Franchises that only have one great movie

[DPrime]

Agreed.

I'll be flamed for this, but I'd also add Terminator on here. T1 is great. T2 is so-so. John Connor and Arnold's bad one-liners about killed this movie for me.

"Jaws", "The Matrix" and "Iron Man" for sure.

I'd add "BATMAN", "TCoN: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", "ALIEN" and "The NeverEnding Story",

Bound to be a lot of disagreement in here.

I think what sets Robocop apart for me from other franchises with one great film is that 2 and 3 are, IMO, such a significant drop-off in quality.

Even if BTTF II isn't as good as the first film its still a highly enjoyable film. Whereas Robocop 2 is largely crap apart from some good bits. And 3 is utterly $h!te. Likewise with Jurassic Park, I find a lot to enjoy in The Lost World, I wouldn't dismiss it completely.

Well... I think at some point personal opinion needs to be set aside. To some extent, anyway.

Even if you don't like T2 or Aliens, they are without a doubt considered "great" by too many to put them on a list like this.

And while I agree with a-dev about BTTF II (and III, in my opinion), even if they're solid films, and by no means terrible, that doesn't mean they've risen to "greatness".

Yeah, I realize that's a highly subjective thing to determine, but after a while, despite whether you enjoyed something or not, "greatness" is something bestowed upon something because a lot of people - the majority, in most cases? - agree it to be so.

 

[RIDDICK]

Sorry but masses are masses - they can't define things, only consume them.
If there's no conflict there's no value either.

 

[Niltusk]

It would b easier just to list whicj franchises had more than one great film. Cause most are lucky to get even 1.

Star wars +ESB

Godfathers....

And Im tapped

Not saying theres not alot of good francjises out there, but not many have more than one movie that really kicks *** imo

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Franchise with two great movies?

Alien and Aliens
X2 & XFC
Kill Bill & Kill Bill 2
Batman Begins & The Dark Knight
Star Wars ANH & ESB

 

[crows]

Resident Evil

Saw

Halloween

Scream

 

[The Josh]

Nolan's Batman Trilogy - The Dark Knight

 

[FQRizzo]

Nolan's Batman Trilogy - The Dark Knight

Nah, Begins was arguably better.

 

[IrishJedi]

Pirates of The Caribbean.

Although I'd probably stop just shy of calling the first one "great" it is really damn good and a rollicking adventure flick with just the right tone and pacing. All 3 sequels pale in comparison.

 

[Niltusk]

Franchise with two great movies?

Alien and Aliens
X2 & XFC
Kill Bill & Kill Bill 2
Batman Begins & The Dark Knight
Star Wars ANH & ESB

Yeah. Those too

 

[crows]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

From Dusk Till Dawn

Silence of the Lambs

 

[karamazov80]

Well... I think at some point personal opinion needs to be set aside. To some extent, anyway.

Even if you don't like T2 or Aliens, they are without a doubt considered "great" by too many to put them on a list like this.

And while I agree with a-dev about BTTF II (and III, in my opinion), even if they're solid films, and by no means terrible, that doesn't mean they've risen to "greatness".

Yeah, I realize that's a highly subjective thing to determine, but after a while, despite whether you enjoyed something or not, "greatness" is something bestowed upon something because a lot of people - the majority, in most cases? - agree it to be so.

I agree with a lot of this.

Others:

-Ghostbusters
-Chinatown (probably the best example you could use here--original is a masterpiece while The Two Jakes is mediocre)
-Guns of Navarrone (Force 10 was more average)
-The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (yeah, I said it--others are good, not great)
-The Fly
-Nightmare on Elm Street (though part 3 is quite good, not "great" as the original film IMO)
-The Hunt for Red October (among Jack Ryan films, the Ford and Affleck ones were very good to OK, Red October was great)


There are lots that would fit on this list that had half-assed sequels or prequels. Like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which had a mediocre cash-in of a prequel.

I have to say--Mummy and Resident Evil are great? On what kind of Bizarro world does this happen?

And I agree about Texas Chainsaw. . .but I personally love part 2 way more than part 1.

 

[DiFabio]

So ONE great then?



- Ghostbusters
- Jaws
- Batman (first series)
- Robocop
- The Dark Knight (second series)
- Predator
- Conan
- Die Hard (though, I just watched Die Hard 3 again recently and I love it, soooooo)
- Jurassic Park
- Matrix
- Fly (only great one is with Goldblum, it should have been a standalone)
- Aliens (love the first one, but it's just good, the others, forget it)
- T2 (same as above)
- Superman (I love Superman II, but, ehh, but the Salkinds sort of soured that one with Donner's potential of what it could have been)






Probably more than that.

 

[RIDDICK]

Probably much less.
Too much "ok" and "good" movies made it to personal "great" lists.

 

[DiFabio]

Probably much less.
Too much "ok" and "good" movies made it to personal "great" lists.

Nah, I find that sometimes there's always that one movie that you've seen that you have forgotten about.


Pirates of the Caribbean is another one. Only great one is the first. Planet of the Apes too, in my opinion. Hell, just thinking about it a little harder, there's the Karate Kid and Men In Black as well.

 

[a-dev]

I love Karate Kid III. Though I realise it isn't considered great by most.

 

[EVILFACE]

Ghostbusters
Star Wars
Smokey and the Bandit
Pirates of the Caribbean
Predator
Halloween
Spider-Man
Robocop

 

[RIDDICK]

Nah, I find that sometimes there's always that one movie that you've seen that you have forgotten about.


Pirates of the Caribbean is another one. Only great one is the first. Planet of the Apes too, in my opinion. Hell, just thinking about it a little harder, there's the Karate Kid and Men In Black as well.

 

[karamazov80]

I think the definition of "great" really matters in what you would pick. I don't consider any of the Karate Kid films "great," anymore than I would consider Teen Wolf or the Breakfast Club great, because they were movies I liked as a kid.

I guess we could say without much argument that Pee Wee's Big Adventure was the only "great" one in that franchise. It was Burton's (and Elfman's) coming out party, which gives it a real level of importance.

 

[Shropt]

Hangover

I'd agree with Alien 3 also. It's the only good film in the trilogy.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Pirates of The Caribbean.

Although I'd probably stop just shy of calling the first one "great" it is really damn good and a rollicking adventure flick with just the right tone and pacing. All 3 sequels pale in comparison.

Dead Mans chest was also good but yeah Cure of the Black Pearl is the only great one.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

From Dusk Till Dawn

Silence of the Lambs