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The John Wick series is PERFECT from start to end.
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00:00This is Wild Culture, and here are 10 movie franchises with no bad sequels.
00:0510. Lethal Weapon
00:07Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2 are about as close to perfect action movies as you can get
00:12if you aren't Johns McTiernan or Wu. The first is a surprisingly gritty cop drama
00:18mired in the legacies of Vietnam from Shane Black and Richard Donner,
00:22while the Jeffrey Bone-led second is basically the best buddy cop fun vibes movie ever.
00:27I mean, come on, how many times have you washed along and done the whole
00:30Diplomatic Community? It's just been revoked with Murtog at the end. Finales just don't get any
00:37better. Lethal Weapons 3 and 4, comparatively, are not as good. However, just because they're not
00:43Lethal Weapon and Lethal Weapon 2 levels of good does not mean that they are bad. There's a lot
00:49to enjoy about both, particularly if you're already endeared to Riggs and Murtog. Their chemistry carries
00:55a lot of the current final two Lethal Weapon movies, but there are also fun new additions
01:00in Rene Russo's Lorna Cole and Chris Rock's Butters in Lethal Weapon 3 and Lethal Weapon
01:054, respectively. They're both clumsy entries, no doubt, but if you enjoy hanging with the
01:11boys, the boys in this case being Riggs and Murtog, then they still provide a fitting send-off.
01:169. Scream
01:18There are no bad Scream movies. There may be some Scream movies that I like less than others,
01:23but there are no bad Scream movies. I don't think the latest sequels match the lofty heights
01:28of the first two, and for reference, Scream 2 is my fave the bunch, but they each bring
01:34something fun and unique to the table. Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson's original film
01:39is a smart but loving slasher send-up, while Scream 2 applies that formula to sequels.
01:45Scream 3, despite having one of the weakest final acts in the entire series, is secretly
01:50a great little neo-noir that acts as a prescient takedown of Hollywood and the literal people
01:55it paved over to get where it is. It also gave us the gift of Parker Posey as Jennifer Jolie,
02:00probably the best supporting character not from the original two films.
02:04Scream 4, on the other hand, is dated in some respects and grimly cynical, but it makes up for
02:09that in inventive set pieces and a considered, if cringey, meditation on new media as streaming
02:15and social media were first exploding. Scream 2022 was a good legacy sequel, and Scream 6,
02:22while suffering from another weak finale, I would argue, makes up for it with some of
02:26the nastiest chases and kills in the entire series.
02:29Number 8, Rocky. Yep, all the Rocky movies are good, even Adrian's Revenge. When Rocky 5 exists,
02:36saying that none of the Rocky movies are bad is going to be a tough sell. However, that movie also
02:41sees Sylvester Stallone's street fight one of the biggest a-holes in the entire franchise in the
02:46street, and I will defy anyone not to revert to their primordial kill, kill, kill form when Sly
02:52gets back up and says, I hear no bell. Cinema, it may not be, but it is most definitely cinema.
02:59The first two Rocky movies are amazing showcases for Sly's talents, a thoughtful examination of the
03:04American dream from a uniquely working class perspective. They're emblematic of a filmic era that
03:10was vibrant, gritty, and unsure. In other words, they're 70s all over. Rocky 3 and Rocky 4, however,
03:18are completely the opposite. They're 80s to a T, presenting montage-laden heroic struggles between
03:24good and evil, where Rocky is the best, and all of his problems can be solved with boxing.
03:29Rocky 5 attempts to reign this back in somewhat, somehow yielding even more ridiculous results in
03:35the process, but they're all still a fun time. That's partially down to how much I love Rocky as
03:40the character. I'll always be rooting for the Italian Stallion, even if his next movie was a
03:45charity match with Superman or something equally ridiculous. This was pretty much the opposite
03:50direction Stallone ended up taking things, though, with the Rocky series getting a second lease in
03:54life thanks to the reflective 2007 entry, Rocky Balboa, and by far the best legacy sequel we've ever
04:01gotten in Creed, which has also yet to make a misstep with any of its sequels.
04:07Bloody love, Rocky, me.
