Are there any other sagas that come close to Star Wars?

[TheJabbaWookie]

After rewatching the Star War Trilogy again recently it really got me to thinking... Are there any other sagas that come close to it? Answers on a postcard please. Only one rule there has to be at least 3 films in the saga.

I mean, there were for me, a lot of franchises that started out awesomely like Highlander and Jaws but really should have been left alone after the first one. The Matrix is one of my all time favourites but only really works as a stand alone movie (the sequels totally ruined it for me). Then there are a number of franchises that should of stopped at two like Alien, Terminator and Predator.

The only ones that get close to SW for me are Indiana Jones (let's ignore KOTCS), Lord of the Rings and The Godfather.

 

[SAVORY100]

Not sure if Indiana Jones counts in the same way as they are not a serial/series as such, just three (very good) films that have only three (?) connecting characters and as a trilogy they don't tell a single story like Star Wars, Alien or Lord of The Rings.

That aside, I'd agree with your list (certainly don't disagree that The Matrix should've been a one off either). I'd personally add Alien back as I can happily pick my way through pretty much all of them and add the Rocky movies (first three and maybe even Balboa and Creed too) to my list too.

 

[theforceuk]

No! :lol:

 

[TheJabbaWookie]

I guess I overlooked Christopher Nolan's Batman which was a great trio of films. Though not quite the same league IMO.

 

[av6]

There are others for me, but nothing has 'that' magic that Star Wars has about it.

 

[yoda]

Is "Nightmare on Elm Street" worth a mention??

 

[Sparky P]

definitely not.

However, the first three Indy films, back to the future trilogy and the original battlestar will always be personal favourites.

 

[Sabreman]

No nothing comes close or has the magic as Star Wars, however the spagheti westerns, Back to the Future or recently The Hobbit, LOTR are all fantastic trilogy's

 

[TheJabbaWookie]

definitely not.

However, the first three Indy films, back to the future trilogy and the original battlestar will always be personal favourites.

I absolutely love the first BTTF and still watch it all the time; loved BTTF ii at the time but was never bothered with BTTF iii. Maybe flying cars were believable but not flying trains :lol:

 

[x-pack]

Indy, Alien, Back to the Future, Batman ...possibly. Indy comes close for me.

Nothing beats the imagination of Star Wars. George Lucas is a genius.

 

[monkey_roo]

Is this just about good films and that is more or a 'franchise / sage' thing, in which case there are a few:

Hobbit/Lord of the Rings
James Bond
Harry Potter
Star Trek (new and old)
Fast and the Furious (I know but 8 films and still rolling)
Back to the Future
Indiana Jones
Godfather
Alien
Marvel Cinematic Universe

Actually the list is quite long.

But if it is about more than just films, if it is about stories that create entire universes, that spawn TV shows, Books, Comic's etc. etc, well, actually pretty much the same list actually, but i think you need to look at other stuff

Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones)
Dr Who
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Firefly
Batman (the DCU mainly)

For me personally i would look at the escapist element and how much i love the characters and want to be drawn into their universe no matter the medium, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Game of Thrones, Hobbit/Lord of the Rings,Batman are the stand out ones for me.

 

[Snaketibe]

Nothing really touches Star Wars for me, but other trilogies / film sagas /series that I really enjoy include:

Indiana Jones (but NOT 'Kingdom of the Crystal Krud', obviously)
Back to the Future
The Matrix (I actually enjoy Reloaded too, but Revolutions is rather weak by comparison)
Harry Potter (Fair play to Rowling; the books are hugely inventive and enjoyable, and the films don't do a bad job either)

and one that hasn't been mentioned much yet, but definitely deserves to be as it beats all of the above for me:

The Sergio Leone Dollars 'trilogy'. 'Fistful of Dollars' is terrific, 'For a few Dollars More' is superb, and 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' ranks for me as one of the greatest non-Star Wars films ever, alongside Aliens and Terminator 2.

