Rank The Film Series Thread

[Mitch Henessey]

Strange. I could've sworn I posted my Friday The 13th rankings in this thread somewhere, but after looking at the first few pages, I guess I was wrong. I guess I thought I did after bringing up Jason Goes To Hell during the Nightmare On Elm Street posts. Oh well.

Friday The 13th

1. Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
2. Friday The 13th (1980)
3. Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter
4. Friday The 13th Part 2 (1981)
5. Friday The 13th (2009)
6. Freddy VS Jason
7. Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
8. Friday The 13th Part III (1982)
9. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)
10. Friday The 13th: A New Beginning (1985)
11. Jason X (2002)
12. Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

First of all, this Jason box set is a great collector's item!

Spoiler

I was able to get for cheap at Best Buy a few years ago, but if you try to buy it online now, some asshole on Amazon or Ebay will try to rip you off. I already purchased Jason Lives, Part III, the original, and the remake on DVD, but I didn't own the entire set, and I'm an obsessive collector for DVDs, so I couldn't resist the cheap price.

Great box set, and each film comes with box office stats, and "did you know?" facts for each film. And of course, Jason's mask is a nice touch. I think they re-released this box set without the mask last year, and both box sets don't include Jason X, Jason Goes To Hell, or Freddy VS Jason.

Anyway, Jason Lives is the total package. Bloody gore, nasty violence, a good script, and a rock solid cast. Jennifer Cooke is just fantastic as Megan, and Jason Lives IS one of those films that surpasses the original in terms of quality. But on the flip-side, I wouldn't have any real complaints for Final Chapter taking the number one spot.

As far as Jason X and Jason Goes To Hell, I'm sorry, but I've tried over and OVER again, but I can not get into either film. Like an idiot, I asked for Jason X on DVD for a Christmas present in my mid-teens without watching it first. What a colossal mistake on my part. "Hey! This notorious serial killer is frozen in ice with a machete! Should we unfreeze him?" Ugh. Why would you even think about doing something like that? The special effects are atrocious, and you won't see Super-Terminator Jason until the very end. The 3D bullshit in Friday the 13th Part III is just annoying. Seriously, try to watch this film in regular 2D without laughing, it's almost impossible. The solo 3D DVD versions (and I'm guessing the 3D Blu-Ray versions also) include a few pairs of 3D glasses, so you can relive the experience in 3D, if you didn't see it in theaters years ago. It's not worth it, and I threw away any pairs of 3D glasses years ago.

Jason Goes To Hell is just unbearable for me. Awful, AWFUL dialogue, a shitty story, and too many stupid characters. Plus, Creighton Duke is probably one of the worst characters I've seen in any type of film. I can't remember if it was Roger Ebert or Richard Roper, but one of them dubbed Sharon Stone's Catherine Tramell as one of the worst characters in the history of cinema. Duke should be a close second for that honor.

I can understand Friday The 13th fans enjoying Jason X and Jason Goes To Hell as mindless fun horror films. In fact, most Friday The 13th fans, who enjoy X and JGTH embrace both movies as fun garbage, especially JGTH. Still, I can't enjoy them. Freddy reaching up to grab Jason's mask at the end of JGTH sets up a cool crossover film, but at the same time, it's a bittersweet ending for me, because fast forwarding to the end is the only way to skip through all the bad parts.

I'm waiting on Evil Dead 2013, but when it comes out, I'll probably put it over Army Of Darkness. The red band trailers are just fantastic, and I'm glad Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi have hands on roles for the remake.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

The banter between Willis and Jackson is just priceless. I kid you not, I've probably watched #3 twenty times or more over the years, but it still cracks me up each time. The arguments between Willis and Jackson never get old for me, and I've memorized most of their verbal duels:

John: "You don't know how to shoot a gun?"

Zeus: "Look, not all brothers know how to shoot guns, you racist motherfucker."

And Simon's warning to the psychotic chick after slashing the security guard in the vault:

"I think he's dead, my dear."

This is so true. The back and forth between Willis and Jackson is absolutely hilarious.

"Don't FUCK with me or I'll shove a lightning bolt up your ass! Zeus!"

That movie is hilarious for that reason alone. Easily Samuel L. Jackson's 2nd best character of all time for me. But as an action flick I can't rate it above one of my all time favorites in the original.

 

[niallf96]

The (C.Nolan) Batman Series

1. The Dark Knight Rises
2. The Dark Knight
3. Batman Begins

Now, I picked TDKR purely and simply because I enjoyed the story more, and personally, although Ledger's acting skills are immense, I think his performance as The Joker is slightly overrated.

