If making asequel is sometimes impossible, then making a threequel can be even trickier. After all, having the ability to make a threequel typically suggests that the first two films worked well enough to generate demand for a third.
Making a threequel can also be liberating, though. At this point, a franchise can shift or change, and the creative minds behind it can start to experiment. The best threequels do exactly that, and their gambits often pay off exquisitely.
Logan (2017)
As it turns out, Hugh Jackman may not actually be done playing Wolverine. Even so,Loganserved as a fitting end to his 17 years playing the character. The movie, which was famously rated R, took the character to new and darker places. Not every plot choice in the film works perfectly, but Jackman’s performance anchors everything so beautifully. There’s a reason the screenplay for this movie was nominated for an Oscar and became one of the first superhero films to do so.Loganis a movie about pain and hope, and it changed what superhero movies could be.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Raiders of the Lost Arkwas such a triumph that it felt foolhardy to even try to replicate that film’s success. WhileTemple of Doomis a bit of a mixed bag, though,The Last Crusadevalidated Steven Spielberg’s decision to make Indiana Jones a franchise.
This third installment, which famously features Sean Connery as Indy’s father, makes the entire enterprise into something close to a farce. There was a careful balance between comedy and seriousness in the first film, and whileThe Last Crusadestill has plenty of great actions, the jokes are what ultimately make it last.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Peter Jackson’s entireLord of the Ringsfranchise is great, front to back.Return of the Kingmight not be the strongest movie in the series, but it’s nonetheless a wonderful capper to the story. Does it have at least four endings? Sure, but can you blame Jackson and the cast for wanting to take a bit of a victory lap?
The story of the fellowship and the destruction of the ring is moving, and the battles that make up this final installment are genuinely thrilling. In the end, as Frodo realizes he can’t go home again, we’re reminded that it’s not easy, and sometimes impossible, to actually leave your trauma behind.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Harry Potterwasn’t the franchise it would eventually become untilThe Prisoner of Azkaban, which brought in director Alfonso Cuaron to take the entire series in a decidedly more stylish direction.Azkabanis perhaps the smartest movie in the series, and it’s the first one to realize that slavish devotion to the books didn’t have to be the ultimate goal.
The young actors at the center of the series also fully proved that they could see these characters through to the bitter end. Add in a couple of new, thoroughly captivating characters, andAzkabancemented itself as one of the bestPotterfilms.
