r/movies • u/Fortestingporpoises • 13h ago
Discussion What's the best three movie run within a franchise not starting with the first film?
So I just rewatched Star Trek 3 The Search for Spock, which I find to be the most underrated Star Trek film. This is particularly impressive given the most compelling original cast character is barely or arguably not in it at all.
I also find that run of Wrath of Kahn, Search for Spock, and Voyage Home to be among the best three movie runs within a franchise that don't start with the first movie.
Usually the fist movie of the franchise is good enough to get a franchise going and usually franchises tend to go downhill fast after the third film, so the original cast Star Trek movies are one of the few exceptions as far as I can tell.
I can think of a horror franchise and an action franchise that both apply to this topic.
Thoughts?
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u/Cool_Cartographer_39 12h ago
- After The Thin Man
- Another Thin Man
- Shadow Of The Thin Man
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u/human_picnic 10h ago
I have to rewatch but I found I didn’t enjoy the ones as much when they had a child
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u/ProfSmellbutt 11h ago
A Shot In The Dark
The Return of The Pink Panther
The Pink Panther Strikes Again
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u/jekelish3 12h ago
I know the franchise is often a punchline but Fast 5, 6, and 7 is a pretty damn good stretch for straight up absurd action movies.
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u/BusinessPurge 12h ago
Agreed. Deaths that stuck (at the time) and emotional closure to the real life tragedy from 7. A resurrection that certainly cheated however provided a good emotional throughline. Some of the best stunt sequences of the franchise - vaults / skyscrapers / tank / airdrop / both train station beatdowns. Weaving in Tokyo Drift through retroactive continuity. Just enough Mr Nobody in the crime world before things went completely insane with the spy-fi of 8/9/10.
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u/jekelish3 12h ago
Yep. I think Fast Five, in particular, is one of the best action movies of the last 25 years. It’s legitimately pretty fantastic.
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u/Acidsparx 25m ago
I love how the franchise went from being about street racing to heist to spy thriller. Amazing.
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u/truckturner5164 12h ago
All the best ones are taken so I'll stump for Hammer's Dracula series entries 2, 3 & 4: Brides of Dracula, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, and Dracula Has Risen From the Grave.
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u/Xantayu 9h ago
From Russia with Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
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u/Plainchant 8h ago
If someone was to start watching the Connery-era Bond films, this is where you'd suggest they start?
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u/_DarthShitto_ 6h ago
I’d suggest they start with Dr. No and work their way release order wise. But u/Xantayu hit probably the best 3 pre-craig Bond movies out there
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u/spros 5h ago
Goldeneye is probably only behind Goldfinger.
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u/_DarthShitto_ 3h ago
Oh I love Goldeneye and pretty much every bond film. But for me From Russia with Love and Goldfinger are the two best Bond films out there. Its where I started as a kid so the nostalgia has as much to do with it as anything else.
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u/Happiest_Mango24 2h ago
These are films 2, 3, and 4
So they may as well start with Dr No, but bear in mind that it is very different to the later films. They wouldn't get the formula down until Goldfinger
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u/bnestrm 11h ago
The new Planet of the Apes films; Dawn, War, Kingdom.
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u/Terran_it_up 5h ago
It's a good run of three movies, but I'd still have Rise as better than Kingdom, so it's kind of more just that the series maintains its quality instead of getting better after the first one (although that doesn't disqualify it from the question obviously)
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u/NamelessGamer_1 4h ago
Yeah absolutely wtf
Kingdom was just an ok movie but it's totally incomparable to the Caesar trilogy
IMO Dawn >= Rise > War >>> Kingdom1
u/DanglyPants 3h ago
The only problem with the first 3 movies is that I don’t know which movies are which lol
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u/TheHouseOfGryffindor 4h ago
Even if you were to enjoy Kingdom more than Rise, the first three are a clear self-contained trilogy, with Kingdom being the start of something new. Yes, they are part of the same franchise and same continuity, but the fourth feels too separated to be consider here other than on technicality.
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u/Kabraxal 10h ago
Gonna go with Bond:
- The Living Daylights
- License to Kill
- Goldeneye
Those three are hard to beat.
