10 Movie Franchises With No Bad Sequels
The John Wick series is PERFECT from start to end.
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00:00This is WhatCulture, and here are 10 Movie Franchises With No Bad Sequels.
00:0510.
00:06Lethal Weapon
00:07Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2 are about as close to perfect action movies as you can
00:12get if you aren't John McTiernan or Woo.
00:15The first is a surprisingly gritty cop drama mired in the legacies of Vietnam from Shane
00:20Black and Richard Donner, while the Jeffrey Boehm-led second is basically the best buddy
00:25cop fun vibes movie ever.
00:27I mean, come on, how many times have you washed along and done the whole DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY?
00:32It's just been revoked, with Murtaugh at the end.
00:36Finales just don't get any better.
00:38Lethal Weapons 3 and 4, comparatively, are not as good.
00:42However, just because they're not Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2 levels of good
00:46does not mean that they are bad.
00:48There's a lot to enjoy about both, particularly if you're already endeared to Riggs and
00:53Murtaugh.
00:54The industry carries a lot of the current Final 2 Lethal Weapon movies, but there are
00:58also fun new additions in Rene Russo's Lorna Cole and Chris Rock's budders in Lethal
01:04Weapon 3 and Lethal Weapon 4, respectively.
01:06They're both clumsy entries, no doubt, but if you enjoy hanging with the boys, the boys
01:12in this case being Riggs and Murtaugh, then they still provide a fitting send-off.
01:16Number 9, Scream.
01:19There are no bad Scream movies.
01:20There may be some Scream movies that I like less than others, but there are no bad Scream
01:25movies.
01:26I don't think the latest sequels match the lofty heights of the first two, and for reference,
01:30Scream 2 is my fave of the bunch, but they each bring something fun and unique to the
01:35table.
01:36Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson's original film is a smart but loving slasher sound-up,
01:42while Scream 2 applies that formula to sequels.
01:45Scream 3, despite having one of the weakest final acts in the entire series, is secretly
01:50a great little neo-noir that acts as a prescient takedown of Hollywood and the literal people
01:55it paved over to get where it is.
01:58It also gave us the gift of Parker Posey as Jennifer Jolie, probably the best supporting
02:02character not from the original two films.
02:04Scream 4, on the other hand, is dated in some respects and grimly cynical, but it makes
02:09up for that in inventive set-pieces and a considered if cringey meditation on new media
02:15as streaming and social media were first exploding.
02:18Scream 2022 was a good legacy sequel, and Scream 6, while suffering from another weak
02:23finale, I would argue, makes up for it with some of the nastiest chases and kills in the
02:28series.
02:298.
02:30Rocky
02:31Yep, all the Rocky movies are good, even Adrian's Revenge.
02:34When Rocky 5 exists, saying that none of the Rocky movies are bad is going to be a tough
02:39sell.
02:40However, that movie also sees Sylvester Stallone's street fight one of the biggest a-holes in
02:45the entire franchise, in the street, and I will defy anyone not to revert to their
02:49primordial kill-kill-kill form when Sly gets back up and says, I hear no bell.
02:55Cinema it may not be, but it is most definitely cinema.
02:59The first two Rocky movies are amazing showcases for Sly's talents, a thoughtful examination
03:04of the American Dream from a uniquely working-class perspective.
03:07They're emblematic of a filmic era that was vibrant, gritty, and unsure.
03:13In other words, they're 70s all over.
03:16Rocky 3 and Rocky 4, however, are completely the opposite.
03:19They're 80s to a T, presenting montage-laden heroic struggles between good and evil, where
03:25Rocky is the best, and all of his problems can be solved with boxing.
03:29Rocky 5 attempts to reign this back in somewhat, somehow yielding even more ridiculous results
03:35in the process, but they're all still a fun time.
03:38That's partially down to how much I love Rocky as a character, I'll always be rooting
03:42for the Italian Stallion, even if his next movie was a charity match with Superman or
03:47something equally ridiculous.
03:49This was pretty much the opposite direction Stallone ended up taking things though, with
03:52the Rocky series getting a second lease on life thanks to the reflective 2007 entry,
03:58Rocky Balboa, and by far the best legacy sequel we've ever gotten in Creed, which has also
04:04yet to make a misstep with any of its sequels.
04:07Bloody love Rocky me.
04:097.
