With Thor: Love and Thunder, the God of Thunder has become the very first Marvel Cinematic Universe character to have their own quadrilogy, but the fourquel has gotten an underwhelming Rotten Tomatoes score. With the polarizing reception to the new movie and the lukewarm response to the first two installments of the Thor series, it isn't exactly the greatest movie quadrilogy in the world.
But sometimes a movie series goes above and beyond being a classic trilogy, and a fourth movie cements the franchise as being the gold standard of film quadrilogies. Between a globe-trotting archaeologist, an adaptation of a YA novel series, and some animated classics, Redditors have defended their personal favorite four-movie series, and they aren't all popular opinions.
The Matrix
The Matrix is an incredible standalone movie, and many fans would rather pretend the sequels don't exist, but Felipe_agn champions all four major films. And even when it comes to the divisive fourth movie, the Redditor argues, "Resurrections is absolutely fantastic, is a lesson in how sequels should be made. Advance the story without destroying anything of the legacy. A Lesson for Disney."
Though the series got more convoluted with each consecutive release, few franchises are as good at world-building as the Matrix is. And the fourth movie interestingly expands the universe, even if it didn't quite land with everyone.
Indiana Jones
The Indiana Jones series was one of the greatest and most consistently great trilogies of all time. That was until the fourth movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was released in 2008. The film has the reputation of ruining the series, but Thunderingtyphoons disagrees. The Redditor thinks the series is one of the best quadrilogies, noting, "The fourth one may not be anywhere as near as great as the first three, but it's still fun and doesn't ruin the appeal of the franchise."
The series won't be a quadrilogy for much longer, as Indiana Jones 5 is scheduled for release in 2023. But while that may worry fans that the franchise will be further ruined, it could work out well with filmmaker James Mangold in the director's chair. As Mangold directed the incredible Logan, he could give Indy his own Logan-like swan song.
Alien
While the Alien movie series is so expansive, as it's full of prequels and crossovers, DarthVegas666 points to the first four Ripley-led movies as one of the greatest quadrilogies ever. There's no doubt that the first two movies in the series are classics, as the original is a terrifying isolated horror movie, and the second famously switched genre, being one of the most exciting action films of all time. But the two following movies are much less praised and were the result of studio meddling and not completely knowing what direction in which to take the series.
Alien 3 is a convoluted mess, and even director David Fincher has disowned it. However, the "Assembly Cut" is much closer to Fincher's vision and is much better than the theatrical cut. Then there's Alien Resurrection, which was so over-the-top and, in some parts, unintentionally funny. And though director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's comedy violence and unique visual sensibilities work well in films like Amelie and Delicatessen, an Alien movie wasn't the best vessel for it.
Spy Kids
SpartanElitism hilariously admits that the Spy Kids quadrilogy isn't very good, but it's still one of the best. The Redditor claims, "They are objectively bad movies, save for maybe the first one, and I love them. They're funny, don’t take themselves too seriously, and are just so charming."
The Spy Kids films are unique, spectacular looking, and totally unpretentious. And whether it's watching them with red and cyan 3D glasses or an Aroma-scope (a scratch-n-sniff card), they amusingly experiment with the cinematic experience in ways that few other films do.
Toy Story
Like Indiana Jones, the Toy Story series was considered one of the greatest movie trilogies ever made. But unlike Indiana Jones, after the release of the fourth movie, the animated franchise was considered one of the greatest quadrilogies of all time too. Yrqrm0 is a big advocate of the animated movies, positing, "Certainly no better quadrilogy on average in my opinion, given that the first three films are perfect and 4 is like an 8/10 at worst."
When Toy Story 4 was first announced, fans were concerned over whether or not it was a cash-in and that it'd be totally unnecessary, but it turned out to be just as heartfelt and entertaining as any other Toy Story movie. And even though it isn't quite as beloved as the first three Toy Story 4 introduces great characters.
Hannibal
TheHumanRavioli believes that the Hannibal quadrilogy is the best, as the series about the iconic cannibal quietly became a four-movie franchise in the 2000s. The user argues, "The Hannibal franchise is one of the few that I feel never strayed from being incredible. Every movie is fantastic in its own way, even Hannibal Rising."
There's no doubt that 1991's The Silence of the Lambs is a cinematic gem, and it's one of only six horror movies to ever be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. And while Hannibal gets a bad reputation, it's only a bad sequel compared to its predecessor. Anthony Hopkins as the titular character is as creepy as ever, and Julianne Moore does a genuinely terrific job replacing Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling. And the Redditor specifically points out Hannibal Rising, the fourth movie in the series, as being a fantastic entry in the series despite being critically slammed upon release.
The Hunger Games
Batty48 points to The Hunger Games as the best quadrilogy ever. The Redditor posits, "They're the best book-to-film adaptation I have ever seen personally. Sure they aren't perfect and they had to leave out some things, but they really managed to truly honor the source material." The original novels make up a trilogy, but as splitting the final novel into two movies became a popular trend in the 2010s, that's exactly what was done with Hunger Games.
Out of all the movie adaptations of young adult novels that were split into two movies, Mockingjay didn't necessarily need it. Both films felt like something was missing, but if the fat was trimmed from each, it could have been one epic action movie. And it would have made for a much better trilogy than quadrilogy.
Lethal Weapon
CineRanter-YTchannel cites the Lethal Weapon franchise as being the best four-movie series. But along with praising the comedy and wit of the series, the Redditor makes an interesting observation that "it's incredible how flawlessly these movies are able to weave comedy into a set of films that are exceptionally serious and immersive when they need to be."
Despite being full of jokes and comedy, the first Lethal Weapon does a surprisingly great job of tackling such a sensitive subject. And unlike many long-running action series, the Lethal Weapon sequels didn't become a parody of themselves either. However, once again, the quadrilogy is set to become a quintology, as Mel Gibson is directing Lethal Weapon 5.
Batman
Starting with the 1989 Tim Burton-directed Batman and ending with 1997's Batman & Robin, the stretch of '90s Batman films are often grouped together as the Batman anthology movies. Mr_quabityassuance is a huge fan of the quadrilogy despite Batman Forever's mixed reception and Batman & Robin's critical scathing.
The Redditor even believes, "Batman and Robin was a masterpiece. It had everything: action, jokes, great villains, batnipples. George Clooney will always be Batman to me." In fairness Batman & Robin is underrated, and it would probably get a much warmer reception if it was released today given how audiences are more receptive to jokes and campiness in superhero movies.
Insidious
The 2010s has become a treasure trove of horror movies, as so many more classic horror series were created in the decade than in the 2000s. Between Sinister, The Conjuring, and Annabelle, there's so much for horror fans to dive into. But the more terrifying than any of them is Insidious. And while it isn't the most consistent four-movie series in the world, Ghostface215 defends them.
The Redditor blasts the haters, arguing, "I love these movies. People complain about them like the movies are trying to be masterpieces but… they're not. They know exactly what they are and they're fun." But, again, the franchise will return with a fifth movie. According to Insidious actor Patrick Wilson, Insidious 5 started filming this past spring and will be a direct sequel to Insidious 2, given that the previous two movies were prequels.