Best Action Movie Franchises Of All Time, Ranked
© Provided by MovieWeb2023 will be an exciting journey for fans of the action genre with lots of content. A number of popular franchises will see new installments, including Fast and Furious, John Wick , Mission: Impossible , The Transformers , The Expendables (in Collider) and, of course, Indiana Jones . Fans of superhero movies and comic books will also be delighted, with new films in the following franchises: Ant-Man , Guardians of the Galaxy , The Flash and Aquaman (to name a few) on the way.
While it's always refreshing to see new ideas and original characters for a film that's being developed and animated, there's no denying the thrill of revisiting old franchises you love every once in a while. Like meeting up with old friends you grew up with, this sense of intimacy can create feelings of comfort and nostalgia, allowing you to explore how they've evolved since they last met you.
Action movies are no strangers to sequels, prequels, and spin-offs (especially in recent years), with some of the industry's biggest franchises belonging to the genre. Below, we examine and rank the 11 greatest action franchises of all time.
John Wick
At its core, the John Wick franchise directed by Keanu Reeves is a relatively new phenomenon, but its influence and legacy seem to have been with us for much longer. When the first John Wick movie hit theaters in 2014, the world was shocked by the highly stylized violence and choreographed action sequences that included gunplay, martial arts, and plenty of environmental kills. There have been two sequels since then, allowing the franchise to flesh out the world John Wick operates in while racking up one of the most impressive body counts of any action franchise. That number will grow as we see more shenanigans throughout the new sequel and the two spinoffs currently in development.
Also see: 10 action movies that will turn 23 in 2023
Batman
Despite the content of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), it can be said that Batman is generally a strong superhero action franchise, and it paved the way for many superhero films to follow in terms of tone and themes. . The franchise is far from perfect, and there will be some hiccups along the way ( Batman & Robin , we're looking at you). However, it has given us some of the genre's most memorable characters such as Penguin, Bane and the Joker, as well as notable appearances by Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson, to name a few. And let's not forget the epic score by Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer, as well as the accompanying score.
crazy saying
Arguably the most important film of the post-war Australian film boom was Mad Max , whose success opened up a global market for new wave Australian films. As the franchise grew in popularity, so did the film budget, culminating in 2015's Fury Road , which grossed $170 million. However, the original Mad Max was built on a tight budget. Reports put the original film's total cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars compared to the $100 million it earned at the international box office, making it one of the highest-grossing films of all time as measured by box office ratio and budget. .
Mad Max was directed by Australian George Miller and starred the then unknown Mel Gibson. Gibson plays "Crazy" Max Rockatansky, a cop turned vigilante in a dystopian Australian outback. The action is amazing considering the budget and technological limitations of the time, and what it lacks in the very expensive action scenes it makes up for in atmosphere and suspense. Gibson starred in two more sequels, and then the franchise lay dormant for 30 years until it was revived with Tom Hardy in Fury Road. The sequel , Furiosa, is due out later this year and will star Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy in place of Hardy and Charlize Theron.
Die Hard
The original Die Hard is considered one of the best action films of all time, and Bruce Willis' character, John McClane, and his white tank top (which gets dirtier and bloodier as the film progresses) have become absolutely iconic. Alan Rickman's portrayal of the film's antagonist, Hans Gruber, also went down in history as one of the most sinister (and best acted) villains of the genre. This film was followed two years later by Die Hard 2 (aka Die Harder ). The film was a huge success at the box office and received generally positive reviews. The franchise continued to release films sporadically over the years, with 1995's Die Hard with a Vengeance and 2007's Live Free or Die Hard both doing well at the box office and receiving generally positive reviews. However, Bruce Willis made his last appearance as the legendary John McClane in 2013's A Good Day to Die Hard, 25 years after donning the iconic T-shirt. Soulless and generic and only scored 15% on Rotten Tomatoes.
mission impossible
Mission: Impossible is a 1960s spy action thriller series that was revived for two seasons in the 1980s. The film based on the original series was released in 1968 to little fanfare outside of Europe and Australia, and it wasn't until 1996 that the franchise exploded into the multi-million dollar blockbuster we know today. Directed by the legendary Brian De Palma and produced and starring Tom Cruise, the film was a critical and commercial success. In the decades since, the film has gotten better thanks to Cruise's increased focus on character development, and combined with state-of-the-art special effects technology, featuring some of the best awe-inspiring stunts ever made, Cruise does a lot. from that the craziest act . The eighth film in the franchise will be released later this year, and the next one will be released in 2024, both of which are some of the most action-packed adventures ever to hit the big screen.
