Some of Hollywood’s biggest action franchises have gone completely off the rails,getting crazier and harder to justify with each new movie. This has a major overlap withmovie franchises that got too big for their own good, as studios contrive ways to keep the franchise going, or too many ongoing storylines too strange to exist are already included. It would have been best for the franchise and its legacy if it had ended after two or three movies.
Movie franchises have been ruined by an actor’s exit, or one particularly bad installment. On the other hand, a select fewmovie franchises came roaring back after a hiatuswith their best movie yet, making the rest of Hollywood believe it can achieve the same thing with series that have been in decline. Yetthe weirdest later storylines in some of the most popular action franchises ever demonstrate that this is often a pipe dream,and there is no returning the franchise to its former glory.
10Terminator
Most Recent Movie: Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Terminator has repeated itself too many times, leading to some bizarre results grasping at originality.
TheTerminatorfranchise has struggled with repeating its genre-defining time travel adventure many times, where aTerminatorand a protector are both sent back in time to fight over the life of someone important to the future resistance. This has given rise to one of the messiest timelines in pop culture, althoughTerminator Zeromanaged to somewhat clarify things.
Terminator
The Terminator franchise, launched by James Cameron in 1984, explores a dystopian future where intelligent machines wage war against humanity. The relentless pursuit of key human figures by time-traveling cyborg assassins known as Terminators is central to the narrative. John Connor, the future leader of the human resistance, is the core target of the malicious machines.
Counted among the best action movies ever made,The TerminatorandTerminator 2: Judgment Dayare still easily thebestTerminatormovies, from before the franchise had worn out its main gimmick. However, aside from the timeline getting progressively worse,Terminatorhas sadly turned to poorly conceived action concepts to fuel the plots of later movies.
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The laterTerminatorinstallments' faults include the not-entirely-explained origins of Sam Worthington’s hybrid character, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator settling down with a family, and the notorious evil John Connor.Terminatorhas repeated itself too many times,leading to some bizarre results grasping at originality.
9Jurassic World
Most Recent Movie: Jurassic World Dominion (2022)
The foundational theme ofJurassic Park, when it kicked things off, was a cautionary tale about redirecting the course of nature. This drove Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking movie, which left some valid concepts to be developed into sequels. The dinosaurs' breeding, despite human scientists' efforts, is an interesting subplot with consequences to be explored. However,the originalJurassic Parktrilogy does not escape strange, unnecessary moments,like a dream of a raptor talking to Dr. Alan Grant.
Jurassic Park
The Jurassic Park franchise is an action-adventure sci-fi series that began with Michael Crichton’s original novel. The series explores the dramatic repercussions of resurrecting dinosaurs through advanced genetic science. Set primarily in a disastrous theme park, Jurassic Park explores the profound ethical dilemmas about tinkering with the DNA of long ago extinct creatures and the manipulation of the natural world through science.
TheJurassic Worldmovies abandonJurassic Park’s main theme,becoming more of an environmentalist and animal rights narrative. They demand that the audience accept things like raptor training, which might be possible. On the other hand, aspects like dinosaur auctions, cloned humans, an unrealistic amount of cooperation between humans and dinosaurs, and simply releasing dinosaurs into the wild of the mainland being treated like a good idea derailthe movies.
8Mission: Impossible
The firstMission: Impossiblemovie starring Tom Cruise was a comparatively grounded action flick with classic vibesthat established many espionage tropes looked upon with fondness. The stakes and action build with each passing movie, which jumps back and forth in the supposed timeline of Ethan Hunt’s life. However, if the audience watches each installment as a standalone and judges it on its own merits, it works. The upcomingMission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Twois the obvious exception.
Mission: Impossible
TheMission: Impossiblefranchise is an American action spy series that began with the 1996 filmMission: Impossibleand has since become one of the most successful and long-running franchises in Hollywood. The films follow Ethan Hunt, an agent of the Impossible Missions Force (IMF), as he takes on various high-stakes missions around the world, often involving intricate heists, double-crosses, and death-defying stunts. The franchise is renowned for its intense action sequences, particularly those performed by Tom Cruise, who insists on doing many of his own stunts.
However, the problem with mounting stakes and each movie trying to outdo the last one is the feeling of the franchise reaching a breaking point.Cruise has become famed for doing his own stunts, and it seems like each newMission: Impossiblemovie shows him doing something even more death-defyingjust for the sake of it. Meanwhile, the action becomes ludicrous in taste from the perspective of the audience, while the espionage plots are now just too complicated.
