'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The movie industry has produced many movie trilogies over the years, and some of them have achieved a huge cultural impact and commercial success. They offer filmmakers new opportunities to develop complicated storylines. While franchises like The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars dominate conversations about film trilogies, many exceptional three-film shows remain underrated by mainstream viewers.
These underappreciated movie trilogies often provide new perspectives on recognized genres or explore unconventional themes. Several factors contribute to why certain movie trilogies fail to receive widespread popularity.
Sometimes movie trilogies arrive ahead of their time, only gaining acknowledgment decades later through streaming platforms and home video. Other times, these series target niche audiences rather than broad demographic appeal.
The Vengeance, The Three Colors, and four other underrated movie trilogies that deserve more recognition
1) The Pusher
Trending
Filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn created one of cinema's most brutal examinations of drug culture through The Pusher trilogy. The three films follow different characters within Copenhagen's criminal underworld. Each film stands alone while contributing to a larger storyline about violence, desperation, and addiction.
The first unit introduces Frank, an amateur drug smuggler with many debts and formidable enemies. Refn created this movie on a limited budget using natural lighting and handheld cameras. This authentic shooting approach gives the movie a documentary-like feel that makes the violence look more uncomfortable and immediate.
The second film focuses on Frank's associate, Tony, as he navigates loyalty conflicts and fatherhood. The movie explores themes of family bonds and masculinity within a crime syndicate. The creator enhanced his visual tone while maintaining gritty realism that defined the overall narrative.
The final installment follows Milo, an aging drug lord struggling to maintain the base of his territory. This entry examines how changing times and age affect criminal enterprises. The trilogy concludes with a meditation on the cynical nature of violence and legacy.
Such movie trilogies influenced a generation of crime movie creators, and Refn's unhinged portrayal of violence and addiction in this trilogy mirrored the same approaches in mainstream cinema. The series displayed how limited budget filmmaking holds the potential to impact through raw performances and realistic format.
The Pusher trilogy is available on Amazon Prime.
2) The Man with No Name
Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone brought revolution to Western cinema through collaboration with Clint Eastwood in these iconic movie trilogies.
The creator reimagined storytelling by focusing on moral ambiguity rather than one-dimensional villains and heroes. His characters operate in gray zones where survival takes precedence over conventional morality. This approach challenged typical filmmaking traditions and created a different sub-genre called Spaghetti Westerns.
The installments showcase Leone's masterful use of wide shots, close-ups, and extended silence. His collaboration with composer Ennio Morricone created some of the most historical scores in cinema. These musical themes became a part of the visual narrative, enhancing the emotional impact of the main scenes.
Eastwood's portrayal of the Man with No Name established him as a major actor and created a long-lasting character archetype. The role demonstrated how minimal dialogue and subtle physical performance could convey complicated character development across film trilogies.
These movies influenced a lot of directors like George Lucas, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino. Their influence extends beyond Westerns into crime dramas, epic adventures, and action films. The trilogy proves how an international perspective can revitalize established genres.
This trilogy is available on Amazon Prime.
3) The Before Trilogy
Director Richard Linklater created one of the cinema's most intense examinations of mature love through his Before movie trilogy.
Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight are installments of this trilogy around the story of two people. The premise of the story follows Jesse (portrayed by Ethan Hawke) and Celine (portrayed by Julie Delpy) as they meet on a random trip and connect through a series of conversations. Their connection spans nearly two decades. Every film captures a specific moment in their lives with remarkable rawness.
Before Sunrise introduces their initial meeting as they spend one night walking through the town, talking about philosophy, love, and life. The movie presents their connection as temporary and magical, ending with no clarity on their future together.
Before Sunset again reunites the leads nine years later in France. Jesse becomes a writer and ends up writing a book on his encounter with Celine, while she becomes an environmental activist. They realise they are on a limited timeline as Jesse has to fly back, and this urgency is around their unresolved emotions and unique life paths.
In Before Midnight, they are shown to be married to each other with two daughters on vacation in Greece. However, the conversations make a transition as their life gets overburdened with responsibilities. The movie explores how parenthood, marriage, and time have transformed their relationship.
Their interactions reveal deeper conflicts about dreams, sacrifice, and commitment that threaten their connection. These movie trilogies display Linklater's unique approach to storytelling, employing real-time conversations and organic performances. The film displays how relationships evolve while enhancing core emotional connections.
This movie is available on Amazon Prime for viewers to watch.
4) The Three Colors
French director Krzysztof Kieślowski created an ambitious meditation on the human bond through these visionary movie trilogies. Blue, White, and Red explore equality, liberty, and fraternity while narrating intermingled stories about loss, love, and redemption.
The director employed visual motifs and color symbolism to connect the three movies narratively and thematically. Characters from all the installments appear briefly in others, suggesting invisible connections between seemingly individual lives. This approach creates an expansive tapestry of human experience across the movie trilogies.
Blue follows a woman recovering from a tragedy who attempts to isolate herself from emotional bonds. The movie uses colors and music to represent her internal journey from acceptance to grief. Kieślowski's restrained direction allows subtle performances to carry the emotional core.
White presents a darkly comic tale of a Polish immigrant looking for revenge against his ex-wife's fiancé. The movie explores themes of dignity and equality while keeping the focus on human connection. The tone differs from other movies while complementing their overall themes.
Red's final installment concludes the trilogy with a story of an elderly judge and a young model whose lives intersect through various chance encounters. The movie employs themes from the previous installment while offering a beacon of hope for understanding and human connection.
These movie trilogies display how arthouse cinema can explore. These movie trilogies demonstrate how arthouse cinema can explore profound philosophical questions through accessible storytelling.
It is available on Amazon Prime for viewers to watch.
5) The Cornetto
British filmmaker Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost created an eccentric blend of horror, comedy, and action through their collaborative movie trilogies.
Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, and The World's End use genre conventions to explore responsibility, friendship, and themes of evolving. Every installment parodies different genres while narrating sincere stories about male relationships and British culture.
The trilogy balances genuine emotional moments and clever humor, creating movies that work as both serious character arcs and comedies.
This approach distinguishes these movie trilogies from simple parody films. The distinctive visual style incorporates creative camera movements and rapid editing.
The films examine how resistance to and nostalgia for change can stop personal growth. Each main character encounters options of comfortable familiarity and necessary evolution. These themes resonate with viewers experiencing similar life transitions.
Regardless of critical acclaim and fan followings, these movie trilogies remain overshadowed by big franchise films. Their British sensibility may limit the international appeal, but their craftsmanship deserves bigger recognition.
These underrated movie trilogies demonstrate cinema's diversity beyond the mainstream blockbusters. Each installment offers a different perspective while showcasing extraordinary filmmaking approaches.
