7 Greatest Fantasy Movie Trilogies of All Time

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures Published Jul 20, 2026, 4:49 PM EDT Diego Pineda has been a devout storyteller his whole life. He has self-published a fantasy novel and a book of short stories, and is actively working on publishing his second novel. A lifelong fan of watching movies and talking about them endlessly, he writes reviews and analyses on his Instagram page dedicated to cinema, and occasionally on his blog. His favorite filmmakers are Andrei Tarkovsky and Charlie Chaplin. He loves modern Mexican cinema and thinks it's tragically underappreciated. Other interests of Diego's include reading, gaming, roller coasters, writing reviews on his Letterboxd account (username: DPP_reviews), and going down rabbit holes of whatever topic he's interested in at any given point. Sign in to your Collider account It's difficult enough to make a fantasy movie that's genuinely great, but to make three? That's the sort of feat that only the greats are capable of achieving. Throughout the years, many movie franchises have aged like fine wine, including seven fantasy trilogies that can easily be counted among the best of their respective era. Whether they're epic fantasy, animated fantasy, horror fantasy, or any other sort of subgenre or category imaginable, they're all proof that it's perfectly possible to make a fantasy film trilogy that stands the test of time. It can be something as imperfect-yet-still-phenomenal as Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy, or something as nearly-faultless as George Lucas' original Star Wars trilogy. Whatever the case, these are all among the most iconic and widely beloved movie trilogies ever made, regardless of genre. The fact that they're fantasy only makes them all the more special to fans of the genre. Magical, full of enrapturing worldbuilding, and complete with some of the most creative stories big-screen fantasy has ever seen, these are trilogies which all cinephiles who enjoy fantasy tales of any sort should consider essential viewing. 7 'The Hobbit' Trilogy Is the Hobbit trilogy flawed in several ways? Undeniably so. Is it particularly flawed compared to Peter Jackson's previous trilogy film adaptation of a J. R. R. Tolkien work? Absolutely. But as a thoroughly entertaining adaptation of one of the most perfectly-written fantasy books in history, does it deserve considerably more credit than it typically gets? Also yes. Production of this trilogy was particularly tumultuous, and the final product ended up looking substantially different from what the original plan (a duology directed by Guillermo del Toro) would have offered, but for what it is, the Hobbit trilogy deserves more love. From the deeply endearing way in which An Unexpected Journey re-introduces us to the atmospheric wonders of Jackson's Middle-earth, to the massive expansion of the movies' lore in The Desolation of Smaug, to the delectably action-packed The Battle of the Five Armies, this trilogy offers far more technical marvels and pure entertainment value than what most genre trilogies nowadays typically have to offer. It's visually stunning, elevated by three incredible scores by Howard Shore, and full of winks that die-hard Tolkien fans should be delighted by. 6 The 'Daimajin' Trilogy Image via Daiei Film Just like there are great fantasy movie trilogies as hugely successful and well-known as the Hobbit trilogy, there are also ones as criminally underappreciated as the Japanese tokusatsu series known as the Daimajin trilogy. Shot simultaneously by different directors and all released in 1966, these three films follow three different villages oppressed by warlords, whose inhabitants must resort to the titular vengeful deity for help. It's interesting to see how these three filmmakers explored the same concept so differently, making for a trilogy that's as fascinating to study as it is entertaining to watch. Fusing the kaiju and samurai drama genres brilliantly, the Daimajin trilogy has character depth and high-quality writing the likes of which the kaiju genre didn't always see back then. Mix that with visual effects that still look more than solid considering their age, majestic music by Godzilla's Akira Ifukube, and an unforgettable and highly unique kaiju, and you get a trilogy that's far better than it's typically given credit for. 5 The Disaster Trilogy Image via Toho Over the years, there have been many exceptional fantasy anime movies, but not very many exceptional fantasy anime trilogies. Thankfully for all animation fans who love the fantasy genre, however, there's Makoto Shinkai's Disaster Trilogy, three coming-of-age fantasy anime films thematically related to natural disasters in Japan. We're talking about three of the best animated films of the 21st century thus far, dealing with themes of love, sacrifice, and the passage of time in all sorts of deeply compelling ways. There's Your Name., one of the best body swap movies ever made. There's Weathering With You, an equally endearing work of teen fantasy. Finally, there's Suzume, one of the most underrated anime movies of the 2020s so far. It's one of those animated movie trilogies where every film's a masterpiece, directed with visual beauty and wonderfully inspiring imagination by Shinkai at his very best. It's some of the most breathtaking, emotionally stirring animated fantasy cinema fans of the genre will ever be treated to. 4 'The Evil Dead' Trilogy Image via New Line Cinema Nowadays, it's a multimedia franchise covering realms like cinema, television, video games, and comics; but back in the day, 1981's The Evil Dead was the shoestring-budget