 

[INDYjon22]

Alien
Aliens
Alien 3
Requiem
Resurrection
AVP

Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore these films. The original three are just as good as any trilogy, bar Back 2 The Future and the original Star Wars. Yes, they are even better then the Godfather trilogy and that is no disrespect to the first two films which are all time greats.

Alien 1-3 just told an amazing story from all aspects. We started out with horror and suspense, moved to pure action, and concluded with one of the most feminist loved characters of all time becoming a male, while still birthing an alien child. Weaver's evolution through the films is something to not be trifled with. The writing is rock solid. And the films are just very well done. Say what you will about Scott, Cameron, and Finch but they nailed it with their 3 very different yet acceptable versions of a universe we can only begin to imagine, and will hopefully gain more clarity on when Prometheus 2 is released.

 

[TLC]

The Dark Knight Trilogy

1. Batman Begins
2. The Dark Knight
3. The Dark Knight Rises

My number one choice isn't really a popular one, but for some strange reason I really enjoyed this movie. Every time I watch it, I become engrossed in the story, the acting, the action; everything in the movie clicks. It's also the only one that hasn't been overrated. The Dark Knight is a phenomenal too, with one of the best performances I've ever seen for Heath Ledger. The Dark Knight Rises is definitely the weakest chapter in it, but it's still a very strong movie. Bane was a fantastic villain but I can't get past all the plot holes and the shitty way that Nolan ended the movie.

In order of all the movies, my list would like this...

1. Batman Begins
2. The Dark Knight
3. Batman
4. The Dark Knight Rises
5. Batman Returns
6. Batman Forever
7. Batman and Robin

 

[Y 2 Jake]

1. Batman Begins
2. The Dark Knight
3. Batman Returns
4. Batman
5. The Batman Movie
6. Batman Forever
6.The Dark Knight Rises
8. Batman & Robin

Batman Begins is the best of the lot. It's the most complete film. It's from the days when Nolan dismissing villains with more than a shrug wasn't as frustrating. TDK is excellent....until the final 45 minutes. The Burton Batman films have their moments. The 66 movie is enjoyably camp.

Batman Forever worked a whole lot better 18 years ago. Batman & Robin never worked. But I find enjoyment in how awful it is.

The Dark Knight Rises takes itself so seriously that it needs to be dismissed. You have to earn the right to be taken seriously and TDKR does its best to turn into full on parody.

 

[Loveless]

OK then

1. Terminator
2. Terminator 2
3. Terminator Salvation
4. Terminator 3

I'll take the dark original over the more entertaining sequel. As for the other 2, Salvation had ideas and failed to use them properly and 3 was just a complete waste of space.

1. Empire
2. Jedi
3. New Hope
4. Sith
5. Clones
6. Menace

Menace is obviously a complete abomination, Clones was boring but at least a progression, Sith almost felt like Star Wars. I don't find New Hope terribly entertaining, it's setting things in place but it lacks the colour of what followed it.

1. Alien
2. Prometheus
3. Aliens
4. Aliens 3

Oooh controversy. I liked Prometheus, it had ideas and atmosphere and I'll always take that over the brainless entertainment of Aliens.

1. Dawn of the Dead
2. Night of the Living Dead
3. Land of the Dead
4. Day of the Dead
5. Survival of the Dead
6. Diary of the Dead

Diary is trash, as evidenced by the quality of the cast. Survival isn't much better but at least has moments of fun. Day should have been awesome but was terribly damaged by last minute budget cuts and a largely awful cast. Land is Romero via Hollywood and underrated because of it's scale and lack of claustrophobia. Night is both horrifying and hilarious and it's classic status is confirmed by the last bullet. Dawn is just outstanding.

1. The Dark Knight
2. The Dark Knight Rises
3. Batman Begins

It's Star Wars again, Begins sets the scene but lacks the colour, fun, imagination or ideas of what follows.

1. Godfather II
2. Godfather
3. Godfather III

The first film might be the most classical and stylish but II is really the payoff of the trilogy. Michaels descent, the escalation, the mirrored stories and the finale where everything has truly gone to hell.

