Ask anyone in Hollywood: it's hard enough to make one stellar, crowd-pleasing cinematic experience let alone three. By then, the well has run bone-dry, ideas have that day-old feel and everyone sees the dollar signs in the eyes of those holding the purse strings.
Of course, for every rule, an exception exists and we've put together a list of movies that have managed to hold the audience's attention and delight anew by the time the third installation rolled around. Impressive.
These third-parters made the franchise proud, maintaining the level of artistry, storytelling and visuals originated by the first in the series and sometimes even surpassing the first and second sequel on its way to the big screen. Opening this weekend, Paranormal Activity 3 hopes to nobly continue that tradition, and though technically a prequel, the scares will be totally new.
Here then is our list of the Top 5 Threequels.
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#5 LOTR: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2003)
Peter Jackson smartly filmed the entirety of J.R.R. Tolkien's story at once, lending the films a sense of continuity and gravity that's carried through to the the final installment in the series, which was a runaway success upon its release. Winning all 11 eleven Oscars for which it was nominated, it also earned the honour of 2003's highest-grossing film and proved that audience's will come back for more if the story is strong enough. |
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#4 MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III (2006)
After John Woo's somewhat disappointing sequel, which earned mixed reviews for its flashy but inane action, J.J. Abrams revived the franchise with his version - his directorial debut to boot. Tom Cruise leads the cast as retired-but-not-quite agent Ethan Hunt and the film is imbued with enough fun and imagination to justify its elaborate special effects and considering we can expect follow-up, or reboot depending on who you ask, Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol this December, people dug the third one enough that another mission made sense. |
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#3 THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (2007)
This threequel benefits from not allowing much lag time between the second and the third storylines, making it seem as if the intricate action sequences have continued to play out when we weren't looking. Paul Greengrass' effort scored a higher rating on Rotten Tomatoes than either of the first two films in the Bourne legacy and gave more insight into the mysterious character that movie fans have followed since 2002.
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#2 INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)
And what a crusade it was! Steven Spielberg's third tale about the rogue adventurer injects a father-son storyline into the mix as Indiana sets out to find his estranged father (Sean Connery) who has vanished while searching for the Holy Grail. Add in Nazis turning to dust, ancient traps and crumbling temples and you've got a stand-out film in a classic series. |
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#1 TOY STORY 3 (2010)
This animated story is a rare, long-awaited threequel that was gestating for over a decade before it hit theatres and surprised everyone with its emotionally weighty portrayal of adults putting away childish things. Cute and confronting at the same time - no easy task, that - Toy Story 3 proves that time did not dull the potency of toys' message of loyalty, mortality and friendship. |
Over to you - agree, disagree? What are some of the best part threes? Share below!
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