5 Best Sci-Fi Trilogies Perfect For A Weekend Binge Watch

There was a time where, when it came to big franchises, three really was the magic number. Cinematic sagas came in trilogies only and audiences were waiting with immense anticipation to see the third and final chapter roll around. Then, that was it. There were no spin-offs, prequels about Luke Skywalker's second cousin twice removed. Nowadays, though? Three films to a story are rookie numbers. Franchises have either etched into double digits or are getting incredibly close to it. Yeah, that's right Marvel Cinematic Universe, we're looking at you, with your infinity gauntlets and your multiverse bunkum.

With that being said, there have been some trilogies that have indeed been shoehorned inside franchises and stood apart from their lesser chapters. There are also those classic trilogies that, even after having films forcibly tacked on to the universe they're a part of, still remain the big three that fans always come back to, and that's never been truer for some staples of science fiction. With that in mind, we've pulled out five trilogies (that's 15 films if you've got time to watch them all) that housed brilliant stories in their own right and ended precisely where they needed to. To start things off, we're looking back at one of the greatest trilogies ever made that follows a high school kid that, for reasons we'll never know, ends up becoming pals with a mad scientist. Heavy, right?

What can be said about the "Back to the Future" movies that hasn't already been said time and time again? Robert Zemeckis' classic trilogy following the adventures of well-known slacker Marty McFly remains one of the greatest science fiction adventures ever made, and one that Zemeckis himself has demanded cannot be remade. Honestly, though, who would dare touch this perfect batch of films that has left scorch marks across popular culture?

You know the story by now. For reasons that are never explored and would be alarming in a more recent era, Michael J. Fox's Marty takes a spin in the greatest time machine ever put on film, created by his good friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), and ends up accidentally interrupting the route to his own existence. Along the way, there are high-speed chases, high school fights, and guitar solos that the world just isn't ready for, and that's all before he ends up having to take a trip to the future and the Wild West in the two movies that were filmed back-to-back.

Thanks to its almost ironclad handling of time travel, other films have either subtly copied it or, indeed, straight up called out "Back to the Future" as a point of reference. Rightfully so, too. No other movie has laid out such brain-breaking subject matter as clearly as the one that comes with a song from Huey Lewis and the News, and no movies ever will again.

Look, we know there are a bajillion sequels (and one disastrous Tim Burton-directed remake we try not to talk about), but when it comes to the franchise ruled by damned dirty apes, three entries in the "Planet of the Apes" timeline stand out more than most. Thanks to Rupert Wyatt's first entry with "Rise" and Matt Reeves' takeover with "Dawn" and "War," the Caesar era of films makes for a compact and carefully constructed set to binge through and do a remarkable job of exploring the origins of humanity's doomed and dark future and the one ape responsible for it all that we can't help but find ourselves siding with.

Andy Serkis might've broken new ground as Gollum, but in Caesar, the master of motion capture gives what is arguably (and if the Academy finally acknowledged it) an Oscar-worthy performance. From cradle to grave, Caesar is a fascinating, heroic, and deeply flawed character who, through his life, gives us hairy versions of "The Shawshank Redemption," "The Godfather," and "Unforgiven." Prison breaks, family rivalries, and revenge missions fuel what still feels like one of the most underrated trilogies ever made. With a standard as good as this, Matt Reeves can take as long as he needs to with Batman, because the time he spent with Caesar is always worth going back to. Do yourself a favor and take a day to rewatch them and see why it absolutely shouldn't be.

Curse the Rey-lo era all you like and defend the prequels even more, but neither would exist without the trilogy that started it all. George Lucas' original "Star Wars" trilogy is the benchmark by which all sci-fi fantasy films are judged, and understandably so. By introducing 1970s audiences to worlds beyond their comprehension in "A New Hope," Lucas pushed other directors to up their game and look to Luke Skywalker's hero's journey for what they could deliver next. But while Hollywood tried to pick up the pace in looking to the stars for the next big blockbuster, Lucas' saga involving the farm boy and the secret family ties that were wrecking the galaxy only got better with Irvin Kershner's "The Empire Strikes Back" and what many thought would be the final chapter of "Return of the Jedi."

There's no doubt some might point to later stories in the "Star Wars" universe, but there's something about seeing where it all came from that makes the originals so gosh darn rewatchable. It's in the charm of being able to almost see the wires in the original set pieces, or the quality of hand-crafted creatures that fans still yearn to see repeated years later. Above all, though, it's in the classic performances of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and all the rest that future chapters did their best to replicate and only came slightly close to matching.

Ridley Scott might've even tried his hand at prequels, and we've had scary acid-laced stories set within, or adjacent to, the "Alien" universe, but going back to the original three films (yes, even that one) still remains a ride worth taking. Excluding "Alien: Resurrection" (given that the Ripley from that movie is a clone and not the original), seeing the last survivor of the Nostromo be introduced to and fight for her life against the Xenomorph across the original trilogy is still a great way to fill a day.

For better or worse, every chapter is tonally different from the other two, and yet, there's still something to love in each installment. The debate over which of the first two — "Alien" or "Aliens" — is superior is never going to be settled. What remains consistent is the clear element of terror of the incredible creature design and nature of this space-based beast that, according to a very scary robot, was "the perfect organism."

No matter how many chests it bursts through or god damn walls it comes out of, the Xenomorph is a monster that has stood the test of time, just like the brilliantly iconic characters that the species has ripped apart over the years. Sure, you love to see the alien go to work, but what makes every chapter even more entertaining is the collection of characters that find themselves in a fight to the death where Weaver's warrior space trucker remains the only one to come out on top. That is until she finally goes out on her own terms.

They might be a pair of airheads in one of the most ridiculous time travel movies ever made, but there's something brilliantly simple and stupidly hilarious about Bill S. Preston (Alex Winter) and Ted "Theodore" Logan (Keanu Reeves) and their journeys through time and space. Starting as a history report researched in immense detail and a pretty cool phone box, "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" became a cult classic that earned a follow-up sequel that might not be as beloved as the original, but still has brilliant moments throughout its entire "Bogus Journey." It would be almost three decades before the Wyld Stallyns returned in "Bill and Ted Face the Music," with Reeves and Winter back as old "dudes," this time trying to write the song that they never got around to finishing, which would save the universe.

They might be a little inconsistent in quality, but the one thing that stays intact is the chemistry between Winter and Reeves, who are clearly having a heck of a lot of fun in every one of these movies. These two are simply good dudes, and that's what carries through every trip through space and time. Give these movies a rewatch for an outstanding binge session, and be reminded that being excellent to each other is still a rule to live by, even after all this time. Most excellent.