1. Finding Nemo
2. WALL.E
3. UP
4. Toy Story 3
5. Toy Story 2
6. The Incredibles
7. Ratatouille
8. Brave
9. Monsters Inc
10. Toy Story
11. A Bugs Life
12. Cars

Cars sucks obviously and A Bugs Life is blah. I don't much care for the first Toy Story as it's before Pixar really started to look deeper into their stories. Monsters Inc is passable but lacks much development. Brave had potential but felt more like Disney butchering. Ratatouille I quite enjoyed eventually. The Incredibles is a pretty good blend of action and introspection and Toy Story 2 is much the same. Toy Story 3 is really rather good if a little slow starting and the ending is both warming and quite dark. Conversely, UP starts magnificently with Pixars probably finest moment and loses it's way. WALL.E's first half is something of a silent masterpiece but again loses it's way after the gorgeous fire-extinguisher ballet. Finding Nemo has no flaws as far as I can see, funny, imaginative, colourful with drama and heart.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Thought I'd jump in and rank a few of these series myself. Each list is from best to worst.


Star Wars
1. Return of the Jedi
2. A New Hope
3. Empire Strikes Back
4. Revenge of the Sith
5. Attack of the Clones
6. Phantom Menace

The older trilogy far outranks the newer one, although Sith isn't as bad as the other two. Phantom Menace is pretty awful. The only good thing about it was the Darth Maul fight.


Dark Knight Trilogy
1. The Dark Knight
2. The Dark Knight Rises
3. Batman Begins

I never really liked Batman Begins. The other two are amazing to say the least though.


Saw
1. Saw 3
2. Saw 1
3. Saw 7
4. Saw 4
5. Saw 5
6. Saw 6
7. Saw 2

I recently watched through all of these again. 4 through 6 weren't as good as I remembered them being a few years ago. 4 and 5 were even my favorite Saw films at one point, but opinions change over time sometimes. Saw 2 has remained my least favorite ever since it first came out, it pales in comparison to the rest of the series.


Back to the Future
1. Back to the Future
2. Back to the Future part 2
3. Back to the Future part 3

I always liked the first one the best but I'll never get tired of any of these films.


Indiana Jones
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Last Crusade
3. Temple of Doom
4. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Raiders is the best by a large margin for me and Crystal Skull is the worst by an even larger margin. That was one of those movies you'd like to pretend never happened and one of the very few times I'd consider trying to get my money back from Spielberg the way Stan and Kenny did with Mel Gibson in South Park when they disliked The Passion. That's how bad it was.

 

[#tamale]

Saw

Halloween (including remakes)

1. Halloween (1978)
2. Halloween 2 (1981)
3. Halloween (2007-theatrical version)
4. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
5. Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers
6. Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers
7. Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch
8. Halloween 6/The Curse Of Michael Myers
9. Halloween 2 (2009 theatrical & unrated version)
10. Halloween Resurrection

The original is a no-brainer as the #1 choice, and I've never understood the lukewarm reception for the original sequel. I still adore Rob Zombie's 2007 remake, but the uncut version features a very unnecessary and pointless rape scene.

I think it has to do with the fact that Carpenter messed with Rosenthal's film. I'm not saying Rosenthal is a genius (he directed Resurrection) but his film was thriller/suspense with more of the film geared to Loomis and the police looking for Michael Myers and investigating who he is. It was not really that gory or bloody (I think I read that it only had 1 or 2 more kills than the original).

Carpenter watched it and wanted to have more death sequences so in post-production he directed a few more kills. The problem was that he did that and placed them throughout the film and disrupted the flow of the original; so the film doesn't know what it wants to be. Instead of combining elements of suspense/horror, it feels like "ok this part is horror" and "ok this part is suspense" so the end result was an unbalanced film.

Halloween (including remakes)

1. Halloween (1978)
2. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1981)
3. Halloween 3: Season of the Witch
4. Halloween II
5. Halloween (2007)
6. Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers
7. Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers
8. Halloween 6/The Curse Of Michael Myers
9. Halloween 2 (2009 theatrical & unrated version)
10. Halloween Resurrection

Obviously, the original Halloween is a classic. Funny story, I was about 8 years old and had finished trick or treating. Went back home, watch Friday the 13th part VIII on USA and they were advertising that for the first time ever on cable TV (not sure if that was true), they were going to show Halloween. So me, I stay up, watch it, long story short, I couldn't sleep right for about 3 weeks.

I feel H20 is really underrated. Good pacing, good story, and a hell of an ending. That's where the story should have ended.

I think I'm the only one who really loves Season of the Witch. The story is so cool and original. It's actually kind of scary and the ending is awesome.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Yeah, I understand where you're coming from, and Rosenthal has the right to be pissed off. I love the original Halloween II, but it has that "two movies in one" feeling, and the lack of Jamie Lee Curtis slightly irritates me. On the Halloween II 30th Anniversary Collector's Edition Blu-Ray (oddly enough, it's the only Blu-Ray disc I own, and that's because of my new PS3), Rosenthal is on the Blu-Ray commentary, and he doesn't hold anything back. Rosenthal's play-by-play style of commentary is just fantastic, and I hardly ever watch the film without it. Also, the Blu-Ray has a GREAT and informative documentary for Halloween II in the special features section.

