What is it about the trilogy that makes it so endearing? Why, when a film becomes successful, do they always talk about turning it into a trilogy? Why not just call it what it is, that they're starting a franchise? I mean, that's really what they're planning on doing.... toys, books, spin offs, etc. Yet, regardless of all that, the franchise continues on, to be the accepted course for any popular film to take.... but why is that?
Let's start with the basic core of any good storytelling. The standard format would be that it takes place in a 3 part story arc, with a beginning, middle and an end. During the course of that story arc, the main character or characters, has some sort of change or evolution. Perhaps this is what creates the success of the trilogy, that it follows the same blueprint? There's the first film, the origin story, that is act 1. Then comes the second film, where the use of the established characters starts with a bang and ends with a bang. That is act 2. Finally the third film, where we see our characters end their journey, with some sort of ultimate resolution, act 3. Each one independent of the other and capable of being a stand alone film, but all of them together, creating an epic story that should satisfy your love of the characters involved. Not unlike a good meal, it starts with a salad or an appetizer, then moves onto the entree and ends with a sinful desert. However, on some occasions.... we see the door left open at the end of the third film and that leads us into the earlier mentioned, franchise. One with potentially no end, but that's for a different article.
I, personally, am a fan of the second part of the trilogy, over the origin story. Why is it that the second installment in the series is usually the most beloved? For example, 'The Empire Strikes Back', 'The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence' or 'The Dark Knight'. Each of these is a solid film on it's own, but as a part of the whole, they create the trilogy. All of these are a second installments in a three part story arc. I think, for me, it's all about the fact that you have an established character or characters and you throw them in a new situation and just let things happen. There doesn't always have to be the best plot, sometimes it's a repeat of the first movie's story line and other times it's a new direction for the series. No matter what though, since the origin story is out of the way, all bets are off.
This isn't always the case, however. There are just as many bad examples of number two's (hehehe) that left a lot to be desired. 'From Dusk 'till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money' or 'Predator 2', as a couple of examples. There's no hard and fast rules as to which part of a trilogy will stand out the most, but there is one thing that seems to stay fairly consistent, the third part is usually a let down. Why is it then, that when you have all the pieces of the puzzle and something that the public wants.... does the third and final act of the trilogy almost always disappoint? Could it be that the writers ran out of ideas or that the engine just ran out of steam? Perhaps it's a third reason, that we'll get to shortly. 'Hostel III' or Spider-Man 3', are examples of trilogy's that failed to complete the cycle. It isn't always the rule, there are a few exceptions to the rule, but you could almost put money on the fact that the third part of a trilogy will always let you down. However, for OCD completionists like me, I have to watch it, no matter what and if I love the trilogy as a whole.... I have to own it too. No exceptions. Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment.
Occasionally, you get the trilogy that starts strong, continues strong and ends with a bang. They're few and far between, but they do exist. My belief is that the movies that are created, written and always treated as though they'll be a trilogy, end up being the most successful ones. Meaning, that if you conceive a story to be broken into three parts or is long enough to be divided into a trilogy, then those films will work as a whole body of work. Because the writer knows exactly where the characters are going to end up and how they will get there. The result is that we don't have to suffer through a weak chapter in the trilogy. The only issue, these diamonds in the rough seem to experience, is poor translation to the screen. I have, as of the writing of this article, yet to see a trilogy be rebooted/reimagined into a new trilogy that is as strong as the original. 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' films may prove that it can be done. The original films are incredibly strong and the first part in David Fincher's re-telling was just as strong. When the material is air tight, it just takes a little bit of magic and all the moving parts to work in unison and you get cinema magic.
What's the point of all this? I spent a period recently, watching several trilogy's to see what I could gleam from the experience. 'Hostel', 'Joyride' and 'The Human Centipede' were some of the movies on my list. Of those, 'Hostel' fell prey to the standard cliches mentioned in the first part of the post. 'Joyride' never had a chance. The material was not strong enough to support more than one film. The second and third were basically after thoughts to cash in on the success of the original. Sadly, they were complete garbage. Finally, 'The Human Centipede', proved to be the last type of trilogy I mentioned. The one where the creator had a trilogy in mind from the beginning and had the support and drive to make it a reality. Was it successful? I think Tom Six made something that will stand the test of time and be puzzled over and studied for years to tome. I've become somewhat of a fan boy, over the years, but worry that he might not be able to translate that success into something new? Something outside of 'The Human Centipede'? Time will tell, my friends. Time will tell.
I'm a fan of the stand alone film, but if the character is strong enough, I love seeing it turn into a trilogy or a franchise. For me, if I love a character, I want to see them in other situations. I want them to come back and entertain me again. No matter what genre it is or whatever the outcome. Every movie has the potential to become a series of movies. I've seen so many films that should have never had the capability or reason to be more than one film. Yet, box office results, big studio decisions and new ideas from the writers, can turn a single into a series. Sometimes they overstay their welcome, but who's to say when enough is a enough? Is it that different from a television series? A standard season of any series is between 6 to 13 + episodes. At 30 mins to an hour each, that's longer than most trilogy's and sometimes even some franchises. (I'm looking at you 'Witchcraft'.) I think it's all about changing your perspective. Look at it like you would a television series or a book series or a comic book. Some stories are intended to be serialized and ongoing, but for some reason, movies are held to a slightly different standard and I'm not sure why that is? Just like with reboots or remakes, why can't these just be considered another legitimate form of creativity? If you can cover another persons song, why not retell another persons movie? If the character, world or story is iconic enough, it will continue to live outside of the original source material. It may even outlive the creator themselves. Just look at something like 'Star Wars', 'James Bond' or 'Doctor Who', these creations took on a life of their own and have lent themselves to so much more out of the humble places where they began. So much so, that the fans have taken up the mantle and are expanding the universe beyond anyone's wildest imaginations. Horror may be every other genre's uncle, that nobody talks about, but even it has characters like Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees. Characters so iconic that they've spawned video games, comic books and a mythos that John Carpenter, Wes Craven and Sean Cunningham never dreamed of when they first gave birth to the ideas. So let's embrace the trilogy, for what it is, and encourage film makers to strive for a character or world that can support the weight of multiple entries. I'm all for watching a character grow or change or even in some cases, just keep killing campers in unique ways as a cautionary tale for premarital sex. Plus, box sets look great on my movie shelves.
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