The Bill and Ted threequel you’ve never wanted* drops this week. But here are some magical Part IIIs that you can stream and enjoy.
Believe it or not – and like it or not – the third Bill and Ted movie is being released this week, almost 30 years after the last episode.
While forcing every mildly successful film into a trilogy – or more – is one of the most annoying money-making trends in Hollywood, all is not lost.
In the right hands, the threequel can be an absolute treat – a reimagination after the tricky sophomore outing or a series culmination that is well-earned and climatic.
Here are three that you should check out while we await – and, let’s face it, probably instead of – Bill and Ted Face the Music:
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CLASSIC – THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966)
The films in Sergio Leone’s The Man With No Name trilogy were not narratively linked; rather, they were grouped together in one of the earliest trilogy marketing ploys, based on rising star Clint Eastwood’s lead roles.
No matter: the Italian director’s signature Spaghetti Western style and themes make the films perfect bedfellows, and, in this third outing, he is arguably at the peak of his substantial powers.
Propelled by epic cinematography and the recently-departed Ennio Morricone’s iconic soundtrack – as well as the ambition to tackle wider themes like the pointlessness of war – it remains a gripping spectacle that ends with one of the most legendary climaxes in cinema.
What more could you ask from a third film?
Rotten Tomatoes 98% | On Netflix
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CROWDPLEASER – TOY STORY 3 (2010)
You will not get a bigger fan of Pixar movies than me, but I don’t buy the popular critical theory that Toy Story is one of the few dud-less film series. Toy Story 2 was televisual and the weak 4th episode was totally unnecessary.
Toy Story 3 was already the perfect third act and series closer. It maxed out the stakes by pushing Woody and the gang to the edge of despair and destruction, before a cathartic ending with a lovely passing of the torch.
Alongside hilarious gags, imaginative set pieces and memorable new characters, it gave us one of the most emotionally-incisive tales of growing up and accepting change. Watch again – and cry again.
RT: 98% | On Disney+
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WILDCARD – BEFORE MIDNIGHT (2013)
The perfect example of a threequel that is not only organic – it feels even necessary.
After the meet-cute and meet-cute-again of beloved prequels Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, now our starcrossed lovers are together at last. But reality, well, bites.
The conversations are still deep, free-flowing and natural, a fruit of the threeway chemistry between the leads and the director, all collaborators on the script.
But as the Ethan Hawke-Julie Delpy couple deal with more mature themes of married life and dreams unfulfilled, they are also painful and real.
RT 98% | On Hulu
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*UPDATE: well wouldn’t you know it, turns out Bill and Ted Face the Music is actually pretty good – which is no mean feat. It wouldn’t squeeze out any of the three in this list but it manages to reproduce the spirit of the earlier films while adding a likeable progressive twist and has the cojones to actually face the music, wrapping up – satisfyingly – the saga’s out-there overarching storyline. Flawed, but mostly in an endearing way, and will likely leave you with a smile.