10 Trilogies That Actually Get Better With Each Movie

In 2011, Stieg Larsson's outstanding novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was given a big-budget adaptation with David Fincher at the helm. Though critically acclaimed, the film performed lower than expected at the box office, and so the franchise was shelved until the fourth book of the series, The Girl in the Spider's Web was adapted with little to no fanfare.

However, this isn't the only cinematic take of Larsson's work. Two years prior to Fincher's work, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was brought to life by Swedish director Niels Arden Oplev, with Prometheus' Noomi Rapace in the role of Lisbeth Salander.

Much like the American version, the movie was critically acclaimed, but instead of plans for Larsson's full original trilogy being abandoned, both The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest were released later that same year.

All three outings were strong, faithful adaptations that were filmed and produced as one story split into three parts, and like the source material, got better with each entry. This is what can happen when there is one person at the helm able to bring to life one single vision for a story from beginning to end.