The 411 Top 5 02.01.08: Week 98

Posted by Trevor Snyder on 02.01.2008

The Top 5 Franchises Worth Salvaging

THE TOP 5 FRANCHISES WORTH SALVAGING


Trevor Snyder

5. Mad Max

Have you seen the trailer for Neil Marshall's new film, Doomsday? If not, take a moment and go check it out. I'll wait….

OK, now, between that trailer and the recent Resident Evil: Extinction, I think it's pretty safe to say that there's still a demand out there for Mad Max-type movies (or "blatant rip-offs," if you wanna be a little more specific). So why not just cut out the middle man and bring back the granddaddy of them all? As I've talked about in past Top 5's, director George Miller and star Mel Gibson were all set to finally make a fourth installment a few years back, but things quickly fell apart, and Gibson has since said he has no desire to go back and finally film it. That's a shame, since the script (entitled Fury Road) was highly praised by those who had the chance to read it. So, I say forget Gibson, and just re-start this franchise up. Find a suitable newcomer to star, and remake the first film (you could definitely modernize the story now, by tying in the oil depleting apocalypse of the series with modern events in the Middle East). Then, if it's a success, don't bother remaking Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome. Instead, make original Mad Max sequels…starting by dusting off and polishing that Fury Road script. Believe me, I have mixed emotions about anyone besides Gibson playing this iconic character, but if he refuses to give the series the grand finale it deserves, then I'm all for someone else stepping up to the plate and bringing Max back.

4. Blade

In a recent Entertainment Weekly, Wesley Snipes said he hoped his lawsuit with New Line over Blade: Trinity could be resolved, so that he could make another Blade film. That's good news for fans like me, who were under-whelmed by the disappointing third film and didn't even bother with the Spike TV series. This is yet another franchise that deserves a cooler ending than it was given. Unfortunately, there are a few things that might stand in the way. For one, Snipes could be going to jail for a long time, which would obviously put a crimp in any plans to use him again. But let's just say he does avoid time in the big house – that still leaves us with a few obstacles. After the crappy box office performance of Trinity, it's questionable whether New Line would even want to revisit the character on the big screen again. And if they did decide to, you'd obviously want to have David Goyer write it. Sure, he did a crappy job directing the third film, but that doesn't change the fact that the series' arguably belongs more to him than Snipes. But would Snipes be able to put aside his differences with Goyer, and work with him again? For the sake of the series, one could only hope so.

3. Robocop

Allow me a brief "guy moment" here…Robocop is f'n awesome!! The first film still holds up as one of the coolest sci-fi flicks ever – a perfect blend of action, humor, technology, and bloody mayhem. Robocop 2, for all its haters, is actually a pretty fun film in its own right. Robocop 3? Well, OK, that's where we start running into problems. And I won't even bother getting into the lame TV series or made-for-TV movies that followed. Still, we're talking about one of the great, simplistic concepts in sci-fi history here. There's really no reason someone shouldn't be able to figure out how to bring this baby back with some new life. Whether it's a remake of the first film or, preferably, a new installment helmed by the original's Paul Verhoven (which he has said he would like to do), I want Robocop back on the big screen.

2. The Crow

The producers of this series, when they first acquired the rights, were given quite the gift – a premise that, by its very nature, allows for an unlimited number of stories with numerous main characters. To quote William Hurt in A History of Violence, "how do you fuck that up?" Things started off well enough, with a brilliant first film (unfortunately marred by the untimely death of star Brandon Lee). The sequel, The Crow: City of Angels, is – in my eyes – a pretty underrated flick, especially if you're aware of the post-production studio meddling that removed some of its more interesting ideas and turned it into the sorta-remake of the first film that many fans complain it is (c'mon, Dimension, it's about time we finally get to see that director's cut on DVD). Unfortunately, things started to go off the rails with the third film, The Crow: Salvation, which I believe only played in a handful of theaters before being dumped onto video (if you see it, you'll understand why). By the time the series completely hit a wall with The Crow: Wicked Prayer (starring Edward Furlong!?), it was obvious the people guiding this franchise didn't have as much interest in it as the fans did. But why? There's so much mythology and various ideas to explore within the concept, there's no reason we couldn't get decent sequels that are more than just retreads of the same formula from the first film. This was a prime example of a studio simply giving up on an idea, rather than exploring it to its fullest.