indie horror film that launched the career of a hugely talented 20-year-old filmmaker called Sam Raimi. With how beloved a cult classic the original film almost immediately became, it should hardly come as a surprise that it spawned two sequels soon enough. With Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness, we're talking about not just one of the most entertaining horror movie trilogies in history, but also three of the greatest dark fantasy films the world has ever seen. Even those who sometimes get tired of the fantasy genre when binging a trilogy will find endless variety and fun to be had in Raimi's magnum opus trilogy. It's also the sort of trilogy that keeps evolving as it goes along, from the pure haunted-house horror of the original, to the hilarious-yet-terrifying slapstick comedy of its sequel, to the pure camp adventure of its threequel. This makes it so that even those who sometimes get tired of the fantasy genre when binging a trilogy will find endless variety and fun to be had in Raimi's magnum opus trilogy. Campy, scary, bloody, and full of the same kind of stylistic excesses that make Raimi who he is as an artist, it's a trilogy that understands a movie can be scary and funny at the same time. 3 The 'How to Train Your Dragon' Trilogy Image via Paramount Pictures Families deserve movie trilogies whose every movie is perfect, too; and they got just that back in the 2010s, when DreamWorks Animation made three of their greatest films ever. Loosely based on Cressida Cowell's children's novel series, How to Train Your Dragon produced three exceptional fantasy films that should be more than capable of charming viewers of all ages, even those not watching the trilogy with any kids. Magical, hugely imaginative, and elevated by John Powell delivering three of the best scores of any animated film, they're among the best fantasy films of the 2010s as a whole. Hiccup and his friends grow up alongside the audience in a trilogy that keeps growing more mature as it goes on, without ever losing its kid-friendly touch or making the previous film feel childish by comparison. After all, the original How to Train Your Dragon may well be the best of the bunch, as emotionally riveting as How to Train Your Dragon 2 is, and as perfect an ending as The Hidden World is. Wonderfully animated and just as wonderfully written, these are timeless Hero's Journey tales which don't feel like they've aged a day. 2 The 'Star Wars' Original Trilogy Image via 20th Century Studios There's simply no way that back when he made the original Star Wars (now retroactively known as Episode IV — A New Hope), George Lucas could have possibly predicted the kind of generation-defining pop-cultural juggernaut that he was concocting. And as the series (now known as the Original Trilogy) kept expanding and evolving over the next six years, the cinematic giant that is Star Wars only kept further cementing its place as one of the most important sci-fi and fantasy trilogies in movie history. Indeed, this series isn't only sci-fi, nor is it pure fantasy; it's science fantasy through and through, arguably the most notorious and widely celebrated example of such a genre combination in history. And with The Empire Strikes Back being praised as one of the greatest blockbusters in history and Return of the Jedi receiving far more love nowadays than it got back when it originally came out, the Star Wars Original Trilogy has undeniably become a cornerstone of the modern history of fantasy. Collider Exclusive · Star Wars Quiz Which Force UserAre You? Light Side · Dark Side · Or Somewhere Between The Force is not a binary. It is a spectrum — from the serene halls of the Jedi Temple to the shadowed corridors of Sith space. Ten questions will reveal where you truly fall. The Force has always known. Now you will too. 🔵Jedi Master 🟡Padawan 🔴Sith Lord ⚫Inquisitor ⚪Grey Jedi IGNITE YOUR SABER → 01 What is the Force to you? Your relationship with the Force defines everything else. AA living energy I must be worthy of — it is not mine to control. BSomething vast and mysterious I'm only beginning to understand. CNeither light nor dark — just a current I choose to ride. DPower. Pure and simple. The strong take it; the weak don't. NEXT QUESTION → 02 When you feel strong emotions — anger, grief, love — what do you do? The Jedi suppress. The Sith feed. Others choose differently. AAcknowledge them, then release them. Attachment leads to suffering. BFeel them fully, then decide what to do — they're not the enemy. CBury them. Emotion is a liability I can't afford to indulge. DUse them. Passion is the engine of the dark side for good reason. NEXT QUESTION → 03 The Jedi Council gives you an order you disagree with. You: How you handle authority reveals your alignment. AFollow it. The Council's wisdom surpasses my own perspective. BVoice my objection clearly, then defer to the decision. CComply outwardly while doing what I think is right. DIgnore it. The strong don't answer to committees. NEXT QUESTION → 04 You are offered forbidden knowledge that could give you enormous power. The cost is crossing a moral line. You: The dark side's pull is never more than a choice away. ARefuse without hesitation. There is no cost worth that price. BWeigh it carefully — sometimes darkness holds real answers. CFeel the pull but walk away — for now. DAccept it. Power justifies the method used to obtain it. NEXT QUESTION → 05 Your approach to training and learning is: A student's habits become a master's character. ADedicated but humble. There is always more to learn from my masters. BRigorous and patient. Mastery is earned through years of discipline. CEclectic — I draw from