10 Movie Trilogies That Actually Got Stuck Landing

While it’s unlikely we’ll actually see the final Guardians of the Galaxy anytime soon, the trailers for the third installment in the franchise promise us a “last ride” with a gang of space misfits – perhaps the conclusion of Marvel history. The most bizarre side job in the Cinematic Universe. The 2014 original remains a standout franchise, and the 2017 sequel was an excellent, albeit less popular, sequel. Will the Guardians be able to land? Or will the ending be the ending at all? We used to love the idea of ​​movie trilogies (beginning, middle and end), but that was before franchises were immortal and never ending. It’s also true that the formal three-movie structure weighs heavily on the last installment, and the list of disappointing conclusions is much longer than the list of successes ( The Godfather III , Spider-Man III , Alien 3 , Blade) . Trinity , Skywalker. Sunrise : no one likes everyone). At the very least, we can celebrate these 10 franchise cappers who really managed to please.

Back to the Future Part III (1990)

BTTF fans will be arguing over which time travel movie is the best (which is silly, it’s the first one, of course). After the (mostly) sci-fi-inspired silliness of the second film, the third in the series travels to the old west with a more subdued tone, shifting focus to Christopher Lloyd’s Doc Brown and his romance with adventurous schoolteacher Clara (Mary Steenbergen). . Wisely, the film only hints at a path for Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly, acknowledging that it’s more important to give his more mature mentor a happy ending, and leaving Marty’s future wide open.

Where to stream: HBO Max

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

To cram it in now before the series continues with a fourth installment in 2024… War certainly seems like a fitting (and suitably melancholy) conclusion to a modern adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s novel. In the world of blockbuster franchises, this trilogy stayed true to its apocalyptic roots and stuck to a revolutionary message, which is unusual for a studio film on such a budget. In essence, he supports the idea that rights are rarely given and must be taken, and if necessary, by force. Brave. This is where the story of Caesar (Andy Serkis) ends, and only a glimmer of hope for the future.

Where to stream: Fubo, FX Now

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

I mean yes. With three tied votes for the best Oscar-winning film of all time, as well as a film that made over a billion dollars (which was a lot of money then), it’s hard to argue that The Return of the King didn’t do all the right things. needs to be done to complete Peter Jackson’s adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings . As the grand finale of Tolkien’s saga (let’s move on and forget about the Hobbit movies), it’s filled with thrilling action, but more importantly, emotional and character beats that tie it all together into something more than an empty spectacle. Who doesn’t mind when Viggo Mortenson refuses to accept Hobbits’ homage because they “bow to no one”?

Where to stream: HBO Max

Before Midnight (2013)

Unlike the end of many trilogies, even the good ones, there’s no need to apologize when it comes to Before Midnight , Richard Linklater’s conclusion to a story that began back in 1995 . almost exclusively around conversations between Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, who were two strangers when we first met and are now lovers at a turning point in their relationship. It’s something that could easily become unbearable if it weren’t so precise, insightful, sharp and brilliantly played. The relationship built between Celine and Jessie over decades seems almost to come to an end, as usual when relationships develop over time, and watching this struggle play out with the characters we’ve known for so long is both heartbreaking and profound. cathartic.

Where to broadcast: Digital rental

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy (beginning with A Fistful of Dollars in 1964) was not necessarily meant to be one, and the connective tissue between films is relatively thin. All of them are united by a central figure, Clint Eastwood’s anti-hero “The Nameless Man”, who wanders the American west (as seen through the eyes of an Italian director) in the years leading up to and coinciding with the Civil War. Although The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was initially dismissed as an exemplar of the once maligned “spaghetti western” genre, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’s near-nihilistic violence proved hugely influential, whether or not its over-the-top action was directly considered. or as an ironic commentary on the extreme violence of real American history (for better or worse, it works on both levels). The latest film in the series is the most accomplished yet also the most polished, with epic scope and a wildly memorable ending.

Where to stream: Tubi, The Roku Channel, Hoopla, Pluto

Return of the Jedi (1983)

I don’t think many will argue that The Return isn’t the last installment in the original Star Wars trilogy, weighed down by Lucas’ attempts to sell kids ways that can be effective when it comes to selling toys, but that only work from time to time. . in terms of storytelling (as a kid, I thought ewoks were just fine…but they seem out of place among the more dramatic bits of the film). Still. The opening in Jabba’s palace stands out for some of the best episodes in the entire saga, and the denouement (both explosive and redemptive) is impressively satisfying. The slack parts are mostly in the middle, but this middle part also includes a killer speeder bike chase and a pretty spectacular lightsaber duel. That Emperor Palpatine somehow returned decades later is hardly a fault of this movie.

Where to stream: Disney+

Apu Peace (1959)

There is no weak link in Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy, which began in 1955, so it’s hard to argue that World of Apu is the best of them all, but it’s certainly a valid conclusion. The first film, Pater Panchali , introduced the poorest of the poor Bengali peasants, Apu as a child, as well as his loving older sister and mother, Sarbajaya, with whom he would have a strained relationship in adulthood. Now a young undergraduate student in Kolkata, Apu takes steps to start a family of his own, only to find that the troubled patterns of his past are still present (it’s a particularly bold move to invite us to watch the once precocious Apu grow into someone who we don’t always like). Demonstrating that generational trauma is not easily reset, the Apu trilogy, and especially its final installment, feel shockingly modern.

Where to stream: HBO Max, The Criterion Channel (Also as Apur Sansar )

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

While it’s hard to hold on to a successful animated franchise, the flash-forward that concludes The Hidden World suggests we’re really done with the story of the dragon rider Hiccup and Toothless, his faithful winged dog companion, despite various short films in the same world. or a real-time reload perspective. Yet despite all the marketing and franchising, our two main characters have been at the heart of the series throughout the series, and it’s impressive that we’ve been able to learn and grow exuberantly throughout the trilogy, right up to their happy but bittersweet ending. All three films were nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, although none of them won the award. I wouldn’t be angry about it.

Where to stream: Fubo, FX Now

1000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse (1960)

In his last film, Fritz Lang returned to a character he had already visited decades earlier, first in Mabuse, The Gambler in 1922, and then in the phantasmagorical Testament of Dr. Mabuse in 1933. Both of these films reflected their time, while this one, in many ways the least perfect of the series, speaks to both the past and the future. Here, the crime boss Mabuse is more of a presence than a real person – in the 1933 film he directed his atrocities from a mental institution (with references to the rise of Adolf Hitler), but here he is the personification of the surveillance state, cameras and microphones everywhere. There are hints of Nazism in the world-building, as well as Iron Curtain communism and 1960s espionage prowess, but Mabuse’s world, in which everyone is always seen and heard, doesn’t feel terribly dated in 2023.

Where to broadcast: Digital rental

The Human Condition III: A Soldier’s Prayer (1961)

Masaki Kobayashi’s series follows the socialist, pacifist Kaji Tatsuya Nakadai in a near-totalitarian Japan during the World War II era. The trilogy, which began in 1959 with No Greater Love and continued with The Road to Eternity , chronicles Kaji’s physical and moral decline as his ideals collide with the harsh realities of war. Despite its desperate bleakness, the entire trilogy is visually stunning, no less than its justly praised snowy ending. Don’t expect a happy ending; to do so would be to miss the point entirely.

Where to stream: The Criterion Channel