# Third time’s a charm: In what movie franchises was the 3rd movie the best? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 14, 2015, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055 "2015-05-14T18:27:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/1 "2015-05-14T18:27:52Z")
So, it seems that in movie trilogies, the third instalment often receives a fair bit of derision. For example: Star Wars VI, Spiderman 3, The Godfather Part III, X-men Last Stand, Terminator 3, and Aliens Cubed. I’m not sure that this is always deserved. But rather than getting into the details of what goes wrong with the third instalment of an otherwise good series, I got to wondering, what franchises have reversed this trend. What Part 3 movies were the best of the bunch? Only one that comes to mind right now is Back to the Future III, which was the most enjoyable of the three (especially following on the heels of the rather messed-up Part II). I recently showed the whole trilogy to my kids and they absolutely loved Part III. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/2 "2015-05-14T18:35:24Z")
> [@Not\_Carlson](#): > > Only one that comes to mind right now is Back to the Future III, which was the most enjoyable of the three (especially following on the heels of the rather messed-up Part II). I recently showed the whole trilogy to my kids and they absolutely loved Part III. I too recently rewatched the whole trilogy with my kids, and all of us were pretty adamant that the first was, by far, the best of the lot. I like the Bourne Ultimatum better than the first two Bourne movies. But that’s the only one I could come up with. Maybe Toy Story 3 or Return of the King, but normally by 3rd movies, the law of diminishing returns and a lack of freshness kicks in. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/3 "2015-05-14T18:37:06Z")
Perusing the list of 3rd movies on IMDB, I am struck by how few of them I’ve seen; usually, I’m done with a franchise by the end of the 2nd movie. That said, I would say that Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome was my favorite of the three. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/4 "2015-05-14T18:41:22Z")
Indiana Jones. _The Last Crusade_ just edges out _Raiders of the Lost Ark,_ and is far superior to both the lackluster _Temple of Doom_ and the execrable _Kingdom of the Crystal Skull._ ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/5 "2015-05-14T18:47:45Z")
Goldfinger is still the best of the Bonds. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/6 "2015-05-14T18:49:38Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Goldfinger is still the best of the Bonds. Damn, I knew someone would beat me to it. ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/7 "2015-05-14T18:51:46Z")
Personally I’ve always favoured **Day of the Dead** over the **Night of the Living Dead** and **Dawn of the Dead**. I think **Dawn of the Dead** has some great ideas but the tone is uneven and the special effects (blue face paint!) aren’t always good enough. **Day of the Dead** is a smaller film but what it does it does very well. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/8 "2015-05-14T18:54:40Z")
**Army of Darkness** is the best of the Evil Dead movies. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/9 "2015-05-14T18:56:46Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > Indiana Jones. _The Last Crusade_ just edges out _Raiders of the Lost Ark,_ and is far superior to both the lackluster _Temple of Doom_ and the execrable _Kingdom of the Crystal Skull._ This. Completely. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/10 "2015-05-14T18:57:35Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > Indiana Jones. _The Last Crusade_ just edges out _Raiders of the Lost Ark,_ and is far superior to both the lackluster _Temple of Doom_ and the execrable _Kingdom of the Crystal Skull._ I loved The Last Crusade. It’s my favorite of all the Indiana Jones’s ---
**Author:** ![TCMF-2L](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tcmf-2l/32/16553_2.png) [@TCMF-2L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TCMF-2L)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/11 "2015-05-14T19:00:06Z")
Plus I also like **The Good, The Bad and the Ugly** although I also like **A Fistfull of Dollars** and **A Few Dollars More**. All three are fine spaghetti westerns. TCMF-2L ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/12 "2015-05-14T19:29:49Z")
> [@TCMF-2L](#): > > Plus I also like **The Good, The Bad and the Ugly** although I also like **A Fistfull of Dollars** and **A Few Dollars More**. All three are fine spaghetti westerns. > > TCMF-2L Damn, this was gonna be my pic. Here I was, scrolling down … no-one mentioned it so far … last post … damn! 😃 B]The Good, The Bad and the Ugly\*\* is the best of the three (though all are good). The first is a Western reshoot of Yojimbo; the second is more original; but the third is a masterpiece. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/13 "2015-05-14T19:30:05Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > Indiana Jones. _The Last Crusade_ just edges out _Raiders of the Lost Ark,_ and is far superior to both the lackluster _Temple of Doom_ and the execrable _Kingdom of the Crystal Skull._ Yeah, I could probably buy into that. For me, it’s a toss-up between Indiana Jones 1 and 3. But I have to admit, it’s hard to beat the double bonus of River Phoenix and Sean Connery. And the boat chase! and the death traps!! And “You chose . . . poorly”!!! Yep, you sold me. Part 3 is the best. (Recently watched this series with the kids too. They loved them all (even 4), but their biggest reaction was to the first. They were amazed and delighted to see a movie so generous with action and adventure right from the get go.) ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/14 "2015-05-14T19:37:44Z")
Have yet to see the Dollars trilogy, though I’ve got the first two on disc. Must watch them when I’ve got the time. (Already seen the spoilers in Back to the Future II and III.) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/15 "2015-05-14T19:37:52Z")
**Prisoner of Azkaban** is always watchable. Not quite as juvenile as the first two, and not yet all teen angsty. Frankly I live for seeing Hermione bounce Malfoy’s head off the rock when she clocks him. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/16 "2015-05-14T19:46:35Z")
**Red** is (almost universally regarded as) the best of Kieslowski’s **Three Colors Trilogy** , but they are all pretty great. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/17 "2015-05-14T19:49:48Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > **Army of Darkness** is the best of the Evil Dead movies. That’s the one that immediately came to mind, too. One of my friends has a yearly tradition–good God, it’s been over twenty years now–where he gets a bunch of people together on Ash Wednesday to binge watch the _Evil Dead_ movies. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/18 "2015-05-14T19:55:43Z")
**The Return of the Pink Panther** (1975) was viewed as a pretty good film, probably better than A Shot in the Dark, although I’m not sure it’s thought better than the original Pink Panther. You have to ignore the 1968 film _Inspector Clouseua_ to make this the third, but you can make a good case for it – that film didn’t have the same director, or Henry Mancini, or Peter Selers as Clouseau! (or any of the other recurring characters). As a counter-example, I don’t think many people even remember Sidney Poitier’s film _The Organization_, the second sequel to _In the Heat of the Night_. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/19 "2015-05-14T20:06:47Z")
What, no love for _A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas_? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/20 "2015-05-14T20:09:05Z")
I make it a point to ignore STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE, so as far as I’m concerned, THE VOYAGE HOME is the 3rd Trek flick, and it’s tied with KHAN as the best of the lot. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055.md?page=2)