Archive for July 4th, 2009
Oh! Three’s a crowd…
“You know, I still think that the first one was better.”
Typical conversation starter, right after a trilogy is complete don’t you think? Why is it that comparisons are always made between the first and the last? Why does the second installment always seem non-existent? And are first parts better than sequels all the time?
Think! Bourne, Ocean’s 11 to 13, Ice Age, Spiderman, The Godfather and heck, even Lord of the Rings (where the Return of the King ran away with 11 Oscars! YES, ELEVEN!) And still, people tell me that they thought that the Fellowship of the Ring still edged it. Don’t misunderstand though. I am not implying that the number of Oscars won is relative to how good a movie is. I am just confuzzled over why first installments usually reclaim the plaudits, even after reaching the end.
Well, foundations are all laid in the first part – mostly introductory material, who’s who, the plot, pretty much the vertebrae of any decent story is all in the first chapter. What about the second installment then? Build-ups from the first, main characters remain, storyline isn’t close to anything conclusive – more often than not, it serves as the crescendo, before peaking at the last scene or two and suddenly, the credits appear… Conclusions? Most questions are answered in this final episode, the anticipation is usually at an all-time high prior to focusing our eyes on the screen (here’s a tip: if you have yet to watch a sequel to a particular movie, and a friend of yours has, you would probably hit him/her if he/she daresay a word about what happens next, or if you have annoying friends, you would close your ears and scream… Reactions like these can gauge the anticipation.)
So, why do beginnings and endings get the most attention? And why do beginnings always seem to have the extra edge when we compare them to the rest for that matter? Aren’t parts in the middle important as well? I’m inclined to think that our conclusions regarding trilogies are purely psychological and even delusional at that. Introductions and endings are what we look for all the time that we do, unfortunately miss out on the juicy parts in between. Nonetheless, these are just assumptions – I still am pretty much in the dark trying to comprehend why trilogies are constantly graded in such a manner; first, third and second. Gosh, maybe it’s just me who’s obsessive about such details but it would be brilliant if you could share your view!
By the way, has anyone watched Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen yet? The third (and possibly final) installment is planned for release within the next three years or so. And I’m hoping that for once, a Pyrrhic victory concludes a trilogy! Fingers crossed for tear-jerking drama and unpredictability! Goodnight world!
