Mad Max
When I saw Furiosa last week, my vote went to Mad Max.
Most franchises follow the law of diminishing returns. I would easily live in a parallel universe where The Godfather, Alien, Terminator, Star Wars ended in two parts and there was no sequel to The Matrix or Back to the Future. Going out on a high just doesn’t seem like an option these days, does it? (Dune and Blade Runner, take note.)
But what George Miller does is admirable. Thirty-one years after Road Warrior blew my mind again with Fury Road, fully restored my faith in the Mad Max franchise and gave me a whole new protagonist to root for. I stood in line the first day to see the prequel and all I can say is: keep it up George. And thank you. a journalist
Zatoichi
Twenty-six movies, almost all starring the same incredible actor. A wide variety of tones and styles, yet all focused on a cute and fascinating character, providing an interesting overview of a tumultuous period in Japanese history. Very, highly recommended. tafkapao
Star Wars
The original trilogy and the daddy of them all. It is conceived as a franchise, complete with ready-to-use action figures and toys.
And today, men of a certain age (Simon Pegg) still can’t get past that. Drawstring pants
James Bond
I am an unabashed Bond fan. A while ago I decided to read the books and then watch the movies again. The books were great, a bit dated but very entertaining. When I watched the movies afterwards, they were even better than ever because now I had another story and character background. I drive
All other franchises will suffer the same fate; squeezed until the seeds crackle and then put in a grinder to extract a bit.
At least with Bond, they tried to keep it original throughout its lifespan, even though they did a soft reboot with Casino Royale. Granted, there are some stinkers on the list, but in general, they’re all at least watchable on a drizzly Sunday afternoon with a big bowl of popcorn and the heater on a bit. Crossvader
For longevity and success you can look no further than James Bond, everything else pales into insignificance. Still grizzlies
Planet of the monkeys
Because I haven’t seen the latest one and Tim Burton aside, it’s a damn good run and the three reboots work great. Shanghai ver
Jason Bourne
Assuming we’re allowed to completely ignore the completely crappy entries in the franchise (AvP, Alien Resurrection, etc.), then my vote goes to the Bourne Trilogy.
The hill I’ll die on is that the first three Bourne films are, pound for pound, the best trilogy ever made – strong competition from Toy Story, but that’s down to personal taste.
Yes yes, The Godfather or Aliens are individually better movies than either of the Bournes, but the final part of their trilogies is weak and divisive.
Each of the Bournes improves on the previous one and the whole story fits together beautifully. OldDirtyBAStart
I love how smart Bourne is; that it is not because he has bigger weapons than the other. Using a Bic pen or a fat magazine to fend off the killer would never have been an option, but it was a problem and it survived another day.
I’d actually pick the first one as the best. Franka Potente gives it real humanity and her demise in the second is a kick. Paul Greengrass’ technique is sometimes derided as “shaki-cam,” but it’s a more dishonest blizzard cut that cheats its under-the-wire brutality for a 12A/PG-13 rating. George Miller’s big-budget Mad Max masterpieces didn’t care, and the difference is there for all to see: keeping the action comprehensible; easy to understand who does what to whom. Haigin88
Lord of the Rings
To any extent [popular acclaim – box office; critical acclaim – Oscars] Lord of the Rings wipes the floor with everyone. It has the unfair advantage of having source material written by a giant, yet it could easily have been lost in translation – but it wasn’t. Cattus
Muppets
As the biggest franchise in cinematic history, there can only be one choice and it’s the Muppets! Anyone who disagrees is uncultured, brainless and a complete moron! Tom Cruise does not deserve to be talked about in the same breath as Kermit the Frog. Does any Hollywood goddess have half the charm of Ms. Piggy? Can anyone name a comedian who matches the comic genius of Fozzie Bear?
So here are the Muppets, end of debate. ion55
Batman
Yes, there were some duds (I still believe I had a guardian angel watch over me when I went to see Batman and Robin in the cinema, just for the power to go out), but a lot of excellent films.
And like some of the ones mentioned here, lots of new inventions, different ways (Lego Batman!) to compare and contrast. Swiss cheese
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It’s easy to build a franchise if you focus on stunts and explosions, hard to build one if you focus on double knots and comedy cameos. davidabsalom