With The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 out in cinemas, we got to thinking about other first parts of great movie stories that made a satisfying whole. Sure, titling sequels has never been a completely clean business (just look at The Fast and the Furious franchise), so this list isn’t what you would call “precise”.
But in order to keep some sort of consistency, there’s only one rule in this list: the ‘Part 1’ has to be implied in at least one of the titles in a saga. So no Matrix, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Toy Story or Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 also isn’t on this list, but for completely different reasons.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
In a genius earthquake of a move, the final entry of the Harry Potter saga broke off into two parts, causing aftershocks in cinema that would see similar young adult adaptation finales split themselves. Deathly Hallows: Part I was the calm before the storm – dark, brooding, contemplative – that really had you feeling Harry’s sense of hopelessness in his urgent quest to defeat Lord Voldemort once and for all.
What happened in Part 2: One giant battle scene. Many characters died. Infinitely more Potter fans cried.
‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I’ DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
Kill Bill: Vol. 1
To the frustration of Tarantino fans, who’d waited for a new film since 1997’s Jackie Brown, his next effort didn’t hit screens until 2003 after bloating to four hours in duration. Split in two, partly to appease then-Miramax boss Harvey Weinstein, this first part of QT’s love letter to kung fu, samurai cinema, Blaxploitation and westerns introduced Uma Thurman’s character, The Bride. Waking from a coma, this former member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad sets off on a revenge spree against fellow members, their boss – her former lover – Bill (David Carradine), and a whole bloody restaurant full of yakuza.
What happened in Part 2: Read. The. Title.
‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1’ DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
Back to the Future
There may be no ‘Part I’ in the title of the Robert Zemeckis time-travelling classic, but the ‘Part II’ and ‘Part III’ sequels imply that it is – indeed – the first part that makes up the whole Back to the Future story. Given how fantastically this first entry plays into the follow-up, it really does fit as a segment to a larger saga.
What happened in Part 2: They go to the future (2015), then back to the present (1985), then back to Back to the Future (1955).
What happened in Part 3: It decided to be a Western for some reason.
‘Back to the Future’ DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1
Another product of ballooning running time (5 ½ hours in its uncut version), Lars von Trier gave his film the chop for commercial release, splitting this tale of the erotic life of a woman from childhood to adulthood. After establishing a framing device of a kindly old bachelor helping a beating victim (Charlotte Gainsbourg) recover, she recounts a series of sexual experiences (played in most of these flashbacks by newcomer Stacy Martin): childhood discovery, the loss of her virginity, burgeoning promiscuity and entanglement with a married man.
What happened in Part 2: Gainsbourg appears as the principal figure in the tales presented, and the film takes a darker tone than the often-comic Part 1, before arriving at a very von Trier climax.
‘Nymphomaniac: Vol. I’ DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
The Karate Kid
The Karate Kid told a simple-yet-effective story of a bullied teen overcoming the odds with the help of a martial arts master, the iconic Mr. Miyagi. The coming-of-age hit film crane-kicked its way to young hearts of ‘80s kids so hard that they couldn’t end the story with one entry (even if they should have). Hilary Swank even starred as The Next Karate Kid (even if she shouldn’t have).
What happened in Part 2: Mr. Miyagi finds love.
What happened in Part 3: Mr. Miyagi opens a bonsai tree shop.
‘The Karate Kid’ DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
The Godfather
Francis Ford Coppola kicked off a legacy with this first entry in a three part saga revolving around the Corleone family, organised criminals at their frightening finest. Part I saw the passing of the family leadership role down from the aging Don Vito to his reluctant son Michael, twisting and mutating his character until he slotted into the dominant, contorted role of the titular Godfather.
What happened in Part 2: We see Michael exercise his Godfather force while expanding Vito’s backstory with one of the finest uses of flashback narrative seen in cinema.
What happened in Part 3: Michael’s arc comes full circle as he attempts to find a tranquil exit from the violent underworld, just as Vito attempted.
‘The Godfather’ DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand
The Hangover
Some guys have the time of their life before a mate’s wedding, but the stag night turns into a disaster when the groom goes missing, and the trio’s debauchery has left them with no freaking idea where he might be. A hilarious madcap, R-rated comedy spree through Las Vegas then ensues, with Bradley Cooper, Zach Galafianakis and Ed Helms desperately trying to find their pal before his wedding starts, helped and/or hindered by the likes of Ken Jeong and Mike Tyson.
What happened in Part 2: Some guys have the time of their life before a mate’s wedding, but the stag night turns into a disaster when the groom goes missing, and the trio’s debauchery has left them with no freaking idea where he might be. A carbon copy madcap, R-rated comedy spree through Bangkok then ensues, with Bradley Cooper, Zach Galafianakis and Ed Helms desperately trying to find their pal before his wedding starts, helped and/or hindered by the likes of Ken Jeong and Mike Tyson.
What happened in Part 3: Some guys make the mistake of trying to cash in again with a second sequel, but the film turns into a disaster when the jokes go missing, and the trio’s debauchery has left them with no freaking idea of where to go from here. A completely unnecessary madcap, R-rated, alleged comedy spree through Arizona, Mexico and Las Vegas then ensues, with Bradley Cooper, Zach Galafianakis and Ed Helms desperately trying to find Mr. Chow before being killed by a crime lord… Why are you still reading this?
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First Blood
Former Special Forces soldier and Vietnam vet John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) runs afoul of smalltown cops who peg him as a bum, and defies their instructions to leave town. Things quickly go from bad to worse – the cops pick on him; Rambo has a ‘Nam flashback, escapes and goes bush; a deputy dies in an accident during the search for Rambo; and a full armed manhunt commences. With violence continuing to escalate, Rambo’s former trainer intervenes, trying to bring events to a peaceful conclusion – which doesn’t quite happen, but Rambo does make it out alive (if in cuffs).
What happened in Part 2: Stallone wrote a movie where he went to Vietnam and killed 58 people. The titling started to get confusing with the decision to call the film Rambo: First Blood Part II.
What happened in Part 3: Stallone wrote a movie where he went to Afghanistan and killed 78 people. The titling got simpler, if more inconsistent, with a plain ol’ Rambo III. Politics got confusing after 9/11, forcing a change to the film’s dedication “to the brave Mujahideen fighters of Afghanistan”.
What happened in Part 4: Stallone wrote and directed a movie where he went to Burma and killed 83 people. The titling got simpler, if even more inconsistent. Just Rambo.
‘First Blood’ DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
History of the World: Part 1
A bunch of boobs and pissing permeate this star-studded Mel Brooks parody of historical films, an anthology spanning segments set during the Stone Age, Old Testament, Roman Empire, Spanish Inquisition and French Revolution. One major character is called Empress Nympho, another “the piss-boy” etc etc.
What happened in Part 2: Part 1 finished with previews from Part 2, but as with the preceding film, Brooks was mostly just cracking himself up by taking the piss – we never saw Hitler on Ice, or Jews in Space. Phew.
‘History of the World: Part 1’ DVD, Blu-ray and On Demand options