04:08Number 7. Bourne
04:10Despite the Bourne legacy and 2016's Jason Bourne lacking the oomph of the Doug Liman and Paul
04:17Greengrass originals, they're merely okay compared to the gritty class of the first three films,
04:23they aren't weak enough to take the shine off the series overall. The Bourne movies, particularly the
04:28latter two entries in the original trilogy from director Paul Greengrass, have experienced a bit
04:33of pushback in recent years for popularizing the shaky cam fight scene trend. However, Greengrass's
04:39frenetic style of filmmaking still looks great and isn't used as a crutch to mask poorly choreographed
04:45action. That said, I do find myself revisiting the Liman original more than Supremacy or Ultimatum.
04:51There's a tense, methodical edge to it that I feel better utilizes Tony Gilroy and William Blake
04:57Heron's script. But either way, those first three films are all great. Yeah, legacy was a weird
05:02attempt at doing a spin-off and the 2016 Jason Bourne feels totally superfluous as a sequel,
05:09but Bourne itself has never trudged into bad movie territory.
05:13Number 6. Evil Dead
05:15Sam Raimi's original Evil Dead trilogy is pretty much perfect. A spectacular, maximalist blend of
05:21horror, comedy and action that announced the filmmaker and star Bruce Campbell to the world.
05:26The Evil Dead might be the greatest indie horror movie of all time, extracting all the terror and
05:32fun possible out of a budget of $375,000. Raimi innovated on this formula with Evil Dead 2,
05:39which upped the slapstick elements of the previous film and cemented Ash Williams as a horror icon.
05:44Army of Darkness flipped the wheel even further, with Raimi developing a medieval adventure comedy
05:49where Ash battles the Deadites in a bid to return to the present day.
05:52Although not guided by Raimi, the 2013 Evil Dead from Fede Alvarez was a rip-roaringly good time
05:58that upped the body horror and scares, albeit at the expense of some laughs. It's not the same beast
06:03as the original Evil Dead films, but it's still a great entry in the series and one that has been
06:08followed up expertly with Lee Cronin's Evil Dead Rise. Throw in a fun TV show in Ash vs. the Evil Dead
06:14and you're left with probably the most consistently great horror franchise ever created.
06:19Number 5. The Matrix. Now, I've got to hold my hands up here. I was wrong about The Matrix sequels.
06:25For the longest time, I was one of those guys that was like,
06:28The CGI is bad. The romance is boring. The only good bit is the highway chase.
06:34Bad takes from a man who had clearly lost his way.
06:37Thankfully, before seeing The Matrix Resurrections in 2021,
06:41I decided to go ahead and revisit the entire series start to finish.
06:44The original Matrix is still The Wachowski's magnum opus, one of the finest action films ever
06:50produced that reset the genre landscape. But The Matrix Reloaded and, to a lesser extent,
06:55The Matrix of Illusions are still worthy, artfully crafted follow-ups replete with great set pieces,
07:01Carrie-Anne Moss on a motorcycle, and lots of Hugo Weaving doing this.
07:05The Matrix Resurrections is my favourite sequel in the series, though. Helmed by Lana Wachowski alone
07:12this time, Resurrections is the cherry on top of the proverbial Matrix cake, reiterating what the
07:17story means to Wachowski, and how ultimately, that's all that really matters.
07:21Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss are magnetic once again, and while the lack of Laurence Fishburne
07:27and Hugo Weaving is noticeable, new additions to Yaya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick, and Jonathan
07:32Goff are all brilliant. Give it another 10 years, and everyone will be kicking themselves
07:37for not appreciating this masterpiece the same way they did the first sequels from the early 2000s.
