Hear tt stern-enzi talk trilogies on this episode of Cincinnati Edition.
What makes a perfect film trilogy? Should filmmakers go into the endeavor with the intent of crafting a three-part cinematic series, or can the execution of the initial narrative lead to the need/desire to explore the backstory of the protagonist and/or their world?
I like to think about trilogies based on the tried and true format of the romantic arc. Romantic narratives have an undeniable structure. Boy meets girl. Boy loses girl. Boy gets girl back. That foundation allows the collective storytellers to figure out how to manage the timeframe for, let's say, a thoroughly engaging 90-minute movie.
To expand this notion to three movies would seem to be a bit trickier. Can the filmmakers determine how to make sure each film is able to tell its own unique story, while servicing the overall arc? When it works, a multi-layered magic spell can enchant audiences (and even leave them begging for more). The real trick, as you will see, is knowing when to stop.
The Matrix (1999)
Back when the Wachowskis introduced audiences to Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves), no one knew they had such an elaborate plan for a mind- and genre-expanding sci-fi exercise. Machines ruling over humanity, using people as batteries to power a dark and nearly drained world roiling from the effects of a long war between the two sides. That world needed a savior, and the first movie gave us that hero in Reeves and so much more. It was easy to get lost in the reality-warping fight sequences and the trippy questions about what was virtual vs real, but at its core, once the back-to-back filmed sequels — The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and The Matrix Revolutions (2003) — emerged, it became intriguingly apparent that what the Wachowskis sought to create was a sci-fi love story about a superhuman messiah who was willing to risk everything for one person (Trinity, played by Carrie-Anne Moss) rather than a more generic passion for the human race.
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The Bourne Identity (2002)
Doug Liman adapted a Robert Ludlum spy thriller about an assassin (Matt Damon) with amnesia and transformed the genre to its core, immediately impacting the reigning champion master of all spies, James Bond. When Daniel Craig stepped into the role of Bond, that team knew they had to infuse him with the gritty, fast-paced immediacy of The Bourne Identity. Once again though, what I found impossible to ignore was that as Liman left and Paul Greengrass took over the next two installments — The Bourne Supremacy (2004) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) — not only was the frenetic style triggering adrenaline bursts in audiences, but these films sneakily twisted the romantic arc as well. Bourne meets Marie (Franka Potente) in Identity and coerces her into becoming his accomplice and nominal love interest. In Supremacy, he loses her early on and goes on a revenge-laden journey to avenge her. And by the time Ultimatum arrives, Bourne finds a new partner in Nicolette (Julia Stiles), a former player in the duplicitous world who made an appearance in the first film and comes to embody a more platonic love that he needs to survive.
The Godfather (1972)
This series, for me, always begs the question as to whether or not a filmmaker in today's world would be able to take Mario Puzo's pulpy gangster novel and transform it into the kind of cultural touchstone that it is. Francis Ford Coppola was a raw visionary in the late 1960s/early 1970s when he was cautiously handed the keys to this project about a mafia don named Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) who ends up passing his empire to his youngest son Michael (Al Pacino), the one child he hoped would remain outside the corrupt family business. After 11 Academy Award nominations (and three wins), Coppola found a way back into the world in the second film (1974), which parallels the rise of the young Vito (Robert De Niro) and the deepening corruption of Michael. More Oscar glory ensues — 11 more nominations and six wins. In 1990, the final story tracks the fall of Michael and the continuation of the family, but some would say that this is when diminishing returns kick in, as The Godfather III earns only seven nominations and no wins. Despite the chatter about the third film, each film in this trilogy has epic majesty and fully epitomizes what trilogies can and should be. Nobody could have done it better.
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Three Colors: Blue (1993)
Krzysztof Kieslowski stands as one of the all-time great conceptualists in film. The Polish filmmaker started out making documentaries for television in the 1970s rooted in personal/societal morality, but hit his stride with this three-part series of features based on the colors and themes (Liberty, Equality and Fraternity) of the French flag. Blue was released in 1993 and starred Juliette Binoche as a composer struggling to adjust to life and work after the tragic death of her husband (also a noted composer working on a major project) and daughter in a car accident. The next two films were released in 1994 and found ingenious ways to connect characters from all three narratives, while maintaining the stand-alone feel of each. Kieslowski garnered Academy Award nominations for Three Colors: Red (Director and a Shared Original Screenplay nod with Krzysztof Piesiewicz), but sadly, with his death in 1996, the world lost a daring filmmaker who approached storytelling with his heart, mind and soul.