every tradition, not just one. DRelentless and brutal. Pain accelerates growth. Rest is weakness. NEXT QUESTION → 06 In a duel, your lightsaber fighting style reflects: Combat is the purest expression of a Force user's philosophy. ADefense and composure — I wait for my opponent to overcommit. BFast and instinctive — I trust the Force to guide my movements. CUnpredictable — I blend styles to keep enemies off-balance. DOverwhelming aggression — I end fights before they begin. NEXT QUESTION → 07 A defeated enemy lies at your feet, powerless. You: Mercy — or its absence — is the truest test of alignment. AStrike them down — compassion toward enemies is naïve and costly. BNeutralize them permanently. I can't afford loose ends. CSpare them if I can — but stay clear-eyed about the risks. DOffer them a chance to surrender. Every being deserves that. NEXT QUESTION → 08 The Jedi Code forbids attachment. Your honest view on love and bonds: The source of the greatest falls in the galaxy. AThe Code is right. Attachment clouds judgment and invites suffering. BLove is not a weakness — the Jedi Code got this one wrong. CI have no attachment — only loyalty to my master's mission. DI feel it deeply but struggle to reconcile it with my training. NEXT QUESTION → 09 Why do you use the Force at all? What's the point? Purpose is the difference between a knight and a weapon. ATo learn. I'm still figuring out what I'm capable of. BTo protect and serve. The Force is a responsibility, not a gift. CTo survive — and maybe carve out something worth having. DTo dominate. Strength demands to be expressed, not contained. NEXT QUESTION → 10 At the final moment — light side or dark side pulling at you — what wins? In the end, every Force user faces this moment. What does yours look like? AThe light. I choose peace, even when darkness would be easier. BNeither fully — I carve my own path through the middle. CWhoever I serve — my loyalty defines me more than my morality. DThe dark. Power is the only thing that's ever actually been real. REVEAL MY ALIGNMENT → Your Alignment Has Been Determined Your Place in the ForceThe scores below reveal how the Force sees you. Your highest number is your true alignment. Read on to understand what that means — and what it will cost you. 🔵 Jedi Master 🟡 Padawan 🔴 Sith Lord ⚫ Inquisitor ⚪ Grey Jedi Disciplined, compassionate, and deeply attuned to the living Force, you have walked the path long enough to understand its demands — and accept them. You lead not through authority alone, but through example. You have felt the pull of the dark side and chosen otherwise, every time. That is not certainty. That is courage. You are earnest, powerful, and brimming with potential — and you know it, which is both your greatest asset and your most dangerous flaw. You act before you think, trust your gut over your training, and sometimes confuse impatience for bravery. The Masters see something in you, though. The question isn't whether you have what it takes — it's whether you'll be patient enough to find out. You are not simply dangerous — you are certain, and that is worse. You have decided what the galaxy needs, and you have decided you are the one to deliver it. Your power is genuine and formidable, earned through sacrifice that would have broken lesser beings. But examine your victories carefully. Every Sith believed their cause was righteous. The dark side's cruelest trick is that it agrees with you. You were forged in fire and reshaped by those who found you at your lowest. You serve, because service gave you structure when you had none. Your allegiance is not to an ideology — it is to survival and to the master who gave you purpose. But there is something buried beneath the conditioning. The Jedi you hunt? You recognize them. Because you remember what it felt like before the choice was taken from you. You have looked at the Jedi Code and the Sith Code and found both of them incomplete. You walk the line not out of indecision but out of conviction — you genuinely believe both extremes miss something essential. The Jedi don't fully trust you. The Sith think you're wasting your potential. They're both partially right. But so are you. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 1 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy Image via New Line Cinema There's really no competition. Saying that Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy is the greatest fantasy film trilogy in history is a take as cold as ice, considering that most cinephiles would go so far as to count it among the greatest film trilogies ever, regardless of genre — that's just how good these three adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien's genre-defining Legendarium are. Marrying Tolkien's timeless imagination with Jackson's unparalleled vision of it, this trilogy revolutionized the way the world saw fantasy cinema in the 21st century. It's one of the most perfectly written movie trilogies ever, with a cumulative 17 Academy Awards between Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and Return of the King. From the epic scope of the action sequences to the jaw-dropping worldbuilding, to Howard Shore's legendary score, to the work of the iconic cast ensemble, everything here is perfect. Top it with Jackson's absolutely perfect direction and the stunning quality of the writing, and there's virtually nothing about the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy that doesn't work precisely as it needs to. Cast Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, Andy Serkis Runtime 178 Minutes Director Peter Jackson Writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, J.R.R. Tolkien