Man, I saw the movie in theatres a few months back and the reactions were so priceless.
In any case, I was under the impression that the third movie was a direct sequel to the second movie and should not be taken as canon within the actual TV series.
I never watched the first or second movies because I was under the impression that they were recaps of the series. I've only seen the series. Are they that different? Did I miss out?
The first two movies are not that different from the series, so you do not have to watch them. However, they are still worth a watch if you have time, as many parts were reanimated, I believe everything was revoiced and the art is just absolutely amazing. The movies also have new soundtracks, so it's definitely not something you want to miss out on.
The only thing is I heard the movies make up a trilogy, so even if the first two are recaps, the third movie is only a sequel for that. I know it doesn't really make a lot of sense.