Some stories are so good they deserve not just one movie, but four. A quadrilogy is a set of four connected books, films, or other works that tell one big story across multiple chapters.
Finding a series that stays strong all the way through is rare, but these sixteen managed to do exactly that. Get ready to explore some of the most consistently great four-part series ever made.
1. John Wick (Film Series)
Few action heroes have hit as hard and stayed as sharp as John Wick across four films. Keanu Reeves plays a retired assassin pulled back into a deadly world, and each movie raises the stakes without losing the thrilling edge.
The fight choreography alone set a new standard for Hollywood action movies. Fans and critics agree this is one of the best action quadrilogies ever made, with each installment delivering jaw-dropping sequences and a surprisingly emotional story.
2. Toy Story (Film Series)
Woody, Buzz, and the gang proved that animated sequels can actually get better with age. Toy Story is widely recognized as the greatest animated quadrilogy of all time, blending humor, heart, and surprisingly deep themes about growing up and letting go.
Pixar took nearly 25 years to tell this four-part story, and each chapter felt worth the wait. Kids and adults cry at these movies for very different reasons, and that emotional range is exactly what makes the series so special.
3. The Hunger Games (Film Series)
Katniss Everdeen became one of fiction’s most beloved heroines across four gripping films. Based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling books, the series tackled themes of survival, oppression, and rebellion in ways that felt genuinely urgent and emotionally powerful.
Catching Fire is often called the series highlight, and Mockingjay delivered a nearly flawless conclusion. The film adaptations stayed true to the source material while bringing Panem to life with stunning visuals and strong performances throughout every installment.
4. Shrek (Film Series)
Once upon a time, a big green ogre walked out of a swamp and completely changed animated movies forever. Shrek won the very first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2002, and DreamWorks kept the laughs and heart coming across three more films.
The franchise is celebrated as DreamWorks’ finest quadrilogy, mixing fairy tale parody with surprisingly touching messages about belonging. Puss in Boots and Donkey became fan favorites who carried their own weight in every single entry.
5. The Alien Franchise (Original Four Films)
Fun fact: the word “quadrilogy” was actually coined for the marketing of the Alien box set. That alone tells you how iconic this four-film collection is.
Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley stands as one of cinema’s greatest heroes across four very different sci-fi horror adventures.
Each film had a different director with a distinct style, making the series feel fresh while staying connected. From Ridley Scott’s terrifying original to Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s wild fourth entry, the franchise never stopped swinging for bold choices.
6. Lethal Weapon (Film Series)
Riggs and Murtaugh made buddy cop movies look easy across four films that never lost their charm. What kept Lethal Weapon consistently strong was a simple secret: director Richard Donner helmed all four installments, giving the series a rare creative continuity.
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover’s chemistry grew richer with every film, turning what started as an action thriller into something closer to a warm, funny friendship story. The laughs and the action balanced each other perfectly throughout the entire run.
7. The Bourne Film Series
Jason Bourne redefined what a spy thriller could be, ditching glamour for gritty realism and physical intensity. Matt Damon brought a quiet desperation to the role that made every chase scene feel personal rather than just flashy.
The first three films built a tight, satisfying story arc, and Jason Bourne brought Damon back with renewed energy years later. The hand-held camera style and grounded action sequences influenced nearly every action franchise that followed, proving the series left a lasting mark on cinema.
8. The Matrix (Film Series)
No film blew minds quite like The Matrix did in 1999, and the series kept audiences thinking through three more entries. The Wachowskis built one of cinema’s most ambitious science fiction universes, full of philosophical questions about reality, choice, and identity.
While opinions on the sequels vary, many fans argue that Resurrections advanced the mythology in clever ways without erasing what came before. The world-building across all four films remains some of the most creative and thought-provoking storytelling in blockbuster history.
9. The Harry Potter Series (First Four Films)
Before the wizarding world expanded into spin-offs and theme parks, four films told the story of a boy learning that magic was real and that growing up was the hardest spell of all. The first four Harry Potter films built the foundation of a cultural phenomenon.
Each movie grew darker and more complex as the characters aged, mirroring the audience’s own journey. Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, and Goblet of Fire each brought something fresh while keeping the series grounded in friendship and courage.
10. Indiana Jones (Original Four Films)
Harrison Ford’s whip-cracking archaeologist is one of cinema’s most beloved characters, and the original four-film run gave fans plenty to cheer about. From the deserts of Egypt to the jungles of South America, each adventure felt genuinely exciting and distinct.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a masterpiece, but The Last Crusade brought Sean Connery along for a warm and funny father-son dynamic that many fans consider equally great. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, despite its divisive reputation, still delivered solid entertainment and heart.
11. Mission: Impossible (First Four Films)
Tom Cruise’s commitment to doing his own stunts became the defining feature of this thrilling spy franchise. The first four Mission: Impossible films took Ethan Hunt from shadowy espionage to full-blown action spectacle without ever losing their tense, clever spirit.
Ghost Protocol, the fourth entry, is often called the best of the bunch thanks to the jaw-dropping Burj Khalifa sequence. Each film reinvented itself with a new director and fresh tone, keeping the series from ever feeling stale or repetitive across its run.
12. The Before Trilogy Plus (Linklater’s Romantic Series)
Richard Linklater’s Before series is a quiet miracle of filmmaking. Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight form a beloved trilogy, but the extended universe of Linklater’s conversational, character-driven work across four deeply personal films earns its place here for sheer emotional consistency.
Each film feels like eavesdropping on real conversations between real people. The writing is warm, funny, and painfully honest about love and time.
Few series have captured the way relationships evolve with such tender, unhurried attention to detail.
13. The Cornetto Trilogy Plus (Edgar Wright’s Genre Films)
Edgar Wright is one of the most visually inventive directors working today, and his four major films showcase a filmmaker who never repeats himself. Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End, and Baby Driver each belong to different genres while sharing a playful, hyper-stylized energy.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost anchor the first three with hilarious chemistry, while Baby Driver proved Wright could dazzle with an entirely different cast. Every frame buzzes with creative editing, pop culture wit, and genuine affection for the genres being explored.
14. Mad Max (Film Series)
George Miller created one of cinema’s most original visions with his Mad Max series, set in a scorched future where gasoline is power and survival is everything. Mel Gibson defined the character across the first three films before Tom Hardy took the wheel in Fury Road.
Fury Road, the fourth entry, won six Academy Awards and is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest action films ever made. The series as a whole kept its anarchic, visually inventive spirit burning brightly across four wild decades of filmmaking.
15. The Godfather Series (Three Films Plus Coda)
The Godfather is widely considered the greatest film ever made, and its sequel matched it scene for scene. The third film and its reworked version, The Godfather Coda, completed a four-part look at the Corleone family’s rise and fall that spanned generations.
Francis Ford Coppola crafted something rare here: a crime saga that felt as much like a family tragedy as an action story. Al Pacino’s transformation from innocent war hero to cold-blooded patriarch across these films is one of cinema’s most powerful character arcs.
16. The Jurassic Park Series (Original Four Films)
Dinosaurs running loose on a theme park island sounds like a recipe for one great movie, but somehow the series kept finding new angles across four films. Steven Spielberg’s original Jurassic Park remains a landmark of blockbuster filmmaking and practical effects wizardry.
The Lost World and Jurassic Park III expanded the world with fresh locations and new threats, while Jurassic World brought the franchise roaring back with massive box office success. Each entry reminded audiences why giant prehistoric creatures on screen never get old.