Underappreciated Trilogies

[Reverend]

Are they connected in any way? I LOVE Prince of Darkness.. One of my favorite go-to horror movies, but I had no idea that there was such a thing as an "Apocalypse trilogy"

I think it's a purely thematic trilogy, not one connected by any kind of shared continuity. Basically like Edgar Wright's Cornetto Trilogy, but without the recurring cast and the more consistent level of quality.

Personally I've always thought it was misnamed because one could also sort of fit 'Escape from New York' 'They Live' and I suppose even 'Village of the Damned' into the same category. I've also seen the claim that those three films are a trilogy in that they deal more specifically with Lovecraft-esque cosmic horror scenarios. I don't think that quite gels either since again, there's 'Village of the Damned' & 'They Live' (also possibly 'Ghosts of Mars'? I don't know, I couldn't sit through it.)

I suppose what it really comes down to is that "Apocalypse trilogy" just sounds better than "five or six of the films this guy made are kind of apocalyptic."

 

[M.A.C.O.]

I admit my first thought upon reading that is "it sounds like the set-up for a murder mystery."

As a visual thing it sounds cool. As a story idea, "everyone gets together for a tournament" doesn't in and of itself, have a lot of legs, for me.

That was just a pitch and hook to sell. The general audience loves swords and sorcery fantasy. Beyond the tournament, to make it more Narnian, I imagine a conflict that threatens to engulf the regions of Narnia into a brutal world war. Unless, the various groups of Narnia and their leaders can put aside their difference and find peaceful resolution and coexistence. What makes them different, should've have to draw them apart. Something corny like that, because it's Narnia. XP

I think part of what irritated me about DT was that I'd read the book first, and IIRC the White Witch doesn't appear in it at all, while she came up in the movie. It felt like TPTB knew they had a popular character and couldn't let her go even though at this point they really should have.

I thought the White Witch's inclusion was fine for what they were going for. Temptation was a big theme throughout VOTDT and Edmund who had already been liberated from the Witch's grasp (saved by Aslan) in LWW, never had an opportunity to confront and reject her. I liked it, because Edmund was now older and stronger and he could thoroughly repudiate her promises. A nice contrast to Peter and Caspian in PC, who were also tempted by the White Witch and both took a moment and considered her offer. Due to desperation and their own desire to win.

What I'm trying to say is, I think it brought Edmund's character full circle.

 

[DonIago]

See, I felt Edmund's character came full circle in PC when he succeeded where Peter and Caspian were failing...the aforementioned hesitation.

So to bring her up again in DT felt like "Really, we're still not over this?"

 

[DigificWriter]

Regarding the idea that The Matrix wasn't designed to have sequels, the facts blatantly contradict such a notion.

 

[M.A.C.O.]

See, I felt Edmund's character came full circle in PC when he succeeded where Peter and Caspian were failing...the aforementioned hesitation.

So to bring her up again in DT felt like "Really, we're still not over this?"

I suppose you are right. Capitalize on her popularity. Next to Aslan, she is the most recognizable character from the Narnia verse. At least her use wasn't invasive to the plot and only Edmund could see her this time.

 

[DonIago]

Sorry, I don't mean to sound perhaps bitterly cynical, it was just something that took me out of the movie the admittedly one time I saw it, and unfortunately contributed to my desire not to see it again. :/

 

[DigificWriter]

I'd forgotten about the existence of this thread, but wanted to resurrect it and put forth Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, and Justice League as an underappreciated Trilogy because there's a direct narrative through-line to them and none of them deserve the savaging they get from people.

 

[Kevman7987]

I'd forgotten about the existence of this thread, but wanted to resurrect it and put forth Man of Steel, Batman v Duperman, and Justice League as an underappreciated Trilogy because there's a direct narrative through-line to them and none of them deserve the savaging they get from people.

Me too!

 

[Greg Cox]

Personally I've always thought it was misnamed because one could also sort of fit 'Escape from New York' 'They Live' and I suppose even 'Village of the Damned' into the same category. I've also seen the claim that those three films are a trilogy in that they deal more specifically with Lovecraft-esque cosmic horror scenarios. I don't think that quite gels either since again, there's 'Village of the Damned' & 'They Live' (also possibly 'Ghosts of Mars'? I don't know, I couldn't sit through it.)"

And "Village of the Damned" was a remake of an earlier movie that already spawned a genuine sequel: "Children of the Damned." So I tend to think of the Carpenter version as the (inferior) remake of a classic SF film rather than part of some other trilogy.

 

[Reverend]

And "Village of the Damned" was a remake of an earlier movie that already spawned a genuine sequel: "Children of the Damned." So I tend to think of the Carpenter version as the (inferior) remake of a classic SF film rather than part of some other trilogy.

Is that the one where a bunch of creepy blonde kids menaced Superman with a staring competition, or am I thinking of something else?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

^ No, you're right, Chris Reeve was in the Village of the Damned remake (as was Kirstie Alley).

 

[Greg Cox]

^ No, you're right, Chris Reeve was in the Village of the Damned remake (as was Kirstie Alley).

Yep. Based on the novel "The Midwich Cuckoos" by John Wyndham, and previously filmed back in 1960 with George Sanders in the lead.

 

[Steve Roby]

A couple of comments on old posts in the thread:

The Matrix: the first one is a cool ride that fell to pieces as soon as I started thinking about it. Haven't seen the others.

Narnia: not intended as a trilogy, as far as I know. I suspect it would have done better if it hadn't been treated as a specifically Christian film series, with a lot of marketing aimed at certain types of American Christians rather than a broader audience. I also suspect the Christian angle is why Prince Caspian is so different from the book, which is a mostly plotless ramble with an extended pagan sequence that's missing from the movie. (I have Dawn Treader on DVD but haven't watched it yet.)

 

[DonIago]

Could you refresh my memory with regards to the pagan sequence missing from the movie?

If anything I thought the movies were less overtly Christian than the books.

 

[Steve Roby]

The wild race through woods and schools and other places with Bacchus and other Roman types.

 

[DonIago]

Hmm. I remember that part but don't remember interpreting it as a pagan sequence at the time. Then again, I've meant to reread that one.

 

[Greg Cox]

Possibly underappreciated due to its age is the Quatermass trilogy from the fifties and sixties. Originally TV serials, the first three stories were later made into films. I haven't seen the first two in decades, but I remember them being good black-and-white SF movies, while the third and best film, Quatermass and the Pit (aka Five Million Years to Earth), is a genuine classic: both eerie and thought-provoking.

 

[Steve Roby]

Hmm. I remember that part but don't remember interpreting it as a pagan sequence at the time. Then again, I've meant to reread that one.

If you google Prince Caspian pagan, you'll see a lot of commentary on it.

 

[Reverend]

Possibly underappreciated due to its age is the Quatermass trilogy from the fifties and sixties. Originally TV serials, the first three stories were later made into films. I haven't seen the first two in decades, but I remember them being good black-and-white SF movies, while the third and best film, Quatermass and the Pit (aka Five Million Years to Earth), is a genuine classic: both eerie and thought-provoking.

I have a vague memory of giant grasshopper corpses dug up in an ancient spaceship in the London underground, but can't for the life of me remember the plot or any characters, aside from Quatermass himself.

 

[ichab]

IMO Star Trek 2,3 and 4 is a trilogy that is very underated due to being a part of a very long running franchise. They all share the same storyline that started with TWOK and ended with TVH. Both of those movies were exceptional and TSFS was no slouch either. I also love the fact that the supporting cast(uhura,scotty,chevkov and sulu) was finally given great material to work with and it became more of a family.