# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/41 "2015-05-15T12:28:26Z")
First in with _Toy Story_! ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/42 "2015-05-15T12:54:20Z")
If you ignore the second post in the thread. ---
**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 15, 2015, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/43 "2015-05-15T13:36:09Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Really? I hadn’t bothered to see it as I’d heard it was worse than the other two. Will have to check it out. > > I definitely agree that \*Hot Fuzz \*is better than the nonetheless-excellent _Shaun of the Dead_ though. Don’t bother. Compared to the first two, the third one bites. ---
**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 15, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/44 "2015-05-15T16:41:41Z")
I think World’s End is definitely worth a look. Sure, it’s probably not as good as Shaun of the Dead, and I haven’t yet seen Hot Fuzz, so I can’t make any comparison there, but still, I thought the third installment was very clever and the characters and performances are very enjoyable. (Full disclosure, I missed a big chunk of the middle of the movie.) This thread is making me realize how many great movies I need to get around to watching before I shuffle of this mortal coil. ---
**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 15, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/45 "2015-05-15T16:45:52Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > _Jurassic Park III_ is the best one. > > I seem to be the only person in the world who thinks this. You may very well be.:) I meant to include Jurassic Park III in the examples of crappy thirds. I thought One was awesome, Two was entertaining, and Three was just tedious. A tired-looking Sam Neil, a couple of super annoying parent characters, goofy pteranodons, and a half-assed message about respecting nature or something. But hey, that’s just my take, and so what!? I think that if someone can find something to appreciate about an often maligned movie then that’s great. Personally I thought Aliens 3, while not without fault and by no means the best, was actually a really good movie, and I can’t understand why it cops so much flack. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/46 "2015-05-15T18:55:07Z")
Well, colour me surprised, I don’t discuss movies much, and hadn’t seen any online discussion of _The World’s End_, but I can say I definitely liked it more than _Hot Fuzz_ and even if it being the best of the 3 was not unanimous, it would at least be a commonly held belief. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/47 "2015-05-15T19:59:24Z")
Escape from the Planet of the Apes. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_John_Marcej)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/48 "2015-05-15T20:10:12Z")
> [@Not\_Carlson](#): > > You may very well be.:) > Personally I thought Aliens 3, while not without fault and by no means the best, was actually a really good movie, and I can’t understand why it cops so much flack. I agree, I thought Alien 3 was a good film and gets a lot of undeserved flack. (though I’ve always felt that the first Alien film was always the best while most feel that Aliens is the superior. I think the reason why Alien 3 is disliked is because the ending isn’t “happy”. As for the third film oaf a series that I thought was best, I vote for **Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban** ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/49 "2015-05-15T21:34:51Z")
FWIW, I really enjoy _The World’s End_ myself, but I do think _Hot Fuzz_ is the best of that trilogy. I’ll add my voice to _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ and _Prisoner of Azkaban_ as well. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/50 "2015-05-15T23:41:03Z")
> [@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. There is pretty even split between those who think BBTF3 is better, like you, or BTTF2 is better, like reality.😛 I seem to recall Dracula III being better than Dracula 2000 or Dracula II, but that’s not saying much. Not sure if I would agree or not, but I would definitely not think it’s crazy if someone were to say Return of the Living Dead 3 was the best of the series. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/51 "2015-05-15T23:44:28Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Really? I hadn’t bothered to see it as I’d heard it was worse than the other two. Will have to check it out. > > I definitely agree that \*Hot Fuzz \*is better than the nonetheless-excellent _Shaun of the Dead_ though. It’s not terrible, but it lacks the coherence of the first two films: it seems like there are ideas for about three films in it and it ends up a bit of a mish-mash. ---
**Author:** ![emarkp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@emarkp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emarkp)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/52 "2015-05-15T23:45:30Z")
> [@Richard\_John\_Marcej](#): > > I agree, I thought Alien 3 was a good film and gets a lot of undeserved flack. (though I’ve always felt that the first Alien film was always the best while most feel that Aliens is the superior. I think the reason why Alien 3 is disliked is because the ending isn’t “happy”. Nor is the beginning, nor is the middle. Imagine the opening crawl for Empire Strikes Back saying “After the battle of Yavin, Han Solo died in a bar fight… meanwhile the rebellion goes on.” ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2015, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/53 "2015-05-15T23:57:56Z")
