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Science fiction has long stood firm as a defining pillar of cinematic excellence. The very nature of the genre encourages high-concept storytelling rife with thematic depth, visual symbolism, and compelling characters, while the technical feats necessary to realize the futuristic, otherworldly settings have made sci-fi a beacon of innovation in filmmaking. To some degree, these qualities become even more pronounced in some of the genre’s best and most beloved movie trilogies.
Like many other genres, sci-fi has seen the bulk of its extended film series and trilogies emerge over the last 50 years, between the blockbuster boom of the ‘70s and ‘80s—of which sci-fi was a trailblazing pioneer—and the current commercial dominance of franchise entertainment. As such, many of the best sci-fi trilogies also stand as action-packed thrillfests, but everything from post-apocalyptic dystopia to rollicking adventure, and even time travel comedy feature on this list.
10
The RoboCop Trilogy (1987-1993)
In many ways, the RoboCop movies illustrate both the best and worst of sci-fi cinema, as well as the highs and lows of franchise entertainment. The first film is undeniably its triumph, combining outrageous action with a contemplative thematic pulse revolving around ideas of corporate greed, the privatization of police, and the rise of the military-industry complex. It unfolds as terminally wounded police officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) is revived as a cyborg law enforcer by an immoral megacorporation.
While identified as a sci-fi action movie, Paul Verhoeven’s vision of the first film includes elements of social satire, dark comedy, Western morality, and camp superhero sensationalism. In essence, there was a sturdy platform of entertainment and commentary that subsequent movies could implement in their own way. Sadly, the two sequels were disastrous misfires, with RoboCop 2 a sloppy rehash of its predecessor, while RoboCop 3 completely mutes its effervescent action violence in a woefully misguided bid to appeal to family audiences. Off the strength of the first film alone, RoboCop is an iconic sci-fi title.
9
The Men in Black Trilogy (1997-2012)
Cleverly blending traditional ideas of sci-fi mystery with the propulsive punch of modern cop thrills, the Men in Black trilogy is, for the most part, a wonderfully enjoyable gem of blockbuster cinema. The first film especially runs with a brilliant and snappy screenplay as it follows NYPD cop James Darrell Edwards III (Will Smith) as he is recruited to MIB, a top-secret government outfit monitoring alien activity on Earth, and paired with the hard-edged veteran operative, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones).
At its best, the trilogy is exciting, comical, and attention-grabbing with its vibrant adventurous allure. Men in Black II is something of a lackluster dud punctuated by some brief moments of comic levity, but 2012’s Men in Black III marked a return to form with its time-travel spin and the refreshing new dynamic added with Josh Brolin joining the cast. While not a genre-defining masterpiece, the Men in Black trilogy is a fun and spirited procession of blockbuster energy.
8
The Bill & Ted Trilogy (1989-2020)
Science fiction is often at its best when it is at its most sophisticated, high-minded, and intellectually stimulating. But it can be a highlight for indulgent dumb fun as well, a point most wonderfully evidenced by the Bill & Ted trilogy. Defined by its insatiable appetite for ridiculousness and the iconic performances of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, its first two films follow two teenage slackers and aspiring rock musicians in their wacky and wonderful time-travel ventures.
2020’s legacy sequel, Bill & Ted Face the Music, even turned out to be a surprisingly cheerful and endearing affair that completes the trilogy and captures the wholesomely goofy and unabashedly optimistic air of the original movies with a rewarding sense of reflective tenderness. The trilogy is an easily embraced presentation of sci-fi cinema at its most irreverent and harmless, and its ability to conjure unforgettable characters and a cohort of iconic one-liners is beyond repute.
7
The Matrix Trilogy (1999-2003)
Another sci-fi trilogy that enshrined itself as a cinematic icon in part due to Keanu Reeves’s starring performance, The Matrix became a culturally defining masterpiece with the reality-bending, high-concept premise of its first film. The 1999 original follows a computer programmer and hacker as he is exposed to a shocking truth: that the world he knows is merely a simulation and, in reality, humanity is being held in static captivity as an energy source for a machine race.
The Matrix Reloaded is particularly striking with its combination of heady themes and action extravagance, while The Matrix Revolutions had its crowd-pleasing elements even if critics derided it upon release. The trilogy offers an intoxicating and propulsive delve into one of the most interesting ideas sci-fi cinema has presented: the existential notion that the world around us isn’t real. Supported by a litany of spin-off material, The Matrix trilogy marks one of the most famous titles in sci-fi history as well as a defining cultural obsession of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
6
The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy (1999-2005)
The Star Wars prequels are a fascinating beast to analyze. Upon release, they received universal derision due to their convoluted plotting, stilted dialogue, and their reliance on CGI action, which initially felt like unfortunate departures from the original movies. Over time, the trilogy has come to be accepted as a bold swing from George Lucas that expanded the universe’s lore in interesting ways while delivering a surprisingly dark arc of the power of emotional connection and the corruptibility of democracy.
