This week sees the release of the eagerly-anticipated The World’s End, the final installment in the Cornetto Trilogy (along with Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz), a series of films straight out of the brain heads of director Edgar Wright and comedy best buds Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.
To celebrate the film’s release, JOE takes a look at some of the greatest trilogies ever made.
First up in our top ever trilogies are the initial three Twilight films.
Wise up you flippin’ bert.
If you thought that we actually meant that then you can get out. Get out now.
For the purposes of this article we will be cheating slightly by completely forgetting that certain fourth (and sometimes more) installments of various film series exist.
It’s our article so we can do what we like really.
STAR WARS
Just where the hell do you begin? Of course we’re talking about the incredibly influential original three films when we say “Star Wars.”
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983).
If you haven’t seen these films then you haven’t lived. Well, you have lived, but you haven’t seen those films and you’re a lesser person because of it.
The more recent trilogy also had its moments, most of them shit, but it’s fair to say that Lucas’ original three are some of the best films of all time, not just one of the best trilogies.
Although it’s become more of a cash cow for Disney now than anything else, it’s so important to remember the magic of the original films – heroes with serious daddy issues, brothers and sisters who fancy the pants off each other and more sci-fi action scenes than you could shake a lightsaber at.
Fu*k the midi-chlorians. This is what it’s all about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOFgFAcGHQc
LORD OF THE RINGS
Peter Jackson is a great man.
After gaining a cult following with brilliant early work like Bad Taste and Meet The Feebles, the Kiwi director ensured his place in Hollywood history by filming the supposedly unfilmable Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien.
The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002) and Return of the King (2003) absolutely blew us away when they were released in cinemas and it’s no surprise that the series is now continuing in the form of a new trilogy based around The Hobbit.
One word of advice though, just make sure you’ve got six and a half days put aside so you can actually watch Frodo and friends’ journey in its entirety because these films are looooooooooooooooooooong.
For nostalgia purposes, here’s the original trailer for the very first LOTR film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIgkpEgCV-I
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) is the teenager we all wanted to be. Apart from the bit where his mammy started to fancy him in the second film of course.
Fox was the perfect foil to the bonkers Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) as they revved up to 88 and went Back to the Future in the greatest time-machine ever invented – the DeLorean.
You know that new sound you’ve been looking for? Well, here’s Marty playing an oldie back form where he’s from…
TOY STORY
The three Toy Story fims (1995, 1999, 2010) are brilliant examples of how to make a perfect film in general, never mind a perfect animated film.
The voice cast are spot on (Tom Hanks as Woody, Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear), the graphics are beautifully rendered and the films paved the way for Pixar to be one of the leading innovators in film-land.
One blip is that the third film was released in 3D, a technology we’re not the biggest fans of, although the 3D glasses did succeed in hiding the buckets of tears we cried at the end of the film.
Come on, admit it – you cried like a little baby too.
Here’s Woody letting Buzz know that shit just got real.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXu6lQqhieA
THE GODFATHER TRILOGY
For a lot of people, the first two films in Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Mario Puza’s epic novel represent film-making and story-telling at its very finest. It’s hard to argue really, as the films feature stunning performances from all involved, a beautiful iconic soundtrack and more quotes than you could throw a horse’s head at.
The third film following the Corleone family, although not a terribly bad film by any means, just wasn’t able to reach the dizzy heights achieved by the first two but, as a whole, the trilogy undoubtedly stacks up as one of the greatest ever made.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfnUvYn6HoM
Honourable mention goes out to the Matt Damon Bourne trilogy, Clint Eastwood’s Dollars trilogy and the first three Indiana Jones films.
NOT the fourth one.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull does not exist.
That is all.
LISTEN: You Must Be Jokin’ with Aideen McQueen – Faith healers, Coolock craic and Gigging as Gaeilge