> [@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 This was my pick as well. And even though it has been mentioned it least twice, I simply cannot give this movie enough praise. It is a masterpiece of storytelling… A western epic that never gets old for me. The music, the characters, the story… All interwoven together like a spaghetti-western “Pulp Fiction”. You forget that most of the characters are dubbed… Except the three main ones, of course. And some of the dubbing is very bad. But it doesn’t matter, because it is the perfect movie. The soundtrack is still one of my goto picks in the car and on my iPod. The Indiana Jones comments have me racking my brain. I saw them all, but I cannot remember anything much from any of them except for the first “Raiders”. The love for “The Last Crusade” makes me want to see it again. I loathed that little kid “Short Round”, and Sean Connery was also a bad addition to the series. I just remember bits and pieces of those movies. I think a rewatching of that entire series is in order. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/54 "2015-05-16T00:17:20Z")
Rocky III. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/55 "2015-05-16T00:52:56Z")
Count me as surprised that people actually liked _the World’s End_, let alone call it the best one. I guess it’s not a terrible movie, and if it’s hits home about aging fine, but I went in expecting a funny comedy with jokes and everything. Some almosts: _Mad Max Beyond Thunderdrome_ was good, better than MM but less than MM:TRW maybe. Still not as bad as people think. Feels the most like a post-apocalyptic film so I like that. Also _Pirates of the Caribbean 3_ isn’t the best, but I like it better than most people. Definitely tG,tB,&tU. Evil Dead 2 has a case for it, but I think most people are most fond of AoD. Azkaban is maybe my favorite, possibly because it was the only one I actually read (yep, needed something to read at boring job in a pinch!). It looks like some people like Mission Impossible III the best? They all honestly blend together so I don’t remember, except that I remember the first one was Jon Voigt faking his death. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Okay, I can come up with at least three ways to interpret this: > > _Iron Man 2_ (2010) The third movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, after _Iron Man_ and _The Incredible Hulk_. > > _The Avengers_ (2012) The third movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise in which Robert Downey Jr plays Iron Man, after _Iron Man_ and _Iron Man 2_. > > _Iron Man 3_ (2013) The third movie in the Iron Man franchise, after _Iron Man_ and _Iron Man 2_. I see it’s been clarified, but I read it as c), and excluded any animated versions etc. not starring RDJ. Iron Man 2 isn’t bad, but definitely not the best. > [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > I think a rewatching of that entire series is in order. All three of them? ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/56 "2015-05-16T02:01:36Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Rocky III. I agree, and I’m amazed it took so long for someone to mention it. Mr. T was the best heel ever. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2015, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/57 "2015-05-16T22:25:01Z")
Probably “Goldfinger”, although there isn’t much to chose from. “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” seems too much like “let’s have Nazis as villains again, somehow”. Best performance in a third movie? Bela Lugosi in “Son of Frankenstein”…they hang Ygor, but he not die. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2015, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/58 "2015-05-17T09:11:31Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > 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. I was going to say, “None of them?” and then you mentioned this one. Yeah, that’s a good, weird movie. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/59 "2015-05-19T16:55:00Z")
> [@emarkp](#): > > Nor is the beginning, nor is the middle. > > Imagine the opening crawl for Empire Strikes Back saying “After the battle of Yavin, Han Solo died in a bar fight… meanwhile the rebellion goes on.” The biggest problem with Alien 3 is that they apparently decided that characters weren’t important. Both the first two movies have incredibly rich human (and android) characters. You get to see black humor, dogged stoicism, base greed, and resilience in the face of terror and you care what happens to these three dimensional people as they confront monsters. The third movie goes as far as it can with lighting, costumes, haircuts, and prolog killing off existing characters to make the characters as indistinct as possible. They’re all weak flawed criminal monks. It’s sort of an interesting concept for an art film, but it’s totally unrelatable. I think the third Bourne movie with Matt Damon is the best of them. Better than the second, definitely, and narrowly edging out the first. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/third-time-s-a-charm-in-what-movie-franchises-was-the-3rd-movie-the-best/720055/60 "2015-05-19T17:11:40Z")
> [@Not\_Carlson](#): > > You may very well be.:) > > I meant to include Jurassic Park III in the examples of crappy thirds. > I thought One was awesome, Two was entertaining, and Three was just tedious. > A tired-looking Sam Neil, a couple of super annoying parent characters, goofy pteranodons, and a half-assed message about respecting nature or something. > > But hey, that’s just my take, and so what!? I think that if someone can find something to appreciate about an often maligned movie then that’s great. > Personally I thought Aliens 3, while not without fault and by no means the best, was actually a really good movie, and I can’t understand why it cops so much flack. I don’t think \*\*\*Jurassic Park III \*\*\*was great, but it was enjoyable and SEEMED great following on the heels of \*\*\*The Lost World, \*\*\*, which I thought was wretchedly bad. [Previous 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) [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=4)