And I agree about H2O. Excellent slasher film, and the cast is rock solid (Josh Hartnett AND Michelle Williams. Although, it sucks Joesph-Gordon Levitt had to die so soon). Like all the other the post original Halloween films, H2O gets a bad rap, because it's grouped in with all of "the other shitty sequels" so to speak.

Underworld

1. Underworld: Awakening
2. Underworld: Evolution
3. Underworld: Rise Of The Lycans
4. Underworld

Awakening is the most thrilling and action packed film in the franchise. It's an easy pick for me, because the Underworld films are just stylish popcorn flicks, and Awakening is the shining example of how to do it right. And Eve (Selene and Michael's daughter) was one of the more interesting new characters. I don't care for the original. It bores me to tears, and I STRUGGLE to get through it every time, especially the extended version. Also, Shane Brolly's Kraven is the most uninteresting antagonist in the entire series.

I'll get to Batman soon enough, but I haven't seen the campy 60's film in a few years, and I need to watch Forever again. Funny enough, IFC is running a nightly Batman marathon this month. They're showing Batman ('89), Returns, Forever, and Batman & Robin. I can't get enough of Batman and Returns. Forever just gets worse and worse as time goes on. I'll start watching 15 to 20 minutes of Batman & Robin, then I remember the obscene amounts of awfulness, and change the channel to something else.

 

[Kashagi]

As for Die Hard:

Die Hard
Die Hard 2
Live Free or Die Hard
Die Hard with a Vengeance: I just saw this one again and for some reason it did not really resonate. But I am wary of putting the one with the Apple Guy above it.

I have it..

Die Hard Series

Die Hard
Die Hard with a Vengeance
Live Free
Die Hard 2
New one... Which I turned off about 40 minutes into.

How about..

Rocky Series

Rocky
Rocky Balboa
Rocky II
Rocky IV
Rocky III
Rocky V


Balboa has always been my second favourite of the lot, partly because it is the only one I got to see in cinema, but mainly because to me it was the perfect send off for the character. It was a pleasure to spend a bit more time seeing what such a loveable character was up to, as well as giving him one more time to shine before saying farewell.



How do you guys have the Hitchcock big 4?

For me it goes.

Vertigo
Rear Window
North by Northwest
Psycho

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Rocky

1. Rocky III
2. Rocky (1976)
3. Rocky IV
4. Rocky II
5. Rocky V
6. Rocky Balboa

First of all, Rocky III features my favorite training montage in the Rocky franchise, Adrian's speech is my overall favorite moment, and Mr. T calling out Rocky is my second favorite moment.

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Rocky was humbled in Rocky III. He developed a pompous ego, but the ass whipping from Clubber Lang gave him the necessary wake up call. Mickey's death is one of the more important moments in this franchise, and Hogan VS Rocky is always good for a few laughs. Clubber was Rocky's first real insurmountable challenge, and Rocky shows some real vulnerability after admitting his fears of fighting Lang to Adrian. Mr. T was the perfect fit for Clubber, and Part III features my favorite fight. I never get tired of seeing Rock dare Mr. T for more punishment at the end, and Carl Weathers cheerleader act is just hilarious.

And being a terrible film isn't the reason for Rocky Balboa's dead last spot. I really enjoyed it, but I can't rank it over the originals.

 

[Mr. HD]

Rocky:

Rocky III
Rocky II
Rocky
Rocky IV
Rocky V
Rocky Balboa


This is probably my favorite movie series of all time. Only reason I put Rocky II above Rocky is because if I remember correctly, the fight never finished. It was just to see if Rocky could hang with Apollo Creed. In Rocky II at the end, I remember yelling at the TV for Rocky to get up when the ref was at his 7, or 8 count. Great piece of film. But Rocky 3 tops all. Like John Connor said, Rocky was humbled in 3 because he pretty much forgot where he came from. When he finally got his head together, he clobbered him in the end fight. Plus there was an appearance by Hulk Hogan aka Thunderlips




Scream:

Scream
Scream 4
Scream 2
Scream 3

Another one of my faves. The Scream movies are pretty damn good. Nothing will beat the original. Redefined the teen slasher, great characters, and a great twist ending. Scream 4 revisited the roots of the first Scream and had great new characters opposed to Neve, David, and Courtney and the introduction of new characters. I feel like the ending was miscast. I feel Hayden Panatiere would've been a better psycho than Emma Roberts.

