The most memorable third films from movie franchises

There have effectively been three “Star Wars” trilogies, but only one third movie really landed with people. Even though some quibbled about the Ewoks in “Return of the Jedi.” Now, though, the third film in the original trilogy still feels fun, and it really did well by the story of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker.

Even Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were unhappy with “Temple of Doom.” They rebounded with the third film in the series. “Last Crusade” is much more fun, with a lot of help coming from adding Sean Connery as Indiana’s father.

“Toy Story” was a huge hit, and it established Pixar. Then, “Toy Story 2” came out and people thought it was even better. Several years later, “Toy Story 3” arrived and once again, many called it the best in the series. Then, after “Toy Story 4,” many said…that “Toy Story 3” is still probably the best in the series.

The first two “Harry Potter” films are, honestly, kind of shrugs. They are kids’ movies directed by Chris Columbus, a passable director without much flavor. For the third film, though, the franchise swung big. Alfonso Cuaron came in for “Prisoner of Azkaban,” and it arguably legitimized the film series and allowed it to grow.

Much like with the “Harry Potter” movies, the first two “Thor” films are middling. Once again, a new director arrived and breathed life into things. Taika Waititi directed “Ragnarok” and made Thor a funny character and gave us an adventure that really popped. Sure, “Love and Thunder” was a step-down, but we’ll always have “Ragnarok.”

Don’t worry, this is the last movie from the MCU. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” was a crowd-pleaser of the highest order. Maybe it’s a spoiler, but it’s been a while. This is the film where we had not one, not two, but three Spider-Men, plus a ton of throwback villains.

The verve of “The Bourne Identity” couldn’t quite be recaptured since we knew plenty about Jason Bourne by the third film. That being said, the action remained exciting, and the fight scenes gripping. This is a case where the franchise likely should have ended, as the two films that followed “The Bourne Ultimatum” were both a step-down.

“Rocky” won Best Picture, making Sylvester Stallone’s career. “Rocky II” has kind of been forgotten to history, but not “Rocky III.” In this film, we get Mr. T as Clubber Lang, but also “Eye of the Tiger.” Any movie that gives us “Eye of the Tiger” is a third entry worth remembering.

“Evil Dead” is a grimy horror film with some humor. For “Evil Dead II,” Sam Raimi basically said, “What if I made effectively the same movie, but less grisly and funnier?” Then, for “Army of Darkness,” anything grimy and grim went out the window. This is as much a horror-comedy riff on Ray Harryhausen movies as anything—the best of the series.

These days, the “Mission: Impossible” series has become a stunt spectacular built around the devotedness/lunacy of Tom Cruise. It’s…maybe the biggest action series in the world? That effectively began with “Mission: Impossible III,” which rescued the franchise after the woeful second entry. It helped that the villain was played by the indelible Philip Seymour Hoffman. R.I.P. to a legend.

Yeah, Robert Zemeckis probably just wanted to make a Western. However, who cares? It’s Marty McFly and Doc Brown in that Western! Maybe it was an odd place to end the trilogy, but we still had fun watching it.

Perhaps we are grading the third “Men in Black” on a curve. The second film is not very good, and the reboot was a disaster. “Men in Black 3,” though, is pretty solid. It’s a cool time-travel movie. We aren’t calling this one a secret classic, but it is entirely watchable.

As you likely noticed, film franchises tend to be, well, of a certain ilk. You know, action movies, IP adaptations, nothing you might call “high brow.” For that, you can check out Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy. Want to watch a serious adult relationship blossom and crumble over years? Linklater has you covered.

By dint of not being a Best Picture winner (and an unfortunate decision by Francis Ford Coppola to cast his daughter Sophia in a key role, which she was not suited for), “The Godfather Part III” long dealt with perhaps undue criticism. Time, though, has been kind to the third film in the trilogy. Maybe it isn’t an iconic work of American cinema, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a worthy entry into the series.

There was a long wait between the second and third “Bill & Ted” movie, but you know what? That was exactly what was needed. The whole point of “Face the Music” is that Bill and Ted aren’t young anymore. We needed Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves to look at how they do now. Bill and Ted are now parents, and they are still striving to achieve their goals as musicians and saviors of the universe. It’s a bummer it landed at the pandemic's peak, but check this one out!

More Keanu! The “John Wick” movies have gotten saturated with lore and mythology. However, they still rip as action movies. No film franchise does fight scenes and gunplay quite like this one. If you don’t mind all the arguably excessive detail, you can really enjoy some quality action filmmaking.

There is the first “X-Men” trilogy, of course. However, there is also the “Wolverine” trilogy that is a little looser but definitely counts. The first movie is terrible, the second is fine, and the third is a rarity in the world of superhero movies: An R-rated film that takes its characters seriously. This isn’t “Deadpool” mature. It’s "actual adult" mature. Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart stand out as versions of their iconic characters who wear the toll of the lives they’ve led.

We end with arguably the most-successful third movie in a trilogy ever. Don’t believe us? Let the Oscars speak on our behalf. The Academy Awards bestowed a record-tying 11 awards on “Return of the King,” including Best Picture. Is it a little long? Perhaps, but it brought J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved story to a satisfying culmination, gaining much acclaim in the process.