I’ve loved movies my whole life, but
while I’m always open to viewing any kind of film, it’s long running movie franchises
that I personally love the most. There is just something so rewarding about
returning to a familiar place, and getting reacquainted with favorite
characters. In all honesty, the majority of my favorite movies are individual
installments from franchises I love. However, there are certainly some film
franchises that I love more than others. In truth, there are some long running
franchises that I certainly enjoy, and am always open for a new installment,
but I never really re-watch any films within the series. These are what I refer
to as the One-and-Done franchises, in which I’m certainly glad I gave the
series a single viewing, but I’ve never had any real desire to re-watch any of
them a second time … with maybe a single film exception. So, with all that
said, these are my 10 biggest film franchises that I’ve gladly watched once,
but have never re-visited.
#10 The “Alien”
Franchise
Let me start by saying that 1982’s “Aliens” is one of my all-time favorite movies, I watch it at least twice in the span of three years, and it still holds up. The first “Alien” was admittedly a classic, but I’ve personally never been a fan, and I can’t imagine sitting down and watching it more than twice in my life time. Every other film in the “Alien” franchise has been a one and done film, and I’m perfectly okay with that. “Aliens” is really all I need … truthfully, it’s all I want, but having said that, I don’t mind giving each follow-up Alien movie a single viewing, just for the sake of occasionally seeing something different from the one movie I'm familiar with. They could stop anytime or continue, and I really don’t care either way. I have my one great movie, and will passively enjoy watching whatever comes along ... at least once.
Let me start by saying that 1982’s “Aliens” is one of my all-time favorite movies, I watch it at least twice in the span of three years, and it still holds up. The first “Alien” was admittedly a classic, but I’ve personally never been a fan, and I can’t imagine sitting down and watching it more than twice in my life time. Every other film in the “Alien” franchise has been a one and done film, and I’m perfectly okay with that. “Aliens” is really all I need … truthfully, it’s all I want, but having said that, I don’t mind giving each follow-up Alien movie a single viewing, just for the sake of occasionally seeing something different from the one movie I'm familiar with. They could stop anytime or continue, and I really don’t care either way. I have my one great movie, and will passively enjoy watching whatever comes along ... at least once.
#9 The “Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles” Franchise
Again, it’s the same deal as I had with the previously mentioned “Alien” franchise. 1990’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie” was the very first superhero movie I ever saw in my lifetime, and I’ve held it close to me all my life. Heck, with all the outstanding modern superhero movies we keep getting, that first live-action Ninja Turtle movie still holds up, and has its own unique charm that separates it from my love of current superhero movies. However, I’ve never really been on board with any of the Ninja Turtle sequels, but I also haven’t regretted seeing each of them once. Again, just for the sake of occasionally seeing something different from the one movie I’m familiar with, it’s kind of refreshing to see a new film, even if they’ve all just been one-time viewings.
Again, it’s the same deal as I had with the previously mentioned “Alien” franchise. 1990’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie” was the very first superhero movie I ever saw in my lifetime, and I’ve held it close to me all my life. Heck, with all the outstanding modern superhero movies we keep getting, that first live-action Ninja Turtle movie still holds up, and has its own unique charm that separates it from my love of current superhero movies. However, I’ve never really been on board with any of the Ninja Turtle sequels, but I also haven’t regretted seeing each of them once. Again, just for the sake of occasionally seeing something different from the one movie I’m familiar with, it’s kind of refreshing to see a new film, even if they’ve all just been one-time viewings.
#8 The “Paranormal
Activity” franchise
October is my favorite time of year, and it’s a season built on traditions. We go out trick-r-treating, we dress in costume, we venture into haunted houses (fake ones obviously), and for a while, it was kind of a fun little tradition to get a new “Paranormal Activity” movie every Halloween. I’ve never given a single movie in the franchise more than one viewing, they never meant that much to me, but there was still an appeal to its spooky formula, and it was kind of exciting to see how each film would change things around. The overall simulation experience of each film was something that, for me, could only work for one viewing, and that’s why I didn’t mind the initial abundance of sequels. While the later films just got painful to watch, (hopefully the series is done for good) it was still a nice little Halloween experience, and even though I’ll never give any of these movies a second watch, I still don’t regret the overall experience as just a one-time thing.