Scream 2 was a solid sequel. I believe it was Billy's mother that sought revenge with an accomplice on the inside. And the death of Randy

Scream 3 was horrible. No words.



Batman:

The Dark Knight
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight Rises
Batman
Batman Forver
Batman & Robin

I'm probably the only person that's probably gonna put Begins over Rises.

If not for The Joker, I would have Batman Begins at the top of this list. IMO, The Batman Begins origin story was phenomenal. They spared no expense showing Bruce as a kid, troubled teen, and how he transitioned from a prisoner into Batman. Great story. Liam Neeson was brilliant as Ra's and people underrate the Scarecrow performance. I enjoyed it very much. Cillian Murphy did a sensational job. And, I'm probably the only one that liked Katie Holmes in this.

The Dark Knight Rises was amazing. I'll say it right off the bat. Bane was a badass of the highest order. He kept Gotham under his rule for about 5 months. But the movie overall seemed to lull at times. There were some things I would've left out that would've made this movie shorter. I personally think they did too much. It was balanced. It wasn't bad, but not good. Great movie, but could've been shorter.

I was not bored during Batman Begins or The Dark Knight. There were a few scenes that took up too much time in The Dark Knight Rises.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Scream:

Scream
Scream 4
Scream 2
Scream 3

Another one of my faves. The Scream movies are pretty damn good. Nothing will beat the original. Redefined the teen slasher, great characters, and a great twist ending. Scream 4 revisited the roots of the first Scream and had great new characters opposed to Neve, David, and Courtney and the introduction of new characters. I feel like the ending was miscast. I feel Hayden Panatiere would've been a better psycho than Emma Roberts.

Scream 2 was a solid sequel. I believe it was Billy's mother that sought revenge with an accomplice on the inside. And the death of Randy

Scream 3 was horrible. No words.

I agree here. The original is a right choice for the top spot, but I was tempted to put Scream 4 at #1. Scream 4 was the perfect resurrection film for the Scream franchise, and Scream 4 was a TREMENDOUS upgrade over Scream 3. The "movie within a movie" stuff really felt tired and worn out in Part 3, and I HATED the ending. Part 2 wasn't bad, and Scream 2 probably features the best opening in the entire franchise. Although, it's kind of bittersweet for me, because you have to wonder how things would've played out if Jada Pinkett's character survived.

I want a Scream 5, but I don't think it's going to happen. Too many delays, mix ups, and Craven probably won't return as director. And I remember the plans to develop a Scream TV series, but David Arquette refused to participate. Plus, Kevin Williamson has backed away from Scream 5, and a Scream film isn't the same without him writing the screenplay (if you need anymore proof, just watch Scream 3).

EDIT: While I'm here, I might as well post my Paranormal Activity rankings:

Paranormal Activity

1. Paranormal Activity 2
2. Paranormal Activity 3
3. Paranormal Activity
4. Paranormal Activity 4

The original is God awful, and I still can't understand the praises for the "one that started it all", but Part 4 sinks to new lows for the PA franchise. Part 2 is the only PA film I can watch more than once, so it'll receive my #1 pick. But it's not a #1 pick for being a high quality film. No, if anything, it's a default choice for me. The PA franchise is running out of steam, and hopefully Paranormal Activity 5 will wrap everything up. But I doubt it, because they still have A LOT of plot holes to fill.

 

[Mr. HD]

EDIT: While I'm here, I might as well post my Paranormal Activity rankings:

Paranormal Activity

1. Paranormal Activity 2
2. Paranormal Activity 3
3. Paranormal Activity
4. Paranormal Activity 4

The original is God awful, and I still can't understand the praises for the "one that started it all", but Part 4 sinks to new lows for the PA franchise. Part 2 is the only PA film I can watch more than once, so it'll receive my #1 pick. But it's not a #1 pick for being a high quality film. No, if anything, it's a default choice for me. The PA franchise is running out of steam, and hopefully Paranormal Activity 5 will wrap everything up. But I doubt it, because they still have A LOT of plot holes to fill.

Damn, I totally forgot about these movies. I agree here except for the top 2. Paranormal 3 actually legit made me jump a few times. Last movie to do that to me was The Strangers.


This is a pretty fun thread. I'm gonna do the X-Men Film Series rankings now.