The Star Wars prequels’ exploration of Anakin Skywalker’s (Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen) Jedi training and eventual turn to the dark side is a bleak tragedy for a blockbuster franchise. While elements of it remain clunky and grating, even when revisited with rose-colored glasses today, the scope it achieves as one continuous story has made it a sci-fi classic in retrospect. Its worldbuilding, action sequences, music, and character arcs are just some of the qualities that leap out when one reviews the trilogy today.
5
The Star Trek Genesis Trilogy (1982-1986)
The Genesis trilogy in Star Trek marks an exceptionally rare effort in that it unfolds within the confines of a much larger series. Including J. J. Abrams’s reboots and the ‘90s spin-off films of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the iconic television series has spawned 13 movies in total, and while each subsect has a vague continuing narrative, the original series finds a true trilogy in its second, third, and fourth films: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.
Covering the crew of the Enterprise’s clash with Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalbán), the ensuing efforts to rescue Spock (Leonard Nimoy) from beyond the grave, and the legal consequences they face for their reckless actions, the three movies do a good job of delivering one succinct story thread while featuring plenty of external plot details unique to each film as well. Even with some budgetary confines, the Genesis trilogy excels as an epic space adventure with deep and nuanced emotional stakes and a distinct ability to blend its eye-catching spectacle with resonant narrative maturity.
4
The Mad Max Trilogy (1979-1985)
While it may be best known to modern audiences for 21st-century sensations in Mad Max: Fury Road and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the origins of the Mad Max franchise present one of the greatest trilogies of any genre of the 20th century. What makes Mad Max so impressive is how it evolves. Starting as a small-budget exploitation film from Australia, it opens in a world on the brink of social collapse. After becoming a surprise international success, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior saw the trilogy expand to a full-scale post-apocalyptic wasteland, while Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome presents unrestrained excess and ambition.
Effectively developing from a gritty revenge thriller into a mythic fantasy sci-fi epic, the three Mad Max movies make for one of the most audacious trilogies cinema has ever seen. Captivating at all times, if not with its precision and mastery, then certainly with its boldness, the trilogy enthralls with its unfiltered vision of a dystopian dread. It’s further powered by its engrossing practical action carnage and commentary on resource management, environmentalism, and mankind’s appetite for destruction as well.
3
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes Trilogy (2011-2017)
Launching as a reboot and prequel that quickly spawned an immediate trilogy, and then an additional spin-off film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes provided a modern and refreshing spin on one of sci-fi’s oldest and most beloved cinematic franchises. The 2011 sci-fi gem unfolds as Caesar (Andy Serkis), an infant ape rescued from a facility where he was experimented on, is safeguarded by a scientist and begins showing signs of advanced intelligence. His existence ignites an ape uprising that upends the balance of power as humanity is decimated by the outbreak of a virus.
Anchored by groundbreaking motion-capture technology and the striking maturity of its storytelling, the trilogy goes from strength to strength through Caesar’s journey of empathy, leadership, civilization, and his futile endeavor to avoid inevitable conflict. Caesar’s story comes to a rewarding conclusion at the end of 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes. The three-film stretch presents a brilliant trilogy where every entry is a cherished gem defined by its technical mastery, storytelling prowess, and its ability to reinvent an established sci-fi premise as something pointed, timely, and distinctively modern.
2
The Back to the Future Trilogy (1985-1990)
1985’s Back to the Future is one of the defining classics of ‘80s cinema, a masterclass in adventure comedy and smart, efficient sci-fi storytelling that is utterly perfect from start to finish. Here, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) travels back in time 30 years and finds himself having to salvage his parents’ relationship—which he himself has jeopardized—while finding a way back to his own time. The blitzing blockbuster classic is a truly faultless movie that needed no sequels, spin-offs, or ensuing trilogies.
What a delight it is then that the two sequels it got didn’t serve as bland cash grabs, but actively expanded the storytelling. Back to the Future Part II explores the perils of time travel, manipulating the past, and greed, while Back to the Future Part III delivers a rollicking, swashbuckling adventure in the Old West. While there is no doubt that the original film is the trilogy’s defining masterpiece, all three films offer ravishing blockbuster thrills that are effortlessly enjoyable and can be rewatched time and time again without diminishment.
1
The Original Star Wars Trilogy (1977-1983)
The pinnacle of large-scale sci-fi spectacle, a pioneering achievement in blockbuster cinema, and one of the greatest trilogies ever made of any genre, the original Star Wars movies mark a timeless triumph of filmmaking. Taking inspiration from elements of spaghetti Western grit, Japan’s samurai movies, and the B-movie sci-fi aesthetic of the ’50s, the trilogy is a stunning amalgamation of creative styles. Here, we have the story of Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) Jedi training and his allegiance with the Rebel Alliance to stand against the tyranny of the Galactic Empire.
The original trilogy is an awe-inspiring accomplishment in every sense of film production, distribution, and enduring audience interaction. Its legacy remains enshrined through its narrative ambition, vast assembly of iconic characters, and its many unforgettable moments, all of which stand tall among the most beloved and universally admired sequences in the history of science-fiction cinema.
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Ryan Heffernan
Almontather Rassoul
