It's hard to think of 3 that are even good, much less sort those 3 into which was the best.
Instead of the way memory works thing I wonder if that's because a prequel is almost always an attempt to grab more cash off of an unexpectedly popular story. Contrasted to a sequel which is often a cash grab, but sometimes they do exist in order to further the initial story. So the odds are roughly 50/50 that a sequel will be any good where they are far less advantageous for prequels.