10 Most Consistent Film Franchises

10 Most Consistent Film Franchises

I love movie franchises, and I love it when movie franchises are able to have multiple great entries. But what are those franchises? What franchises have multiple great movies in them? Let’s talk about it!

• Original Star Wars Trilogy: The Star Wars franchise as a whole is very hit or miss; there’s a lot of great movies and TV shows in there, but there are also some movies and TV shows that aren’t it and don’t work. But the most consistent aspect of the Star Wars franchise would be the original Star Wars trilogy. It has three movies, and all three of the movies are great. They’re also my three favorite Star Wars movies that we have; I really do love all of them. I rewatched them recently leading up to The Mandalorian and Grogu, and it solidified that I love this trilogy and I love the movies in the trilogy. The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite of the bunch, which means it’s my favorite Star Wars movie of all time. What I love about this trilogy is that it feels like a singular creative vision over the entire thing. There are some choices that George Lucas made that show he clearly didn’t have the entire trilogy mapped out, specifically the status of Luke and Leia’s relationship. But later Star Wars feels like corporate products and with no vision. Watching this trilogy, you feel like it has George Lucas’ blood, sweat, and tears all over this movie, and it’s refreshing to watch. Beyond that, they created a great and fun set of characters that you enjoy spending time with and have dominated popular culture for 50 years now. Darth Vader is my personal favorite movie villain of all time, and John Williams' score is simply iconic. Easily, it makes the list. 

• Back to the Future Trilogy: A movie trilogy that defined the 1980s and up there with the original Indiana Jones trilogy for what the best trilogy of the 1980s was. But right now we’re talking about Back to the Future. This is an interesting one because the original 1985 film is one of the greatest movies ever made. It’s in my Letterboxd top four behind The Dark Knight, Avengers: Endgame, and Jurassic Park. I was able to see it on the big screen last year, and it’s something really special to see a classic movie you love for the first time on the big screen. Every scene in the movie is iconic and has something about it that’s memorable and has made it stand the test of time 41 years later. They created one of the best movie duos with Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown; Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd have fantastic chemistry with one another. It’s Robert Zemeckis in his prime and another great score by Alan Silvestri. The second and third films aren’t quite as good; I don’t think they’re classic on the same level as the 1985 original, but they’re still really solid and fun movies. One takes us to the future of 2015, or I guess now it’s the past, and one is a western. Both of them are fun adventures, and each of them shares a similar tone and vibe, but they all feel different in the story and what it’s about. There’s no bad movie in this franchise; I love all the originals and thoroughly enjoy the other two movies. 

• Toy Story Franchise: For this one, I’m only talking about the main line Toy Story movies; Lightyear is not included on this list, as that is its own franchise in its own thing. I know a lot of people think and wish the Toy Story franchise should’ve ended with Toy Story 3, and I get that. Toy Story 3 is my favorite of the bunch and one of my favorite animated movies of all time. But I thought they found clever ways to continue the franchise with Toy Story 4 and Toy Story 5. Both films have sparkles and touches of the magic of that original trilogy; are they as good? No, but they’re still really fun and solid movies that I do enjoy a good bit. Toy Story 5 might be the weakest, but if that’s the worst film in the franchise, then you know it’s a fantastic franchise because I really liked the franchise. What I love about these movies and this franchise is that they lean into such a relatable concept and theme, which is childhood nostalgia and growing up. It’s such a relatable concept that both adults and children can watch them, enjoy them, and get something out of them. I connected with the movies when I was 5 years old and still connect with them as a 22-year-old college student. It’s why children and adults have been loving these franchises for 31 years now. The 1995 original is also so groundbreaking and important for the animation world, and I love that it holds up wonderfully these years later. 

