A lot of movies do not get sequels and a third movie is even rarer. It can be difficult for a franchise to keep up the energy and quality that its predecessors may have had. Especially in the action genre, it can be difficult for filmmakers to come up with creative and exciting action sequences that had not been seen before.
However, there are third entries that can be equally as good as the others or even excel past the previous entries. Some third entries may be the closers to an arc in a trilogy or they may just be a continuation of a story. Here are the 10 best third entries in action movie franchises.
10 John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum
What is most impressive in the John Wick movies is that the filmmakers keep upping the ante in terms of the action set pieces. This third entry in John Wick brings awesome stunts and action that had not been seen in the previous films.
This included John Wick shooting people while riding a horse, sword battles on motorcycles, an epic knife fight, and armor-piercing shotguns. Parabellum also manages to expand on the lore of John Wick by bringing in new faces that make the assassin world even larger. John wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum manages to be just as exhilarating as the previous two while still making fans excited for chapter four.
9 The Dark Knight Rises
It is almost impossible to match the excellency of The Dark Knight. While The Dark Knight Rises never really comes close to being as good, it is still a solid ending to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Bane is a great villain to close out with as Tom Hardy shines as this villainous foe.
Christian Bale continues his arc as Bruce Wayne and has to go on a journey of failure and redemption. It closes out the series on a high note by tying up all the loose threads and giving hope for the future of Gotham. It isn't the highlight of the trilogy, but it is still a great Batman movie nonetheless.
8 The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne Ultimatum initially served as the closing of this spy action franchise. It capitalized one the rest of the series by providing the best action and closing out the story. Matt Damon became a true action star with this trilogy and he is doing his best work in this film.
The fight scenes are intense and the chase sequences are filled with adrenaline. Director Paul Greengrass may use too much shaky-cam, but it adds to the gritty environment of this film. It's too bad that this wasn't the final film as it sent the trilogy out on the strongest note possible.
7 Thor: Ragnarok
After the first two Thor movies, people were starting to get a bit bored with Thor. Then, Marvel brings in Taika Waititi and now Thor is an absolute fan favorite. Not only is Thor: Ragnarok one of the most entertaining MCU movies, but it is also one of the funniest. This movie is undoubtedly an action-comedy, which Thor really needed after the first two movies.
Chris Hemsworth is great as Thor but also proves that he strong comedic chops with this movie. Throw in Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie, Tom Hiddleston's Loki, Jeff Goldblum basically playing himself, and Waititi voicing a giant rock alien, and Thor: Ragnarok becomes a fantastic sci-fi action-comedy.
6 Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
After the very odd Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, it was time for indy to get back to basics. That's exactly what Steven Spielberg did this one. In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy is on the hunt for the holy grail. He has to punch, shoot, and whip his way past Nazis in order to get to it. The action is pure fun and it is hard to not root passionately for Indiana Jones along the way.
The addition of Sean Connery as Indiana Jones' father is genius as he and Harrison Ford have fantastic chemistry. Defeating Nazis and discovering ancient artifacts is what Indy does best and this film is an absolute showcase for that. Let's all just pretend that this series ended with Indy and his father riding off into the sunset.
5 Captain America: Civil War
Many jokingly refer to this movie as Avengers 2.5, but it really isn't. Captain America: Civil War manages to continue the story from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, while still balancing its massive roster of MCU characters. While it does introduce Black Panther and Spider-man into the MCU, they feel like welcome additions and not unnecessary elements that kill the momentum.
What is also impressive is that even though it is easy to jump on Captain America's team, Tony Stark's reasoning and motivations make it hard to clearly define who is right and who is wrong. The action is some of the best in the MCU and the airport battle is an absolute spectacle that audiences never want to end.
4 Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi
Return of the Jedi is the epic conclusion to the original Star Wars trilogy, one of the greatest trilogies of all time. Fans are gifted an excellent final battle that sees the rebels clashing with the empire. The space battles are high-octane fun that still hold up fairly well today.
Watching Lando pilot the Falcon through hordes of Tie-fighters is still an awesome sight. Return of the Jedi also finds time for emotional moments, especially with Luke Skywalker's battle with Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. There are some corny moments such as Jabba's Palace and the Ewoks, but it is hard to ignore how much fun this movie is.
3 Logan
Logan is the third entry of the standalone Wolverine movies and also serves as the final film for both Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Patrick Stewart as Professor X. What a high note to go out on. As Logan is slowly dying to the adamantium poisoning him, he must make a journey to save a powerful mutant child, who turns out to be his daughter.
There is an incredible amount of emotion that lingers in every scene of this movie. Jackman gives his best work as Wolverine, while Stewart also gives a heartbreaking performance as an aged Professor X. The action is brutal, gritty, and raw as every slash has weight behind it. Director James Mangold delivered the most emotionally powerful X-men film with this beautiful close to Wolverine's story.
2 The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King
For many, Lord of the Rings is the greatest trilogy ever made. Return of the King finishes the fantasy trilogy in epic fashion. The battles are enormous with fantasy creatures clashing, arrows flying, and swords slashing. While the film is very long, every scene feels necessary as Peter Jackson closes out each arc for all of the beloved characters in the franchise.
It is hard to not become riled up by Aragorn's epic speeches or Samwise carrying Frodo up Mount Doom. Return of the King received plenty of acclaims, winning 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It's hard to find a conclusion to a series more epic than this one.
1 Avengers: Infinity War
Everyone remembers where they were when the snap occurred. No movie since The Empire Strikes Back left moviegoers this shocked by a movie ending. Besides the ending, however, Infinity War manages to be an epic third entry in the Avengers series while also setting Avengers: Endgame in amazing fashion. Every MCU hero gets a moment to shine in this one, however, Thanos steals the show in this one.
Thanos is a frightening, but complex villain who is so stubborn in his motivations that it's hard to not at least respect him. Thanos is beyond intimidating and he has spectacular battles with the MCU's strongest heroes. Thankfully, Avengers: Endgame gave hope back to the MCU, but people will always remember how shook they were when the credits rolled.
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