Trilogy Week Part 1

Question:  What comes in threes and makes millions at the box office?

Kick-ass trilogies, that's what!  And kick-ass trilogies are this week's hot topic.  (At least, they are for me.)  I'm going to take a look at some of the all-time great trilogies and see how they stack up.  But I'll be using a kind of strange system to determine my rankings.  I'm not necessarily looking for quality, although that is certainly important.  I'm looking for the ability to be watched in a marathon (a.k.a. back-to-back-to-back).  Why am I doing this?  Because there are few things I love more than sitting down and watching three movies in a row, especially when they are part of the same trilogy.  If you've never done this, I highly recommend you try it at least once.  And this week, I will be counting down the top five most marathonable trilogies of all time.

Here's what I'm looking for:
Plot Movement - Everything should move along at a decent enough pace.  If I'm going to watch three movies in a row, that means I'm staring at the screen for a long time.  I don't want to be bored.
Continuity - No plot holes, please.  I like my trilogies organized and well thought out, not just one good movie with a couple sequels tacked on.
Quality - Yes, the movies should be good.  Duh.

So in the words of the late, great, Heath Ledger, "Here... we... go!"

Marathonable Trilogy Number 5 - The Lord of the Rings

This is the most decorated trilogy of all time, taking home a combined 17 Oscars, including one Best Picture.  All three movies (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King) were directed by Peter Jackson.  They were released in consecutive years after about 7 years of development and filming.  Based on the novels by J.R.R. Tolkein, the trilogy is an epic fantasy story rooted in a very deep world meticulously chronicled by the author.  The books are not required reading for the movies.  If you're not that into fantasy literature, I would suggest skipping the books altogether.

As far as plot goes, there's a whole lot of things going on.  There are tons of characters with different storylines taking them in vastly different directions.  To compensate for this, the movies are ridiculously long, allowing them to fit in everything they want.  However, sometimes the films fall victim to their own length.  Scenes are sometimes dragged out, and there is quite a bit of filler material, i.e. traveling montages, epic shots of the landscape, (all New Zealand,) and long, long, battle sequences.  The story does get from beginning to and hits every point along the way, but it sure does take its sweet time doing so.

This trilogy is the epitome of a continuous story.  All three films were filmed at the same time.  All the actors and crew where in for the entire production.  Nobody was switched out in the middle.  It was planned as three films, and released as three films.  In terms of continuity, there is no better trilogy out there.  Period.

In terms of quality, The Lord of the Rings certainly is great, and has the hardware to prove it.  Every aspect of the film is strong, with good writing, remarkable special effects, one of the best soundtracks I can think of, and a solid ensemble performance highlighted by Viggo Mortensen and Ian Mckellan.

One thing that makes this trilogy so good for marathons is its consistency.  Many trilogies have a dip with the second film, something that makes watching all three difficult.  But in my opinion, The Two Towers is actually the best film of the three.

With all of these things in its favor, why is this trilogy only number 5?  The real answer is length.  It's just to damn long to watch all three in a row and not get bored at some point.  If you are going to have a Lord of the Rings marathon, make sure you build in some meal breaks.  You'll need them.  Great movies, great trilogy, but hindered by its own epicness, the Lord of the Rings comes in at number 5 on My Top 5 Most Marathonable Trilogies.

Marathonable Trilogy Number 4 - The Ocean's Trilogy

Steven Soderbergh's heist series follows the exploits of a gang of elite criminals.  The first film in the trilogy is based off of an earlier film starring Frank Sinatra.  His replacement?  A damn good one in the form of George Clooney.

By far the least continuous of my top 5, the Ocean's trilogy (Ocean's 11, Ocean's 12, and Ocean's 13,) are three distinctly different films, each with a unique storyline.  While all the characters carry over from one film to the next, there is not much in the way of over-arching plotlines.

But when it comes to keeping things moving, Ocean's does not disappoint.  It zips through its brisk and light story with ease, and there is always something going on.  Not a moment is wasted in any of these films, and if you blink, you might miss something.

All three movies are good in their own right, but unfortunately, the weakest is the second.  (I lay the blame squarely at the feet of Catherine Zeta-Jones.  She kills the movie.)  This makes the marathon difficult because of the lull in the middle.  But if you make it through to the third, you're home free, because once you see Al Pacino hit the screen in Ocean's 13, the movie flies by like a rollercoaster, and a good one.

It has its flaws, mostly coming in the second film, but also as a result of the disjointed nature of its production, with each movie filmed seperately.  But in the end, the films are just too darn fun not to enjoy.  Sporting one of the best casts ever put together, (George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, and many more,) the Ocean's trilogy is a wild ride, and when watched together, provide a full day's worth of humor and excitement.

Ok, that's all for now.  On Wednesday at dawn, look to the East.  Unfortunately, the riders of Rohan won't be there, but I will, and I'll have the next pair of trilogies in the countdown.

-Harry

P.S.  I did not coin the phrase, "Fast Cars, Danger, Fire and Knives."  Ian Matthias Babbit, a.k.a. Aesop Rock did.  He's a musician.  He's also the man.