BOF Presents: The Top 25 Franchises In Film!

[Ezen Baklattan]

 

14. TERMINATOR (188 Points)

 

The Films:

-The Terminator (1984)

-Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

-Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)

-Terminator Salvation (2009)

 

“I’ll be back”

 

A butt-kicking 80s action star and the idea of man fighting machine – The Terminator franchise has clearly inspired a lot of similar ideas. The action packed sci-fi franchise, with Arnold Schwarzenegger as a villainous T-800 robot from the sinister Skynet, a rouge AI. The hope for humanity lies in John Connor, a young man who will lead the resistance against the machine. With a fantastic world, great action, and of course, Ah-nold, this became one of the most iconic action series ever, and in particular, T2 was one of the biggest R-rated films ever, scoring multiple Oscars for its brilliant sound and effects. Here’s to the 2015 reboot giving new ‘artificial’ life to the franchise.

 

FUN FACT: While Arnold may be the most prominent character in The Terminator, he only has 16 actual lines of dialogue.

[Ezen Baklattan]

 

13. HARRY POTTER (191 Points)

 

The Films:

-Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)

-Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets (2002)

-Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

-Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire (2005)

-Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix (2007)

-Harry Potter & The Half-Blood Prince (2009)

-Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

-Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2011)

 

“You’re a wizard, Harry.”

 

From the books that changed young adult fiction for years to come, this ever popular franchise, of a young boy who discovers his wizarding powers and must hone them at a school for wizard to defeat the dark wizard who murdered his parents, grew up and inspired the millennial generation, casting its magic to create one of the most successful franchises of all time. A hit with critics and moviegoers alike, Harry Potter was a gargantuan event, and to think that all of it started at a small coffee shop somewhere in the United Kingdom. Harry Potter was the boy who lived, and he’ll continue to live in the hearts of millions.

 

FUN FACT: Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter) used over 160 pairs of glasses throughout the filming of the entire films. He got to keep one of the pairs.

[Ezen Baklattan]

12. BACK TO THE FUTURE (192 Points)

 

The Films:

-Back To The Future (1985)

-Back To The Future: Part II (1989)

-Back To The Future: Part III (1990)

 

“Where we’re going, we don’t need roads”

 

If a film could be used to sum up the cinema of the 1980s, this could be one of those movies. Marty McFly’s madcap adventures through time (travelling with a time-traveling Delorean, if not a train) with Doc Brown, including but not limited too: Seeing Jaws 19 (in 4-D!) and trying to reunite Marty’s parents after a younger version of his mom accidentally falls in love with him. This crazy franchise has offered so much fun for audiences, with its madcap scenarios, loveable characters, and brilliant looks at the past and present. It’s just one of those films that you have a blast watching, and you can’t wait for more.

 

FUN FACT: In Part III, there is a child on the time-traveling locomotive that points to his crotch in a rather alarming, yet hard to notice, gesture. I’m not kidding, there’s tons of clips of it on the internet.

[Ezen Baklattan]

 

11. SPIDER-MAN (201 Points)

 

The Films:

-Spider-Man (2002)

-Spider-Man 2 (2002)

-Spider-Man 3 (2007)

-The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

 

“Spider-man, Spider-man, does whatever a spider can!”

 

After being bitten by a radioactive Spider, the teenage Peter Parker gains the incredible powers of a spider, swinging through New York City and fighting crime. Sam Raimi, known more for horror than for action, lended his sharp direction to create two of the greatest superhero movies ever made. The drama, the action, and even the humor, everything worked well in crafting the brilliant first to films of the franchise. Perhaps expectations were so high, that the third film completely fell flat. A joke to many critics on the internet and paling in comparison to the first two, the series was put on hold until Marc Webb gave it a reboot with the modest 2012 film. Reception wasn’t over the moon, but it brought the webslinger back into the limelight, and he’s got 3 more films already scheduled.