04:10Bourne
04:11Despite the Bourne legacy and 2016's Jason Bourne lacking the oomph of the Doug Liman
04:16and Paul Greengrass originals, they're merely okay compared to the gritty class of the first
04:22three films, they aren't weak enough to take the shine off the series overall.
04:26The Bourne movies, particularly the latter two entries in the original trilogy from director
04:30Paul Greengrass, have experienced a bit of pushback in recent years for popularising
04:35the shaky cam fight scene trend.
04:37However, Greengrass' frenetic style of filmmaking still looks great, and isn't
04:43used as a crutch to mask poorly choreographed action.
04:46That said, I do find myself revisiting the Liman original more than Supremacy or Ultimatum.
04:51There's a tense, methodical edge to it that I feel better utilises Tony Gilroy and William
04:56Blake Heron's script, but either way, those first three films are all great.
05:01Yeah, Legacy was a weird attempt at doing a spin-off, and the 2016 Jason Bourne feels
05:06totally superfluous as a sequel, but Bourne itself has never trudged into bad movie territory.
05:136.
05:14Evil Dead
05:15Sam Raimi's original Evil Dead trilogy is pretty much perfect.
05:19A spectacular, maximalist blend of horror, comedy and action that announced the filmmaker
05:24and star Bruce Campbell to the world.
05:26The Evil Dead might be the greatest indie horror movie of all time, extracting all the
05:31terror and fun possible out of a budget of $375,000.
05:36Raimi innovated on this formula with Evil Dead 2, which upped the slapstick elements
05:40of the previous film and cemented Ash Williams as a horror icon.
05:44Army of Darkness flipped the wheel even further, with Raimi developing a medieval adventure
05:49comedy where Ash battles the Deadites in a bid to return to the present day.
05:52Although not guided by Raimi, the 2013 Evil Dead from Fede Alvarez was a rip-roaringly
05:57good time that upped the body horror and scares, albeit at the expense of some laughs.
06:02It's not the same beast as the original Evil Dead films, but it's still a great
06:06entry in the series and one that has been followed up expertly with Lee Cronin's Evil
06:10Dead Rise.
06:11Throw in a fun TV show in Ash vs. the Evil Dead and you're left with probably the most
06:16consistently great horror franchise ever created.
06:195.
06:20The Matrix
06:21Now I've got to hold my hands up here.
06:23I was wrong about the Matrix sequels.
06:25For the longest time, I was one of those guys that was like, the CGI is bad, the romance
06:30is boring, the only good bit is the highway chase.
06:34Bad takes from a man who had clearly lost his way.
06:37Thankfully, before seeing The Matrix Resurrections in 2021, I decided to go ahead and revisit
06:42the entire series start to finish.
06:45The original Matrix is still the Wachowskis' magnum opus, one of the finest action films
06:50ever produced that reset the genre landscape.
06:52But The Matrix Reloaded and, to a lesser extent, The Matrix of Illusions are still worthy artfully
06:58crafted follow-ups, replete with great set pieces, Carrie-Anne Moss on a motorcycle,
07:03and lots of Hugo Weaving doing this.
07:06The Matrix Resurrections is my favourite sequel in the series, though.
07:10Helmed by Lana Wachowski alone this time, Resurrections is the cherry on top of the
07:14proverbial Matrix cake, reiterating what the story means to Wachowski, and how ultimately
07:20that's all that really matters.
07:22Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are magnetic once again, and while the lack of Laurence
07:26Fishburne and Hugo Weaving is noticeable, new additions Yaya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica
07:31Henwick, and Jonathan Goff are all brilliant.
07:34Give it another ten years, and everyone will be kicking themselves for not appreciating
07:38this masterpiece the same way they did the first sequels from the early 2000s.
07:42Number 4, Indiana Jones.
07:44Look, right, I already know folks are going to be rolling their eyes at this entry because
07:47Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the Mutt Williams of it all, but I cannot bring myself
07:52to call that movie bad.
07:54Disappointing?
07:55Unfashionably, given how superb the first three Indiana Jones films are.
07:58But it's not a diabolical misstep the same way The Rise of Skywalker was for Star Wars,
08:03or The Predator was for Predator.
08:04CGI gophers be damned, it's not that much of a departure stylistically or narratively
08:10from what came before, and I would argue taking a sci-fi bent for a Roswell-era adventure
08:16was a fitting choice from Steven Spielberg.
