Film

Third Time Around

In honor of Toy Story 3, Encore’s list of the best third films

by Josh Kurp   |   Jun 18, 2010

Third Time Around

Photo: Pixar

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Here’s something I never thought I’d type: Toy Story 3 might actually be the best film in the series. At varying times, it’s fast-paced, funny, and depressing (try not crying during the beginning montage), everything we’ve come to expect from a Pixar film (except Cars). But as much as I loved this film (especially in IMAX 3D, which made an already beautiful film that much more gorgeous), and the series as a whole, I hope there isn’t a Toy Story 4. The way this one ends just feels right.

Think how tough it is to just make one quality movie. Most sequels aren’t very good, not to mention how bad a series can be by the time we’ve seen the characters four times (sorry, Shrek). But sometimes, moviegoers are treated to a legitimately good third movie, like I (and the rest of the nearly sold out audience) was last night. Here are:

Encore’s Five Best Third Movies

5. Goldfinger

If for no other reason than this still.

4. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

You can tell a lot about a person based on their favorite Indiana Jones film. If they like Raiders of the Lost Ark, it means they’re someone who plays it safe, knowing that no one can call them out on their choice; if they go for Temple of Doom, like I do, then it means they like their movies full of dark comedy, violence, and just a smidge of monkey brains; and if they choose Last Crusade, they’re probably someone who enjoys seeing movies not for the plot, but because they’re fun. They may also have a crush on Sean Connery.

3. Die Hard With a Vengeance

Maybe this has more to do with how crappy Die Hard 2 (or Die Harder, shudder) is, but then again, any movie with the buddy cop pairing of Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis is cinematic gold. Plus, Jeremy Irons is nearly as good as the series’s first villain, Hans Gruber. Typically by a third film, a series is running out of steam on the villain front (see: Spider-Man 3), so to have a bad guy be as evil as the one in the original is impressive. With a vengeance.

2. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

Obviously, The Empire Strikes Back is best of the six Star Wars films, but I happen to think Jedi is better than the original. Hear me out: Sure it’s got Ewoks, but the first film doesn’t have Yoda, Imperial Walkers on Endor, and, most importantly, Admiral Ackbar.

1. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Yes, it’s not as much a sequel as, say, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (also great), but this film, along with A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, all star the Man with No Name (Clint Eastwood) and are directed by Sergio Leone. It’s also the only movie on this list that is inarguably better than the two films before it.

Honorable Mention

Monty Python’s Life of Brian

This one is even less of a trilogy than #1, but technically, Life of Brian is the third Monty Python movie, after Now for Something Completely Different and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. But how could I leave any third movie with something as funny as “you are all individuals!”