Because we were unfortunately treated with another “Fifty Shades” movie, I decided to rank my top 10 THIRD installments. This could be a third movie in a trilogy or a third movie in a franchise. What are your favorites? Sound off below. Here we go.
Honorable Mentions: The World’s End; The Lion King 1 1/2; Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End; Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith; The Bourne Ultimatum
10. Rocky III- Rocky has always been a favorite within my household, but the first film towers over all. But this third installment still isn’t half bad. It’s got a great villain in Mr. T’s Clubber Lang, and the death of Mickey definitely adds a whole new layer to Rocky’s character, and eventually leads to the team up of Rocky and Apollo Creed, one of the great moments of the franchise.
9. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation- I don’t love the Vacation movies, but this is easily the best of the series, and happened to come on the third try. A holiday classic, this is one of the best Christmas comedies of our time.
8. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted- As far as animation goes, there aren’t many great animated sequels, or trilogies for that matter. But this movie is my personal favorite of the Madagascar movies, and is hilarious in so many ways. A guilty pleasure for sure.
7. Iron Man 3- Many people don’t like this film, but I love the twists and turns that this film takes. It focuses more on Tony Stark than it does Iron-Man, which is a much needed change of pace. We see a humanity in Stark that we haven’t necessarily seen before, and it’s great to see. The villain twist is quite a surprise, and not loved by many, but I thought it added a spontaneity and miraculous turn for a movie that until then was just a good Marvel movie. The twist made it a great Marvel movie. Sorry, comic fans. It worked for me.
6. The Dark Knight Rises- The stuff with Wayne in the cave isn’t great, and Bane isn’t as good of a villain as the Joker, but there are still lots of great moments. The coolest shot in any Batman film with the football stadium will stick in my head forever. The end was a bit problematic for some, but I thought it added a cool aspect to Christopher Nolan’s trilogy that really tied in his style and set apart his films from any other.
5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade- Indy is one of the best heroes of our time, and this was such a great end to the original trilogy (I try to block out Indy 4 from my memory). The addition of Indy’s father was a cool dynamic, that led to one of the best moments when his father finally stopped calling him “Junior” and referred to him by his name, “Indiana.” The final few scenes are so awesome, and this may be one of Spielberg’s best movies ever.
4. Return of the Jedi- The opening sequence at Jabba’s is fantastic, all the stuff at the end with Vader and the Emperor are fantastic. This would be the best Star Wars film ever had the entire second act with the Ewoks been ignored. But, this is still a fun film, and probably the most satisfying end we could get for this trilogy. I love it.
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- Next to the final film, this was my favorite Harry Potter film. The style is just so unique and dark, while still having some of the lighter moments that the first two films showed us. The acting is better as the kids get older, the villain is the best its been, and Gary Oldman’s Sirius Black is a great character addition to the franchise. Also, Dementers. Creepy as hell.
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King- The most successful film to win at the Oscars, this film has it all. Amazing visuals, characters, writing, directing, costumes, acting, makeup, and of course, HEART. This film is so full of heart. Sure, there’s blood and battle, but the entirety of the finale is bursting with heart and soul. One of the finest achievements in cinema, and is often regarded as one of the best films of all time period.
1. Toy Story 3- Yes, I just raved about LOTR. But this is my personal favorite of any third installment, and is one of my favorite films of all time. It is the best thing PIXAR has ever made, and they’ve made a lot of amazing films. I cry when the end comes around, and it still resonates with me every day as I look back at my childhood and reflect. It is the most relatable film I may have ever seen, seeing how it helps kids AND adults learn about the lessons and fears of growing up. It hits the mark on comedy, drama, romance (that’s right, Spanish Buzz), and is such a perfect way to unite parents, kids, and all people of all ages. My favorite third installment.
Because we were unfortunately treated with another “Fifty Shades” movie, I decided to rank my top 10 THIRD installments. This could be a third movie in a trilogy or a third movie in a franchise. What are your favorites? Sound off below. Here we go.