X-Men:

X2: X-Men United
X-Men First Class
X-Men
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men 3: The Last Stand

It was tough to decide between X2 and First Class because both movies were so phenomenal. But I went with X2 for a few reasons: The awesome first scene with Nightcrawler, the introduction of Pyro, Striker's men breaking into the Professor's school, Cyclops only good fight scene in the whole trilogy, Magneto breaking out of prison, the end scene with the Phoenix and the great part where all the X-Men stood before The President and Charles said, "We'll be watching." Bone chilling. Great sequel and superior to the original IMO.

It's a shame FOX couldn't wait until Bryan Singer finished Superman Returns to do X-Men 3. The idea he had was way better than how 3 actually turned out. IMO, 3 was a disgrace. Except for a few solid fight scenes, where do they get off putting the Cure and Phoenix storyline all in one movie? Talk about cluttering up the entire movie. Stories that big need separate movies. It felt so unbalanced with too many variables to keep track of. Not to mention killing off Cyclops in the first 10 minutes, and killing off Professor X even though he's technically "alive" in the secret ending after the credits. I was specifically mad about Cyclops. The guy is the LEADER of the X-men and his only highlight in the whole trilogy was fighting some thug and Lady Deathstrike in X-Men 2. He deserved better.

I put Origins over 3 because Gambit is the man

First Class was amazing, can't wait for the sequel. And while X-Men was good, I feel like they could've done more with it.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

1. X-Men 2
2. X-Men: First Class
3. X-Men
4. X-Men: The Last Stand
5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

X2 is still the best superhero sequel ever made, closely followed by Spider-Man 2. It does what a sequel should do, what seems like the simplest thing, it takes the original and improves absoluetly every single aspect. The same should happen with Days Of Future Past & The Wolverine.

Though it shouldn't be difficult with The Wolverine. Origins was a terrible film. The Last Stand isn't great either but at least it isn't boring. How the actual fuck do you manage to make a boring Wolverine film?

 

[TLC]

1. X-Men: First Class
2. X-Men 2
3. X-Men
4. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
5. X-Men: The Last Stand

Both First Class and X-Men 2 are phenomenal. If you ask me tomorrow they will probably switch. First Class had one of the best casts I can remember especially since I'm a huge fan of both Fassbender and McAvoy. X2 was about X2 better than the original, featuring an interesting story and some fantastic fight scenes.

I only put Origins over Last Stand due to Gambit being in it. Both were pretty shitty though. Hopefully the new Wolverine movie can improve on it.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Paranormal Activity

1. Paranormal Activity 2
2. Paranormal Activity 3
3. Paranormal Activity
4. Paranormal Activity 4

The original is God awful, and I still can't understand the praises for the "one that started it all", but Part 4 sinks to new lows for the PA franchise. Part 2 is the only PA film I can watch more than once, so it'll receive my #1 pick. But it's not a #1 pick for being a high quality film. No, if anything, it's a default choice for me. The PA franchise is running out of steam, and hopefully Paranormal Activity 5 will wrap everything up. But I doubt it, because they still have A LOT of plot holes to fill.

For me it is as follows:

Paranormal Activity
1. Paranormal Activity 2
2. Paranormal Activity 1
3. Paranormal Activity 3
4. Paranormal Activity 4

I liked the first one. While it wasn't as good as the second it set the pace for the rest of the series and had its fair share of good moments. I've seen both the first two many times now. I'd watch the 3rd again although I'm in no hurry to. The 4th was just.... bad, for lack of a better description. You're absolutely right about the plot holes. Paranormal is right about where Saw was halfway through its series, in terms of the plot holes. Enough is left unanswered after each film to warrant another release the following year. As long as they keep making money I can see there being plenty more Paranormal films.... Hopefully the 4th remains at the bottom, they can do MUCH better than that and it was a disappointment.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

Love this thread, and glad some one came up with this. Alright here's mine.

Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
The Amazing Spider-Man
Spider-Man 3

I really enjoyed the series, I loved S2 the best, it set the right tone and did everything perfectly with the Peter Parker character. I would have prefered something closer to the original comic storyline but they did a great job. The first one was a good start, the third was a piece of crap, and the Venom Storyline was horribly done. That was a crime.
The newest one was okay, but I liked the original series, a little more.