1. Highlander

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the thing with Highlander is that its overall concept and premise is so strong, we fans are willing to forgive the steady decrease in quality the franchise has suffered ever since the original film (although the creation of the television series was a thrilling resurgence, for a moment). Still, even my tolerance reached a breaking point when I watched the latest film, Highlander: The Source. The film debuted on the Sci-Fi channel, and that pretty much tells you everything you need to know, doesn't it? It was complete dog-crap; bad almost to the point of being unwatchable – and this is coming from someone who loved Highlander: Endgame! The franchise has built up a very large and very devoted cult following over the years, so I'm sure it's not completely dead (no matter how hard The Source seemed to be trying to kill it). But after that last film, I think it might be time to once again go back to the drawing board and simply re-start the series, with a new protagonist (which is somewhat of a shame, since I really Adrian Paul's Duncan McCleod). Re-introduce the universe, re-introduce the rules, and re-introduce the world to Highlander. And this time, put the series in the hands of writers and directors who are willing to treat it with the respect that its awesome concept deserves.



Bryan Kristopowitz

HONORABLE MENTIONS

John Carpenter's Vampires: As I've said many times before, I love the first flick with James Woods as vampire hunter Jack Crow. Just love it, love, love it. There was talk that Carpenter was interested in doing a sequel that picks up the day after the end of the first flick, with Crow assembling a new team and hunting Daniel Baldwin's Montoya character in Mexico. But that obviously didn't happen. Instead we got Jon Bon Jovi riding around in a jeep, hanging out with Darius McCray and his shotgun that shoots wooden bullets, and looking for a female vampire. It probably could have been an okay movie if it had a budget and a better director. And then the third one, Vampires: The Turning, which is about kickboxing vampires in Thailand or something. So something bad happened here, the franchise lost its way. So bring back Woods, Baldwin, Sheryl Lee, and the whole gang, and let's kick some butt again.

Naked Gun": The "Scary Movie sequels are sort of the next generation of the spoof movie that started with Airplane! and Kentucky Fried Movie and moved to the TV show Police Squad! and the Naked Gun trilogy. The Scary Movie movies, while they have their moments every now and then, are not as good as the adventures of Sgt. Frank Drebin, Detective Lieutenant Police Squad. If you listen to the commentaries on the Naked Gun Trilogy DVD's, you'll hear everyone basically say that the scripts for the flicks were always filled with joke after joke after joke, and after they were all filmed they were edited down to the best stuff. There's no reason not to go that route again with another batch of Police Squad adventures.

Robocop: As much as I liked Robocop 3, I will admit that it didn't have the ooh ah that the first flick had, or even the second flick. And the TV show and that four part mini series made in Canada were just awful (they all make Robocop 3 look like Robocop 1), so basically the cyborg formerly known as Alex Murphy hasn't had a good run of things in over decade. Who wouldn't want to see Robocop patrolling Detroit once again, or maybe Delta City if it ever got built? It'd be a hoot. Or maybe have Robo fight terrorists like Paul Verhoeven suggested not that long ago.

THE TOP 5

5. Under Siege

As we all know, big, fat Steven Seagal has been languishing in direct-to-video hell the last few years with nary a prospect for a return to the big screen. The only franchise Seagal has ever really had has been the Under Siege movies, where he played Navy SEAL and cook Casey Ryback. The last one was 1995. That's thirteen years since Ryback was pressed into duty. And that's way too long. What the heck is the hold up? Get some terrorists, have them hold a bunch of people hostage, get Andy Davis back in the director's chair, and get Seagal a new leather jacket and let him snap some necks and wrists and ankles.

4. Blade

There was talk not that long ago of actually remaking the first "Blade" movie. It's a ten year old movie and someone is already talking about remaking the freaking thing. And why not? Blade: Trinity sucked and ended the franchise, the TV show was decent but only lasted one season, and that animated show never happened. And since vampires are so freaking popular (when are they not popular?), there's more than enough reason to do this again. But the new franchise would have to stick to the basics: daywalking half-human vampire with all kinds of weaponry killing vampires. None of that hip and edgy Goth pseudo Euro trash crap, unless they're the ones getting slaughtered. Because that's just the way Blade should be.

