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There’s a lot to love about the movie industry and the cinematic experience, but at this point it’s almost impossible to avoid the presence of franchises and connected universes. The success of movie franchises certainly makes sense and there’s a level of connection between art and the audience when they can grow invested in a character or storyline after repeated installments.
At the same time, movie franchises have also gone on to represent how box office returns are ultimately what’s most important, resulting in franchises getting milked for all they’re worth and hitting diminishing returns. However, a subpar sequel isn’t always a death sentence and there are many occasions where franchises can dust themselves and go on to thrive after a successful comeback.
10 Fourth Installment Fast & Furious Sees The Franchise Spinning Its Wheels
It’s absolutely remarkable that the Fast and the Furious franchise has been able to endure for several decades and become a multi-billion series with a twisted and non-linear chronology. The first three Fast and the Furious movies don’t yet understand the nature of spectacle that makes these movies work.
The fourth entry, Fast & Furious, brings the gang back together, but it’s a deeply dour exercise that’s all setup. It’s a low point for the series, but it’s not until James Wan’s exaggerated Fast Five emerges that everything clicks together and the franchise becomes what it is today.
9 Friday The 13th Learns To Not Turn Its Back On Jason After Part V
Friday the 13th definitely deserves credit for major advancements in the slasher genre and the creation of iconic horror villain, Jason Voorhees, but it’s understandable that a series with so many sequels is going to deliver some misses.
Friday the 13th, Part V: A New Beginning attempts to do something new with the series and carry on without Jason, which turns out to be a disastrous decision. Part VI: Jason Lives! doesn’t hide the fact that it’s gone back to its traditional ways and it results in one of the best entries in the slasher series.
8 Mission: Impossible 2 Lacks The Stunning Action Sequences That Go On To Define The Series
It’s quite impressive what Tom Cruise has been able to accomplish with the Mission: Impossible action franchise. The original movie is a tight action thriller that’s based on a pulpy television series, but the movies have helped set the new standard for what stunt work in action blockbusters should reach towards.
Mission: Impossible II feels like a flashy representation of the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Visionary director John Woo nearly turns Ethan Hunt into a parody of himself, but J.J. Abrams’ Mission: Impossible III brings the series back in a very big way.
7 Rocky V Ends The Boxer’s Legacy On A Sour Note Until The Series’ Revival
Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky series has become such a strong representation of how impressive movies can become reduced to non-stop sequels. It makes it hard to remember that the original is the recipient of multiple Oscars.
The Rocky sequels get bigger and sillier, which isn’t always a bad thing (just look at Rocky III), but Rocky V is the true low point, both for the franchise and Stallone’s memorable movie boxer. Rocky V is such a depressing misfire that it ends the franchise for over 15 years until Stallone returns with 2006’s Rocky Balboa, which breathes new life into the series.
6 A Nightmare On Elm Street Acknowledges Its Shortcomings After Freddy’s Dead
The Nightmare on Elm Street series is another essential staple to the horror genre and Wes Craven’s original movie is still regarded as a classic and a masterpiece of special effects. The problem with the subsequent Elm Street sequels is that they turn Freddy Krueger into a wisecracking jokester.
Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare is the sixth film in the series and it temporarily ends the series on a regrettable note. However, the failure of Freddy’s Dead is ultimately what leads to Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, a brilliant meta take that addresses the issues with the sequels.
5 X-Men Turns To The Past & A New Timeline After X3: The Last Stand’s Misfire
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has revolutionized how comic book movies are made, but it’s important to remember that even earlier there was the start of the X-Men movies. Arguably the biggest problem with this franchise is its desire to connect the dots and it becomes too bogged down with lore as a result.
X3: The Last Stand rushes the powerful Dark Phoenix storyline and derails the movies in the process. Miraculously, Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men: First Class finds restrained, retro success with a new series that ends up getting swallowed into the larger canon. It’s just a shame that the franchise doesn’t retain this renewed momentum for very long.
4 Scream Reclaims Its Lost Glory After The Neutered Scream 3
Wes Craven’s Scream franchise revived the failing slasher genre during the late ‘90s. Scream’s self-aware and meta take on genre staples has become a turning point that many other horror films struggle to do well.
Scream 2 is arguably even better than the original, but Scream 3 reduces the violence and turns up the humor and camp in a balance that never properly comes together. Scream 4, while released over a decade later, finds the perfect energy to return to Woodsboro. Scream 5 is set for a 2022 release and the horror franchise seems to be back on top.
3 Saw Becomes A Bloody Mess In Its Middle Chapters, But Saw VI Gets Results
The Saw horror series is significant for a number of reasons. It helped establish James Wan’s career as a major player in the horror genre, but it also seriously kicked off the extreme violence trend that dominated horror through the 2000s. But Saw V is the true bottom that even diehard fans struggle to defend.
It gets too consumed with the increasingly complex narrative of the franchise and spiteful forms of torture. Saw IV and V make it seem like the franchise’s days are numbered, but Saw VI is surprisingly satisfying and helped the series push through for several more movies.
2 Rambo Loses His Way As An Action Hero Until 2008’s Rambo
Rambo is Sylvester Stallone’s other major movie franchise that’s been able to endure through several decades. The message in Rambo III is the series at its weakest when Stallone’s titular character needs to head to Afghanistan to rescue his kidnapped friend from intense torture from a sadistic Russian colonel.
Rambo III highlights the biggest problems with the series and it’s not until 2008’s Rambo that Stallone is able to properly save the series and hero. Rambo: Last Blood doesn’t carry the same impact, but Rambo at least makes interest in another sequel possible.
1 Halloween & Michael Myers Are Slowly Turned Into Jokes Until The Modern Return
Some franchises are able to sustain multiple movies, but others are only designed with finite visions. Halloween was never meant to go on and on or find justifications for Michael Myers’ haunting perseverance and strength. Nevertheless, the success of the early slasher movie hasn’t allowed Myers to rest.
The Halloween series hits more embarrassing lows than any of its contemporaries. Halloween: Resurrection is especially dreadful and effectively killed the series, but the same can be said with Rob Zombie’s failed reboots. This only makes the success of 2018’s legacy sequel make an even greater impact through its success and sequels.
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