October is my favorite time of year, and it’s a season built on traditions. We go out trick-r-treating, we dress in costume, we venture into haunted houses (fake ones obviously), and for a while, it was kind of a fun little tradition to get a new “Paranormal Activity” movie every Halloween. I’ve never given a single movie in the franchise more than one viewing, they never meant that much to me, but there was still an appeal to its spooky formula, and it was kind of exciting to see how each film would change things around. The overall simulation experience of each film was something that, for me, could only work for one viewing, and that’s why I didn’t mind the initial abundance of sequels. While the later films just got painful to watch, (hopefully the series is done for good) it was still a nice little Halloween experience, and even though I’ll never give any of these movies a second watch, I still don’t regret the overall experience as just a one-time thing.
#7 The “Karate
Kid” franchise
I didn’t see any of these movies until after I graduated from college, but I get the impression that they would have meant more to me if I’d actually grown up with them. I marathon-ed the whole series in one weekend, including the remake and that lesser “Last Karate Kid” spin-off, and even at their weakest, this series had a distinct charm that held my attention for a solid viewing experience. I’ve never given any of these movies a second viewing, but I remember them just fine, and liked them for what they were. I certainly wont be including them to my collection of favorites, but I certainly don’t regret watching them for a second, and would recommend them to any fans of the time tested under-dog sports movie formula.
I didn’t see any of these movies until after I graduated from college, but I get the impression that they would have meant more to me if I’d actually grown up with them. I marathon-ed the whole series in one weekend, including the remake and that lesser “Last Karate Kid” spin-off, and even at their weakest, this series had a distinct charm that held my attention for a solid viewing experience. I’ve never given any of these movies a second viewing, but I remember them just fine, and liked them for what they were. I certainly wont be including them to my collection of favorites, but I certainly don’t regret watching them for a second, and would recommend them to any fans of the time tested under-dog sports movie formula.
#6 The “Pink
Panther” franchise
There was a time during my young Middle School years and my early high school years, in which I was obsessed with comedies more than any other form of movie entertainment. At the height of my comedy phase, I marathoner the lengthy Pink Panther series, which currently consists of eleven films. While there are select films that warranted repeat viewings, the series as a whole was really just a one-time event. It provided some laughs, and was fun to experience at a certain age, but I’ve changed a lot sense then, and really don’t need to ever see any of those movies a second time … with the exception of the one or two entries that REALLY got me to laugh.
There was a time during my young Middle School years and my early high school years, in which I was obsessed with comedies more than any other form of movie entertainment. At the height of my comedy phase, I marathoner the lengthy Pink Panther series, which currently consists of eleven films. While there are select films that warranted repeat viewings, the series as a whole was really just a one-time event. It provided some laughs, and was fun to experience at a certain age, but I’ve changed a lot sense then, and really don’t need to ever see any of those movies a second time … with the exception of the one or two entries that REALLY got me to laugh.
#5 The “Mission
Impossible” Franchise
Talk about an action series that started low, and
grew into a mega, critically acclaimed franchise, with each new film doing better
than the last. Well, I’ve seen each movie once, and with the small exception of
“Mission Impossible 2”, I’ve never really wanted to give them a second
viewing. That’s not to say I hated them, on the contrary, I understand why the
recent films have received critical acclaim, and each film has made for a
worthwhile viewing experience. I think the reason they’ve never personally stuck
a landing is because their so similar to James Bond, but without that same
charm and appeal that continues to bring me back to those films. I think that’s
why “Mission Impossible 2” is the only film I gave a second viewing, because
that was the least like Mission Impossible and felt the most like James Bond. Both
are good franchises, and both will appeal to viewers on different levels. For me,
I’ll keep James Bond with me for life, while the “Mission Impossible” franchise was a worthy
one-time viewing experience.
