Movie franchises decay at an alarming rate. Narratives which had no business continuing in the first place have soaked the realms of cinema with thousands of unnecessary sequels, most of which have proved mediocre and damaging to their source material.
Think Resident Evil, or Saw, two perfect examples of movie franchises which constantly have to drum up banal reasons for bringing their characters back into the fray. Sequels like these only serve to push their characters into territories which compromise their established personalities and motives, or to rehash the same plot elements all over again, essentially destroying the integrity of the original story. There’s good reason why nobody talks about The Matrix anymore.
We know that sequels aren’t an especially great idea (creatively speaking), given that only a small fraction ever turn out to be better than the films they’re based upon. And when we remember that these films have been thought-up solely to cash-in on prior successes (despite any good intentions the assigned filmmakers may have), it’s even more painful to watch writers and directors struggling to re-capture the magic.
Now and again, however, a franchise will somehow make it through this messy period and will manage to justify a reason for existing in further parts. Though these remain definite rarities, here’s our list of 5 movie franchises that actually got better with every installment. Trust us: there aren’t that many out there, but these ones certainly cut the mustard.
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