07:42Number 4. Indiana Jones. Look, right, I already know folks are going to be rolling their eyes
07:46at this entry because Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and the Mutt Williams of it all, but I cannot bring
07:52myself to call that movie bad. Disappointing? Unquestionably, given how superb the first three
07:57Indiana Jones films are. But it's not a diabolical misstep the same way The Rise of Skywalker was for
08:02Star Wars or The Predator Wars for Predator. CGI gophers be damned, it's not that much of a
08:07departure stylistically or narratively from what came before, and I would argue taking a sci-fi
08:13bent for a Roswell-era adventure was a fitting choice from Steven Spielberg. As far as the original
08:19trilogy is concerned, I think that Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade are
08:24all about on par with each other, with the lattermost entry winning out for me thanks to the chemistry
08:28between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery. Temple tends to take some flack on account of Willie
08:33being a shrill love interest, but its dark inflections and location work cement it as a great follow-up
08:40to Raiders. The jury is still out on Dial of Destiny at the time of recording, and while its trailers
08:46haven't put an extremely confident foot forward, James Mangold hasn't let me down so far. It's hoping
08:51that Indy's final crack of the whip is worth it. Number 3. Mad Max. Quintessential Apocalypse.
08:58George Miller's Mad Max series is brilliantly madcap, practical effects heavy, and deliciously ugly.
09:04It's also warned the few series out there not to take a misstep with four films to its name.
09:10The original Mad Max is a bleak, thoroughly 70s affair that lacks the fun factor of its successes,
09:16but it's no less compelling. Mad Max 2 is essentially wacky races, but if Peter Perfect wielded a coach
09:21gun and Dick Dastardly was machine gunning Professor Pat Pending, while the third entry,
09:28overall vibe and aesthetic of Miller's Australian wasteland. Fury Road for the lessons imparted by
09:33all three of those movies to deliver one of the greatest efforts in the action genre, and with
09:38Miller currently developing a prequel that will expand the origins of Furiosa, the good money is
09:42on the series continuing its winning streak. Number 2. Mission Impossible. There are no bad
09:47Mission Impossible movies. I don't particularly care for the third one, which I know is sacrilege given
09:52the performance look Seymour Hoffman gives in there, but J.J. Abrams' direction can't compete with
09:57masters like De Palma or Wu, who by all accounts knocked it out of the park for the first two
10:02installments. Like Mad Max, however, this is a series that has improved with time. 2011's Mission
10:08Impossible Ghost Protocol by Brad Bird was brilliantly inventive, while filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie took
10:13things to a whole other level with the 2015 and 2018 entries Mission Impossible Rogue Nation
10:18and Fallout. These films have cemented Tom Cruise as a true Movies Man ambassador, accomplishing all
10:25kinds of wild stunts and taking time between shoots to emphasize the importance of the cinema as a
10:30venue. Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning, which is set to release later this summer, looks like it'll
10:35continue this trend. And number 1. John Wick. John Wick might be the most consistently brilliant film
10:42series going, with each entry laying just claimed to being the best of the bunch. The first John Wick
10:47serves as a solid revenge flick, but with the added ace of its sleeve of a gripping emotional narrative,
10:53the hints of a fascinating underworld, and direction from veteran Hollywood stunt coordinator Chad
10:57Stahelski. Like Born Before It, John Wick put the action genre on a new course, emphasizing efficient
11:04tactical choreography, bisexual lighting, and a loud relentless pace punctuated by fitting needle drops
11:10and the grindy electronic notes of Tyler Bates. Every John Wick enjoyer will have their own preferred
11:17entry. I think 2 is my fave personally, but John Wick Chapter 3 Parabellum and John Wick Chapter 4
11:22are both exceptional. That said, this is also a series that continues to go from strength to strength.
11:27There's a pattern of escalation that has seen Stahelski and lead star Keanu Reeves test their limits when it
11:33comes to what they can accomplish, whether that's through elaborately choreographed duels with dragon's
11:38breast shotguns, horseback chase sequences, or passive-aggressive exchanges of silence gunfire.
11:44The series reads like a love letter to action cinema, and while it remains to be seen if it is
11:49indeed the end, it's hard to think of a better signature than Chapter 4.
11:53And those were 10 movie franchises with no bad sequels. I know for a fact this is going to cause some
11:58discussion in the comments below, so please do let me know if you feel like I missed anything,
12:02or if there are some franchises here you don't think are worthy of the no bad sequels crown.
12:07If you enjoyed this video, please be sure to drop us a like, as it really does help us out,
12:11and if you're new and fancy more, why not hit the cheeky little subscribe button too?
12:15Either way, I've been Ewan, this has been Wild Culture, and I will catch you in the next video. Bye!
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