Top 5 Movies of All-Time That Defied the Threequel Curse

Call it a curse, perhaps even laziness on the part of Hollywood creatives, but second sequels have an unfortunate tendency to disappoint. With Iron Man 3 finally in the books, audience opinions remain divided ranging anywhere from the best film of the trilogy to an atrocious bait-and-switch. 

For the fanboys out there treating Iron Man 3 like it's one of the worst botches ever, it's nowhere among the worst. In fact, Iron Man 3 ranks on the better side of impressive third chapters in a series.

While Iron Man 3 comes up short in making this list, there are still sequels out there with enough fuel in the tank to keep the cinematic momentum going. There are only a handful that can boast this claim and even fewer that can be called the crowning achievement in a series. 

The five films below certainly stand out from the countless missed opportunities found in second sequels. 

#5) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade has spent nearly 25 years in the shadow of its predecessor, Raiders of the Lost Ark, but this quest for the Holy Grail takes the franchise back to its roots of energetic serialized globe trotting. 

With Sean Connery providing comic relief and intellect as Indy's father, this finale sent the series off into the sunset. (Well until the famed archaeologist discovered aliens, sorry interdimensional beings in South America).

#4) Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) 

Return of the Jedi gets a bad wrap for those cuddly teddy bears bringing down the feared Empire, but there's so much more happening in this final chapter of the original Star Wars Trilogy.

The final confrontation between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader alone earns Return of the Jedi a spot on this countdown. Plus you can't dismiss the first theatrical appearance of the Ian McDiarmid's legendary Emperor or that slimy gangster, Jabba the Hutt. 

#3) Toy Story 3 (2010)

Toy Story 3 is the closest any animated film has come to winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards and rightfully so.

This emotional farewell to Pixar's first franchise resonated with audiences of all ages, but Toy Story 3 was clearly a childhood swan song for the twenty-somethings who grew up with the classic 1995 film. But Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang still have a special place in all our hearts.

#2) The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

The biggest worry going into The Dark Knight Rises was the fact that Christopher Nolan reached too high with his 2008 critically-acclaimed sequel, The Dark Knight. Fast-forward four long years and Batman literally rises to the occasion.

The Dark Knight Rises strips the legend of the Caped Crusader to its core, spending close to three hours restoring a damaged and reclusive Bruce Wayne to the Batman mantle. Tom Hardy's Bane exploits the seeds of anarchy dropped by the Joker (Heath Ledger) in the previous film transforming Gotham into deadly playground fueled by social warfare. 

#1) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

How many movies can say they won 11 Oscars? Three. Ben-Hur and Titanic. But there's only one that went 11 for 11, cleaning house like no other in practically every eligible category. 

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the very definition of an epic finale. It's 3 hour, 20 minute run time (well 4 hours+ if you're watching the Extended Edition) is wall to wall with battles and more battles to keep Frodo's chance to destroy the One Ring alive. And when you think it's over, there's still 20 more endings before the credits roll.

So which movies do you think deserves to be called one of the best threequels?