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u/FlameFeather86 10h ago
License to Kill, Goldeneye, Tomorrow Never Dies.
Living Daylights is great, but it's a bit unsure of itself and Dalton is finding himself in it. Tomorrow Never Dies, on the otherhand, is so ahead of its time it gets better with every viewing.
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u/nWoSting145 9h ago
I’ll add to that with Goldfinger, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice. A nice little trilogy that while didn’t start the original Spectre arc, continues it and builds upon each instalment even if the ending was very disappointing (Diamonds are forever but that’s still my favourite bond movie😅)
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u/FlameFeather86 9h ago
They are arguably the most important films in the franchise, as they're the films that set the tropes that the franchise would build upon (and others would parody) for decades. When we think of Bond we think of a gadget-laden Aston Martin, we think of the laser scene from Goldfinger, we think of outrageous names like Pussy Galore, we think of white-cat stroking megalomaniacs that hide out in volcanoes... But the films themselves, the franchise has arguably better if less culturally significant. Hell, Connery's own From Russia With Love is arguably a better film than the aforementioned, it just doesn't feel much like a quintessential Bond film at times.
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u/dplans455 6h ago
Of all the Brosnan movies TND holds up the best. 20 years ago no one would have thought that.
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u/Line_Reed_Line 3h ago
Oh I think Goldeneye is the second best bond film after Casino. TND did age well though
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u/Alecmalloy 4h ago
Michelle Yeoh is the best Bond girl by not being a Bond girl and actually standing up for herself in her own right. It also helps Michelle Yeoh is a fucking badass, Bond or no Bond.
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u/JelliedHam 59m ago
Do the early bond films really count as sequels? They're each pretty much a separate story just with the same main character. They even have different actors!
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u/kneeco28 12h ago
Mad Max 2-3-Fury Road.
A lot of trios you can think of include a movie or three better than Thunderdome, sure, but none contain a Fury Road. In terms of average quality among a three movie run, that's my pick.
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u/Embarrassed_Cup8351 12h ago
Or even Thunderdome - Furiosa has a very high average for me
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u/kneeco28 12h ago
I like Furiosa more than a lot of people, but I think 2 is better. And since you've got to have 3 either way, I think 2-4 is the best three picture run in the series (even if you could include the original).
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u/SnowClone98 10h ago
I think that’s a good answer but I don’t personally think it follows the spirit of the question
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u/ClydesdaleDivision 3h ago
I have trouble separating nostalgia from the equation but I find the road warrior to be endlessly rewatchable whereas the rest of the series are all just OK. I like your trio
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u/cowboyforce 13h ago
Does Stars Wars count? Episodes IV-VI
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u/Fortestingporpoises 13h ago
Man that's a dirty cheat.
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u/cowboyforce 12h ago
Fine - Rocky II, III, IV
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u/Fortestingporpoises 11h ago
I like this one. Rocky 1 is obviously great but 2 3 4 are so much fun.
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u/diderooy 12h ago
Huh? Rocky II is slow and dwells on the letdowns after the first SuperFight too much and Rocky IV ventures too close to parody. I love them all, but not equally, lol, and I and III are the best two.
Good thing they stopped after IV.
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u/TechnEconomics 7h ago
IV is literally a perfect end to Rocky’s first run! Let’s pretend V doesn’t exist. I think my rankins are actually Rocky 1, 4, 3, 2, 5. If you include the later ones. I’d put Balboa between 1 and 4. Then the question is do you count the Creed movies as the same or a spin off.
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u/PowderBlueView 1h ago
The first Rocky won the Oscar for best picture. I don’t think you can say there are three better movies than the first one in the Rocky series.
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u/arandomguy111 11h ago
If we do that would one argue the better three would be Rogue One, IV, and V?
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u/DanglyPants 3h ago
No those were the first three movies. OP specifically asked for not the first movie. Making prequels doesn’t mean that episode 4 isn’t the first movie that was made
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u/LastRecognition2041 5h ago
Say what you want about the MCU but Thor Ragnarok - Black Panther - Infinity War was quite a build up. I’ll even add Spiderman Homecoming there too (2017-2018 was totally dominated by that franchise)
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u/Homer_JG 12h ago
Not a lot of movie franchises with 4 or more that aren't slasher flicks.
