It’s rare for the third installment of amoviefranchise to be considered especially good, but a rare few are able to break the boundaries of expectation, becoming the best entry in their respective series. Threequels usually have a hard time living up to expectations, often billed as the epic conclusion to a trilogy that isn’t able to ultimately fulfill its promises.Infamous movies like the terribleThe Godfather Part IIIgive third installments a nasty reputation, but some of them manage to stand out as the best in the business.
Threequels that work as the best installment of their given trilogies or movie series are able to finely hone the formula of their franchise over the course of the previous two films, resulting in an expertly crafted experience. Some serve as gripping finales as well, rounding out a set of three with grace and tact. Even if they may not have the best reputation,the best threequels stand among some of thegreatest movie sequels of all time.
10Goldfinger
The James Bond Franchise
The numerousJames Bond moviesrun a wide gamut of quality, from critical stinkers likeDie Another Dayto masterpieces likeCasino Royale. Standing at the top of the heap, however, at least in terms of where the original Sean Connery movies are concerned, is none other than 1964’sGoldfinger, the third James Bond film ever made.Here, Bond has to stop his latest villain from plundering the gold reserves at Fort Knox in order to prevent a global economic crisis.
Goldfinger
Cast
James Bond investigates gold magnate Auric Goldfinger, uncovering a plot to contaminate the U.S. gold supply at Fort Knox. Bond teams up with pilot Pussy Galore to thwart Goldfinger’s Operation Grand Slam. The mission involves daring escapes, high-stakes confrontations, and a climactic battle to save the world economy.
Goldfingermanaged to find the perfect middle ground between the first two films, not too over-the-top with its unrealistic antics while not veering too far into the territory of a stuffier, more grounded espionage thriller. The film established so many memorable tropes for the franchise going forward, from Bond’s tricked-out Aston Martin spymobile to memorable enforcers like Oddjob to hilariously-named femme fatales like Pussy Galore.Everything aboutGoldfingersimply works,and the film has long continued to cast a deep shadow over the franchise decades later.
9Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban
The Harry Potter Series
It can often be difficult to pick a favoriteHarry Pottermovie, with a lot to enjoy over the lengthy lifespan over the series.Everyone may be entitled to their own personal favorites, but when averaging out the regards of each film, it’s clear thatHarry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkabanstands head and shoulders above the rest. Harry’s third year at Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is dampened by the escape of Sirius Black, a crazed convict and Voldemort supporter who supposedly wants Harry dead.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: In Harry’s third year at Hogwarts, he faces more complex magical challenges and encounters fear-inducing Dementors. The escape of the notorious wizard Sirius Black from Azkaban casts a shadow over the school year, presenting new threats and mysteries for Harry and his friends to unravel.
Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkabanis quite a busy film, yet it manages to somehow pull off the delicate balancing act of its many intricate plotlines, from Sirius' escape to the descent of the ghastly Dementor jailers to Professor Lupin’s lycanthropy. Not only is it the bestHarry Pottermovie, but it’s also one of the best films to utilize the concept of time travel, succinctly depicting a causal loop with Hermoine’s Time-Turner in a clever way.From the plot to the performances to the special effects,Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkabanis the series in its prime.
8The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Every entry inPeter Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogyoffers a high level of quality, with easy cases to be made for each installment being the best of the three.However, special respect must be admitted forThe Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The Kingfor being not only another phenomenal adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved work, but a stunning conclusion to the fated story that doesn’t disappoint on any level. Picking off where the previous film left off, the movie unleashes the chaotic Siege of Gondor.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The final installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Return of the King concludes the epic saga of the Fellowship’s quest to destroy the One Ring and put an end to Sauron’s reign of terror. As Frodo and Sam continue on their way to Mordor and Mount Doom, accompanied by Gollom, the rest of the Fellowship work to defend Minas Tirith from Sauron’s forces. The film’s ensemble cast includes Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Vigo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, and Dominic Monaghan.
