This year marks the 30th anniversary of Before Sunrise, a 1990s movie masterpiece that also launched one of the most acclaimed movie trilogies of all time. From Dazed and Confused filmmaker Richard Linklater, Before Sunrise follows Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy), two strangers who meet on a train in Europe and end up spending the day together.

Along with being a perfect representation of the city of Vienna, Before Sunrise is an engrossing and intimate romance as the audience watches these two people fall in love, knowing that they will soon have to go their separate ways. With such a small and simple story, few would have thought it would lead to a franchise.

These days, it seems like every moderately successful movie spawns a franchise, but it can be hard to build a fully formed trilogy. Those true masterpiece movie trilogies manage to deliver three strong movies while telling a complete story. Looking back 30 years later, it is even more the trilogy that Before Sunrise started has become even more impressive.

Before Sunrise Started A Fantastic Movie Trilogy

The Trilogy Spanned 18 Years

Before Sunrise was a solid indie hit, making back almost ten times its small $2.5 million budget. It is also a rare movie that earned 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even with that success, it was surprising when a sequel came along nine years later to continue the story of Jesse and Celine.

Before Sunset picks up with the two one-time lovers reconnecting when Jesse is visiting Paris on a book tour. Much like the first movie, the sequel follows them as they spend the day together, learning about where their respective lives went after their first meeting, and whether there is a future for them all these years later.

Before Sunset was made for nearly the same budget and ended up grossing around $15 million. However, it was another huge critical success, earning 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and an Oscar nomination for its screenplay. It was recently named by the New York Times as one of the 100 best movies of the 21st century, coming in at #49.

Before Midnight came along nine years after the second movie in the trilogy and answered the question about Jesse and Celine’s potential future. It finds them married and with children, while also dealing with some of the struggles of married life and adulthood. It earned 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, making the entire trilogy near perfect in terms of critical reception.

The Before Trilogy Has A Case For Being One Of The Best Trilogies Ever

The Smaller Scale Of The Before Movies Was A Big Advantage

When speaking about the best trilogies of all time, there are not too many that come to mind right away. The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the original Star Wars trilogy have certainly made their mark on pop culture and influenced blockbuster filmmaking for generations of audiences and filmmakers.

Back to the Future told three hugely entertaining stories that build on the characters and the concepts without diving too much deeper into the story. The perfect reputation of the three movies is a big reason why there is such resistance to anyone revisiting that franchise in any way.

It might seem strange to compare the Before trilogy to such high-concept and big-budget franchises. However, regardless of the size of its movies, it is hard to deny the absolute success the Before trilogy has at telling its story. Part of that reason likely came down to the fact that it wasn’t an obvious franchise.

In the case of most franchises, there is constant fan demand for the next movie, often leading to pressure from the studio to deliver a sequel faster. While each of the Before movies was a nice indie success, it is unlikely that there was much pressure to continue the story.

Even fans’ demand didn’t really start until after Before Midnight, when questions of a fourth Before movie began. Instead, Richard Linklater and his collaborators were able to approach each movie by determining the best way to continue the story. It is rare that a trilogy is able to consider if the story needs to continue rather than being obligated to deliver more.

Why The Before Trilogy Holds Up So Well Today

The Audience Gets To See These Characters Truly Grow

The Before trilogy also sets itself apart with its ability to span so many years, making it a truly unique franchise to enjoy. The audience gets to drop in on these characters and see how their lives have changed over the years. It is also a trilogy that is not fixated on delivering the same thing over and over to please fans.

After the romantic nature of the first two movies, Before Midnight is somewhat heartbreaking. We have seen these two fall in love twice and rooted for them to make a life together. Now that they have, they are fighting to stay in love. It is as authentic and intimate as the first two Before movies, but also painful at times.

Even with the gaps between the movies, the entire trilogy can be watched as one big story, and it is incredibly effective. Each movie serves as a story about love, looking at it from a new perspective. It creates a complete experience unlike any other franchise around. While fans might want more, they experienced a satisfying story from beginning to end.