08:18As far as the original trilogy is concerned, I think that Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple
08:22of Doom and The Last Crusade are all about on par with each other, with the latter most
08:26entry winning out for me thanks to the chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery.
08:30Temple tends to take some flack on account of Willy being a shrill love interest, but
08:36its dark inflections and location work cement it as a great follow-up to Raiders.
08:41The jury is still out on Dial of Destiny at the time of recording, and while its trailers
08:46haven't put an extremely confident foot forward, James Mangold hasn't let me down
08:50so far.
08:51So, it's hoping that Indy's final crack at the whip is worth it.
08:553.
08:56Mad Max
08:57Quintessential apocalypse.
08:58George Miller's Mad Max series is brilliantly madcap, practical effects heavy and deliciously
09:04ugly.
09:05It's also one of the few series out there not to take a misstep with four films to its
09:09name.
09:10The original Mad Max is a bleak, thoroughly 70s affair that lacks the fun factor of its
09:15successes, but it's no less compelling.
09:17Mad Max 2 is essentially Wacky Races, but if Peter Perfect wielded a coach gun and Dick
09:22daftly was machine-gunning Professor Pat Pending, while the third entry, Beyond Thunderdome,
09:27cemented the overall vibe and aesthetic of Miller's Australian wasteland.
09:32Fury Road's the lessons imparted by all three of those movies to deliver one of the greatest
09:36efforts in the action genre, and with Miller currently developing a prequel that'll expand
09:40the origins of Furiosa, the good money is on the series continuing its winning streak.
09:452.
09:46Mission Impossible
09:47There are no bad Mission Impossible movies.
09:49I don't particularly care for the third one, which I know is sacrilege given the performance
09:53Philip Seymour Hoffman gives in there, but J.J. Abrams' direction can't compete with
09:57masters like De Palma or Woo, who by all accounts knocked it out of the park for the first two
10:02instalments.
10:03Like Mad Max, however, this is a series that has improved with time.
10:072011's Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol by Brad Bird was brilliantly inventive, while
10:12filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie took things to a whole other level with the 2015 and 2018
10:16entries Mission Impossible Rogue Nation and Fallout.
10:19These films have cemented Tom Cruise as a true Movies Man ambassador, accomplishing
10:25all kinds of wild stunts and taking time between shoots to emphasise the importance of the
10:29cinema as a venue.
10:31Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning, which is set to release later this summer, looks like
10:35it'll continue this trend.
10:371.
10:38John Wick
10:39John Wick might be the most consistently brilliant film series going, with each entry laying
10:44just claim to being the best of the bunch.
10:46The first, John Wick, serves as a solid revenge flick, but with the added ace up its sleeve
10:51of a gripping, emotional narrative, the hints of a fascinating underworld and direction
10:56from veteran Hollywood stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski.
10:58Like Born Before It, John Wick put the action genre on a new course, emphasising efficient,
11:04tactical choreography, bisexual lighting and a loud, relentless pace punctuated by fitting
11:10needle drops and the grindy, electronic notes of Tyler Bates.
11:14Only John Wick and Joyo will have their own preferred entry.
11:17I think two is my fave, but John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum and John Wick Chapter 4 are both
11:23exceptional.
11:24That said, this is also a series that continues to go from strength to strength.
11:27There's a pattern of escalation that has seen Stahelski and lead star Keanu Reeves
11:32test their limits when it comes to what they can accomplish, whether that's through elaborately
11:36choreographed duels with dragon's breath shotguns, horseback chase sequences or passive-aggressive
11:42exchanges of silenced gunfire.
11:44The series reads like a love letter to action cinema, and while it remains to be seen if
11:48it is indeed the end, it's hard to think of a better signature than Chapter 4.
11:53And those were 10 Movie Franchises With No Bad Sequels.
11:56I know for a fact this is going to cause some discussion in the comments below, so please
12:00do let me know if you feel like I missed anything or if there are some franchises here you don't
12:05think are worthy of the No Bad Sequels crown.
12:08If you enjoyed this video, please be sure to drop us a like as it really does help us
12:11out and if you're new and fancy more, why not hit the cheeky little subscribe button
12:15too?
12:16Either way, I've been Ewan, this has been World Culture, and I will catch you in the
12:19next video.
12:20Bye!