Just my two pence

 

[TheJabbaWookie]

Is this just about good films and that is more or a 'franchise / sage' thing, in which case there are a few:

Hobbit/Lord of the Rings
James Bond
Harry Potter
Star Trek (new and old)
Fast and the Furious (I know but 8 films and still rolling)
Back to the Future
Indiana Jones
Godfather
Alien
Marvel Cinematic Universe

Actually the list is quite long.

But if it is about more than just films, if it is about stories that create entire universes, that spawn TV shows, Books, Comic's etc. etc, well, actually pretty much the same list actually, but i think you need to look at other stuff

Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones)
Dr Who
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Firefly
Batman (the DCU mainly)

For me personally i would look at the escapist element and how much i love the characters and want to be drawn into their universe no matter the medium, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Game of Thrones, Hobbit/Lord of the Rings,Batman are the stand out ones for me.

When starting the thread I guess I was comparing films but I don't object to it being expanded to encompass other medium. It massively broadens the spectrum though as there is so much great tv out there these days like Game of Thrones, The Vikings etc. I'm especially looking forward to next series of Stranger Things which was a fantastic throw back to the 80s.

Back on topic though James Bond is a great franchise but there are some very weak links in there. I'm not even going to start on Fast and The Furious. It's got to deliver to a consistently high standard to come close to Star Wars IMO.

 

[TheJabbaWookie]

The Sergio Leone Dollars 'trilogy'. 'Fistful of Dollars' is terrific, 'For a few Dollars More' is superb, and 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' ranks for me as one of the greatest non-Star Wars films ever, alongside Aliens and Terminator 2.

Just my two pence

I used to sit down and watch these with my old man. Really must get round to watching the Sergio Leone films again. And I'm glad someone else ranks Aliens above Alien.

 

[weasel]

Godfather?

One and two are great but three is pretty piss poor.

 

[TheJabbaWookie]

Godfather?

One and two are great but three is pretty piss poor.

Fair point since I dissed BTTF for the same issue. So I'll have to drop Godfather and Indiana Jones because it doesn't qualify, leaving Lord of the Rings. Not doing well for someone who started the thread!

 

[bosk70]

Don't know if it counts as a saga but I used to love the Dirty Harry and the Any Which Way films, (the hells angels scenes still make me laugh today)

 

[Simply Sci-fi]

There have been some good calls here from people and I'd agree with everyone.

The saga that meant the most to me growing up was the original series of Battlestar Galactica, that was first shown in mid-1980, timed with the nation-wide release of The Empire Strikes Back. I had already seen the "movie" at the cinema and I had no idea that it was a cut down version of the original miniseries. All ITV showed was the weekly show, so as far as I knew, it was a continuation of a theatrical film. I thought that Battlestar was terrific as it was epic in scale, had hardware like I had never imagined and characters that really appealed to me. I also thought that I had been short changed as a Star Wars fan, because if the makers of Battlestar could make a great show out of a move, why then couldn't George Lucas?

Okay, it was never going to seriously rival Star Wars but what with the theatrical films (yes there were three), toy line and merchandise, Look-In comic strip, Marvel comic and spin-off novels, Battlestar always seemed to be much bigger than a three-part miniseries and a one season show. The Mission Galactica television series was awful, bar one episode but it made it look like it was an ongoing franchise. The subject of the show continuing never really disappeared and of course the show was re-booted, and the pilot was enough for me to say 'no thanks.' Still, I have the original show on DVD and it'll always be one of my favourites.

 

[yoda]

I can't remember much about Battlestar Galactica. But I do remember watching them at some point.
Just a quick question about something I can remember. Was it in the movie that Starbuck was stranded on some planet with a Cylon?
Battlestar seems to be getting alot of attention on this thread it's now making me curious to watch it again.

 

[TheJabbaWookie]

My Dad love Battlestar Galatica and Blake 7. Might have to revisit them both one day...