Depth of Field: The Top Ten Trilogies of All Time
It’s safe to say that, unless they are based on some similarly styled source material (book, play, etc.), the motion picture trilogy is a product of popularity. Though its narrative and cinematic symmetry can be breathtaking to behold, most three part films were not preplanned. Instead, they were forged out of a desire to please the audience mixed with a need to repay the cast/crew. George Lucas can argue all he wants to that his Star Wars saga was always intended as three separate three-part projects (guess the crappy prequels destroyed that dream, right big G?) but Fox barely wanted to release the first film. So what fodder did he have for contemplating such a massive vision? The answer is obvious – he didn’t. Like most eventual franchises, box office gave Luke Skywalker’s real pappy a chance to dream, resulting in the genre’s first example of the law of diminishing returns.
There are a couple of factors inherent in determining the best trilogies of all time. First, the three films included have to be linked in some significant way. They can’t be a pure product of money-oriented moviemaking. Secondly, all three movies must be worth watching. A sloppy second act or atrocious third movement means the overall quality is compromised. A few can survive this kind of scrutiny – most cannot. Finally, there is a subjective element known as “completeness”. Do the films that make up this multi-faceted narrative really deliver on their designs, is there an all encompassing arc, or are we stuck seeing the same old story told over and over again? By answering these important questions, and taking into consideration other objective criteria like continuity and completeness, a final assessment can be reached.
This does mean, however, that there are a few examples that barely miss making the list. For all the splendor and drama they bring to the artform, the Godfather Trilogy is hampered by a third film that just can’t match its Best Picture winning brethren. Similarly, we won’t know if Dario Argento has completed his Three Mothers triptych until sometime later this year. While Suspiria and Inferno are masterworks, early buzz suggests a less than successful conclusion. Speaking of the Italian maestro, one could consider his infamous slasher style/giallo efforts – Profundo Rosso, Tenebrae, and Opera – to be some manner of Gloved Killer trilogy, but without anything linking them besides the murderer’s methodology, that may seem like a reach. Similarly, Herschell Gordon Lewis and David F. Friedman may have invented the gore film, but their Blood Trilogy is a collection of corpuscle caving in name only.
Others miss out because of the director’s desire to keep tapping into the same cinematic source. George Romero would easily make the list if it weren’t for the wonderful Land of the Dead. The fourth time around for the politically tinged zombie series was excellent, but warrants a new quadrilogy classification. The same goes for the Alien films (though they’re decidedly more tenuous in their polish). Die Hard could have made the final list if it weren’t for the obvious cash grab of the Live Free installment, while Indiana Jones junked his chances with its fourth dip into the audience goodwill well. Indeed, at a certain point, a potential interconnected threesome makes the leap over to full blown franchise status. So if you’re a superhero (Batman, Superman) or a serial killer (Freddy, Jason, Hannibal), chances are your potential inclusion on this list was ruined several sequels ago.
With Jason Bourne bludgeoning the box office in the latest installment of Paul Greengrass’s action narrative tilt-a-whirl, now’s as good a time as any to countdown the all time greats of triangular tale-spinning. Some may surprise you. Others will shock you. But in the context of this discussion, all are worthy of classics consideration.
10. The Flesh Trilogy
The Touch of Her Flesh/The Kiss of Her Flesh/The Curse of Her Flesh
Miscreant Michael Findlay and his wife Roberta made a lot of sleazy exploitation flicks in their time, but these were, perhaps, their most repugnant. Not for what they showed on screen – this was the mid ’60s after all, not the most lenient of censorship eras. No, these three films formed the foundation of the modern slasher shocker, with the mindless torture and killing of nubile young women at the fore. Cringe all you want at their seedy mix of sex and slaughter, but you’ll never look at your favorite knife-wielding maniac the same way after watching madman Michael (who also starred as the killer) put the wicked wanton smack down. 9. The ORIGINAL Star Wars Trilogy (Episodes 4 through 6)
Star Wars/ The Empire Strikes Back/ The Return of the Jedi
What? You think we’d leave this off? No way, woo-kie. George Lucas may be a money grubbing, soul stealing, dream dashing basta…businessman, but he did help co-create the entire popcorn movie era of cinema. Unlike anything anyone had seen at the time of its release, the original Wars stands as one of those unique audience epiphanies. After a decade drenched in sodden self examination and social commentary, movies were actually fun again. And with the release of each additional installment, things just got better and better. Sure, over time, Darth’s real demagogue has drained all the joy out of his original vision, but we still have our memories. Luckily, he can’t digitally redesign them.
