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Boy there are so many films that wore out by the third effort, it's almost expected. It's almost as if it's in the DNA of Hollywood to give you a bad film by the third try. Here are the ones that either blew chunks or fell below the standards of the first two...for me.
1) Return of the Jedi - Darth Vader is Jonathan Winters? Mix that with the Care Bear Ewoks and I was stunned.
2) Jaws 3 - Has this film been transferred to flammable nitrate stock yet?
3) Halloween 3 - No Michael Myers. End of story.
4) Batman Forever - If only I had known it could get worse...
5) Jurassic Park 3 - Enjoyable in places, but well below par compared to the first two.
6) Terminator 3 - You can believe a Terminator can age. And he looked it. Honestly I think this was a series that should been a one trick pony. The concept fulfills itself at the end of the first film. But the second one was harmless fun. This one recycled too many old ideas that were evident in the first film.
7) Superman 3 - A film worth watching if you have the commentary on. I enjoy listening to people justify failed efforts in a series. Interesting Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler make a case for themselves with some points. But ultimately it doesn't make you like the film much better. Perhaps their opinions make it feel a little more justified at the end. But as a viewer your still not satisfied.
8) Mad Max Beyond Thunder Dome - A film that to this day still looks like it was staged for a music video. Oh...it was. Nice try Tina...
9) Mummy Tomb of the Emperor - Huh? I'm still processing this one. Check back in another decade. Maybe I'll have it figured out.
10) Rambo III - While Stallone was in the best shape of his life, his jokes were not. Another example of where winking at the audience went too far.
There are plenty more, but those are my top ten stand outs. Right now I can only think of three films that maintained a level quality on the third effort - Lord of the Rings:Return of the King; Dark Knight Rises; and Rocky III. All three of those (for me) were either just as good, if not better than the previous installment.
1) Return of the Jedi - Darth Vader is Jonathan Winters? Mix that with the Care Bear Ewoks and I was stunned.
2) Jaws 3 - Has this film been transferred to flammable nitrate stock yet?
3) Halloween 3 - No Michael Myers. End of story.
4) Batman Forever - If only I had known it could get worse...
5) Jurassic Park 3 - Enjoyable in places, but well below par compared to the first two.
6) Terminator 3 - You can believe a Terminator can age. And he looked it. Honestly I think this was a series that should been a one trick pony. The concept fulfills itself at the end of the first film. But the second one was harmless fun. This one recycled too many old ideas that were evident in the first film.
7) Superman 3 - A film worth watching if you have the commentary on. I enjoy listening to people justify failed efforts in a series. Interesting Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler make a case for themselves with some points. But ultimately it doesn't make you like the film much better. Perhaps their opinions make it feel a little more justified at the end. But as a viewer your still not satisfied.
8) Mad Max Beyond Thunder Dome - A film that to this day still looks like it was staged for a music video. Oh...it was. Nice try Tina...
9) Mummy Tomb of the Emperor - Huh? I'm still processing this one. Check back in another decade. Maybe I'll have it figured out.
10) Rambo III - While Stallone was in the best shape of his life, his jokes were not. Another example of where winking at the audience went too far.
There are plenty more, but those are my top ten stand outs. Right now I can only think of three films that maintained a level quality on the third effort - Lord of the Rings:Return of the King; Dark Knight Rises; and Rocky III. All three of those (for me) were either just as good, if not better than the previous installment.
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