 

FUN FACT: Remember the upside down kiss scene in the first film? Well, that was a pain to shoot for Tobey Maguire, whose nostrils kept filling up with water from the rain.

[Ezen Baklattan]

http://youtu.be/QjNl93mT6M0

 

 

10. ALIEN (205 Points)

 

The Films

-Alien (1979)

-Aliens (1985)

-Alien3 (1992)

-Alien Resurrection (1997)

-Prometheus (2012)

 

“You are my lucky star…”

 

In space, no one can hear you scream. It all started when a cargo ship deep in space had an unexpected stowaway, and its brutal attack on the humans aboard. This paves the way for Lieutenant Ellen Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver, to rise up and protect herself and her allies from this extraterrestrial threat. So goes the story of this brave woman, who often ends up as a sole survivor of various things, and her fight against an extremely disturbing threat.  There was also a story of a group of humans (and one Fass-Bot) trying to uncover secrets of the ancients, and uncovering something more horrifying, but that’s another story.

 

Alien helped to pave the way for science fiction horror in film, and Alien still stands as one of the scariest movies to date. In addition, Ripley was one of the first prominent female heroines in action and science fiction movies, another fantastic feat and a significant piece of history for women and film. The series began to dwindle after a while, though, but that doesn’t tarnish the legacy of the first film, which in its own, started a legendary sci-fi franchise.

 

FUN FACT: Much like in the aliens in this film, the moray eel has a second set of jaws. And those guys are actually real. 

[Plain Old Tele]

I'm looking forward to the TRANSPORTER saga being #1.

[Ezen Baklattan]

 

9. JASON BOURNE (208 Points)

 

The Films

-The Bourne Identity (2002)

-The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

-The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

-The Bourne Legacy (2012)

“Everything I found out, I want to forget.”

 

In this modern day Spy franchise, Matt Damon plays Jason Bourne, a skilled CIA assassin with just one problem: memory loss. In spite of this, he is forced into several dire situations that he must fight his way through in these brilliant adaptions of the works of Robert Ludlum. As his memory loss becomes an increasing problem, Bourne is forced into worse scenarios than even the finest spies have to deal with. Talk about a tough break.

 

The movies have been well received over the decade thanks to their brilliant direction, surprising use of realism, and the lack of strong reliance on CGI, which was going against the grain at the time of the trilogy’s release. The third film in the trilogy even won all three Oscars it was nominated for: Sound, Sound Mixing, and Film Editing. The fourth film, swapping Jeremy Renner as a new character and not including Matt Damon, didn’t muster the same success levels, but it ended up as a modest hit. Bourne is definitely one of the best new franchises of the millennium, and it’s one of the few trilogies that just gets better with each film.

 

FUN FACT: A 1988 made for TV-movie was also made from the first book in the movie, starring Richard Chamberlain as Jason Bourne. It has not spawned any adaptions of the other books. 

[Ezen Baklattan]

 

 

8. THE GODFATHER (210 Points)

 

The Films

-The Godfather (1972)

-The Godfather: Part II (1974)

-The Godfather: Part III (1990)

 

In 20^th century America, the Corleone family is a prominent name in the mafia business. Initially headed by Vito Corleone, (the late Marlon Brando) this family relies on violence and sneaky tactics to get their way, and it only intensifies when the initially  hesitant Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) soon gains control of the family business, in this epic saga with shock, drama, violence, and so much more. Words cannot describe the intensity of Francis Ford Coppola (and Mario Puzo’s) brilliant trilogy.

 

It was a hard act to follow one of, if not the, greatest film of all time, but The Godfather: Part II does a really damn good job, even if Part III struggles a bit more. The first two films won Best Picture, and each film contributed to the incredible saga of one family. It’s a shame that ever since Part III, Copolla hasn’t made a film that came remotely live up to some of his earlier works. Still, that shouldn’t undermine this incredible saga of film, full of material with which any aspiring filmmaker would do well to really study.