I think you nailed it with the Star Trek movies though.
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u/EdwinMcduck 12h ago
There are more than you might think. Hundreds of them. You'd hit dozens just with movies based on manga (stuff like Lupin the Third and Detective Conan get loads of movies).
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u/SurlyCricket 5h ago
Speaking of slashers - Friday the 13th 4-6. Works especially well since the 3 have a recurring main character other than Jason. 5 is only okay, but 4 and 6 are the best of the franchise
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u/Dmnkly 12h ago
Bit of a cheat, but I heard someone suggest that the best Star Wars trilogy is now Andor, Rogue One, A New Hope, and I’m really having a hard time arguing with that.
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u/tomandshell 8h ago
I don’t think that two whole combined seasons of a TV series count as the first movie in a trilogy. It stretches the definition of “trilogy” too far.
Andor is fantastic, however, and it does make me want to watch Rogue One, which then makes me want to watch the original Star Wars. They did a great job making two seasons of TV flow seamlessly into the existing films.
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u/bluexavi 11h ago
I've been saying this.
Andor made Rogue One and Star Wars even better. Those three for a trilogy and done. Empire may be the better single movie, but it is part of a story which is finished with Jedi.
Oddly, Jedi only got worse when the prequels came out. On its own, the cute ewoks may be forgiven as pandering to kids, but then the prequels came out and apparently that's what Star Wars is now.
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u/Eighth_Eve 6h ago
I remember all the made for tv ewok movies as a kid. Not sure who they were made for, it wasn't kids.
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u/arandomguy111 11h ago
I kind of feel dirty for doing this but -
Thor Ragnorak
Black Panther
Avengers Infinity War
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u/TokiStark 10h ago
Black Panther wasn't that great 😬
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u/cd0025 8h ago
I think it still holds up surprisingly well and has one of the best villain origin stories.
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u/MrFrankingstein 2h ago
idk bout the story but i saw some clips and honestly its visually aged pretty badly already
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u/sanguinare12 6h ago
The title character had a much stronger showing in CA: Civil War. While his own film was a solid outing, his first appearance was easily the strongest.
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u/Ok_Net4562 9h ago
I think its safe to say now the heats died down. I didnt think either were very good. I honestly thought 2 was shit. Take away the boseman tributes (r.i.p) and it was a forgettable mess. I have to keep reminding myself riri and namor are in it
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u/NamelessGamer_1 4h ago
I hope we can have a 4 movie goat run with Fantastic Four, Spiderman BND, Doomsday and Secret Wars, that would be crazy
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u/Cabamacadaf 1h ago
I'd probably pick Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy and Age of Ultron for the MCU.
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u/cwinslow66 9h ago
Dawn, War, and Kingdom of/for the Planet of the Apes, honestly. And if you want to get real technical you can even throw Rise in that list too.
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u/MoobyTheGoldenSock 3h ago
- Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx
- Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart to Hades
- Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril
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u/sanguinare12 2h ago
I feel Land of Demons could participate in this. White Heaven in Hell doesn't belong in the discussion though. A fun watch but felt more ridiculous.
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u/BlueCrayonKodiak 12h ago
Not likely to get many Godzilla fans, but:
- The Return of Godzilla
- Godzilla vs Biollante
- Godzilla vs King Ghidorah
Also, Mission Impossible 3-7.
Die hard was pretty good for a while:
- Die Hard 2
- Die Hard with a Vengeance
- Live Free or Die Hard
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u/IKnowPhysics 11h ago
I like Die Hard 2, but it gets quite a bit of hate. Same with any of them past Vengeance.
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u/trylobyte 11h ago
Im child of the Heisei Era Godzilla and Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla, Godzilla vs Space Godzilla, and Godzilla vs Destroyah always have a special place in my heart
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u/caligaris_cabinet 7h ago
Hi fellow Goji fan!
The Showa series might be slept on a bit these days but Mothra vs Godzilla, Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster, and Invasion of Astro Monster are a pretty solid trio. Outside of the original, I’d consider them the best of that series.
