Day 8: Favorite Movie Franchise/Trilogy

Movie franchises are the backbone of my adoration for film. My favorite films often lead to sequels, after all. Movie sagas last throughout my life: I've had Star Wars since childhood, Harry Potter since I was eleven, and Lord of the Rings during my formative teenage years. Star Wars ended just before high school, Lord of the Rings ended at 13, and Harry Potter, arguably the greatest youth epic in modern history, and perhaps one of the most defining pieces of entertainment of our generation, ends in July. Those three film sagas alone have had the greatest impact on my taste, personality, and interests than any other piece of entertainment alone (I'm including the book series along with the film series for LOTR and HP).
Having to choose my favorite is almost impossible. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. Star Wars has two mediocre and one bad prequel (COUGH Attack of the Clones COUGH), and, while the original series is top notch and brilliant, their potency is still tinged with the knowledge of what could have been for the prequels. In addition, I have no particularly fond memories (outside of our movie marathon) for them, making them hold a more constant affection for them than favoritism.
Harry Potter is one of the biggest franchises in my life. There was a time when I was younger that I had a fervent love for the series. The books are still among my favorites of all time. The films have an incredibly impressive streak of being very well made, a feat that is not to be looked lightly upon. I remember going to see each one of them in the theaters and being so excited before and after them. While the third film onward took some liberties with the material, I grew soon after to love them as their own entities from the books. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is now my favorite place ever, and I am constantly smiling when I ride Forbidden Journey. Yet, much of that love for the films and park is based off of my love and nostalgia for the books. The movies on their own, while great, are not among my favorite films ever (save Deathly Hallows part one and, hopefully, part two). So for that, I still have to move on without saying they are my favorite.
Which leaves Lord of the Rings. The only one I saw in the theater was Return of the King. My grandma gave me the trilogy as a Christmas present when Fellowship of the Ring was just released. I had some interest in them, sure, but there was no love for the material. I read Fellowship for the AR points in school, and damn it was a difficult read at eleven. Due to its difficulty, I put off reading Two Towers for years.
Just after my fifth grade field trip to space camp, I was sitting in my parents' hotel room, they down by the pool. I, a pale and chubby kid, was unwilling to go swimming outside of our backyard pool. So, instead, they let me watch one of the movies that hotels offer on demand. I decided to watch Fellowship of the Ring and was very surprised to really enjoy it. In fact, I loved it. I bought the toys and watched the DVD with my parents when it was released, and was pleasantly surprised to find they also really liked it.
I didn't sit down and read Lord of the Rings completely until a few years ago at Verot, but I had seen the entire trilogy on film several times over by that point. They were incredibly well-made, deserving every single award they got, including the beautiful score. Whenever they're on TV, I always watch them. They're so hopeful in a time when we need it most, and were so welcome in my life when I needed them. The stories are eternal, and that's why Lord of the Rings is my favorite film trilogy.