GOOD things come in threes, right? Cinema is no different with a number of sterling trilogies finding a suitable balance between the beginning, middle and end. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is perhaps the most famous recent example, but how about The Godfather trilogy, or Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colours? And let’s not forget Christopher Nolan’s upcoming new Batman film which joins Batman Begins and The Dark Knight to complete his planned threesome.

But things unfortunately don’t always go so smoothly – take George Lucas’ Star Wars, for example. The original movies were three groundbreaking moments in cinema history, replete with a winning cocktail of dazzling special effects and memorable characters.

Then, in a sparkling display of ego-running-wild, Lucas decided to dust off the franchise some 16 years later announcing the arrival of a brand spanking new trilogy; a trio of prequels located somewhere before the events of the originals, utilising both Jar Jar Binks and an annoying kid actor to swiftly undo all of the audience goodwill he had previously accumulated.

His friend Steven Spielberg has fared little better: after the brilliance of his initial Indiana Jones trilogy in the 80s, along came the delayed urge to tinker with the formula with 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull perplexing the multiplexes worldwide. Advance word regarding a proposed fifth instalment that followed the adventures of Indy Jnr. have been met with desperate groans the world over.

No stranger to excess, Spielberg also didn’t know when to stop when the original, groundbreaking Lost World fell into a trilogy of no return. Then again, to his credit, he did jump ship before the Jaws franchise quickly swam into ludicrous waters.

Anyway, up this week we find Toy Story 3 arriving to our screens. Coming off the stupefying success of the original two films, this third entry hopes to make good on the promises made by the pioneering work of Pixar. Here the old gang is back in the saddle, headed by Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, hoping to cash in on a whole new generation. Worldwide box office thus far has been predictably huge, accompanying a gush of rave reviews.

Elsewhere this week also sees Fatih Akin’s acclaimed Soul Kitchen arriving fresh from Espoo Ciné. A music-driven comedy about a Greek restaurateur taking place in the director’s hometown of Hamburg, advance word has been positive. It remains to be seen, however, how many further instalments of the Kitchen franchise Akin has up his sleeve. Time will tell.

JAMES O’SULLIVAN - HT