The Matrix

The Matrix
The Matrix Reloaded
The Matrix Revolutions

I really loved this film. It's almost a crime to make this film a three part series, as if they left it a one flick deal, people would have been satisfied but I have to admit, I didn't think the series was as bad as people said it was. The final two films aren't on the same level as the first, very few come close to the original but the second one had some great effects, and the third tied up the loose ends. First was groundbreaking and remarkable, second was good, third was okay

 

[Mitch Henessey]

X-Men

1. X-Men X2: X-Men United
2. X-Men: First Class
3. X-Men
4. X-men X3: The Last Stand
5. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

X2 is just phenomenal from start to finish, and HD already pointed it out, but X3 tried too hard to cram too many sub-plots into one film. I don't follow the comics, but X3 just felt like a massive clusterfuck. Origins was dogshit, and it failed on every level imaginable.

Spider-Man

1. Spider-Man 2
2. Spider-man
3. The Amazing Spider-Man
4. Spider-Man 3

I know I'm probably in the minority, but I enjoyed Andrew Garfield's Spider-Man/Peter Parker more than Tobey Maguire's portrayals. I still hate Spider-Man 3. An overload of sub-plots and super villains was bad enough, and again, I'm not a comic book expert by any means, but Topher Grace's whiny weasel act as Eddie Brock annoys the shit out of me. From what I remember in The Amazing Spider-Man cartoons as a kid, Eddie Brock was a mean asshole.

The Matrix

1. The Matrix
2. The Matrix: Reloaded
3. The Matrix: Revolutions

I'm tempted to put Reloaded at the top, but that's not the right choice. The Matrix was a groundbreaking film, but Revolutions was the biggest disappointing finale I've seen for any major franchise, especially when you consider the financial success and critical acclaim for the first film. I still roll my eyes at the tired and overused "final showdown" between Neo and Smith, and Revolutions is the worst example of a "let's just make as much money as we possibly can" sequel.

 

[Mr. HD]

Spider-Man:

Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man
Spider-Man 3

I still believe that to this day, Spider-Man 2 is one of the greatest Super Hero movies ever made. The struggle of Peter Parker, losing Mary Jane, losing Harry as a best friend, trying to balance his actual life with being Spider-Man, and the sensational job Alfred Molina did as Doctor Octopus sealed it for me. Great character development, and action scenes like the train fight scene, and the perfect scene with Peter telling Aunt May the truth about Uncle Ben. There was silence, perfect mood lighting and great acting on both parts. Altogether, I don't think there was a thing wrong with that movie. Perfect from start to finish.

To be quite honest, I prefer the nerd and outcast Peter Parker turned Spider-Man rather than the hipster, skate board carrying cool guy turned Spider-Man. It's such a great story seeing the nerd Parker was in the beginning turn into a kickass superhero. From having to chase the bus and not getting the girl of his dreams to becoming a great Hero. That's a story I can get behind. The hipster Parker seemed just fine to me. The only crack in his life is that he lost Uncle Ben, and that one fight with the bully, but he didn't need to get involved in that. Also, Gwen Stacy was already giving him the looks before he became Spider-Man. There was no hurdle to jump over. In fact he was still the same guy even after he became Spider-Man.

I'll stop there. I didn't mean to go into that great of detail. But that's just me. I still love The Amazing Spider-Man though. It was a really well done film. Can't wait for the sequel.

Spider-Man 3, like X3, was a disgrace. There was a HUGE miscast. The guy who played Sandman should've played Eddie Brock/Venom. It boggles the mind why they got little Topher Grace to play the part of Venom. To top it all off, Venom didn't even look that good. He's supposed to be a MONSTER. He was barely that. That HUGE guy would've done Eddie Brock/Venom justice. It was a shame how they treated THE villain in the Spider-Man universe.

I didn't even see the need for Sandman. If they wanted a side villain story that badly, they should've just kept Harry as the Goblin and call it a day. Too many villains and too much nonsense led to a horrible third movie after two great movies. I hope the reboot takes notes when it starts work on the third movie.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Fast & The Furious

1. Fast Five (2011)
2. The Fast & The Furious (2001)
3. Fast & Furious (2009)
4. The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
5. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

I never saw the appeal of The Fast & The Furious franchise at first. Maybe it's because I hate cars. I mean, I really hate cars. I hate paying for repairs, and getting an oil change irritates me. But one of my cousins is a car junkie, so he lent me the first three films on DVD, and they eventually grew on me.