7Fantastic Beasts
Most Recent Movie: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore (2022)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’s job was so easy:stick to theHarry Pottercanon, while showcasing more action and places with a stellar cast, and the movies would all be hits. Yet the franchise contradicted what fans knew about the books' timeline, namely with the contestedMcGonagallFantastic Beastsplot hole. Meanwhile, instead of sticking to a predictable but visually spectacular take on the war with Grindelwald, the series contrives awkward sub-conflicts.
Fantastic Beasts
TheFantastic Beastsfranchise is a prequel and spin-off of theHarry Potterseries, set in the Wizarding World. It follows the adventures of Newt Scamander, a magizoologist who travels the globe studying magical creatures. The series expands into the political and social conflicts of the magical community, particularly the rise of dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald and his confrontation with a younger Albus Dumbledore. The films focus on themes of friendship, loyalty, and the battle between good and evil, against the backdrop of a magical world in the early 20th century.
The Wizarding World suddenly adhering to the word of a baby magical creature called a Qilin makes no sense;the lost Dumbledore plot is just as misaligned.No one knows how Yusuf managed to trick Grindelwald or how a Muggle is able to use a wand either.Fantastic Beasts 4is looking increasingly unlikely in light ofHBO’sHarry Potterrebootplans, which might be a relief if it had led to even more bad subplots.
6Ice Age
Most Recent Movie: The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild (2022)
AsIce Agebecomes more arguably an action franchise, the weirder it gets. The first movie was a pleasantly off-beat take on anthropomorphic prehistoric animals, with a lot of walking and folksy music and only a few beats that could loosely be considered action.TheIce Agefranchise then dives into the claim that essentially every major prehistoric event that drastically altered life on Earth happened within a few years,so it can be shown in this franchise.
Ice Age
TheIce Agefranchise is a popular animated film series produced by Blue Sky Studios, centering around a group of prehistoric animals surviving the Pleistocene ice age. Led by a woolly mammoth named Manny, the films feature his adventures alongside a sloth named Sid and a saber-toothed tiger named Diego. Known for its humor, heartwarming themes, and memorable characters, the series has expanded to include spin-offs, short films, and TV specials. The franchise continues to captivate audiences with its colorful animation, family-friendly humor, and ongoing stories of friendship and survival.
A massive flood and dinosaurs are a little wacky, but at least these movies maintain the feel of an animal-centric setting with nothing too modern. However,Ice Agegets bolder with its claims about its comic side character causing continental drift and a collision course in minutes,and this somehow does not instantly kill all the main characters. As of the latest movies, it is just another cash-grab goofy talking animal franchise rather than the gritty and tragic but still family-friendly originals.
5Pirates Of The Caribbean
The supernatural half of Pirates of the Caribbean doesn’t truly go off the rails until the most recent movie.
The firstPirates of the Caribbeanexecuted a perfect blend of classic swashbuckling adventure and supernatural intrigue. The supernatural elements got bigger and wilder with the second and third movies, but at least feel like they have a place in the story.Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End’s depiction of Davy Jones' Locker is weird,but this surrealistic adventure was promised as the main event.
Pirates of the Caribbean
A series of fantasy swashbuckler films produced by Disney, featuring the adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow. Known for its supernatural elements, high-seas action, and iconic characters, the franchise has become a cultural phenomenon and was loosely based on the Disney theme park ride of the same name.
The character arcs are handled with less finesse in each additionalPirates of the Caribbeanmovie.The biggest offender in this regard is the storyline of Captain Jack Sparrow himself,who worked better as a mascot rather than a grounded character. Revealing more elements of his backstory and giving him a serious love interest was to the detriment of his freewheeling persona.
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However, the supernatural half ofPirates of the Caribbeandoesn’t truly go off the rails until the most recent movie. A meaningless new ghost storyline and contradictions ofestablished Davy Jones lore make it the most bogged-down movie yet.Margot Robbie’sPirates of the Caribbeanspinoffcan only hope to do better.
4Die Hard
Most Recent Movie: A Good Day To Die Hard (2013)
John McClane being an intrepid everyman is a major part ofDie Hard’s selling point.John and his wife Holly get caught up in a terrorist attack and do their best to protect everyone in the building, making the movie thrillingby invoking a sense of reality. It is plausible that they are real people who act this way under pressure. Alan Rickman’s brilliant performance as Hans Gruber is also an amazing element the franchise lost after the first movie.
