Film series, sequels, and trilogies to keep you entertained this festive season.
10 of the Best Film Series to Binge These Holidays
Film series, sequels, and trilogies to keep you entertained this festive season.
There's nothing like settling in for a weekend indoors in front of the biggest screen you can find, especially when all the craziness of the holiday season catches up with you. Definitely make sure you do some light exercise and consume some healthy food too, but if you feel inclined to spend the majority of your downtime time horizontal on the couch getting deep into a film series, we would not judge. In fact, it might be the best thing for you, when you feel overwhelmed by the silly season and need a little time out.
Blessed by streaming technology, we have hours and hours of movie magic at our fingertips to binge this holiday season. From teenage vampires to '80s classics, here are some of our favourite binge-worthy sequels, trilogies, tetralogies (that's four), and pentalogies (five) that are available to stream right now.
1. The Harry Potter series
Where can I watch it? Netflix
If you’ve been craving a bit of magic this festive season, you can settle in with the entire Harry Potter franchise – and we meant all of it, every one of the eight films – because they’re all available to watch now on Binge. That’s 19 hours and 39 minutes of movie watching. Enjoy.
The Godfather trilogy
Where can I watch it? Netflix
Francis Ford Coppola's historic mafia trilogy ran so that The Sopranos could fly. The oft-quoted, frequently referenced films followed the Corleone family and the drama behind the scenes in organised crime. If nothing else, you'll finally understand what's going on next time someone quotes one of the famous lines. Be prepared, the first and second in the series are brilliant and highly awarded (some say the second is the greatest film of all time) but the third is not so bueno.
3. The James Bond series
Where can I watch it? Amazon
Courtesy of a deal between Amazon and James Bond film studio MGM, all 25 of the movies in the 007 franchise are available to watch on Prime Video. (Along with a few James Bond documentaries, too.) That’s a lot of movies, we know, so might we suggest sticking with recent history and doing a Daniel Craig binge-watch? There are five movies in his tenure, including the 2021 entrant No Time To Die.
4. Jurassic Park
Where can I watch it? AppleTV+
Who doesn’t love Jurassic Park? The mindblowing tale of dinosaurs come back to life boasts a fantastic cast – the original included Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, all of whom return for the most recent entrant in the franchise – and truly scary visual effects. Start with the original ‘90s film, directed by Stephen Spielberg, and move on through the sequels, including the rebooted franchise led by Chris Pratt.
5. Bridget Jones
Where can I watch it? Netflix
The first Bridget Jones movie has a decidedly Christmas-y bent, considering all the key moments that happen at Turkey Curry Buffets (and not to mention Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth, in a reindeer sweater). Why not use your holiday festive season binge to speed through the three films in this franchise, including the more recently released Bridget Jones’s Baby, which is charming in its own way and features the new addition of a character played by Grey’s Anatomy’s Patrick Dempsey.
6. Mad Max
Where can I watch it? Netflix
The first film in this dystopian action thriller series was credited with widening the global audience for Australian New Wave cinema in the early '80s. Set in a bleak future where society has collapsed and chaos rules. George Miller's original films were ahead of their time, gaining a cult following and critical acclaim since initially polarising audiences. The fourth film is as iconic, with Miller back at the helm and high energy performances from Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, and more familiar faces.
7. Indiana Jones
Where can I watch it? Netflix
Speaking of franchises with characters whose last name is Jones… When was the last time you watched the Indiana Jones series? The four-film franchise is ripe for a marathon rewatch, considering that 2023 will see the release of the fifth film in the series, with star Harrison Ford returning alongside new cast member Phoebe Waller-Bridge. We’re partial to the third entrant in the series, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, but in truth all of these films are such good fun.
8. The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Where can I watch it? Prime Video
The scenes in the first LOTR movie that are set in Hobbiton are a prime example of the soothing qualities of the cottagecore aesthetic. Enjoy Peter Jackson's quintessential fantasy trilogy once again, or for the first time. You might be surprised about just how much you enjoy the experience.
9. The Twilight Saga
Wher can I watch it? Hulu
Twilight author Stephenie Meyer recently released Midnight Sun, the sixth book in the epic vampire series and the first told from the perspective of Edward instead of Bella. After it sold a million copies in its first week, the author announced that there were more books to come. Celebrate (or commiserate) this important news by revisiting all five of the wonderfully absurd film adaptations.
10. Back to the Future
Where can I watch it? Netflix
A perennial '80s classic, Back to the Future has been touted as the best blockbuster movie of all time, at least according to the Gen-Xers writing lengthy missives about just how good it is. See for yourself, you're bound to have plenty of popcorn fun with this time travel adventure romp, and its just-as-fun sequel.
Back to the Future (1985) | Netflix
Back to the Future Part II (1989) | Netflix