8. The Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy
Curse of the Black Pearl/ Dead Man’s Chest/ At World’s End
Who would have thought that the man responsible for Mouse Hunt and The Mexican would end up singlehandedly reinvigorating the sword and surf surreality of the swashbuckling pirate film? Gore Verbinski was considered a lot of things, but the maker of larger than life blockbuster entertainment was not one of them. Sure, some will argue that the Disney revamp of its theme park attraction lost a little of its luster along the way, but they’d be missing the bigger picture. Thanks to this director’s attention to detail, and the vast cinematic canvas he works within, there’s nothing here but acknowledged talent and an astonishing array of stylistic strengths. 7. The Matrix Trilogy
The Matrix/ The Matrix Reloaded/ The Matrix Revolutions
Oh stop whining. If Lucas belongs here, so do the Wachowskis. Bellyache over the final two phases in this virtual reality rigormoral, but when the Annotated History of Future Shock is written, the story of Neo, the Machines, and the saving of Zion will have its own hollowed place. Besides, it’s rare when a single film can jumpstart a whole genre, and yet the first installment proved that audiences were hungry for speculation done with flash, finesse and just a small amount of philosophizing. Granted, some of the intelligence got lost along the way, and the final battle with Agent Smith is overkill for excess’s sake, but these are good movies. Go on, admit it. 6. The Back to the Future Trilogy
Back to the Future/ Back to the Future Part 2/ Back to the Future Part 3
Just like the POTC production legend, here is another case where a fantastic first film mandated another two trips to the box office trough. Luckily, director Robert Zemeckis and his buddy Bob Gale were along for all three time travel tales. Some complained that Part 2 was nothing more than an extended set up for the last episode, but there is still a great deal of imagination and invention inherent in the crazed continuum cock-up. Better still was the decision to move the entire narrative back to the Wild Wild West, thereby completing the sense of apocryphal Americana. Like well tuned machines, these movies still work on many endearing levels. 5. The Evil Dead Trilogy
The Evil Dead/ Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn/ Army of Darkness
Sam Raimi was too young to have such success. By 22, his debut horror film was being heralded by none other than Stephen King as the most terrifying scarefest ever. By 28, he was every fright geek’s favorite filmmaker. And by 33, he was ready to jump into the ranks of Tinsel Town titans. Oddly enough, each of these milestones was met by an installment of his sensational (and influential) Evil Dead efforts. By bending genres to fit his needs, investing fear with funny business and heroism with the hackneyed, he formed the basis for an entire generation of reference-happy visionaries. Looking over the 2007 cinematic landscape, his imprint still remains. 4. The Vengeance Trilogy
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance/ OldBoy/ Lady Vengeance
It should come as no surprise that Korean director Chan-wook Park was a student of philosophy at Sogang University in Seoul. His movies are as much about virtue as they are about violence. For many in the West, Oldboy announced this filmmaker’s fanciful way with payback. Yet it was the other parts of his terrific trilogy that argued for his place among the current track of trendsetters. It was there where he merged ethics with evil, the need for personal justice accented by the desperation of human pain. Like all feats of greatness, it takes time for a clear critical consensus to be formed. But it’s coming – if it hasn’t already arrived. 3. The Man with No Name Trilogy
A Fistful of Dollars/ For a Few Dollars More/ The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
Sergio Leone never set out to redefine the western. Oddly enough, he wasn’t even the first filmmaker to use the spaghetti style to revisit the Hollywood staple. But thanks to his directorial disregard for convention and cliché, his literal view of the old fashioned oater as real horse opera, and the stellar actors he chose to work with, the results speak for themselves. Though many of his fellow Mediterranean moviemakers ventured deep into the bullets and black hats genre, none left the artistic impact of this cinematic maestro. When you add in his masterpiece, Once Upon a Time in the West, the case is all but closed. 2. The Ageism/Dream Trilogy
Time Bandits/ Brazil/ The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Here’s hoping that Terry Gilliam can get off his self-serving soapbox sometime soon and start making movies again. To listen to him talk, he’s a picked-on pariah who can’t catch a break in the conspiratorial, commercial-minded industry. Yet he’s often his own worse enemy (right, Mr. Could Have Helmed Harry Potter???). In either case, we will always have these examples of celluloid spectacle to fall back on. Of the three, Munchausen remains the most underrated – which is odd, considering it focuses on an angry old man who, Don Quixote style, fights off the imaginary bullies who propose to steal his joy. Now why does that sound so familiar?1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Fellowship of the Ring/ The Two Towers/ The Return of the King
Peter Jackson rules, while all other trilogies drool. Let’s face facts – the man made a nearly 13 hour epic in 18 months – and the fans are still foaming for more. Unlike most of the other entries on this list, his take on Tolkien’s time honored novels just keeps getting deeper and richer with age. This is partly due to Jackson’s intrinsic belief in the emotional impact of film. All other media may make its importance known, but no other format finds a direct and undying connection with the audience easier than the motion picture. It’s safe to say that, even if every other entry on this countdown lost its legacy luster, this terrific triptych will still be standing, strong and ever so tall.
