Not each franchise has what it takes to captivate audiences and stand the take a look at of time. Whereas some film collection develop on their preliminary success with inventive storytelling and significant character growth, most stumble, turning into both disappointing or outright terrible. With this in thoughts, this record appears at a number of the lamest franchises in cinema historical past; collection which can be extra cringe-worthy than entertaining.

Whether or not affected by dwindling originality, nonsensical plots, or more and more laughable makes an attempt at reinvention, these franchises struggled to keep up their relevance. A few of them began out extremely sturdy, but had been shortly worn out by the dreaded sophomore hunch. Others had been dangerous from the get-go. Regardless of their lack of high quality, these collection staggered on, zombie-like, lengthy after viewers had misplaced curiosity.

10 ‘Fifty Shades’ (2015-2018)

Worst entry: ‘Fifty Shades of Gray’ (2015)

“Laters, child.” Fifty Shades started as a Twilight fanfiction, and that is evident all through the collection. Regardless of the excitement (and mammoth gross sales) the books generated, the flicks are literally tame and pretty boring. The romance between Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and BDSM-loving billionaire Christian Gray (Jamie Dornan) was probably the most overhyped of the 2010s, missing any actual steaminess. Your entire franchise is a shallow try at sensationalism.

Whereas the leads’ performing is ok, their chemistry is overshadowed by the lackluster script and bland path. Many critics additionally took problem with the film’s simplistic, un-curious therapy of the BDSM scene. The movies simply get clumsier with every installment, to the purpose that Fifty Shades Freed feels virtually like a comedy. Nonetheless, regardless of their lack of high quality, the entire Fifty Shades motion pictures triumphed on the field workplace, so clearly E.J. James and co. had been onto one thing.

9 ‘After’ franchise (2019-present)

Worst entry: ‘After We Fell’ (2021)

“No matter our souls are manufactured from, his and mine are the identical.” One other dismal romance, the After collection chronicles the tumultuous, typically poisonous relationship between faculty college students Tessa Younger (Josephine Langford) and Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin). It may have been an honest exploration of contemporary love, however as an alternative, the collection serves up repetitive storylines, a ton of melodrama, and pointless angst.

The third entry, After We Fell is especially tedious, with lengthy stretches of wood dialogue and little plot development. Some have additionally accused it of glamorizing abusive relationships. Like Fifty Shades, the unique story started as a fanfiction, this time about Harry Kinds, and it reveals. E.L. James’s dialogue is virtually Shakespearean by comparability. Regardless of the overwhelmingly unfavorable evaluations, the After franchise reveals no indicators of slowing down. There have already been 5 motion pictures, with a prequel set for launch subsequent yr and one other untitled undertaking for a while after that.

8 ‘BloodRayne’ (2005-2014)

Worst entry: ‘BloodRayne: The Third Reich’ (2011)

“Your kind is weak, missing ardour.” Based mostly on the video video games, BloodRayne is an motion horror collection directed by the legendarily dangerousUwe Boll (Home of the Useless, Alone within the Darkish). It facilities on the dhampir Rayne (Kristanna Loken within the first movie) as she battles supernatural enemies in varied historic settings. Whereas the idea of a vampire warrior taking up Nazis and different foes sounds thrilling, the movies are affected by flimsy results, undercooked scripts, and subpar performing. It is a mess of goofy struggle scenes and awkward eroticism.

Including to the weirdness is the truth that the primary BloodRayne options some genuinely good actors, Michael Madsen, Michelle Rodriguez, and Ben Kingsley. Seeing the latter as a vampire lord is kind of the sight. Madsen, for one, has later admitted that the movie was a stinker, calling it “an abomination […] a horrifying and preposterous film.” The franchise solely goes downhill from there, taking part in out like a dollar-store Underworld.

7 ‘American Ninja’ (1985-1993)

Worst entry: ‘American Ninja 5’ (1993)

“Solely a ninja can cease a ninja.” The primary American Ninja launched Joe Armstrong (Michael Dudikoff), a soldier who discovers his distinctive ninja expertise and takes on varied legal organizations. This unique film was a little bit of enjoyable, campy martial arts motion, however the sequels shortly descended into mediocrity, after which outright awfulness. By the point American Ninja 5 rolled round, the franchise was past lifeless.

Whereas the primary movie (and, to a lesser diploma, the second) is a minor cult film, the follow-ups are merely painful. They only come throughout as lazy, as if the forged and crew weren’t all that dedicated. The over-the-top material ought to make the American Ninja motion pictures on the very least ‘so dangerous it is good’, however they’re actually simply lame. It is laborious to care concerning the plot when the characters are so one-dimensional and the stakes really feel so low. Because of this, sitting by means of IV and V is an actual slog, regardless of their lean runtimes.

6 ‘Common Soldier’ (1992-2012)

Worst entry: ‘Common Soldier: The Return’ (1999)

“Are we having enjoyable but?” The Common Soldier franchise began out as a Terminator copycat and then largely obtained worse with every outing (regardless of one or two redeeming moments). The primary one options Jean-Claude Van Damme as Luc Deveraux, a resurrected super-soldier battling his fellow reanimated comrades. The performing is wood at finest, with Van Damme himself, normally a stable motion star, trying visibly embarrassed as he stumbles by means of the ludicrous plot growth and uninspired one-liners.