 

FUN FACT: Don Corleone’s cat in the first film was actually just a stray cat that lived nearby when the movie was being filmed. 

[Plain Old Tele]

The Godfather at #8?!! Holy shit, a debacle.

[Ezen Baklattan]

 

 

7. JAMES BOND (234 Points)

 

The Films (Sean Connery)

-Dr. No (1962)

-To Russia With Love (1963)

-Goldfinger (1964)

-Thunderball (1965)

-You Only Live Twice (1967)

-Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

-Never Say Never Again (1983)

 

The Films (George Lazenby)

-On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

 

The Films (Roger Moore)

-Live & Let Die (1973)

-The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)

-Thy Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

-Moonraker (1979)

-For Your Eyes Only (1981)

-Octopussy (1983)

-A View To Kill (1985)

 

The Films (Timothy Dalton)

-The Living Daylights (1987)

-License To Kill (1989)

 

The Films (Pierce Brosnan)

-Goldeneye (1995)

-Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

-The World Is Not Enough (1999)

-Die Another Day (2002)

 

The Films (Daniel Craig)

-Casino Royale (2006)

-Quantum Of Solace (2008)

-Skyfall (2012)

 

Through several incarnations, styles, actors, theme songs, and plotlines to save the world, James Bond is the MI6’s finest agent, as well as one of its biggest ladykillers (figuratively) and mankillers. (literally) Each film working as a standalone picture, much like an episode of a TV series, each film tells the story of a unique James Bond adventure, where he’ll often thwart a plan to mess things up, hook up with a bizarrely named woman, and more. I also get the feeling that Bond is immune to STDs.

 

One of the most iconic franchises of all time, drawing in big audiences with its sense of smart fun for over 50 years and brilliant crafting and acting (most of the time, at least. Bond has had a few slip ups over the years, but with such a large filmography, who can complain?) A sharp character, an exciting adventure, and more. Even if the films don’t always offer perplexing spy thrills or even go far in the crazy department, audiences are always going to be up for more of this British superspy.

 

FUN FACT: Goldfinger is the first film to ever make a reference to British superband ‘The Beatles’. The line is: "That's as bad as listening to the Beatles without ear muffs."

[baumer]

Godfather is over rated.  

[CoolioD1]

Knowing the fanboys on this forum, Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors Trilogy will be number one.

[baumer]

Knowing the fanboys on this forum, Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors Trilogy will be number one.

 

 

[mahnamahna]

Basically these guys are vying for the last 6 spots

 

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Batman

Star Wars

LOTR

Indiana Jones

Toy Story

 

only question is what order... 

[Ezen Baklattan]

Haters gonna hate.

 

 

6. THE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE (248 Points)

 

The Films

-Iron Man (2008)

-The Incredible Hulk (2008)

-Iron Man 2 (2010)

-Thor (2011)

-Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

-Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)

-Iron Man 3 (2013)

 

“Puny god.”

 

Tony Stark was a billionaire genius who made a bold invention that changed the world of weaponry forever. Thor was a god from another world who had his finest hour on Earth. Steve Roger was a scientifically modified super soldier frozen in time from the WWII age. Bruce Banner was a scientist who you don’t want to make angry. Together with assassins Black Widow and Hawkeye, the Avengers, an elite team of superheroes united to save the world in ways that no one ever could, would unite and rise to the occasion.

 

Each film was an enjoyable piece of superhero flair with wit and excitement and unique approaches, though not every film was able to achieve this success. Once they were assembled together, however, they became stronger than they ever could alone. The movie was one of the highest grossing films ever released, and it’s also one of the most beloved blockbusters in recent cinemas. Each film works as a crowd pleaser, but much like the heroes themselves, they become invincible when they work together as one.

 

FUN FACT: Before The Avengers, the only crossover in these films was when Tony Stark made a cameo appearance in a post credits scene during The Incredible Hulk. 

[Plain Old Tele]

Travesty.

