The art of the Threequel is no easy science. Whether it ends a trilogy or sets up a franchise for years to come, the third film in a series must be incredible and fulfill expectations that are hard to live up to. Franchise films tend to go big, dominate, and make money to appease the Hollywood machine and the fans that come in droves seeking entertainment. There are third films maligned by the masses and critics, but please a particular fan base like The Matrix Revolutions. Certain movies that are beloved by all, like Lord of the Rings: The Return of The King, tend to be the exception. As franchises and films based on IP continue to dominate the box office, it’s important to note the best of these films.
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10 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Lucasfilm Ltd.
The best Star Wars film of the prequels and one that provides a plethora of lightsaber duels, Revenge of the Sith sees the rise of the evil Empire and decimation of the sacred Jedi. It’s the best Hayden Christensen performance because his often-stale line delivery is heightened by his lustful rage and blind loyalty to the manipulative Chancellor Palpatine. George Lucas proceeds with plenty of operatics as the showdown between master and student hits its peaks on the fiery planet of Mustafar. As Obi-Wan’s (Ewan McGregor) reluctant but ultimate heroism to stop Anakin in his tracks comes short, the showdown is as tragic as trilogy arcs come.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
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9 Logan
20th Century Studios
James Mangold is a director who adjusts to the times, often hi-jacking what film trends are popular and finding a way to subvert the genre to his liking. Teaming with veteran screenwriter Scott Frank, Mangold did just that with Logan. Taking the all-powerful Wolverine and making him a dying, dour older man, he turned the superhero film into a classic Western. As a withered and grizzled Wolverine teams with an even older Professor X, the two discover a young mutant and embark on an epic journey that tests their limits. It’s one of the best superhero films of the last ten years, proving the heart and grit a comic book movie can possess.
8 The Prisoner of Azkaban
Warner Bros. Pictures
Alfonso Cuaron helmed the transition of the Harry Potter franchise — after Chris Columbus directed the first two — into much darker and mature territory with The Prisoner of Azkaban. While still glistening with the sheen of magic and wizardry, Harry’s inner life dives into tumult, and the extremities of the dangerous dark side of the world he inhabits start to wrap their fingers around him. Not only introducing a family foil in the name of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) to show Harry how deep the rabbit hole goes and how his life is constantly in danger, Cuaron also introduces a family sentiment while keeping the world fantastical and dangerous.
7 The Dark Knight Rises
Warner Bros.
Creating a film in the shadow of one of the greatest superhero films ever along with the death of one of its stars — Heath Ledger — is no easy task. Christopher Nolan’s fitting end to his Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises does just that by raising the stakes on every level, using the character of Bane, played in brooding brilliance with the brutality of a monster by Tom Hardy. Bane embarks on creating a criminal revolution, holding the entire city of Gotham hostage. Nolan takes Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne to the brink, fighting for his livelihood and soul as he tries to save Gotham and himself.
6 Before Midnight
Castle Rock Entertainment
The third entry in Richard Linklater’s surprising romantic franchise is a heartbreaking look at the idealized fantasy of the first two films. As the first film is a love at first sight adventure and the second is a rediscovery, Before Midnight pops the balloon as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine (Julie Delpy) are now married with kids, but their love is dissipating, slowly going to combust. The arguments are heartbreaking and the romance between the two that audiences had come to love is disappearing. Making for a sudden and tragic end in the beautiful city of Vienna as fantasy becomes reality.
5 Die Hard With a Vengeance
20th Century Fox
The third sequel in the Die Hard series soars above the others because it returns the drunken and jaded John McClaine to his home in New York, but also turns into an explosive playground. Tying the villain to the originator of John’s famed heroism with the Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) connection courtesy of Jeremy Irons playing a game of “Simon Says” raised the stakes and the fun. The final icing on the cake was teaming Bruce Willis with the fiery Samuel L. Jackson, the perfect NYC personality to brave the storm, which added a buddy-cop element to the action thrill ride. With Die Hard With a Vengeance, John McTernan also directs the hell out of many chase scenes and a terrifying subway explosion when Willis and Jackson arrive just late.
4 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Produzioni Europee Associati
A fitting finale to the Clint Eastwood trilogy as he portrays the man with no name, director Sergio Leone cemented his legacy in the halls of cinema history. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly understands better than most films that having three antihero characters going to war with each other in a series of showdowns and face-offs is enough action to fuel an epic. With Leone’s patterned tense close-ups paired with Ennio Morricone’s iconic music, the film still exhilarates today.
3 Day of The Dead
United Film Distribution Company
The great auteur of the zombie film, George A. Romero does more than just bring out the undead, but finds ways to take the horror of being torn from flesh and funnel it into great philosophical questions about the psyche of America. In 1985, with Day of The Dead, Romero and legendary make-up artist Tom Savini created a gory, psychological nightmare that questioned the growing ires of the military-industrial complex under the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Using a team of scientists, civilians, and agitated military men, Romero showed an America at odds, as the people slowly combust long before the zombies come.
2 The Godfather Part III
Paramount Pictures
Creating a third film to wrap two of the greatest crime films ever made is a near-impossible task and one that would almost guarantee disappointment. Yet, in the wake of its release, what’s clear is that Francis Ford Coppola is in command of the craft, melding together the previous themes of corruption, power, and family, and now mixing with the hierarchies of the church. Coppola created a sorrowful and mournful ending to cap a story predestined to end in tragedy. Al Pacino delivers a performance that has him borderline operatic, but subtle as well, as his final days in power are closing in on him. The Godfather Part III wraps the Corleone arc in a tragic fashion.
1 Lord of the Rings: The Return of The King
New Line Cinema
We may never see a big-budget fantasy epic on the same level as Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy again. However, with The Return of The King, Jackson more than delivered. Ending the epic quest in an action-filled, heartbreaking but resoundingly feel-good way as Frodo (Elijah Wood) fulfills the promise of destroying the ring and Aragon (Viggo Mortensen) becomes the savior of an empire. The film would make history, as outlined by Vanity Fair, winning 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture.
