While most movie franchises kick off with a fantastic first film before slowly degrading in quality, there are a select few that conclude on a high note, actually finishing strong. It’s rare for a final installment to pack the same punch as what came before, but with a great series arc and a strong narrative throughline, it’s possible.
The best movie franchises keep things exciting throughout the series’ entire run and understand that a satisfying conclusion is just as important as what came before. Whether it’s all-time great fantasy adaptations, epic superhero stories, or even family-friendly kids’ animation, all of these series prove that sometimes the final chapter can be the most rewarding of all.
Madagascar (2005 – 2012)
The legacy of DreamWorks Animation is often overshadowed by tentpole releases like Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon, with excellent series like Madagascar failing to get the attention they deserve. With an impressive ensemble cast of comedian voice actors, notable names like Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, and David Schwimmer helped turn this kids’ series into a family-friendly triumph.
While every film in the series was an enjoyable crowd-pleaser, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted stands as the series’ best entry, as the Madagascar animals find themselves traveling around Europe as part of a circus. This wasn’t initially intended to be the series’ final entry, but plans for Madagascar 4 have stalled for years.
Harry Potter (2001 – 2011)
Warner Bros. brought J.K. Rowling’s World of Witchcraft and Wizardry to life with the Harry Potter series. As an exploration of its title character’s discovery of his wizarding heritage and fight against the dark Lord Voldemort, this series progressed in maturity with each installment before culminating in the powerful two-part finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
As a final installment that built on everything that preceded it, Deathly Hallows saw Harry fulfill his destiny as the Chosen One and free the Wizarding World from the tyranny of the Death Eaters. While every fantasy lover will have a different answer for their personal favorite Harry Potter movie, there’s no denying that it ended on a strong note.
The Before Trilogy (1995 – 2013)
Few series can match the romance of Richard Linklater’s outstanding Before trilogy, which cataloged the relationship between Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) over the decades. Set and filmed at nine-year intervals, the Before series explored the excitement of newfound love in Before Sunrise, the beauty of reconnection in Before Sunset, and the complexities of marriage in Before Midnight.
While every movie delved into the philosophy of romance with emotional intensity, Before Midnight was the first time we really got to see how Jesse and Céline operated as a functional couple, parents, and life partners. Taking place on a family vacation in Greece, the film’s portrayal of the hardships of lifelong commitment was thoughtful and deep.
Three Colors Trilogy (1993 – 1994)
Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski explored French Revolutionary ideals in his Three Colors trilogy, subtitled Blue, White, and Red. As a representation of the three colors of the French flag, each film deals with ideas around liberty, equality, and fraternity, and stands as one of the most thoughtful and well-realized dramas of the 1990s.
Although each film in the Three Colors series received universal acclaim, it was Red that truly brought everything together as characters from previous films reappeared in cameo roles. By showcasing how lives become gradually interconnected, Red perfectly embodied the theme of fraternity and stands as Kieślowski’s magnum opus.
The Wolverine Trilogy (2009 – 2017)
The Wolverine trilogy was a fantastic spin-off of the X-Men series, focusing on Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine and providing the character with the closure he had always deserved. While earlier entries like X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Wolverine were uneven at best, it was in James Mangold’s final installment, Logan, that the superhero genre was elevated to new depths and maturity.
Logan was inspired by the Old Man Logan comic book series, in which an aged Wolverine and ailing Charles Xavier defended a young mutant child from scientists. With a far darker tone than anything else in the X-Men series, Logan took cues from Western classics like True Grit to tell a story bursting with emotional power and heartfelt poignancy.
John Wick (2014 – 2023)
Having already made cinema history playing action heroes like classics like Speed, Point Break, and The Matrix, Keanu Reeves added another outstanding achievement to his belt with the John Wick franchise. As an epic martial arts series that was characterized by fascinating, ever-deepening lore, these movies just keep getting better with each installment.
John Wick: Chapter 4 explored Wick’s quest for revenge against the High Table and those who left him for dead, and pushed things to even more intense heights than anything that came before it. While a fifth installment is in the works, for now, the best recent John Wick movie stands as the series’ best.
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014 – 2023)
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is filled with different subseries exploring various individuals and superhero teams, with James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy standing out as one of the best. Featuring a team of extraterrestrial criminals led by Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill, this series balanced heart and humor with a standout soundtrack of pop and rock classics.
Each installment of Guardians of the Galaxy was well received, but it was Vol. 3 that took things to a new level. With a powerful environmental message and a story that added depth to Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon character arc, the series ended on a high note with Vol. 3 and proved the MCU still had some juice in it yet.
The Dollars Trilogy (1964 – 1966)
Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone revitalized the Western genre with his groundbreaking Dollars Trilogy, which starred Clint Eastwood as the iconic outlaw The Man with No Name. As the defining spaghetti Western series, everything from its epic shootouts to the iconic soundtrack from Ennio Morricone just worked.
This was a rare series where each installment just got better. While A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More were already Western movie masterpieces, it was The Good, the Bad and the Ugly that best represented the merits of this series and featured the legendary three-way standout that’s been endlessly referenced and parodied in the years since.
The Lord of the Rings (2001 – 2003)
Peter Jackson truly pulled off something special when he adapted J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy series The Lord of the Rings for the big screen. As an epic tale of friendship and perseverance, Jackson brought Middle-earth to life as never seen before, and together the trilogy forms one of the most awe-inspiring film series of all time.
While each installment was a groundbreaking achievement in visual storytelling, it was the final installment, The Return of the King, that encapsulated everything this franchise had to offer. As the recipient of 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, it’s hard to think of any series that went out on a higher note than The Lord of the Rings.
