Welcome to the latest instalment of our most recent blog series Top Tens, which is posting every Sunday, Australian time. Last week I shared my top 10 worship artists, and every week I will continue to share my ‘top ten ____’ (totally subjective by the way!), give a brief reason (whether the reasons are logical or illogical is another story!), and once again I will open the forum and discussion to all of you!
Today we’ll be talking about top 10 movie trilogies/franchises, and why these 30 movies (or more) are either sentimental for personal reasons or just because it’s part of popular culture and to not watch them would be criminal (nah, not really, but seriously, I think you should watch these 10 trilogies below, they are all pretty awesome, for one reason or another!) So without further ado… here are my top 10 movie trilogies (in reverse order).
Lethal Weapon– A cop franchise of 4 films, this features Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as reluctant partners turned friends, who have unconventional ways of solving crimes for homicide, but work well together. I never really saw these films until they were on free to air TV in the 2000’s, and I was hooked, and thoroughly enjoyed the mystery, action, and friendly banter between the two leads. Watching these two turn into lifelong friends by the second film, was interesting also, as the message is that best friends can turn up when you least expect it.
Terminator– Seeing that the fifth film “Genisys” is releasing (or filming) soon, set before the first film, it’s fitting to include this franchise (though the 4th film didn’t resonate that much with me), about a cyborg sent to the past to kills the mother of the saviour of mankind, then about that same cyborg who travels to a different time period to protect the son of the mother he tried to kill. Confused yet? Terminator launched the career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and was probably the first film series (besides Back To The Future), that tried to actively use time travel and try to explain it neatly. Worth watching alone to see the Terminator try to understand human behaviour in the second film, or in all three films shoot at civilians (but then reveal that there were 0 casualties), this cult classic is a must see before the release of the 5th film in 2015/2016.
Men In Black– Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones as a crimefighting duo, working for a top secret organisation, and saving the world from aliens and creatures from other planets? What more could you ask for in this action packed dramedy series that doesn’t make sense half the time, but doesn’t really need to? Though these three films are not the best films ever made, they do contain some fun and heartfelt moments, and are worth the time for a laugh, and the message that friendship is very important in this world.
The Pirates Of The Caribbean– Jack Sparrow graced our screens in 2003 in the first instalment of this successful Walt Disney franchise (the 5th film is releasing in 2015 or 2016 I think), and I would have to say that the swashbuckling, sometimes egotistical antihero, is Johnny Depp’s most popular role, and probably the most respected as well. The fact that the films have grossed about 4 times more than their budgets; shows us how enjoyable these films are for most of the world. Also, these are period piece films, and show us pirates working alongside with men of the law, and that alone is very interesting. Interesting and awesome huh?
Toy Story– How could you not love Toy Story? It’s Disney Pixar, features plenty of well known actors, and reminds us of our childhood when we are attached to our toys. Need I say more? Buzz Lightyear and Woody will always stand the test of time in my opinion, and watching the 3rd film on IMAX probably increased my appreciation for this franchise!
Indiana Jones– Harrison Ford, in probably the film series that made him a movie star, plays a professor and adventurer, who in these three films (not counting the fourth releasing almost 20 years later), have given us a courageous, no-nonsense and daring hero who was willing to take on any adversary and succeed. As these action flicks are set in the periods before/between the first and second World Wars, and also include comedy, drama, and romance, the series has something for everyone in it- for lovers of history as well as those wanting to watch 3 (or 4) heartfelt, inspirational films!
Batman (Batman Begins, Dark Knight, Dark Knight Rises)- You probably knew a superhero film was coming, didn’t you? But rather than list the whole Marvel franchise (more than 3 films obviously, and don’t worry I was tempted!), I’ve decided to included the latest Batman film series. We all know Christopher Nolan is a genus director (check out Inception when you have the chance, just to see his work as director in a stand alone film!), and his take on Batman is dark and gritty, yet more compelling and intriguing than the Batman films in the ‘90’s- Christian Bale plays a tortured, complex, conflicted hero in Bruce Wayne, and Michael Caine’s version of Alfred is pretty good also. Ok, now I’m starting to be excited for Gotham, the TV show coming in September!
Back To The Future– I remember watching this film maybe 10 years ago, and because it seemed like a good story (isn’t stuff with time travel always enthralling, mind boggling and captivating?), I took a chance and saw the films. They’re pretty good, and each film is set in a different era- with 1955, 2015 and 1885 explored thoroughly by Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) and his friend and mentor Doc Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd)- in this film series, 1985 is the present day. With the main takeaway from this series being that we cannot know the future, so we shouldn’t keep trying to change it for our benefit, otherwise there will be unintended and sometimes severe consequences, I think this film series ‘needs’ to be watched, as it is and will be educational, especially for teenagers, young adults and families.
Lord Of The Rings– I hadn’t read the books before I saw the movie, but what I saw (3 films of 3 hours each, in a fantastical kingdom filled with elves, dwarves, and other mystical creatures), took my breath away. Scenery-wise, this trilogy serves up some of the most picturesque scenes in probably the entire history of film, in my opinion. New Zealand is a great place to visit for holiday, isn’t it? With a star studded cast, Andy Serkis perfecting his accent as Gollum, intense action scenes, and a score that rivals almost any other in movies, this film series is a must to watch (or re-watch) before the third Hobbit film releases in December.
Star Wars (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi)- Probably the most iconic science fiction film series that has been popular since it released, the original Star Wars films, released in 1977, ’80 and ’83, feature strong acting and better than expected visual effects for its time period. Plus, this is Harrison Ford breakthrough role, and I’d have to say that the concept, music and underlying values of friendship, bravery and determination that it shows makes this trilogy my absolute favourite trilogy.
Films series that missed out: The Santa Clause, X Men, Star Wars (Phantom Menace, Attack Of The Clones, Revenge Of The Sith), Crocodile Dundee, Spy Kids
So there is my top ten movie trilogies, what are yours? Let me know so that we can compare and have a healthy discussion…
For me Crocodile Dundee is up there too.