8 Film Franchises That Really Need To Die

As a fan of film, there's nothing sadder than watching flailing franchises spew out uninspired efforts to keep the box-office numbers ticking over. When the property becomes an obligation rather than a privilege, this is where courageous conversations need to be had. You know, the "it's time to say goodbye because you suck" speech. We're living in the era of franchises. All the studios know they're quick wins and where the money is to be found, but the audiences are rapidly developing fatigue to these types of movies, questioning if the final chapters will really be so final after all. It's like Ric Flair telling us that he's retiring, but we know he'll be back for a big payday next year. Woo! Now, I'm not saying all franchises are bad - some of them have legs and actually become better over the years - but there are a few that need to say sayonara and be gone with it. So, prepare the embalming and casket because these are the 8 film properties that need to be buried six feet under. As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome and appreciated here. If you disagree or agree with the picks, sound off in the comments section down below. The Fast And The Furious Franchise entries: The Fast and the Furious (2001), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), Furious 7 (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017) Let's not kid ourselves here. The only reason we even bother to watch these films anymore is for the glorious, death-defying car stunts. The story itself no longer matters, no one knows what the characters' motives are, and the plot is made up on the fly so it can still be marketed as a movie. That's the truth in a nutshell. Yet, with the last two films raking in more than a billion dollars each, it's unlikely that Universal gives a crap what a hack like me says about it. Releasing a Fast and the Furious film is like printing money with unlimited paper, so there's literally no chance this series will see its demise until the audience stops showing up at the cinema. The franchise keeps Vin Diesel gainfully employed, so that's a positive, I guess. Maybe if Marvel sweetens his Guardians of the Galaxy deal, he'll bounce and subsequently kill the series. Here's hoping that Kevin Feige reads this and does us a solid here. Likelihood of being cancelled: Zilch. Terminator Franchise entries: The Terminator (1984), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), Terminator Salvation (2009), Terminator Genisys (2015) It's actually tragic to see the Terminator series' dramatic fall from grace. The first two flicks are action classics and can be enjoyed to this very day. As for the rest of the franchise… Uh, yeah, the less said about it, the better. After the huge disappointment that was Terminator Genisys, it appeared like it was curtains for John Connor and his time-traveling buddies. But somehow, someway, this robot franchise survived and continues to rise from the ashes of mediocrity, with a sixth film being lined up. Apparently, James Cameron will return to oversee the franchise and Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back as well, but do we even care anymore? Is there a point to any of it? Let's rather remember the quality of the first two entries and allow this series to rust in peace. Likelihood of being cancelled: Borderline. If the next film flops, it might be the final nail in the coffin. Underworld Franchise entries: Underworld (2003), Underworld: Evolution (2006), Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009), Underworld: Awakening (2012), Underworld: Blood Wars (2017) Much like the Terminator series, the first two Underworld films were pretty good - visually epic, if anything. But then it got messy from the third film onwards, and the quality degenerated into B-grade (or even C-grade) territory. While the movies still look visually appealing, there's a sense of "who cares?!" when they inevitably announce the next addition to the series. Well, the filmmakers seem to care. Despite Underworld: Blood Wars making less than $100 million, the plan is to release a sixth entry and TV series at some point. Maybe it's Twilight's fault that vampires and werewolves have become laughing stocks in recent years, but Underworld isn't exactly making them look cool, either. This whole vampires-versus-werewolves trope feels tired and bored, so we'd rather leave it alone. Likelihood of being cancelled: Unlikely. There's a sixth film coming. Saw Franchise entries: Saw (2004), Saw II (2005), Saw III (2006), Saw IV (2007), Saw V (2008), Saw VI (2009), Saw 3D (2010), Jigsaw (2017) When John Kramer, AKA Jigsaw, died in Saw III, it looked like that might be it for the gory horror franchise. But no, there were another four movies exploring his apprentices, and they were mostly rubbish in comparison. Although, I must admit that I did enjoy seeing Linkin Park's Chester Bennington experience the same level of torture I did after listening to "A Thousand Suns" in Saw 3D. Now, there's