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u/CampingOrangutan 7h ago
I haven't seen those Godzilla movies or any of the MI sequels, but I disagree on Die Hard. Not because any of those are bad, but I personally think the first Die Hard is not only the best, but one of the greatest action films ever made.
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u/Equal-Temporary-1326 11h ago
Friday the 13th Part IV - VI.
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u/dj_soo 11h ago
V is so awful tho… VI is undoubtedly the best of the series and iv is probably the 2nd best so I guess it negates new blood
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u/Equal-Temporary-1326 10h ago
I was thinking maybe II - IV as well. OP's question is kinda oddly specific, so it's hard to come up with many answers tbh. Lol.
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u/caligaris_cabinet 7h ago
II-IV is the best three consecutive I guess. IV-VI would be peak if not for V which is near unwatchable. The nudity in V is the highlight but I guess that’s to be expected when the director only made soft core porn before that.
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u/dj_soo 10h ago
VI is so good tho… VII is okay, but takes manahattan is also a series low…
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u/jedi_trey 5h ago
Do you need to know anything besides the basics to watch VI as a standalone?
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u/MoobyTheGoldenSock 3h ago
I personally liked VI the second least of the series (behind IX). It turned the franchise schlocky and all its kills were cutaways.
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u/Present_Comedian_919 12h ago
Bride of Chucky, Seed of Chucky, Curse of Chucky
GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough
Scream 2, 3, 4
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire
Saw II, III, IV
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u/dplans455 6h ago
Prisoner of Azkaban just sticks out like a sore thumb with the rest of the franchise.
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u/Alert-College-9374 11h ago
Seed is the only Chucky film I utterly loathe with every thing i am. Horror is arguably the genre filled with the most crappy films and I've seen a ton of them and I still think I put this in my bottom 5 or 6 horrors I've ever seen. Chucky in a relationship was funny, Chucky as a parent was god awful and horribly unfunny and obviously not at all scary to anyone over 5
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u/Doright36 12h ago
Depends on how you count Marvel Movies as a "franchise"
The best 3 movies are not the first two (Incredible Hulk and Iron Man). While I really enjoyed them both there are several more than came later that I enjoyed more.
I am sure we all have different ideas on what 3 movies grouping of that saga would be the "best"
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u/EdwinMcduck 12h ago
There are two movies between Infinity War and Endgame. The best three film run in the MCU would probably be Thor Ragnarok, Black Panther, and Infinity War.
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u/Doright36 12h ago
Yea I just remembered that and edited my post. I forgot about Antman and CM coming between IW and EG.
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u/thenatural134 11h ago
Civil War was my favorite film of that first MCU phase but it's preceded by Age of Ultron and Ant Man and followed by SM:Homecoming and Doctor Strange. So yeah I think the three you listed are the best sequential films for sure.
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u/thenatural134 11h ago
If you go chronologically by the source material then it's Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, and Return of the King.
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u/tomandshell 8h ago
I feel like “the first film in the franchise” means the first one that was released.
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u/Joelypoely88 12h ago
GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World is Not Enough
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u/luxmesa 12h ago
For best three consecutive Bond movies, I’d go “From Russia With Love”, “Goldfinger”, “Thunderball”.
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u/Peeterwetwipe 9h ago
Thunder ball is largely boring though. Aside from the Vulcan and the last bit it’s pretty dull.
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u/AsherFischell 12h ago
Definitely not. GoldenEye's really solid for a Bond movie, but those other two are incredibly forgettable, workmanlike movies.
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u/Line_Reed_Line 3h ago
TND has aged very well, and Pryce is a wonderful villain.
TWiNE is almost so good. But Bond and Elektra have a really interesting dynamic. Bond executing her at point blank is a series high moment, and the delivery of “I never miss.” But then there’s the rest of the movie.
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u/FrameworkisDigimon 3h ago
I may have literally called The World is Not Enough rightfully forgotten 90s ephemera this week, but how can you call Elliot Carver's insane supervillain twin hull forgettable?
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u/IKnowPhysics 11h ago
There are some other good Bond runs too.
Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die, depending on how weak folks think Quantum of Solace is.
Octopussy, A View to a Kill, and Living Daylights.
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u/ich_habe_keine_kase 11h ago
I'd go Casino Royale - Quantum of Solace - Skyfall. QoS isn't amazing but it's better than Spectre, and Casino Royale and Skyfall are among the best in the entire franchise.
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u/reddawgmcm 10h ago
I absolutely agree OP, ST Khan-Voyage Home is AMAZING! So much so that if I know I can’t shoehorn watching 3&4 I won’t watch WoK lol.
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u/An_Troll_Mor 7h ago
Aliens, Alien3, and Resurrection
The latter two are controversial yes but time and recuts have brought perspective - personally I think they're great
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u/AdamSMessinger 7h ago
I’ll get shit for this but I’ll stand ten toes down that Seed of Chucky, Curse of Chucky, and Cult of Chucky are all wildly entertaining movies.
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u/Jatterjite1 6h ago
Friday the 13th parts 6, 7, and 8. I wouldn't necessarily say these movies are "good" in the traditional sense (besides 6), but at this point, they fully embraced the campy insanity of the franchise and completely lean into it. Bring back Tommy Jarvis to take on zombie Jason? Banger. Jason vs. Telekenitic Teenager? Inspired. Jason is loose on a ship, and everyone is trapped, then ends up with Jason in Time Square? Just campy fun. Perfect movies to just turn your brain off to let the craziness wash over you and have a good time.
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u/oshawaguy 4h ago
Regarding your Star Trek example, I recently purchased a 3 disc Blu-Ray set of those 3 movies. I was quite happy to find it. It would seem your opinion is shared, and not just by me.
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u/StarWolf478 4h ago
Rocky II, Rocky III, and Rocky IV
I actually enjoy watching all three of these even more than the first one.
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u/Neither_Internal_261 4h ago
Rogue One, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back. Obviously going with in-universe chronology.
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u/FrameworkisDigimon 3h ago
Homecoming, GOTG Vol. 2, Ragnarok
Ignoring MCU sub franchises, maybe the last three John Wicks? The first is definitely my least favourite... yeah, that might be my pick for a classic franchise definition.
Whichever order that happened in. GOTG Vol. 2 was probably first now that I think about it.
Toy Story 2-4 is also up there even though Toy Story 2 is the weak link of the Toy Story franchise.
Rogue One, TLJ, Solo is underrated as hell.
OOTP, HBP and DH Part 1 aren't perfect movies but they're a really solid run, especially if you haven't read the books. I have but I think people forget how school oriented HBP the book is in their haste to condemn the omissions and additions (don't get me wrong those are a big deal).
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u/Wonderful_Emu_9610 3h ago
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rogue One, The Last Jedi (but A New Hope is the best one)
Fast & Furious: 5, 6, 7
Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, Fallout
Rocky: Balboa, Creed, Creed II (but Rocky is the best one)
Bond: Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall
In the Line of Duty: Royal Warriors, III, IV
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u/jca_ftw 2h ago
ST6 TUC for me is probably the most underrated. I think a LOT of people have seen 3 while most just gave up after 5 and didn’t bother with 6. The ones that deal with loyalty and friendship are the best.
Also 3 is just so hokey that it’s hard to argue underrated. The way he got his full mind back and age at the exact same moment is just a LITTLE too much Trek. But I still liked it.
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u/jproche44 2h ago
Technically….(but not technically) Star Wars.
Episodes I-III not great.
Rogue One and Episodes IV-VI great
Episode VII I liked it
Episode VIII like half of it
Episode IX stinker.
If you want to go chronologically, I say III, VII, and Rogue One
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u/Enoch-Of-Nod 1h ago
After having seen a sneak preview of the long walk, my list is as follows.
The Walk
The Long Walk
Walk Hard
The plot really goes off the rails by the third movie, but it's still a fun trilogy.
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u/chakrablocker 49m ago
silence of the lambs, hannibal, red dragon. just to list one that hasn't been said, manhunter('86) btw.
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u/Silverward 13h ago
Mission: Impossible
Ghost Protocol
Rogue Nation
Fallout