I have been listening to the Movie Mount Rushmore Podcast recently, and have dipped into their back catalogue. Movie fans who haven’t already, should give it a listen. Two long-time friends Anthony Jordan, aka AJ and me Nico Lurot, talking about movies; in their own words:
This week’s subject, “The Best Movie in a Franchise” was chosen by me, so I thought I would pick my top own top ten. The intention was to pick the best film within a given series, not necessarily the best franchises. However, I’m sure AJ and Nico will come up with their own interpretation. I’m sure there will be some disagreement on what constitutes as franchise!
Aliens (Alien is a masterpiece, and the is a strong argument that its the best, but – Aliens Vs. – weakest: Predator – Requiem
The Terminator (T2 gets all the love, but for me the original is the best) – weakest: Terminator Genisys (2015)
The Empire Strikes Back (obvious choice, but by far the best) – weakest: Revenge of the Sith (borderline unwatchable)
Thor: Ragnarok (For a long time I would have said The Winter Soldier, but Ragnarok edges it) – weakest: Close call between Thor: The Dark World, and Ant-Man and the Wasp
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (after 25 years and a few less impressive movies, the franchise was at risk of becoming a parody of itself, then came this movie, that isn’t just a good Star Trek movie, it stands out as been a really good movie in its own right) – weakest: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (with the original crew, The Next Generation, and the reboot, there are a lot of good and bad movies.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (I’m not a Potter fan. I didn’t read the books. I didn’t start watching the movies until this one purely because of director Alfonso Cuarón. I have since gone back to watch them all. This remains the best) – weakest: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (long and dull movie with lots of walking and camping. Dubbed Harry-on Camping by Simon Mayo.)
Wonder Woman (by far the best of the DCEU) – weakest: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (yes, it’s worse than Suicide Squad)
Fast Five (This is the tipping point were the franchise moved from, silly but grounded, to ridiculous to Mission Impossible) – weakest: Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift – This is a tricky one, as all the movies are brilliant or terrible depending on your point of view!
Logan (AJ and Nico, don’t like this movie???) – weakest: Dark Phoenix (If you have seen it, explanations will not be required)
The Bourne Identity (everybody loves the Paul Greengrass movies, my favourite is the first movie directed by Doug Lima) weakest: The Bourne Legacy
Honourable mentions:
Superman 2 (the best Superman movie, not just of the best of the Christopher Reeve movies)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (too close to call with Raiders of the Lost Arc)
The Dark Knight (the best Batman movie, closely followed by Batman Returns)
The Fellowship of the Ring (the one that won all the Oscars was the weakest!)
Bumblebee (the first Transformers wasn’t bad, all the sequels are terrible except Bumblebee which is great)
James Bond: I can never decide the best between Russia With Love, and Casino Royale, Die Another Day is by far the weakest.
And as a final word: AJ, Nico Die Hard is the best of the series not Die Hard with a Vengeance!
Fandango Groovers Movie Blog 