Die Hard
The Die Hard franchise, which began as a series of books in the 1960s, is an action-adventure series that chronicles the harrowing exploits of NYPD Detective John McClane. Renowned for its action-packed sequences and intricate plots, the series showcases McClane’s battles against various adversaries, especially the infamous Hans Gruber, during high-stakes crises.
Like many action franchises that go on for too long,Die Hardgets caught up in trying to outdo itself with the action.By the time ofA Good Day to Die Hard, the franchise is another empty spectacle with a bunch of plot points that make no sense for John’s character. Flamethrowers, crashing vehicles, and intergenerational CIA missions are a long way off from one average police officer finding himself in unfortunate circumstances.
3Indiana Jones
Most Recent Movie: Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny (2023)
The firstthreeIndiana Jonesmovies share the trait that supernatural or technical marvels are isolated incidents.Indy goes on an adventure into a temple where there are some impressive but technically possible traps; he discovers an interesting artifact that has a specific, contained effect. None of them are the biggest cinematic spectacles, serving the movies' semi-realistic aesthetic. This changed with the two most recentIndiana Jonesmovies.
Indiana Jones
Created by George Lucas, Indiana Jones is an action-adventure multimedia franchise that began with the launch of its first film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, in 1981. The series follows Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr., an archaeologist who adventures across the world with various friends as he faces off against the likes of Nazis and other groups bent on collecting ancient artifacts of power. Seeking to preserve history, Jones races against his incidental foes to stop them from conquering - or destroying- the world.
First was the highly ridiculed claim that a refrigerator would offer the protection needed to survive a nuclear blast. The discovery of aliens and the sequence of their flying saucer taking off feel distinctly out of place in the established tone of the franchise.Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destinyis at least better than the last movie,but still takes things to bizarre places with literal time travel and Indy meeting Archimedes.
2Fox’s X-Men
Most Recent Movie: Dark Phoenix (2019)
Although not as successful or acclaimed as Nolan’sDark Knighttrilogy or the best MCU movies,Fox’sX-Menmovies did relatively well in the early 2000s.Later on, they recast many of the characters with admittedly great actors for a prequel, moderately scrambling their canon with some contradictions. In their own right,X-Men: First ClassandX-Men: Days of Future Pastare good movies.
X-Men
The X-Men franchise, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, centers on mutants with extraordinary abilities. Led by the powerful telepath Professor Charles Xavier, they battle discrimination and villainous mutants threatening humanity. The series explores themes of diversity and acceptance through a blend of action, drama, and complex characters, spanning comics, animated series, and blockbuster films.
X-Men: ApocalypseandDark Phoenixare where things start to fall apart, just before Disney acquired the rights to the characters.The former repeats Magneto’s tragic backstory before launching into a strange investigation of Apocalypse’s powers,which is partially the fault of the source material.
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After this,Fox tried and failed again to do a good adaptation of the famous Dark Phoenix storyline.The movie is weighed down by multiple laughable elements that were traded for a good character arc for Jean. Aliens invading this movie was the final straw before Disney bought out the franchise, enshrining its best standalones and ignoring the worst parts in the future.
1Fast & Furious
Most Recent Movie: Fast X (2023)
The car stunts in the firstFast & Furiousmovie are relatively plausible when considering themost ridiculous scene in everyFast & Furiousmovie. The premise was essentially crime concerning people with a passion and affinity for cars and racing. YettheFast & Furiousmovies became notorious for their wild, completely ludicrous action sequences and stunts,which get crazier with each passing movie.
Fast & Furious
The Fast & Furious franchise revs through the adrenaline-fueled lives of Dominic Toretto and his crew of street racers turned global heroes. From the neon-lit streets of Los Angeles to the bustling cities and remote outposts worldwide, they take on high-stakes heists, espionage, and the underground world of street racing. Bound by loyalty and driven by the need for speed, they confront mercenaries, corrupt officials, and personal vendettas all in the name of their found family.
Audiences can take their pick of which one they think is the worst: the tower jump, the zombie cars, the space voyage, or Dom driving almost straight down into a dam(with his son in the car). Meanwhile, the movies become more entrenched in global espionage threats and faked deaths, leaving behind the realistic underground racing setting. When pondering movie franchises that went completely off the rails (or the highway), many moviegoers will immediately think ofFast & Furious.