another film coming in October, titled Jigsaw - why, though, is anyone's guess. The whole concept of Saw was initially intriguing, but it lost its way when the creators, Leigh Whannell and James Wan, left the franchise for greener pastures. While horror films normally get away with having numerous sequels - because everyone likes to watch other people die - Saw isn't entertaining anymore. There are only so many times that you can tolerate that stupid puppet and Kramer's contraptions. Sorry, but it's game over here. Likelihood of being cancelled: 50/50. Depends on the success of Jigsaw. Pirates Of The Caribbean Franchise entries: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017) Why the hell do we keep throwing money at Pirates of the Caribbean? There's simply nothing fun about it anymore. Even more insulting is we're paying to watch Johnny Depp be Johnny Depp. Studios base their decisions on profit, and this property keeps bringing in the dough, so we're doomed to get more of it. Regardless of the critical panning the franchise receives, it always comes out on top and the filmmakers smile all the way to the bank. Heck, a slander campaign could be run for it and this abomination would somehow make money. Bordering on generic and favoring style over substance, there's no reason to get excited about another Pirates film. It's time to stop feeding Captain Jack Sparrow's rum addiction and consider carefully what we do with our money. Likelihood of being cancelled: The last film made nearly $700 million, so no. The Expendables Franchise entries: The Expendables (2010), The Expendables 2 (2012), The Expendables 3 (2014) Here's a series that started off well and brought back nostalgia in a good way. Every single one of us cheered when we saw our favorite 80s stars on the screen together all at once. Our dreams came true as Stallone battled Van Damme, and finally brought closure to the age-old debate over who'd win in a fight between the two of them. Spoiler alert: it was Sly. Sadly, egos got in the way and the golden oldies flexed their diva muscles, impacting on the overall quality of The Expendables 3. Since then, there's been talk of an all-female spinoff and a TV series - neither of which has materialized to date. It's looking highly improbable that we'll get another Expendables film, and we should probably be thankful of that. Let's enjoy the good wistfulness of these movies and let the concept rest now. There's no point in beating a dead horse. Likelihood of being cancelled: Highly likely. Friday The 13th Franchise entries: Friday the 13th (1980), Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Friday the 13th Part III (1982), Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985), Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986), Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988), Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989), Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), Jason X (2002), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), Friday the 13th (2009) Can you remember the last good Friday the 13th film? Don't worry, neither can I. For years, we've literally been fed whatever crap the studio has dumped on us. I mean, the whole concept of Jason in space shows that they don't respect us at all. Even worse is all the lies. Remember 1993's Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday and how it promised to be the final entry in the series? This is why we can never believe anything that Hollywood says because inevitably the paycheck will always trump honesty or sticking to a promise. The good news is, there's a big legal dispute that's keeping the franchise from spitting out another movie. Now, I don't know about you, but this is music to my ears. Do we really need another reboot or Jason vs. Justin Bieber? Actually, scratch that. I'd pay to see the latter - but only that. Likelihood of being cancelled: Moderate. Ice Age Franchise entries: Ice Age (2002), Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009), Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), Ice Age: Collision Course (2016) I'll never forget overhearing a conversation between a child and his father halfway through the premiere of Ice Age: Collision Course. The little boy turned to his dad and said, "Daddy, these movies are getting stupid." That child summarized in one sentence what we've thought of this franchise for some time now. Unfortunately, parents keep taking their kids to these movies - even if the children don't like them anymore - and the Ice Age brand continues to flourish. As adults, we need to lead by example and say it's enough now; otherwise, we'll get another 50 of these humorless flicks. So far, there's been no news of a sixth film, so we can only hold thumbs that someone wised up and decided to not do another one. Yes, we all love Scrat, but even that poor critter is looking tired here. Likelihood of being cancelled: 50/50. Tell us, which film franchises do you think need to die? Let us know in the comments section below.