It’s that time of year again; autumn is on its way, there’s frost in the mornings but summer can still be felt at noon, and it’s practically sweater weather in the evenings…and I am feeling just a little bit burnt out. Which is terrible timing; as everyone goes back to school and library programming ramps up, I need to be energized! I need to be on top of so many things!
But there’s no fighting reality, so when I feel burnt out, I do what I always do: I hole up with my comfort films, which never fail to soothe and rejuvenate me after a long few days.
And something that I’ve noticed is that a lot of my favourite films are trilogies (or should have been trilogies, and I dismiss any sequels past the third with extreme prejudice).
So let’s talk trilogies!
#1 – The Lord of the Rings
No one who knows me could possibly be surprised that my first pick is The Lord of the Rings (LotR, for short). I firmly believe this is the best trilogy of all time and also, perhaps, the best adaptation of a book series of all time. (I’m not the only one who thinks so, obviously.)
Notice I didn’t say the LotR films are the ‘most faithful’ adaptation, which they very much aren’t—but do they capture the heart and themes of the books? Do they convey the same sense of grandness and loss and wonder and perseverance and love? Do they move me, no matter how many times I rewatch them? Yes, yes, and yes. Do they also have the best soundtrack ever that was extended into complete recordings to give you a scene-by-scene musical experience of the films? Resounding yes.
My favourite of the three films (and books) is The Two Towers. This is because I am still, at heart, a horse girl, and the second film deals largely with the land of horse people (Rohan) and my favourite horse girl (and warrior), Eowyn. I am also, always and forever, a tree girl. And—you guessed it—trees are major players in the second movie! Walking, talking, fighting trees! Literally, what could be better?
And finally (listen, I said good things come in threes), The Two Towers is when we’re first introduced to Faramir, tragic Boromir’s younger brother and Aragorn’s foil (in the films, specifically), who is…way cooler and more complex and amazing in the books than he is in the films, actually. Film!Faramir is one adaptation choice I’m not so happy about, but he gets points simply for attempting to reflect some of the complex perfection that is the original character.
Moving on! (Though I could happily talk about LotR forever…)
#2 – The Cornetto Trilogy
I’m not really a horror fan (I get scared and squeamish pretty easily) but I do love dark comedy, especially if there’s good character work and satire involved, of which these three films have plenty! What really makes them appealing to me (besides the comedy) is that they’re extremely well-constructed, both in terms of characterization and how they’re filmed (every frame is so intentional and detailed and lends itself to the story). Their rewatchability is high; I always catch funny or sly or sad bits and bobs that I missed or overlooked the first time around. Also, they’re just plain fun.
You might be wondering why they’re called the Cornetto Trilogy, and that’s because all three films feature three different flavours of the ice cream brand (this was, at first, an accident and then became a purposeful choice). They’re not a trilogy in terms of story; they’re more of a trio of films, a result of the collaboration between Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost, and all three films have several fun callbacks to each other as well as a repeating cast in different roles. (Although you could argue that the latter point is pretty much a given with British media.)
My favourite ping-pongs between Hot Fuzz and The World’s End. The former is really gruesome but also hilarious—copaganda aside—with a happy ending…while the latter is a devastating and compelling story under all the silliness, and has a semi-tragic ending, depending on how you look at it. So I suppose my favourite depends on my mood!
#3 – The Pirates of the Caribbean
Speaking of World’s End…Pirates of the Caribbean is a not-exactly-except-in-all-the-ways-that-matter trilogy. Which is to say, it’s a trilogy because the fourth film is really a spin-off (though I did love the mermaids) and the fifth…well. The less said about it the better. The first three films, however, are one long, excellent, contained story, building off of each other spectacularly, developing the characters and expanding and deepening the world, and reaffirming its major themes (freedom, adventure, agency) over and over again. Also, they’re fun, cinematographically gorgeous, and have a soundtrack almost as wonderful as LotR’s. Composer Hans Zimmer is just incredible. And in a wonderful coincidence, he’ll be preforming in Toronto on September 19th!
For a really excellent deep dive into what makes the Pirates trilogy so great, watch this video. And since I’ve made this a trend—my favourite of the three is At World’s End. It’s an epic conclusion to Elizabeth and Will’s romance and growth as individuals and as a couple.
#4 – How To Train Your Dragon
I love dragons so much that I wrote a whole post about them already, so of course I love this trilogy. Each successive film deepens the characters and their relationships, expands the world and the dragon lore, and adds complexity to it all while also being fun and a visual feast. I also love that the series deals with issues of disability and difference, strained family dynamics, friendship, and more in an accessible way without being heavy handed about it. Plus, the score is fantastic. And there’s something really special about following Hiccup’s growth (literal and metaphorical) through the movies. My favourite is still the first film, though bringing in Hiccup’s mom in the second film, and the stunning secret world of the dragons in the third film, make it a tough choice.
#5 – The Addams Family
As everyone knows, September is the start of spooky season. So I have to rave about my favourite spooky trilogy, The Addams Family. I didn’t have a TV growing up, not until I was almost in my teens, anyway, so Saturday morning cartoons were never really a thing…though we did eventually start having family movie nights. And a popular movie (and show) was the Addams. What’s not to like? A healthy if murderous family dynamic (I love that dichotomy), spooky weirdos, dark comedy, the goth aesthetic…truly a delight to young emo me (and current extremely nostalgic me). My favourite of the three is Addams Family Values, because Debbie is an icon and, in an alternate universe, could have found happiness and belonging with the Addams…if only she knew the real meaning of family. (Which, despite literally everything, the Addams really do know all about.)
Shout out to the adaptations: Wednesday, the Netflix show which I find more spooky than funny with all the gore, and the 2020 animated film and sequel!
#6 – Cinderella
Yup, you read that right. Cinderella is a trilogy! And one of my faves! The first film is obviously a classic, so I won’t talk too much about it, but the second... Okay, so Cinderella II is more of a short story collection, but I love it for what it does for Anastasia’s character, and for adding a little…realism doesn’t seem like the right word…but I like that it explores how Cinderella actually fits into her role as princess, which is so fun and unexpected. And then you have Cinderella III, which features a canon divergence AU and time travel! Are you kidding me?! How fun is that? Plus, it maintains Anastasia’s development from the second movie (even though Cinderella III is only a direct sequel to the first film), allows Cinderella to have agency, and makes the prince an absolute icon! Curious to hear more? Check out this video on why Cinderella III is so fantastic.
Honestly, I could go on and talk about more trilogies—like Fast & Furious which, despite being a fun if increasingly ridiculous franchise, really capped off at the first three films (excluding Tokyo Drift, which is a spin-off), or the Robert Langdon trilogy (one of the rare adaptations that are better than the books to me)—but this post is already pretty long and six is a nice number to end with, considering it’s a multiple of three.
So, until next time, happy trilogy watching!