Three Strikes: You’re In – Movie Trilogies Worth Sticking With

Today on Plans Mr. Orr posed this question:

Christopher Nolan, when asked if he would make a third Batman film, asked, “How many good third movies in a franchise can people name?”

So I’m thinking: how many are there?

He listed a fair number of the most obvious:

• Return of the Jedi
• Return of the King
• Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
• Back to the Future III
• The Bourne Ultimatum
• Goldfinger
• The Search for Spock
  

I agree with all his choices.  I did a fair amount of research before coming up with what I thought was a comprehensive list.  Here are the other films I decided to include:

• Die Hard with a Vengeance
  
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
  
• The Muppets Take Manhattan
• Chasing Amy
• Monty Python’s Life of Brian

Then I came up with a few where the entire series is questionable, but the third movie is certainly no worse and probably better than many of the others:

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III
• Police Academy 3: Back in Training
• Ernest Saves Christmas
• King Kong vs. Godzilla

Am I missing anything?