3. Sam Gerard/U.S. Marshals

This, as far as I know, is the only sequel Tommy Lee Jones made from one of his own movies. And I thought U.S. Marshals was a pretty decent cop action movie. And Jones, once again, was brilliant as Sam Gerard. There are always fugitives out there to be caught. There are always plots to uncover. So why not get Jones and the gang back together? There should have been at least three more of these movies already. Of course, I only want to see this series continue with Jones as Gerard. That's the only way it can work. Unless Warner Bros wants to do something similar with a different set of actors. Again, there are always fugitives out there to be caught.

2. Trancers

Oh, you just knew I was going to mention this, right? The six flick series has its low budget B-movie legacy intact. Tim Thomerson is forever going to be "Jack Deth," Angel City Trooper and Trancer hunter. I've always figured that if there was a movie series ripe for a big budget remake or revisiting its Trancers. Think of the better special effects, the better make-up, the potentially better script and flashier direction. Think of Thomerson either doing it all again (he's not that old) or handing the Deth character off to someone else, like a Michael Madsen or someone like that. There's potential there.

1. "Snake Plissken"/Escape from...

Of course, I'm not talking about that proposed Escape from New York remake from a few months ago. That just sounded like a bad idea from the beginning. But put good old Kurt Russell back in the eye patch and the long coat and have him escaping from Cleveland or somewhere else and we've got a rebooted franchise. It can be done. There's always more room for more Snake Plissken.



Owain J. Brimfield

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Blade, Universal Soldier, Gremlins

THE TOP 5

5. Robocop

Robocop is an iconic character, but it's remarkable how his stock has fallen since the original movie, with most people these days left with the sour taste of the kid-friendly TV series that took everyone's favorite cyborg marauder away from his roots. The original movie was, and remains, one of the centerpieces of action cinema history, and it's a shame to see that reputation since squandered on cut-price sequels and spin-offs. Let's restore Robocop to his former glory, with, say, Tony Scott directing and Peter Weller back in the lead role.

4. The Crow

I'll confess to not having seen the third or fourth Crow movies, but given their reputation and straight-to-video status (despite the talent on show - whatever happened to Ed Furlong's mainstream career?) I doubt I'm missing too much. No doubt the quintessential Crow was Brandon Lee's original, but I'll confess to having a slight soft spot for Vincent Perez in City of Angels. The premise is gloriously simple and wonderfully visceral - wrongfully murdered innocent turns undead avenger. There's plenty of material to be mind out of that concept, and given the right combination of screenplay and lead actor there could easily yet be salvation [haha, puntastic!] for The Crow.

3. Phantasm

Hmm, I thought this would be an original choice given that it's been over a decade since Phantasm IV: Oblivion, but as I was writing this I discovered there's actually a fifth movie scheduled for release this year! Featuring the original cast! Glorious. Hardly a high-caliber movie franchise, but there's a whole lot of campy B-movie entertainment to be found in the Phantasm series, with the Tall Man and the evil spheres in particular becoming cult horror icons. Plus, you can buy the series on DVD actually in a sphere display case! Few movie franchises have as much self-referential humor (both intentionally and non-intentionally) as Phantasm, and I'm genuinely pleased it's coming back to our screens in a new incarnation.

2. Unbreakable

I'm not sure this really classes as a franchise, but by golly it ought to be. Few superhero origin stories on the big screen have been as compelling as M. Night Shyamalan's understated story about David Dunn and his nemesis Mr. Glass, and the movie was begging for a sequel. This is a truly interesting take on the concept of the superhero, and it'd be a nice counterpoint to the more traditional comic book movies slated for release over the next few years. Plus, Shyamalan could do with something to restore his reputation as a promising directorial talent after the generally negative reviews for Lady in the Water, and Bruce Willis will never get too old to convince as an action hero. Make it happen!

1. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I'd be genuinely sad if we never saw a Restaurant at the End of the Universe from Hammer & Tongs et al. The Hitchhiker's Guide movie was as faithful an adaptation of Douglas Adams' legendary novel as anyone could have expected, and it'd be a shame if the cast and crew were never reunited to film the rest of the trilogy (in four parts). Garth Jennings showed a lot of promise as a director, and the CGI was absolutely lovely, so why the hell not commission three more movies to create a full-blown movie franchise in Adams' memory?



