them to my watchlist.