Comments
I quit taking the article entirely seriously when the “Pirates of the Caribbean” trilogy was ranked ahead of the original “Star Wars” trilogy. You’re kidding, right? The original “Star Wars” trilogy was groundbreaking and served as the impetus for a cultural and theatrical zeitgeist (the F/X blockbuster), Lucas’ later descent into mediocrity and greed nonwithstanding. “Pirates” is a good set of popcorn movies, nothing more, nothing less. And that’s not even addressing the indignity of ranking Lucas’ trilogy behind the “Back to the Future” movies, for which the “Pirates” argument would apply equally.
Also, if the Romero “Dead” movies don’t qualify because there are four of them, why does “Star Wars” count? There are six. And while one might argue that it’s because one set is a “prequel” set, it doesn’t change the fact that, viewed in proper sequence, they serve as one complete narrative, much like Romero’s movies.
Finally, including Gilliam’s best work (earmarked as the “Ageism / Dream Trilogy”) is a bit dishonest. Those three movies do not truly qualify as a trilogy as they do not form a continuous narrative thread or even contain recurring characters/actors. I agree that Gilliam is underrated, especially “Baron Von Munchausen,” but that should have been the subject for another article. After all, if you’re calling a set of movies a “trilogy” simply because they share directors and themes, then you could have just as easily put Speilberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “E.T.,” and “War of the Worlds” together as “The Alien Trilogy,” or used any number of other “trilogies.”
Comment by Mark Weisinger from Houston, TX — August 6, 2007 @ 8:47 am
What about Bergman’s “Faith” trilogy: Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, and The Silence? For me, this is the most brilliant triad of films ever.
They may not be a traditional “series”, but Bergman managed to nail the thematic religious elements in each film—this ties the seemingly unrelated pictures together emotionally.
For me, at least.
Comment by Matt Mazur from Sunderland, MA — August 6, 2007 @ 9:23 am
how could leave out the three colours trilogy?
Comment by nenkia — August 6, 2007 @ 12:38 pm
As soon as I read the author’s praise for “Land of the Dead,” a movie that managed to cram every bad cliche into one desperate attempt to be relevant and ended up being even worse than “Day of the Dead,” I knew I was gonna have problems with the article. But to kick the “Godfather” trilogy off the list because the third movie wasn’t as good then put the “Matrix” trilogy on the list when only the first movie was any good (although in all honesty, I consider the first movie to be the best science fiction movie ever made) shows just how contrary and ridiculous this list is. The author makes up the rules as he goes along (if you’re gonna decide that three random Terry Gilliam movies make a trilogy, then wouldn’t “12 Monkeys” make it a quadrilogy and thus disqualify it?). I was looking forward to reading this, but ended up skimming it after the first few paragraphs and deciding not to waste my time.
Comment by Tommy Marx from Portland OR — August 6, 2007 @ 12:59 pm
Do some research before you criticize.
Gilliam HIMSELF labeled his three films a trilogy, reflecting youth (Bandits), middle age (Brazil) and growing old (Munchausen). Guess your insights are more valid, though.