The film is essentially one massive conflict, still the most impressive fantasy battle ever put to cinema, interspersed with the final leg of Frodo’s long journey to destroy the ring.Frodo, Sam and Gollum’s more personal and perilous journey provides a nice contrast to the exhilarating action, and Jackson spares no expense in weaving together what seems like every notable fighting force in Tolkien’s world into a single cohesive war. With two different cuts to choose from,The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The Kingis even better, with one enjoying better editing and another exploring Saruman’s fate.
The Dollars trilogy
Sergio Leone’sDollarstrilogy is by far the greatest continuous Western series ever created, even if the films don’t actually make up a continuous story, instead more related by actors and themes. This time around, Clint Eastwood’s Man with No Name is Blondie (“the Good”), a treasure hunter after a hidden cache of Confederate gold in the wake of the American Civil War.Competing with him for the booty is the opportunistic Mexican bandit Tuco (“the Ugly”) and Lee Van Cleef’s Angel Eyes (“the Bad”), a sadistic mercenary.
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Leone, scored by Ennio Morricone, and starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach as three gunslingers who compete for a cache of Confederate gold during the American Civil War. The 1966 film is regarded as one of the greatest Westerns of all time.
The Good, The Bad, and The Uglyrevolutionized the Western, with Leone’s penchant for alternating extreme closeups and long shots revolutionizing pop culture along with the film’s iconic score.A Fistful of DollarsandFor a Few Dollars Moreare both great in their own right,but neither come close to matching the same level of cinematic mastery and cultural impact as Leone’s magnum opus. In fact, theDollarstrilogy is a great example of a threequel overshadowing the relevance of the first two films completely.
6Logan
The Wolverine series
It doesn’t matter if 2017’sLoganis counted among the trilogy of films centering specifically on Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine or the entireFox X-Men movie universe.Either way, it’s easily the best movie of the bunch, blowing out of the water the superhero schlock of even the most well put-together comic book adaptations.Logantakes the X-Men universe far into the future, showing an aging Wolverine caring for Professor X who discovers a remarkable new mutant - A clone made from his own DNA named X-23, a.k.a. Laura.
Logan
Logan is set in a near future where an aging Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman, takes care of a frail Professor Xavier, portrayed by Patrick Stewart, at a secluded location near the Mexican border. Their secluded existence is disrupted by the arrival of a young mutant, pursued by malevolent forces.
The secret to the success of the film is thatLoganisn’t just great for a comic book movie, but a genuine and dramatic piece of cinema that works as a sort of neo-Western character study.Hugh Jackman is at his most vulnerable here, not the invincible killing machine from earlier films, but a decrepit old man trying to find more to live for than simple base survival. Compared to the previous two Wolverine-centric films,X-Men Origins: WolverineandThe Wolverine, it isn’t even a fair contest.
5National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
National Lampoon’s Vacation series
TheNational Lampoon’s Vacationis some of comedy legend Chevy Chase’s most iconic work, and in an interesting twist of fate, the Christmas-themed installment ends up being the most phenomenal one.This time around, the hapless Griswold family actually stays home, despite the name of the series, and plays host to a series of obnoxious and kooky family members over the winter holiday.The ensuing slapstick ends up affecting the entire city, with some of the most memorably hilarious scenes in a Christmas movie ever conceived rolling out along the way.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
The third installment in the National Lampoon’s Vacation series, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, stars Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold, father of the Griswold family whose intentions to have a good Christmas with his family face several setbacks. Between his arguing parents, the uncooperative decorations, and the unexpected arrival of some unwanted distant relatives, Clark’s dreams for a wonderful Christmas seem to be fading, forcing him to take some comedically drastic measures.
By the time of the third movie, the chemistry between the actors in the Griswold family unit were really able to come into their own, resulting in a natural, flowing torrent of comedy in which the laughs come fast and furious. Bits like the infamous dinner scene and the jaw-dropping explosive climax really hammer home how the film was able to take up a valuable spot as a Christmas season classic.Chevy Chase simply doesn’t outdo his performance here in the otherNational Lampoon’s Vacationmovies, leaving an impossible standard for the others to follow.
