The Challenge of Part Three

And a One and a Two and a–


The third and possibly final volume of the Guardians of the Galaxy films is coming out later this year. Or next year. Or whatever.

I liked the first two a lot, and in an interview snippet, James Gunn mentioned how the third chapter in a film franchise can be a tough one. It's true.

Many of the big, iconic film series have a tough time with Part 3. It's challenging! With part one setting the stage, and usually telling a standalone story (if they're smart), and Part 2 expanding the world, deepening the characters and raising all kinds of intriguing questions, cliffhangers, and possibilities, Part 3 has the responsibility of answering the questions, and paying things off, and ending things in a satisfying way.

Return of the Jedi is an early example of the cinematic Part Three, and it does a fine job - there are plenty of people who cite it as their favorite Star Wars movie. There's plenty of fun stuff in there. But it definitely has some issues.

Ditto The Godfather Three, Superman Three, Back to the Future Three, and so on.

Some of the issues are

Repetition
I'm no stranger to this demon, and the struggle to not repeat is a challenge when writing these
weekly Newsposts, and even moreso when writing ongoing comics! After the world first seen in the first part, and the expanded possibilities in the second, it can be tough to keep it all feeling fresh! Part of that is, of course,

Creator Fatigue
When you watch Scream Three, for example, it's not surprising that the lead actors look a little tired, and the script feels a bit less focused than the first two. Even part two doesn't quite live up to the tightness of the first Scream. With busy actors, and sequels that were pumped out pretty quickly, there's definitely more vigor from everyone a few years later with Scream 4, and years after that, Scream 2022. I do enjoy the third one quite a bit personally. Like Return of the Jedi, the power of the character arc for the main Protagonist gives Chapter Three a lot of compelling watchability, and rewatchability.

Answering Questions/Predictability
I mentioned the intriguing questions raised in a successful Chapter 2 in a series. Chapter Three has the task of answering those questions and solving those problems. In a way, this probably makes it easier - a good Chapter 2 sets up clear problems to solve, so Part Three at least has a starting point in that way. But trying to deal with those obstacles and challenges, and have things make sense, but not be too predictable, is a challenge I think. This must be even tougher in the Internet/social media age, where fans have theories, and expectations that Part Three has to try and match…or at least not fall too short.

Of course, this applies to a certain kind of franchise, where there's a somewhat continuing story. Some series are more standalone adventures with the same characters, and franchises like Lethal Weapon and Indiana Jones have very solid third chapters. The Last Crusade especially, is a very strong chapter that might hold up better than The Temple of Doom.

One issue creators face is how to approach Part Three. Do they attempt a change in tone like the old Superman Franchise or 90's Batman movies? Or dig more into the character's past like Indiana Jones or Scream?

What do you think are the challenges of Part Threes? Which ones stand out to you as failures or successes?

I've gone on too long here. See you next time!

Banes


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