• Mission: Impossible Franchise: As far as pure action franchises, Mission: Impossible is at the top of the list for me. It’s a franchise that means a lot to me, and I’ve watched the movies countless times. This franchise has kind of lived two different lives, where one is the first four movies, which are all standalone adventures. But once you get to Rogue Nation and Christopher McQuarrie becomes the director, it starts becoming this interconnected franchise where the films start building off of each other and coming together. Whatever part of the franchise you’re watching, I think it’s fantastic, and I love it. I love the franchise’s evolution over its 29-year history, where the 1996 original is a fairly grounded spy thriller that feels very similar to the 1960s TV show. It’s the smallest movie in the franchise, and then from Ghost Protocol to The Final Reckoning, the franchise’s reputation turned into the Tom Cruise action franchise. Every movie has Cruise doing some insane and over-the-top stunt that’s death-defying. Whether that’s him climbing the tallest building in the world, hanging onto the side of a plane (multiple times), or driving a motorcycle off of a mountain, it’s all cinematic and shows just how crazy of a stuntman, performer, and person Tom Cruise really is. My personal favorite of the franchise is Rogue Nation, but I know that Fallout is a fan favorite, and I’m not going to argue with people who say that film, because they’re not wrong. Ghost Protocol is also great and delivers some awesome sequences. Mission: Impossible II is the easy weak point of the franchise, but even then that’s not a bad movie. They tried something different that maybe didn’t work out. But the other seven of the movies range from really good to fantastic. 

• Harry Potter Franchise: For this one, I’m only including the original eight Harry Potter films, and not the Fantastic Beasts movies. Maybe that’s me cheating, but eh, I’m including it regardless. I will say this: I hate JK Rowling and don’t agree with her worldviews at all. But there’s something so special and magical about the Harry Potter movies. Whether that’s the world-building or another fantastic and magical score by John Williams, I always feel like I’m engrossed in this franchise and love spending time with it. That’s why I was so disappointed by the Fantastic Beasts trilogy; they wasted the potential to have another adventure and set of movies in this movie. There was just something magical about what JK Rowling created in the books that was adapted into these movies. Part of the reason is Chris Columbus being the perfect person to introduce the audience to this world and these characters. He’s great at telling stories with younger protagonists; he did that well with Home Alone, and he continues to do that with Harry Potter. The characters are also so incredibly fun and charming; they got the right actors to play these roles, whether that’s the legacy actors like Richard Harris, Alan Rickman, and Maggie Smith or the younger actors like Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson. All of them embody their characters nicely and defined people’s childhoods for an entire decade. Deathly Hallows: Part 2 would be my favorite of the bunch; Half-Blood Prince is probably my least favorite. But overall, I really do like all of the movies. 

• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Now, this is a trilogy that I’m not as familiar with compared to other people or other franchises on this list. But with that said, what Peter Jackson was able to do with this trilogy was truly something special and something I don’t think will be topped anytime soon. I know some people think that the recent Dune trilogy can meet it, especially if Dune: Part III delivers. I don’t think so, but it’ll be somewhat close. As far as the trilogy itself, each movie is great and delivers a great cinematic experience. The Fellowship of the Ring introduces us to this world and these characters; it does some fantastic worldbuilding that’s some of the best in movie history. Return of the King is the magnum opus of the trilogy that closes out everything and delivers some big and epic battles that are a true cinematic epic. The word epic can be thrown around a lot and doesn’t always fit; Return of the King does deserve to be called epic. The Two Towers is the middle chapter, maybe the weakest of the bunch, but still great. Once again, there are some fantastic sequences, and it really introduces Gollum into the trilogy, who is my favorite character of the franchise and proves that Andy Serkis is a legend. I don’t put this at the top of the trilogies the way many other people do, but it’s still a great trilogy with three great movies, all of which are epic and age really well 20+ years later. 

