There are plenty of great underappreciated movie trilogies to dive into, whether they're
small indies or movies you love but didn't realize were part of a trilogy.
For your next lazy Sunday, settle in, pull up your favorite streaming service, and fall
in love with a new three-part film series.
Directed by Richard Linklater, this trilogy spans continents, decades, and takes a deep
look at the changing nature of long-time relationships.
Before Sunrise finds Jesse and Céline locking eyes on a train and experiencing one long
night in Vienna filled with revelations, deep connections, and love at first sight.
The second film, Before Sunset, focuses on the compromises and changes you make in your
thirties as Jesse and Céline reconnect after nine years apart.
"Each relationship, when it ends, really damages me.
I never fully recover.
That's why I'm very careful of getting involved, because it hurts too much."
Before Midnight jumps ahead another nine years after that.
Through Jesse and Céline's long and passionate love story, nearly every viewer will be able
to find at least one striking similarity to their own life.
El Mariachi follows an out-of-work musician simply known as El Mariachi, who is mistaken
for a ruthless criminal by a murderous gang.
Unbeknownst to many fans, it's also the first film of a trilogy that includes the far more
popular Desperado and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
Part of that confusion comes down to recasting; Carlos Gallardo played El Mariachi in the
first film, but he was replaced by Antonio Banderas for the final two films.
Together, the three films showcase all the over-the-top violence and melodrama that any
Robert Rodriguez fan could ask for.
Based on Stieg Larsson's series about a vengeful young hacker named Lisbeth Salander, this
film franchise originally aired on Swedish channel SVT1 as a miniseries, though each
installment totaled around three hours each.
The first film, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, introduces us to Salander, who is helping
disgraced journalist Mikael investigate a missing person.
Throughout the next two films, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the
Hornet's Nest, Mikael and Salander continue working together, and when Salander is wrongly
accused of murdering a journalist who was targeting Mikael, he works to prove her innocence.
The Hannibal Lecter trilogy features other films and adaptations beyond these three films,
but these installments make up the core of the franchise.
Based on the series of novels by Thomas Harris, the film adaptations begin with The Silence
of the Lambs.
Starring Jodie Foster as Clarice and Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, the story finds
its unlikely partners teaming up to track down another sadistic serial killer known
as Buffalo Bill.
The film is inarguably a classic, winning nearly half a dozen oscar awards in 1992,
with some of the most memorable dialogue in film history
"A census taker once tried to test me.
I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti."
Hopkins reprised his role in Hannibal, but Julianne Moore took over as Clarice.
Red Dragon saw Hopkins return for a third and final time, bringing all his considerable
charisma to the role of the cannibal doctor.
There are technically six films in George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead film
series, but the first three are regarded as their own independent trilogy.
Although the three originals don't share characters, they all take place in the midst of a zombie
outbreak.
1968's Night of the Living Dead focuses on a group of seven people trapped in a remote
Pennsylvania farmhouse which is surrounded by living dead.
It's a true horror classic, and one of the most influential films ever made.
Dawn of the Dead, released in 1978, was a collaboration between Romero and Italian horror
filmmaker Dario Argento.
Like its predecessor, it was filmed in Pennsylvania on an incredibly low budget and was critically
adored, becoming one of the best known zombie films of the 20th century.
Finally, Day of the Dead arrived in 1985, telling the story of human survival in underground
cities and bunkers as the infestation continued.
Each film in the trilogy left a lasting impact, spawning countless remakes, parodies, and
homages for years to come.
In 2004, director Edgar Wright, teamed up with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for Shaun of
the Dead, a wry, hilarious take on a typical zombie flick.
Next came their wonderfully absurd cop parody Hot Fuzz in 2007.
Finally, The World's End, their take on aliens and the apocalypse, arrived in 2013, completing
the Cornetto trilogy.
The trilogy's name comes from the famous British frozen treat and each film features a different
color of Cornetto which relates to its plot: red for Shaun of the Dead, blue for Hot Fuzz,
and green for The World's End.
Though none of the films share the same universe, watching each of them back to back gives viewers
the chance to spot plenty of jokes and references.
Never taken a shortcut before?"
What's the matter Danny? never taken a shortcut before?
"Oh no!"