BILL
Comment by Bill Gibron — August 6, 2007 @ 1:45 pm
I’m sure most directors could find some thematic thread that linked their works. But just because the author’s intent may be obvious to him/her, if it’s not obvious to the audience, it is a tenuous connection at best, and therefore, in a list as finite as a “top 10 of all time,” a weak example.
Comment by Mark Weisinger from Houston, TX — August 6, 2007 @ 2:24 pm
I second the vote for Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colours trilogy. That surely belongs on this list and way up near the top. Certainly should appear instead of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Comment by Steve from New York — August 6, 2007 @ 3:38 pm
Make that three for Kieslowski. I was shocked to see Pirates and Evil Dead, but NOT Three Colors.
Comment by Phillip from Pennsylvania — August 6, 2007 @ 3:55 pm
I think that when you talk about great trilogies, you talk about many things coming together. Be them actors, story arcs, themes, or even the musical score, all the elements are in sync all the time for however long. While I understand that the Lord of the Rings was a great critical success and lots of things work, most people found it boring up until the last hour of each of the movies. Which brings up the point that FANS will always love the Lord of the Rings, for the rest of us… well its better than Pirates of the Carribean!
I will not argue with that Terry Gilliam Trilogy that is somehow a trilogy even when no one really thinks it it is other than the director (granted individually, the movies could be the best set). It just probably would be better put on a different list. Astericks just shouldn’t be number two on something so heated as this.
Now, I like westerns, but I probably do not love them, however, The Man With No Name trilogy is the quintessential trilogy, the ultimate critical success, and favorite movie-goes movie. Perhaps third is a good place, but that set of movies was as inventive, engaging and epic in a way that changed the way we looked at movies. They expanded our view of the old west and made it more lawless than the whole universe of Star Wars. And Ennio Morricone wrote the most unique movie score to date. It truly is the most important, and greatest trilogy in all of movie history. Get it right.
Comment by Trey from Southport, NC — August 6, 2007 @ 5:18 pm
i don’t need to see bergman or kieslowski at #1, but are you serious with the lord of the rings? peter jackson’s king kong, which he claimed to be true to the original, was over twice as long? why?because of his intrinsic belief in the emotional power of film? get out of here. it’s because peter jackson has absolutely no idea how to make a film. if he had any idea how to cut a film every movie he made wouldn’t be 210 minutes long. if the thought of countering that part of my rant with something along the lines of “well, andrei rublev was 3 hours long, are you going to say tarkovsky doesn’t know how to tell a story?” you are just an idiot.
Comment by bob jones from bob jones university — August 6, 2007 @ 5:33 pm
not to mention:
fassbinder’s bundesrepublik deutschland trilogy? antonioni’s l’avventura/l’eclisse/la notte?
and the bourne trilogy—infinitely better than the matrix or pirates trilogies. even the three spiderman ‘trilogy’ is better. at least two of those movies were watchable. same with shrek. the 2nd and 3rd matrix/pirates movies were no better than the lion king 2 and 1 1/2.
Comment by bob jones from bob jones university — August 6, 2007 @ 5:46 pm
this post hereby concludes my trilogy of posts with more substance than the 3rd pirates and matrix films.
Comment by bob jones from bob jones university — August 6, 2007 @ 5:47 pm
It’s hard to accept The Matrix or Pirates of the Carribean as legitimate trilogies since they were all conceived as single films and pulled into the bloated trilogy status after the first film in each was successful. The same actually could be said of the (first) Star Wars trilogy, though at least there Lucas had planned out the set of films.
But why does this list ignore such superior trilogies as Ray’s Apu Trilogy and Bergman’s Silence trilogy? Obviously, you have to make scads of money and be rigged up with mind-numbing special effects to make the cut.
Comment by Richard from New York City — August 6, 2007 @ 7:22 pm
Even as someone who likes the Pirate trilogy more than most, the second film is incredibly weak and the third a bit meandering despite being a hell of a lot more fun. Choosing the recent Ocean’s trilogy would be better in this case, as the second isn’t nearly as weak as Pirates, and even at his worst Soderbergh at least has style.
Polanski’s “apartment” trilogy, Rosemary’s Baby, Repulsion and The Tenant would be worth seeking out, and considering also.
Comment by Justine from Montreal, QC — August 7, 2007 @ 3:23 pm