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3 Great Movie Trilogies That Give The Lord of the Rings a Run for Its Money
Collider film writer Liam Gaughan has published a list ranking three movie trilogies he considers rivals to Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings, which he holds up as the gold standard due to its consistent quality across all three films, faithful adaptation and practical effects. The piece argues that few franchises manage to sustain excellence across three instalments, citing examples such as Spider-Man 3 undermining an otherwise strong trilogy, Back to the Future relying on only one standout film, and Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy series being left unfinished after a reboot.
Gaughan names Denis Villeneuve's Dune franchise as the strongest current contender to eventually surpass The Lord of the Rings, given the acclaim for its first two parts ahead of the anticipated Dune: Part Three in 2026. Among the trilogies he ranks as already comparable, The Godfather (1972-1990) features prominently, with Francis Ford Coppola's first two films singled out for their depth and influence, particularly The Godfather Part II's dual narrative following Vito and Michael Corleone.
In short
- Collider ranks three trilogies rivalling The Lord of the Rings.
- The Godfather's first two films praised as near-perfect cinema.
- Dune tipped as a future rival ahead of Part Three in 2026.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The argument for ranking trilogies like The Godfather and potentially Dune as rivals to The Lord of the Rings emphasises artistic achievement and critical legacy. The Godfather films represent unparalleled craftsmanship in narrative construction and character development, with The Godfather Part II widely regarded as a masterpiece that equals or exceeds its predecessor—an extraordinarily rare feat in cinema. Dune's technical sophistication, cultural impact and ambitious scope across recent instalments suggest it may eventually achieve genuine parity with Jackson's achievement.
The case against
The Lord of the Rings maintains its status as the exemplary trilogy because it achieved something distinctively difficult: three consecutive films of consistent critical and popular acclaim, each treated as a major cultural event. The trilogy successfully translated an impossibly dense literary work with fidelity whilst pioneering practical effects integration at an unprecedented scale, culminating in The Return of the King winning 11 Academy Awards—a finale that matched rather than diminished the series. Few other trilogies match this combination of sustained excellence, adaptive fidelity and the rare achievement of a third instalment that felt like a worthy conclusion rather than a commercial obligation.
Explained simply
Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy is widely regarded as one of cinema's finest achievements, praised for maintaining quality across all three films whilst faithfully adapting the source material using practical effects. Few film franchises manage to sustain such consistent excellence throughout all three instalments.
The Godfather trilogy, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is frequently cited as an example of a successful trilogy, particularly for the second film's narrative following different generations of the Corleone family. Denis Villeneuve's recent Dune films have received strong critical reception for their first two parts.
The challenge of creating successful trilogies reflects something genuinely difficult in cinema. Most film series either achieve their peak with an early instalment or struggle to maintain quality throughout, making trilogies that sustain excellence across all three films relatively uncommon.
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