Jason Chamberlain

5. Pirates of the Caribbean

I know the third film made less money than the second, and I know the reviews weren't good... so maybe people are tired of this series. But personally, I'd love to see more pirating adventures. Johnny Depp has said numerous times that he'd love to play Captain Jack again. So slap him together with Barbossa and voila, you've got a killer 'buddy pirate' movie! Or do a movie focusing on Will's journeys as the captain of the Flying Dutchman. Either way, I think there's plenty more 'pirates' fun to be had yet.

4. Daredevil

Ah, the Marvel franchise that wasn't. Even the Hulk has been given a reboot, but ol Hornhead seems to still be languishing in development hell. I guess Ben Affleck is too busy directing movies, but again, why not a reboot? There are plenty of great DD stories that deserve the cinematic treatment.

3. Spider-Man

Is this franchise in trouble? Not money wise, but seeing as nobody is willing to commit to doing another one, at least not yet, I say we need movement on the Spidey front! I'd like to see both Tobey Maguire and Sam Raimi back for the fourth film, but if that's not an option, why not take a different tactic? Go the Ultimate Spider-Man route and feature a Spidey that's younger and right at the beginning of his career!

2. Serenity

No big surprise here. This movie should have launched a series of movies about Mal and his group of renegades.... but it didn't. I know Joss will never be tired of his favorite space faring crew, so he'd be willing to direct a new one if someone would give him the go ahead!

1. Wayne's World

The first one is one of the funniest movies ever. The second one.... well, it was a franchise killer. But I say we need one more adventure with Wayne and Garth. Mike Myers is getting older, but throw a wig and a little make up on him and he can have one more go in the Mirth Mobile! And really, what else is Dana Carvey doing these days?



Ron Martin

5. Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Let me preface this by saying though I am a fanboy, I'd like neither the original series nor the Angel spinoff to comeback. It's obvious by the God awful Season 8 comics that they can do nothing new with those characters. What I would have liked to have seen is a Michelle Trachtenberg spinoff where she and her friends she makes in the first episode of season seven act as the Scoobies for Amanda the Vampire Slayer (assuming she doesn't die in the last episode). A geeky slayer would have been a nice role reversal for the series and maybe the franchise could have distanced itself from the garbage that was seasons 6 and 7.

4. The Crow

This one may be mentioned several times. I'm not an action movie kind of guy, but damnit, I got to admit this movie was awesome. I saw it about 13 times when it came to the $1 theater when I was a kid. If they could keep the storylines fresh and the mood dark, I see no reason why they couldn't have made a series of excellent movies (instead of the crap we got) with mostly the crow as the element keeping them together. I don't know how many times you can make a come back from death for revenge plot fresh, but they're not paying to come up with the ideas.

3. Cannonball Run

I was fairly young when these movie came out, but I always did vaguely remember them. I re-watched them for the first in probably 20 years recently and outside of the fashions and cars of the time, they hold up pretty good. Of course an all star cast helps. They trade to something similar a few years ago with Rat Race. I liked it, though no one else did. Since the members of the Rat Pack are all dead now, perhaps the newer Cannonballs could make use of older versions of the Brat Pack. Ally Sheady hasn't done anything in ages. Judd Nelson would kill for a paycheck.

2. Tremors

There's something about a good survivalist movie that I love. Maybe that's why I had so much man-love for The Mist last year. I always enjoyed how in each progressive movie, the plot for the whole town moved a long, just with different people (save Michael Gross). After the monsters were killed, one guy turned it into a tourist trap complete with fake monster attacks. That's not the only thing. The monsters even evolved. Maybe that's why they stopped the series because the monsters were about to be able to eat your brain just by looking at you. Character studies are always entertaining.

1. Scream

The first Scream was the best horror movie I had ever seen. Everything worked out just right. The next two? Eh, not as good, but still palatable. Like with all the franchises on my list, the writers may have maxed out on what they can do with the current characters. How many times can Dewey realistically get stabbed and still live? The setup for the movie works anywhere with anyone. New movie. New set of kids. New psycho killer. Make it as self-referential and a parody of itself like the first one and you've got the rebirth of a franchise.

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Next week, The Top 5 Franchises that Should Exist.

The 411: 

Final Score:  0.0   [ Torture ]