The Dark Knight (2008)
It feels weird to kickstart a conversation about a film trilogy with the second installment, but Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight expanded every facet of filmmaking and storytelling he introduced in Batman Begins (2005). Freed from the constraints of the origin story — Bruce Wayne's parents being killed in the alley on their way home from the theater — The Dark Knight dove headlong into his dynamic with his great nemesis The Joker (Heath Ledger) and transformed what we thought we knew about superhero movies. Grim and filled with grit and grime found in its uber-urban Gotham, the film deftly married its protagonist to his hometown and set the stage for a conclusion that could only break both the hero and this place. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) is far from perfect, but it provided the ending that Gotham needed and deserved.
Back to the Future (1985)
This is serial moviemaking at its peak. What teen wouldn't want to go back in time to meet their parents at their age as a reminder that once upon a time, we were all a bit rebellious and unfamiliar to our older selves? Michael J. Fox exudes all of the charm in the world as a teen caught up in a seemingly disastrous mistake that could lead to him being erased out of existence. Christopher Lloyd provides the scatterbrained spark of genius that can right all of the potential wrongs, only to hurtle into the future for the second installment in 1989 before slipping even further into the past in the final episode (1990). Robert Zemeckis helmed all three editions and proved to be a real marvel when mixing magic, mayhem and the hopeful return to the mundane realities of life.
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Before Sunrise (1995)
Richard Linklater gave us the ultimate indie meet-cute when a young man (Ethan Hawke) and a young woman (Julie Delpy) meet on a train in Europe and spend a night together wandering the streets before parting ways the next morning, likely never to see each other again. Nothing about the conversation between the two felt scripted, due to amazing chemistry between the leads. Before Sunset, in 2004, brought the pair back together after almost 10 years and picked up with all of the complications one would expect after so long apart, despite their obvious connection. By the time we get to Before Midnight, in 2013 (another 10 year jump) we find them together as a full-fledged couple with a host of blended complexities to deal with, but the basic magic remains because we believe in Hawke and Delpy, who scripted the last two installments with Linklater. This is a fascinating exercise in real-time storytelling that shouldn't work as well as it does, but thankfully we're in the hands of a trio of human craftspeople who respect the experience of love.
Creed (2015)
The story of Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) always featured supporting characters that seemed worthy of their own films, but it wasn't until Ryan Coogler got into his feelings over his love of Rocky that a powerful spinoff was ready to emerge. With an aging Rocky on hand in support, Creed explored the rise of the son (Michael B. Jordan) of his greatest rival and late friend Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Adonis longs to get into the family business and seeks out Rocky as a trainer/mentor. This first film celebrated Rocky to such an extent that Stallone snagged an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Coogler left the director's chair after the first film, but was succeeded by Steven Caple Jr in 2018 and Jordan himself in 2023, with Adonis continuing the Rocky legacy in Part Two (facing off against the son of Ivan Drago) before charting his own path in the third film — even paving the way for another generation to keep the boxing movie legacy alive. Would it be so bad to have more spinoff trilogies based on this franchise?
Spider-Man (2002)
Part of what makes trilogies work is the sense of continuity, like having a steady hand at the helm (Sam Raimi) working with a close collaborator (Tobey Maguire) to make even the most fantastic elements seem everyday. Raimi, an expert alchemist when it comes to humor and thrills that border on the horrific, took Peter Parker's origin as a geek bitten by a radioactive spider and made all of the talk about power and responsibility matter. By Spider-Man 2 (2004), they were ready to give us one of the greatest superhero stories ever, as Spider-Man lost and found his connection to his powers and became the ultimate neighborhood protector. Sadly, it could be argued that things went off the rails in the third movie (2007) with too many villains and a dark dancing Spider-Man, but all good things must come to an end, right?
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Ocean's 11 (2001)
Did we know we needed a remake of a Rat Pack lark from an indie/genre filmmaker (Steven Soderbergh) featuring a who's-who of modern swingers (George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and Matt Damon toplining)? And how do you top a plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos at the same time? With Ocean's Twelve (2004), the overstuffed team of loveable criminals heads to Europe to face off against a single thief who believes himself to be more than their match. When they return for their final caper in 2007, the crew is back in Vegas for a romp that, like the other films, never seems to have the highest of stakes, but that doesn't matter, because we're in it for the loose and charming company. This one is a true trilogy, in that we won't see this team gather for a sequel due to the tragic loss of Bernie Mac in 2008.
