Many long-running movie franchises go through ebbs and flows, but it only takes one great movie to bring a franchise back from the brink. These movies rescue franchises that seem like they’re on an unstoppable downward trend, either by taking things back to basics or by innovating with fresh new ideas.

Any long-running franchise is eventually forced to evolve, if only to keep up with the latest movie trends or to create something that fans don’t feel as if they’ve seen before. These moments can make or break a franchise, but they’re infinitely more rewarding than sheepishly trying to retread old ground.

10

Casino Royale (2006)

James Bond Needed To Get With The Times

James Bond is one of the oldest major movie franchises, and it had started to get a little stale before Casino Royale. Although each era of the franchise has its own flavor, the franchise is also beholden to its traditions for a sense of continuity. This means that it sometimes struggles to innovate.

Casino Royale brought the James Bond franchise into the 21st century, just as it seemed like it was being left behind by the action genre. Once again, Bond was setting the gold standard for action movies. Although Daniel Craig’s tenure as Bond has its ups and downs, it made some important leaps forward. Unfortunately, the next James Bond movie is under a lot of pressure already, and the franchise’s new dawn may require a similar breakthrough to Casino Royale.

9

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Mission: Impossible Wouldn’t Be Where It Is Today Without Ghost Protocol

Brian De Palma’s original Mission: Impossible was a sH๏τ of adrenaline to the spy genre, boldly shooting off in an original direction without paying much attention to the TV series. However, the franchise stagnated a little with its following two entries. Before Ghost Protocol, it seemed as though the franchise could fizzle out.

Although there are some good moments in both the second and third Mission: Impossible movies, it’s not until Ghost Protocol that the franchise really reaches its potential. Ghost Protocol has a clarity of focus, a thrilling narrative, and the kinds of bold stunts that the franchise has become famous for. With Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning just around the corner, it’s worth remembering the movie that made it all possible.

8

Fast Five (2011)

Fast Five Championed A Bold New Direction

After an explosive first outing, the Fast and Furious franchise spun its wheels a little. It reached a low point with the fourth movie, so it was clear that new ideas were needed. Fortunately, Fast Five is full of them, and it has set the game plan for the rest of the franchise ever since. Fast 11 would never be on the cards if not for Fast Five.

Fast Five tweaks the street racing formula, placing more emphasis on heists, which allows the franchise to broaden its horizons. There’s also a broader variety of action on display in Fast Five, without neglecting the car-based fun that makes the franchise unique. Of course, it’s also important that Fast Five added Dwayne Johnson to the cast, who helped shape the following movies.

7

Jurᴀssic World (2015)

Jurᴀssic World Brought Dinosaurs Back To The Big-Screen

After Jurᴀssic Park sent shockwaves through the sci-fi genre, it seemed inevitable that a franchise would soon spring up. However, it didn’t take long before the series lost its way. After Steven Spielberg quit the franchise, Jurᴀssic Park III looked as if it might bring everything to a screeching halt.

It took 14 years before Jurᴀssic World arrived to bring the franchise back to life. More than this, it charted a path forward for potential sequels, with a cast of new characters mingling with the franchise’s old faces. History has repeated itself to some extent. Although Jurᴀssic World: Dominion was a commercial success, it suffered dreadful reviews. Jurᴀssic World Rebirth may need to rescue the franchise once more.

6

Creed (2015)

The Rocky Franchise Couldn’t Go On Forever

Rocky won the Oscar for Best Picture, but the franchise quickly settled into a groove as a sports franchise following the тιтular boxer throughout his career. Of course, this concept didn’t have the longest shelf life, even though the franchise tried to keep things going long past the point when Rocky’s days of fighting made any sense.

Rocky Balboa was a surprising return to form for the franchise, but it also seemed like a natural conclusion to the saga after some ups and downs. Creed found a way to breathe new life into the franchise, with a new character who was just as compelling as Balboa, and Sylvester Stallone doing a great job in a supporting role.

5

Batman Begins (2005)

Batman Brought An Iconic Hero Back To The Top

The Batman movies of the ’80s and ’90s generally followed a downward trend, ending in the widely panned Batman and Robin, starring George Clooney. The franchise seemed like poison at this point, but Christopher Nolan had the vision to revive the iconic hero with a bold new style.

Not only did Batman Begins revitalize the Batman franchise, it has also had a huge impact on the superhero genre as a whole. By incorporating more elements of crime thrillers, the Dark Knight franchise showed the way forward for more grounded comic book movies.

4

Prey (2022)

Prey Has Expanded The Potential Of The Predator Franchise

Predator is a shining example of knuckleheaded ’80s action, with Arnold Schwarzenegger firing off quips as he leads a group of black ops specialists through a perilous jungle. The sci-fi twist makes Predator stand out from similar movies of the era, but the franchise hasn’t always delivered the same excitement.

Through some divisive sequels and Alien crossovers, the potential of the Predator franchise has always been there to tempt fans back for more. Prey is one of very few movies which capitalizes on this potential, simultaneously taking the franchise back to its roots and delivering something completely unexpected. There could be plenty more movies like Prey, and they would probably be more worthwhile than the other sequels.

3

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)

Planet Of The Apes Has Always Been In The Shadow Of The First Movie

The original Planet of the Apes never quite recaptured the magic of the original movie, partly because the power of the twist was impossible to replicate. This is one of many problems which also plagued the 2001 remake, since audiences all knew what was coming. The prequel series has succeeded by ignoring the twist.

Starting with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the prequel series shows the slow process of how Earth came to be ruled by apes. This endpoint is still hundreds of years off in the distant future, so there’s time for plenty of original stories and characters to make Rise of the Planet of the Apes interesting in its own right. It set up a whole new franchise which has produced four great sci-fi movies so far, and there should be more on the way.

2

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Fury Road Was Trapped In Development Hell For Decades

The Mad Max franchise was all but ᴅᴇᴀᴅ before Fury Road, as George Miller had been working on other projects in different genres. 30 years is an incredibly long time to wait between sequels, so many Mad Max fans ᴀssumed that they would never see the Wasteland again. Of course, Fury Road was worth the wait, and its success has already led to one spinoff, Furiosa.

Fury Road wasn’t supposed to take 30 years to make. In fact, Miller was keen on continuing the franchise shortly after Beyond Thunderdome, but it was held up for various reasons throughout the years. Miller proved that he hadn’t lost his touch with Fury Road, and there could be more sequels in the future.

1

Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

The Shrek Franchise Looked To Have Died Twice Already

Shrek Forever After seemed like a conclusion to the Shrek franchise, but there was a Puss in Boots spinoff to follow. After both of these movies, the series lay dormant for many years while The Last Wish was dragged through development hell. When it finally arrived, it surpᴀssed all expectations.

Not only is The Last Wish a major improvement on the previous Puss in Boots movie, it’s also the best Shrek movie since Shrek 2 all the way back in 2004. It features a bold new animation style, which exemplifies how it isn’t afraid to break with tradition. The first sneak peeks of Shrek 5 show that the franchise has been revived with this aesthetic, which underlines how The Last Wish made it possible.