#4 The “Pirates
of the Caribbean” Franchise
The first “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse
of the Black Pearl” was a fine piece of entertainment, and one that’s held
up for some repeat viewings, but it’s truthfully never been an absolute
favorite of mine either. It’s many sequels by contrast did even less for me. While
each film provided just enough escapist fun to hold for a single viewing, they
just weren’t good enough to bring me back for more than that. I know this series
was a monster hit for its respected decade, and while the first movie still
holds up, I don’t think the initial excitement of its many sequels have “held much
water” over the years.
#3 The “Kung
Fu Panda” franchise
Now here was an animated series that caught me off guard, and was so much better than its goofy title suggested. Each film provided lovable characters, decent morals for kids, creative action set-pieces, and contained some gorgeous animation. Yet, for some reason, unlike other great animated franchise that I still watch into my adulthood, this was just a one-time experience that was really good, but just never felt called to re-visit. I can’t even explain why that is, because I loved all three movies in this series, but for some reason, I was happy with one-time viewings for each film, and I guise that’s just all they needed to provide for me.
Now here was an animated series that caught me off guard, and was so much better than its goofy title suggested. Each film provided lovable characters, decent morals for kids, creative action set-pieces, and contained some gorgeous animation. Yet, for some reason, unlike other great animated franchise that I still watch into my adulthood, this was just a one-time experience that was really good, but just never felt called to re-visit. I can’t even explain why that is, because I loved all three movies in this series, but for some reason, I was happy with one-time viewings for each film, and I guise that’s just all they needed to provide for me.
#2 “The
Hunger Games” Franchise
During a time when I was feeling fatigued with the
state of movies, “The Hunger Games” franchise was one of the most important
in bringing me back to my love of going to the movies. Each film made for a
solid theatrical viewing, and they were all consistently strong movies. However,
while I saw each movie once in the theater, I’ve never re-watched any of them
once on any kind of home viewing. I still remember each film for their
individual strengths, but I’ve also been content with them as one-time
theatrical viewings, and I guess that was all they needed to be. Again, there was
nothing off-putting about this series, but for reasons I just can’t explain, I’ve
just never had any really want or need to watch any of them again. Definitely a
good though, and some of the best in what modern day literary adaptions have to
offer.
Before I
reveal my #1 favorite, here are some Honorable Mentions …
“The
Expendables” franchise
“The
Superman” franchise
“The
Frankenstein” series
“The
Pokémon” franchise
“The John
Wick” franchis
#1 “The Rocky" Franchise
While I’ve seen
every movie in the Rocky franchise once, I’ve currently at the time of this
post, never watched any one of them a second time. Yet, with that said, make no
mistake … I love the Rocky movies with all my heart. It’s been years sense I’ve
watched the majority of them, yet each and every viewing has stuck with me all
this time. With the one exception of “Rocky
5”, they’ve all been immensely positive experiences. I’m also very excited
for when a new film comes out, with the latest “Creed 2” being yet another strong film. In general, how could you
not love Rocky, he’s perhaps the most humble and sincere character from any
film franchise. The series itself channels varying emotions, as they can be
profound, depressing, uplifting, and powerful all at once. They can also be
wild and over the top too, which is still good fun, but it’s the driving heart
at the center of the series that makes them so captivating. Through up’s and
downs, good times and bad, Rocky still stands strong, and it’s so easy to cheer
for him or Creed every step of the way. Whether you take the films seriously or
not, these movies can always pick me up and give me that extra confidence to
push through some of my own personal struggles. I can’t explain why I’ve never
re-watched any of these movies, but the experience I’ve had with them was still
very positive, and it’s absolutely a winning franchise in its own right.
The End
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