Usually, I enjoy brainless action blockbusters, who proudly embrace their status as a popcorn flick. But Michael Bay takes everything too far 99% of the time. Fast Five is over the top and thrilling, featuring the best stunts in the franchise. And The Rock was the ideal adversary for Vin Diesel's Dominic. Tokyo Drift ran its one gimmick during the races into the ground too early, and Lucas Black is terrible in the leading role (also, Bow Wow is annoying as shit). A while ago, I think I did a best chases thread, and 2 Fast 2 Furious was one of my picks. But I only enjoy that one chase scene, the rest of the movie is garbage.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

Here's some more:

The Batman films

1. The Dark Knight
2. Batman Begins
3. Batman
4. Batman Returns
5. The Dark Knight Rises
6. Batman Forever
7. Batman & Robin

Not as good as the comics, but films trying to get kids attention rarely are, but the series of films have done well. I liked a number of the films but the Dark Knight was remarkable and is my favourite. Heath Ledger (RIP) stole the whole show. Batman Begins was good, Rises was okay, but it followed The Dark Knight which is a tough act to follow. I wasn't a huge fan of Michael Keaton as Batman, initially, but he did a phenomenal job, with his take on Batman, The film series fell apart after he left the series, I didn't really like Clooney or Kilmer or the scripts they had and the Batgirl thing was a toatl bust.

The Transformers

Transformers
Transformers Rise of the Fallen
Transformers Dark Side of the Moon

I was lukewarm to this series. I was a huge fan of the so-called G1 cartoon series and always wished they would do a film surrounding this series but I have to admit I found the film series so disappointing, the action was at times so difficult to process or see clearly and the it was like overkill in some areas. The second one had so many cliches in it and those two small robots annoyed the hell out of me. Third one was just okay.
Problems:
1) too much focus on the humans,
2) Humans weren't very interesting
3) Dialogue and storyline wasn't great
4) Action was poorly thought out or done, things looked blurry or out of shot, it was just weird.
5) Megan Fox wasn't in the third one, and she's no Meryl Streep, but the woman who replaced her wasn't great either. Can't blame them for canning her, (she should have kept her mouth shut) but her out of the series really didn't help the film any.

Star Wars

1. Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
3. Revenge of the Sith
4. Return of the Jedi
5. Attack of the Clones
6. Phantom Menace

The older trilogy as a whole surpasses the new one, by far. I absolutely loved the Star Wars films from the original trilogy, Empire Strikes Back is my favourite, the revelations that come out from it and the action makes it great for me. The prequel was a let down. Hayden Christensen did a poor job as a lead, but the dialogue was garbage, I mean come on write something that actually excites George. The other problem is Anakin's fall to the darkside is so poorly thought out. He loves a woman so to protect her he becomes a killer of everybody and betrays his teacher and his oath ? I wasn't really convinced of that, I needed more of a reason, personally. I may not be explaining myself very well, but his fall seemed so weird and poorly done.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Lord of the Rings:

Return of the King: Easily my favorite of the three. It had a good mix of everything in this film and the culmination is very exciting. The only thing I didn't like about this movie was the 14 different times it should've ended before it finally did. I do give it a pass though because they wanted to stay true to the book.

The Fellowship of the Ring: A very good beginning to a great trilogy. Had a good start and introduced the characters well. And the end was a great cliffhanger that I didn't see coming simply because I was so into the movie. I was actually quite upset when it ended.

The Two Towers: Just such a slow movie. I saw it in the theater with my brother and he fell asleep. I understand it's necessity, and Golam's story and character are developed amazingly here, but it just felt so damn long.

Though it's not part of the trilogy, if I had to throw The Hobbit in here, I'd put it right after Fellowship. It started out really slowly but did get really good. I like the characters, but they could've cut 30 minutes out and it still would've been fine. Better even. And don't get me started on the eagles...

 

[Uncle Sam]

Fast & The Furious

1. Fast Five (2011)
2. The Fast & The Furious (2001)
3. Fast & Furious (2009)
4. The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
5. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

You absolutely cretin! Fast and Furious was going to my one! Everyone was going to lift me up on their shoulders and crown me the Philosopher King. Oh well, it'll happen eventually.

Worse yet, you've put them in exactly the right order. The Fast & The Furious is like the first Rocky in as much as you go back to it after watching the sequels and go, "Holy shit, this film franchise actually took itself seriously once." Of course, the Fast franchise almost immediately fell into the abyss of ridiculousness, and boredom, that was 2 Fast 2 Furious - though it did give us "WE HONGRY!" so that's something. Tokyo Drift is also tripe, but enjoyable tripe, and somehow every Fast film turned into a prequel for it. Was it really necessary to have Han be "like family"? Like fuck. Fast and Furious was an attempt to get the series back to its roots, which sort of worked, and then Fast Five derailed it back into absurdity, which really worked. Fast Five is like Rocky IV - it's not winning any Oscars, but it's deliriously enjoyable.