• The Dark Knight Trilogy: If you know anything about me, then you know that The Dark Knight is my favorite movie of all time, and this trilogy might be my favorite trilogy of all time. So naturally, it made sense to include it on this list. Because it’s a trilogy, we have three movies, and all of them are great. I know some people were disappointed by The Dark Knight Rises. I get that; it’s not perfect, but I still think it’s a great movie, and I have a lot of nostalgia for it. Batman Begins is maybe the best superhero origin story movie of all time; I think it does a great job of making you understand this version of Bruce Wayne and why he became Batman. The Dark Knight is absolutely fantastic and one that I might deem to be a masterpiece. Of course, the piece making these movies great is Christopher Nolan who is a legend and what he was able to do with this trilogy proves that. He makes these really grounded and realistic comic book movies that have the Batman source material, world, and characters that you want, but also feel like they could exist in the real world. The Dark Knight feels less like a comic book movie and more like a great crime thriller that just so happens to star Batman and the Joker. Christian Bale is also my favorite Batman, and he’ll always be my Batman, and Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker is absolutely iconic and legendary. But the entire trilogy is stacked with great actors, many of whom are Oscar winners, from Michael Caine to Gary Oldman to Morgan Freeman. From top to bottom, the trilogy is wonderfully cast and became the defining versions of these characters for me. 

• Planet of the Apes Prequel Franchise: To be clear, the movies that I’m including are the franchise that started with 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the latest entry being in 2024 with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. I’m not a big Planet of the Apes fan; I haven’t seen any of the films that were released before Tim Burton’s remake in 2001. But I do enjoy this set of movies for what they are, and they do something really remarkable. They make you feel this escalation in the scope and size of this franchise that started as this sci-fi movie with a talking ape in the first movie and slowly eased into the apocalypse with the second and third films, directed by Matt Reeves where there’s less and less humans in there and more and more apes. By the time you get to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, it’s pretty much all apes, and it’s interesting to watch this franchise from the beginning when you know what happens and where this goes with the fourth film. I know a lot of people love Dawn of the Planet of the Apes; I do too, and I think it’s great. But my favorite is actually Rise of the Planet of the Apes, as I like the more simplistic nature of it, and it has some fantastic moments, especially with Ceaser in the back half of the movie. Once again, it shows that Andy Serkis is a legend and how he was able to make Ceaser into this great and awesome character; he’s a more compelling character than he has any right to be. 

• The Avengers Quadrilogy: Right now, this is a quadrilogy of movies, but soon it’ll be five movies, a pentology. I’ve now rewatched all of the movies leading up to Doomsday, and because of Avengers: Endgame going back to theaters last month. Even though Age of Ultron is the weakest film without question, that’s still a really good movie. If that’s the worst film in your franchise, then you’re doing very well for yourselves. The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Infinity War, and Endgame are all fantastic and top-tier MCU movies. They’re all special and unique in so many ways, and I love them all for different reasons, whether that’s the simplistic nature of the 2012 film and seeing the team form. All the epic cinematic experience that’s Infinity War and Endgame, and the Russo Brothers really did something that nobody could’ve done on the same level they did. There’s always something so special about seeing the Avengers come together for an adventure. Even though Age of Ultron is a flawed movie, it still feels special because of the characters and what it does for the MCU's future. As of right now, we have two movies from Joss Whedon and two from the Russo Brothers, and I really do enjoy all of them. We’ll see how high the quality remains this December with the release of Avengers: Doomsday. 

• John Wick Quadrilogy: If Mission: Impossible is my favorite action franchise, John Wick is definitely in the top 5, and it’s another super consistent franchise. This is still a fantastic franchise that has four great movies and a spin-off, Ballerina, that is also quite good. Like Lord of the Rings, I’m not as invested in this franchise as many other people are. It’s still very strong, and I do enjoy it, but it’s not a top-tier personal favorite of mine. With all of that said, there’s still a lot about this movie that I absolutely love, and that makes it a great franchise. The big thing to talk about with this franchise is the action choreography; it’s the premier action franchise of the last 15 years. Chad Stahelski and his stunt team delivered some truly top-notch action that’s groundbreaking and reinvented the action genre. Whenever a new action movie is coming out, they always get compared to John Wick, and the reason for that is that it created some awesome action that stands out and feels unique compared to other modern action movies. Keanu Reeves is an absolute legend in these types of roles; he’s dedicated, and despite being in his 60s, he’s still dedicated to delivering the best action sequences he can. He’s one of the last great action stars left. I know we’re getting a fifth John Wick movie, but given where the fourth film ended, I don’t think we need another film because the fourth film was awesome and ended things on a high note.