Nonetheless, JCVD continues to be higher than Matt Battaglia, who takes over for the sixth film. The movies do not know whether or not they wish to be severe motion or a self-aware parody, sadly touchdown someplace within the center. Whereas a number of the sequels are commendable for taking dangers and getting bolder, they’re nonetheless mediocre, that means that the franchise as a complete is means beneath common. The fourth film has a 5% score on Rotten Tomatoes, for instance, whereas the second holds a flat 0%.

5 ‘Sharknado’ (2013-2018)

Worst entry: ‘Sharknado 5: International Swarming’ (2017)

“We’re gonna want an even bigger chopper.” The Sharknado franchise started as a tongue-in-cheek homage to B-movie absurdity. With its horrible CGI sharks and hilarious plot holes, the primary film was legitimately ‘so dangerous it is good’, rightly turning into a cult movie. Nonetheless, by the third go-around, the joke had already worn skinny, and the franchise jumped the shark lengthy earlier than the sixth installment.

Certainly, what was as soon as a foolish and gratifying good time morphed into more and more tiresome ridiculousness. The attraction that carried the primary movie is lengthy gone, and the franchise now feels prefer it’s making an attempt too laborious to stay related, resorting to extra outlandish concepts and not using a clear sense of goal (the sixth film prominently featured time journey, for instance). For all these causes, Sharknado went from ‘so dangerous it is good’ to only dangerous. The collection goes to indicate that making an attempt to make an terrible film on goal isn’t a sensible concept. ​​​​​​

4 ‘Jaws’ (1975-1987)

Worst entry: ‘Jaws: The Revenge’ (1987)

“You are gonna want an even bigger boat.” Sadly, Sharknado just isn’t the one shark-centric franchise to make this record. Regardless of beginning extremely sturdy with the Steven Spielberg-directed basic, Jaws continued to supply diminishing returns with every installment. The primary film was lean and imply, combining a punchy plot with killer music and top-notch particular results. This looks as if a reasonably straightforward formulation to duplicate, however the sequels one way or the other by no means obtained it proper.

Jaws 2 was mediocre at finest, Jaws 3-D was a catastrophe that attempted to cover its flaws with visible gimmicks, and Jaws: The Revenge is well one of many worst motion pictures of the Eighties, which is saying one thing. To various levels, all these sequels traded logic and grounded storytelling for ludicrous premises, hammy performing, and poor puppetry. The shark within the fourth movie appears shockingly faux, as an example; extra comical than menacing. The Jaws franchise thus runs the gamut from masterpieces to pure dreck.

3 ‘Exorcist’ (1973-2004)

Worst entry: ‘Exorcist II: The Heretic’ (1977)

“The facility of Christ compels you!” The Exorcist motion pictures are just like Jaws in that they started with a watershed first installment, opening to essential and business success, earlier than quickly spinning off both silliness or obscurity. Whereas William Friedkin‘s film is undeniably sensible, John Boorman‘s follow-up was extra complicated than scary. The third chapter, helmed by unique creator William Peter Blatty, was at finest underwhelming, as was Paul Schrader‘s prequel.

Issues didn’t enhance with The Exorcist: Believer, launched final yr. It lacked each creativity and real scariness, a lot in order that plans for a trilogy had been scrapped. A reboot seems to be on the playing cards, which hopefully rights this sinking ship. In some way all these movies squander their terrific premises (even Schrader’s undertaking). Ultimately, regardless of the greatness of the primary one, all these motion pictures add as much as a decidedly lame franchise.

2 ‘God’s Not Useless Franchise’ (2014-2021)

Worst entry: ‘God’s Not Useless: We the Folks’ (2021)

“God’s not lifeless; He is absolutely alive!” There’s nothing inherently fallacious with faith-based motion pictures, however they do run the danger of turning into didactic, one-sided, and preachy. That is sadly the case with the God’s Not Useless motion pictures, which purpose to unfold a Christian message however too typically sacrifice high quality storytelling in favor of heavy-handed moralizing. The characters are usually one-dimensional, and the flicks interact with straw males fairly than giving these points the therapy they deserve.

These movies would have been higher if their philosophical exploration was extra sincere and rigorous. As an alternative, God’s Not Useless begins out with a conclusion very a lot in thoughts, and the entire sequels cling to the identical fundamental formulation. For that reason, the franchise will please the transformed however is unlikely to win over any viewers who could also be undecided. This makes the movies a waste of potential. Plus, they don’t seem to be even entertaining, so there’s actually little cause to examine them out.

1 ‘The Highlander Collection’ (1986-2007)

Worst entry: ‘Highlander II: The Quickening’ (1991)

“There could be just one.” Claiming the highest spot on this record is the Highlander franchise, which started with the cult basic following Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), an immortal warrior battling others like him throughout centuries. Nonetheless, the collection misplaced its means with Highlander II: The Quickening, a baffling sequel that launched an pointless and convoluted sci-fi backstory involving aliens.

The tonal shift and incoherent plot pushed away even probably the most ardent followers, making it probably the most derided sequels in cinematic historical past. It is really considerably spectacular simply how shortly and irreparably the sequel destroyed the franchise’s mythology. Whereas the next movies weren’t fairly as egregious as The Quickening, none of them are good. The third film, for instance, is actually a retread of the primary one, whereas the fourth options maybe the worst performing in the complete franchise. The fifth film made such dangerous narrative missteps that almost all followers do not think about it to be canon. All in all, these misfires make Highlander arguably the lamest film collection of all time.

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