[Punishment]

Then there were 5

[Ezen Baklattan]

 

 

5. TOY STORY (292 Points)

 

The Films

-Toy Story (1995)

-Toy Story 2 (1999)

-Toy Story 3 (2010)

 

“You. Are. A. TOY!!!!”

 

When Andy’s away from his room, the toys come alive. Led by Sherrif Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear, (Tim Allen) this motley crew of toys finds themselves trying to get back home after a troubling issue separates them. However, this formula was played with in three different ways for each film, each providing a hilarious and heartfelt take that gives these plastic figures more life to them than could ever be done before. It provides glorious nostalgia and gives us that feeling of being a child once more.

 

A pioneer for computer animation, you can see that the animation just got better each time, and the stories and characters remain as endearing as they were when we first saw them on the big screen. Funny, touching, sad, exciting, frightening, and more, Toy Story reminds us why we love going to the movies, even ignoring its massive impact on Hollywood animation. Plus, for how many other trilogies can you say the films are consistently fantastic? Not very many, it may seem.

 

FUN FACT: The original casting of Buzz and Woody would be Paul Newman and Jim Carrey, to represent the idea of old and new Hollywood. Unfortunately, the budget was too low to cast them.

[Ezen Baklattan]

 

 

4. BATMAN (346 Points)

 

The Films (Burton)

-Batman (1989)

-Batman Returns (1992)

 

The Films (Schumacher)

-Batman Forever (1995)

-Batman & Robin (1997)

 

The Films (Nolan)

-Batman Begins (2005)

-The Dark Knight (2008)

-The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

 

“It’s simple. We kill the Batman.”

 

Witnessing the death of his parents, training in a secret location, becoming the protector of Gotham City – these were some aspects of the life of Bruce Wayne, better known as the Batman. In takes that were dark, edgy, wacky, goofy, dramatic, intense and more. Three different directors gave life to this mysterious camped crusader. One delivered the goods, one pissed the comic fans off, and another created a wholly new vision that changed blockbusters in Hollywood.

 

Burton’s films offered enough of a tribute to the original comics and show to create an offbeat and exciting vision, while Schumacher just made some pretty lousy films. I’m assuming most of you made this choice on account of the Nolan films, and that’s probably reasonable. His vision of the series was darker than most comic visions have ever been, yet it offered a more serious and dramatic take of a man who dresses as a bat. This dark vision brought the film to new box office heights, surpassing the tickets sold for the first Batman. (TDK did, at least) Three visions. One incredible hero.

 

FUN FACT: Burton didn’t make the first Batman movie. That honor actually goes to the 1966 film, starring Adam West in all its campy glory. Some days, you just can’t get rid of a bomb.

[Ezen Baklattan]

 

 

 

3. THE MIDDLE EARTH SAGA (354 Points)

 

The Films

-The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001)

-The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

-The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)

-The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

 

“Precious!”

 

In this epic battle of good vs. evil in a mystical world unlike any other, a brave team of four hobbits, a wizard, two humans, one elf, and one dwarf travelling across the vast Middle Earth to destroy an evil ring and save the land from the evil it has created. It is one of the most epic franchises ever made, with several stories and countless characters to keep track of, but nearly all of which provide compelling story, to create one of the richest, most fulfilling stories ever brought to the big screen.

 

Then unrecognized director Peter Jackson brought new life to the film series with fantastic world building, incredible crafting, excellent performances, and more, to create one of the greatest and most consistent trilogies of all time. Its next saga, detailing Bilbo Baggin’s quest for dragon treasure prior to LOTR, isn’t off to quite as strong a start, but it’s delivering the goods for Tolkien’s legion of fans. This is a series of film that might just be the millennium’s crowning achievement – so far, at least.p

FUN FACT: The only character who didn’t wear a wig in the first film was Billy Jackson, the son of Peter Jackson, who already had perfect hair for a hobbit.