finishers
Before the release of 1984's The Terminator, director James Cameron was a relative unknown trying to make his mark in Hollywood. The Terminator helps him achieve that goal and more. Filmed on a modest budget of just over $6 million, it was a huge success and solidified Arnold Schwarzenegger as a leading figure. Following this success and his success directing Aliens , Cameron was given a much larger budget for Terminator 2: Judgment Day . This movie is a great sci-fi action blockbuster that maintains the dark tone and atmosphere of the original while adding more special effects and bigger action sequences.
Since then there have been four more episodes, none of which were directed by Cameron. Although the original two films were almost perfect and considered the greatest of the genre, several sequels have not found their magic. Terminator : Dark Fate 2019 was considered a comeback and received generally positive reviews; Unfortunately, the commercial success was not as great as expected, and as a result future plans to continue the franchise were delayed.
See also: The best animated film franchise of all time
fast and roaring
Fast and Furious is one of the highest grossing film franchises of all time, grossing over $6 billion. In fact, unlike many of the other entries on this list, the previous film received less critical acclaim than the latter. The first four received mixed to negative reviews, but the franchise saw a shift in critical opinion starting at year 5. The budget has grown, the action is bigger and better, and the non-stop, high-octane, adrenaline-pumping action keeps getting bigger as the franchise grows. After 9 entries and spin-offs, Fast X will be released this year, with the 11th and final installment expected some time later. Directed by Vin Diesel, the franchise has starred some of the genre's biggest stars over the years, including Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Luke Evans, Idris Elba, Michelle Rodriguez, John Cena, Ronda Rousey, Gal Gadot and more. . watch Jason Momoa introduce Fast X .
Star Wars
The original Star Wars films were truly groundbreaking upon release and became instant classics. The Force was followed by two sequels, making the original (prequel) trilogy one of the greatest film trilogies of any genre. With such a loyal fanbase and such a large Star Wars canon, there will be a lot of debate by now about the merits of each movie: what was good, what wasn't, and how they deserve their rating. Needless to say, the sheer entertainment that the franchise has brought to millions of people around the world over the years is enough to make it into any list of great action, great sci-fi, or great movies.
Indiana Jones
There has been a lot of buzz surrounding Indiana Jones lately, with the release of the fifth installment of the famous action-adventure franchise and reports that it will be Harrison Ford's last outing as the iconic adventurer. The first film in the franchise, Raiders of the Lost Ark , was released in 1981 and changed the landscape of cinema forever, creating one of Hollywood's most beloved and recognizable heroes. Since then, Ford has donned his hat three more times as Indiana Jones in 1984's The Temple of Doom , 1989's The Last Crusade and 2008's legacy film The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull .
One of the most successful film franchises of all time, Indiana Jones is known for its amazing soundtracks, incredible action sequences, memorable villains, comedic one-liners and gags, and of course, Dr. Jones the Elder unravels riddles, clues and intriguing codes as he sets out in search of an ancient artifact. Many films are influenced by Indy, but few come close in terms of pure entertainment.
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
Based on a shared universe around Marvel's extensive superhero canon, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was officially introduced in 2008 with the acclaimed Iron Man film, starring Robert Downey Jr. Since then, dozens of films have been released, many of which are considered some of the greatest superhero films of all time. Despite recurring rumors of "superhero fatigue," the studio has proven it time and time again. He is responsible for the most action films of all time, including the three Avengers titles, and has also won critical acclaim that few action films (especially superhero films) have, with films such as Black Panther , Guardians of the Galaxy , Thor: Ragnarok , Avengers: Endgame and Iron Man have received very positive critical reviews.
James Bond (007)
Based on the dashing and stylish British secret agent from the imagination of author Ian Fleming in 1953, James Bond has become one of the world's most iconic action heroes. The MI6 agent who works under the code name 007 has been portrayed in 27 different films by actors Sean Connery, David Niven, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and, to date, Daniel Craig. As we patiently await the announcement of Craig's replacement, the franchise has for more than six decades provided audiences with some of the genre's most devious and memorable villains, plenty of creative yet deadly tricks, and tons of action that are definitely worth revisiting. sequences. very surprising.
