‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’ May Be The Perfect Trilogy, But So Are These
The third and final Guardians of the Galaxy film hit cinemas last week and proved, once again, that it’s one of the best franchises in the MCU.
Like its predecessors, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a funny, poignant, and musically superior foray into the ever-expanding world of Marvel superheroes. The third film rounds out the Guardians’ journey with Rocket’s gut-wrenching origin story, the perfect soundtrack, and one of the most spectacular fight scenes I’ve seen in a while. I’ve always been a Spider-Man girl, but Rocket is inching up my list of favourite Marvel characters. Seriously, I can’t even think about some of his scenes without welling up.
Director James Gunn has tweeting up a storm over the weekend after the film’s release, making it clear that the film means as much to him as it does to all of us. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is poised to become one of the most beloved Marvel films of all time, and it’s already being touted as one of the best trilogies of all time.
But wait just a minute. Best trilogy ever? In this economy? I mean, sure, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1 will go down in history as one of the best openings of a Marvel film to the tune of Redbone’s ‘Come And Get Your Love’, while Vol. 2 beautifully delves into Quill’s identity with Vol. 3 offering us the perfect finale.
Best trilogy ever, though? I will not stand for this disrespect. I present to you some trilogies that shan’t be sidelined, even by the near-perfection of the GOTG.
High School Musical
Disney
Growing up means realising that Sharpay Evans was the true main character of the High School Musical trilogy, the perfect three-part chronicle of the annual East High musicál. Launching Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens into Disney superstardom and a highly publicised relationship, this franchise is responsible for the soundtrack of our childhood. My personal favourite is Zac Efron’s Oscar-worthy rendition of ‘Bet On It‘. Timeless.
Kung Fu Panda
Paramount
This one’s technically only a trilogy for another year, with Kung Fu Panda 4 slated for release in 2024. Still, it deserves a mention. Gary Oldman’s role as evil peacock Shen in Kung Fu Panda 2 serves as one of the greatest villain characters of all time. And Po’s treacherous journey from noodle restaurant to Dragon Warrior is an inspiration to us all.
Taken
20th Century
The beauty of some trilogies is how the third movie makes it absolutely clear that no more sequels should be made. The first Taken was a masterclass in taking the very common scenario of a jaunty holiday overseas and turning it into a nightmare. RIP to the pot I left burning on the stove because I was so engrossed in it. Taken 2 was already a questionable exercise that left us wondering how someone could get taken yet again. By Taken 3, we were over it. Fun while it lasted, though.
The Human Centipede
If Taken taught us that perhaps one movie is enough, The Human Centipede takes it one step further and suggests that, actually, no movies would’ve been better. I’ll be honest, I didn’t make it through the first one, but curiosity has gotten the better of me and I’ve read the plot of all three. The final movie was heavily criticised for being reductive and overwhelmingly gory — no surprises there. But the fact that there’s an entire trilogy out there, existing, is kind of amazing.
Editor’s note: This is an unbiased editorial piece, but we do regularly have commercial partnerships with Disney.