4Thor: Ragnarok
The Thor series
Compared to the otherfilms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, theThorseries has had an uneven journey.The firstThorin 2011 might be an underrated little superhero flick, but the follow-up,Thor: The Dark World, is among the MCU’s most forgettable entries. But withThor: Ragnarok,Taika Waititi was able to completely re-invent the character from a generic old-English fantasy protagonist to a lovable spacefaring warrior and one of the funniest Avengers.
In this film, Thor embarks on a strange journey through outer space after his secret sister, Hela, breaks free following the death of Odin, shattering Thor’s hammer and taking over Asgard.His long journey back is quite an entertaining one, and Waititi is able to balance his signature sense of humor with a wacky science fiction world and startlingly impressive action sequences. It’s a shame his follow-up,Thor: Love and Thunder, couldn’t live up to the same expectations.
3Iron Man 3
The Iron Man trilogy
Speaking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the series' most beloved hero has a surprisingly mixed track record for his films.The originalIron Manwas a solid enough springboard for the massive media franchise to begin on, but definitely suffered from some growing pains, andIron Man 2felt more like a low-effort Michael Bay film. Comparatively, the threequelIron Man 3remains the most underrated and masterfully made entry among the solo Iron Man movies.
Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3 pits genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist Tony Stark (Iron Man) against the Mandarin, an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his world destroyed by his mysterious antagonist, he embarks on a dangerous quest to find those responsible. His journey will test his character at every turn. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him and determine whether or not the suit makes the man or if Tony himself is the hero.
Being stripped of his resources and forced to contend with a villain capable of manufacturing his own superpowers, Tony Stark is stripped far out of his element.Robert Downey Jr. does some of the best work of his career here, delicately portraying Iron Man’s lingering PTSD from the events ofThe Avengers.Even if the twist villain was a bit of a disappointment for some comic fans,Iron Man 3has enough creative action, witty banter, and introspective moments of character development to make up for it.
2War For The Planet Of The Apes
The Planet of the Apes reboot series
Matt Reeves’Planet of the Apesprequel series is one of the greatest movie trilogies to come out of the 2010s, re-inventing what CGI storytelling can do while putting the classic science fiction story into a more thoughtful context.While the first two films were amazing in their own right,War for the Planet of the Apeshas a strong argument as the most solidly-constructed of the three.Here, the revolutionary ape leader Caesar comes into conflict with a U.S. Army battalion, the apocalypse of the Simian Flu virus having all but decimated normal civilization.
War for the Planet of the Apes
War for the Planet of the Apes is an action-adventure movie directed by Matt Reeves and is a sequel to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. In the film, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his mythic quest to avenge his kind.
Caesar is at his most complicated here, with Andy Serkis' brilliant motion-capture performance conveying an animal that takes great pain in the difficult decisions he has to make. Woody Harrelson’s Colonel is easily the most memorable villain of the trilogy, and his terrifying loss of sapience due to the Simian Flu virus' evolution is a haunting moment. That’s not even to mention the joys of Bad Ape, who provides some much-needed comedic relief for the dark setting.War for the Planet of the Apesis nothing less than a post-apocalyptic masterpiece.
1Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
The Indiana Jones series
It’s hard to stand out as aStephen Spielberg film, with so much of the blockbuster genie’s filmography being nothing short of pure gold, butIndiana Jones and the Last Crusadedeserves kudos as an action-adventure film that somehow manages to be better thanRaiders of the Lost Ark.Such a statement might be controversial, but is nevertheless painfully true. Here, Indy teams up with his father to find the fabled Holy Grail before the Nazis do.
What putsIndiana Jones and the Last Crusadeon another level compared to the films preceding or proceeding it is the unmatched screen chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. The duo works perfectly as an estranged father and son who are forced to go on another globe-trotting adventure complete with deadly puzzles, mysterious ancient organizations, and insidious Nazi soldiers. From the action setpieces to the tender moments shared by its characters,Indiana Jones and the Last Crusadeis a rare thirdmoviethat shines the brightest of its peers.
