10 Threequels That Are The Best Movies In The Franchise, According To Reddit
In long-running movie franchises, it's hard for the quality to hold up to the first films in the series. And more often than not, they've all but run out of steam by the third movie, or at least they're very different films from what the series started out as.
However, Redditors point to several threequels that they believe are actually the best, and while some are in keeping with the general consensus, there are some massively unpopular opinions. Between a blockbuster street-racing movie, a fantastical wizarding film that includes time travel, and a found footage flick where the novelty had long worn off, Redditors' opinions are all over the place.
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With eight movies in the franchise, most of which hang around the 2.5-hour mark and are full of spectacular set pieces and action sequences, Achshar interestingly prefers the quietest and shortest entry out of all of them.
The user thinks Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the one that "changed the HP universe [...as it changed] from children's magic fluff to serious magic." The Redditor isn't alone, as most fans of the Wizarding World prefer the time-traveling movie over the rest of them and it's the second-highest-rated Harry Potter movie on IMDb, losing first place to the epic final movie.
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Coco9Unzain cites Mission: Impossible III as the best movie in its franchise, a movie that interestingly sits outside of the box compared to its siblings. The film might not feature Tom Cruise's best stunts, but it does have the most compelling M:I narratives and by far the most sadistic villain in the series, played amazingly by the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Mission: Impossible III followed the second movie by six years, which is an unusually long gap between movies in a successful franchise, but there's a reason for it. While Mission: Impossible 2 was successful at the box office, it was critically scathed, and even fans thought it wasn't anywhere near as good as the first movie. That means that while director J.J. Abrams more famously breathed fresh life into both Star Trek and Star Wars, it was Mission: Impossible III that established the filmmaker as the go-to director for reigniting stale franchises.
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Most of the Sean Connery era James Bond movies are iconic, but none are more memorable than 1964's Goldfinger. The film combines the coolness of From Russia with Love and the theatricality of Dr. No to create the ultimate Bond flick. Clanec69 notes that "Goldfinger is the third and best of the Sean Connery era James Bond movies."
Though movies based on 007 continue to get more ambitious and epic with each consecutive release, sometimes the unpretentious and hammy choice is the best. And though Casino Royale and Skyfall might have more universal acclaim, Goldfinger is a classic.
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The Transformers series isn't exactly the most acclaimed franchise of all time, but it's extremely popular, especially considering that the six movies and the spin-offs have made a combined $4.8 billion at the worldwide box office (via Deadline). But while Inmyelement87 isn't a defender of the franchise, they do have a soft spot for Dark of the Moon, the third movie in the action figure-based series.
The Redditor explains that "not that any of them are that good, but the third one was super entertaining and really epic." Most people would point to Transformers of the soft reboot Bumblebee as the best of the franchise, but there are some surprisingly Jaw-dropping action sequences in the third film.
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In what is somewhat of an unpopular opinion, Muteconversation believes that Saw III is the best movie in the long-running, nine-movie-deep horror franchise. The Redditor notes that "the relationship between Jigsaw and his apprentice is really well done."
The first movie is generally considered the best, as it isn't just full of gore, but it actually a shocking crime thriller, with one of the biggest twists of the 2000s. And Saw II is considered a close second due to its funhouse of death and almost-as-good twist. The third movie features none of those, but it does expand on the world-building, gives audiences an interesting further glimpse into the Jigsaw killer's history, and is filled with terrifyingly complex and deadly traps. And that's something that even Spiral failed to get right.
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A deleted user notes that Die Hard with a Vengeance is not only the best Die Hard sequel but the very best release of the franchise (even better than the 1988 original). The Redditor explains that the "first two are fantastic but just having Samuel L. Jackson playing a cool sidekick makes it somewhat better than the previous two."
While the second movie essentially repeated the premise of the original, only setting it in an airport instead of a skyscraper, the third movie told a completely original and entertaining story. The movie not only changed the setting to New York, but it saw John McClane team up with Zeus for a buddy cop-like action-comedy.
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The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift had a bad reception when it was first released because it didn't star either Vin Diesel or Paul Walker, and it was instead an anthology movie telling a completely different story. However, it has since grown a strong cult following.
Basketball12345 is one of those fans and thinks the 2006 release is the best film of the 10-movie franchise, noting that it's "the only FF about driving!" Surprisingly, even Christopher Nolan is a huge fan of the 2006 movie, though that doesn't mean the celebrated filmmaker will direct a Fast & Furious movie of his own (even if it's something fans are desperate to see).
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Keeponrocking613 mentions Scream 3 as the best movie in the franchise, sarcastically stating, "It's OK that you forgot, many people forget Scream 3." But while that has always been an unpopular opinion, it's even more of a hot take now with the newly released, critically acclaimed Scream 5.
The Scream series has always been meta, as it satirized horror tropes while paying homage to them at the same time, but with Scream 3, writer-director Wes Craven went a little too far. Not only are the self-aware jokes go too much, but there's a way too long cameo from Jay and Silent Bob, and it's one of the most out-of-place cameos ever.
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It's hard to imagine Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End as anyone's favorite Pirates movie, but it has its fans. LordDEMAXUS reminds users that the film is one of the most expensive blockbuster movies ever made, but that's exactly why they love it.
The Redditor explains that "there are few blockbusters on that level where you actually can see where the money went. Just some really impeccable craftsmanship right there." At World's End doesn't come close to the thrilling The Curse of the Black Pearl or even the entertaining Dead Man's Chest. But compared to the two Pirates sequels that followed, the 2007 movie looks like Citizen Kane.
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It's amazing to think that a movie with a budget of $15,000 grew into an eight-movie, almost-billion-dollar-grossing franchise. The first Paranormal Activity was a phenomenon, and while every following movie has been more of the same found-footage style horror movie, this Redditor thinks the third film is the best. The Redditor claims that "the found footage concept feels creepier with the '80s setting and limitations. The only entry in the series I personally find rewatchable."
Even though the $5 million budget looks excessive compared to its two predecessors (via Box Office Mojo), it's still extremely economical, and director Henry Joost was able to stretch it so far too. The movie looks like it's on a mid-budget level, as it's set in the 1980s and the set and costume design look impeccable. It's excruciatingly terrifying too.