Favorite Movie Series?

[VideoGameCritic]

I would be very tempted to say Jurassic Park, because I love all those flicks, but I think my all time favorite are the Indiana Jones movies. I even liked the 4th one. The 5th will be released in 2021 and I'll be the first in line for that.

[jon]

It used to be James Bond for me but after watching Steven Seagal movies exclusively it’s hard to watch an action movie unless the main character is an incredible fighter. Now, I’ll go with the Under Seige movies as Casey Ryback, and perhaps embarrassingly his Jonathan Cold character I’m the foreigner and black dawn

[Zack Burner]

I'm going to say the Star Wars series. No other movie series has stuck with me through time like that one, though I mostly stick to the original trilogy since its staying power is phenomenal. Everything just holds up beautifully, heck I refuse to watch the special editions, just lacks the magic the originals have, and ironically, the CGI gets worse with age. My favorite of the trilogy is Return of the Jedi, since it all closes things up nicely, Luke defeating his father in a rematch plus returning him from the dark side, Leia defeats a villain and becomes gorgeous eye candy (love the Gold Metal Bikini!), the final space battle with the second death star, the poignant scene with Luke and Yoda, and the Ewoks smoking two AT-STs. I could go on and on, but that's just a statement to just how good it is even after decades!

[Voor]

Probably Indiana Jones too. They’re just so accessible
And fun and funny. Always entertaining. My parents were over for Fathers Day and I thought it appropriate to turn on a father-son movie in the background, so Last Crusade seemed like a good choice. Within minutes , everyone was into it.

Like the critic, I also thought part 4 was good. IJ movies follow their own formula (like Bond movies do, but obviously a different formula), and 4 checked all the boxes. The ending was a bit much for people, but I felt it fit the theme for wild, supernatural endings.

In Order: Last Crusade, Raiders, Crystal Skull, Temple of Doom.

Close 2nd would be BAck to the Future. The first one is my favorite movie of all time. Part 2 is my least, and part 3 is very entertaining. BTTF has such a complicated plot, you have to give them kudos for making it make sense while still being accessible and funny. An impressive feat.

While you can’t help but respect Star Wars, I’m just not a huge fan. I’ll take the Star Trek universe (though only the original series and reboot casts) anyday.

Planning to see John Wick 3 this week. I thought the first 2 was great and heard this one is the best, so I’m really excited. This series kind of surprised everyone. Intentionally shallow plot, but the action is executed so well, and Keanu is perfect for this role.

I need to watch the Mission Impossible series. I saw Fallout recently, and thought it was terrific. I remember the first one being pretty boring, but I need to see the rest.

Fun discussion!

[MSR1701]

Oh geez, this is hard...

Star Trek 1-6 and the Abrams trilogy are good, the Star Wars saga is enjoyable if you chop off the Prequel mess, and I agree the Indiana Jones series is fun (all 4 have their strong points and weaknesses, though I do find myself returning to the first one the least for some reason).

I do have to say I get a lot of enjoyment out of the Godzilla movies of the early to mid 1990s, the Heisei era sepcifically. Godzilla vs Destroyah still makes me cry at the end with that blasted musical score...

Also while not a true "series," the Man With No Name spaghetti westerns are great...

[Matchstick]

In Order: Last Crusade, Raiders, Crystal Skull, Temple of Doom.

DING DING DING! We have a winner!

Seriously, I have nothing but love for Crystal Skull. I had actually read about crystal skulls as a kid and did a book report about them when I was back in grade school, and even back then, I thought the subject matter would be perfect for Indy. My single, solitary issue with the film is one little 20-second scene near the end, where Shia LaBeouf meets up with a group of tree monkeys and starts swinging on vines with them to catch up to the rest of the action. While I could let a lot of the CG nonsense in the film slide, given it's slightly hokey premise and 50's B-movie feel, that vine-swinging segment was a bit much. Great for Pitfall, not so much for Indy!

I completely agree with your ranking, Voor. Last Crusade is part of a bevy of films from 1989 that I absolutely adore: Batman, License to Kill, Ghostbusters II, and the list goes on. That was also the year my wife was born (yep, she's a young'un) and she thinks it's cute when some of my favorite things line up with that year. Hell, that's also the year Phantasy Star II came out, so points for that, too.

I also thought Crystal Skull was vastly superior to Temple of Doom. I love Indy, and like some of the rest of us here, it is my favorite film series, but man, I almost, *almost* hate that flick. For all of the positives (Short Round, the opening bit in Shanghai, the mine cart scene, and possibly the best musical score in the entire franchise) there's plenty of negatives (Cate Capshaw's "acting," horrible, insensitive Indian stereotyping throughout). I love all things Indy, but Doom is the flick me and the little lady watch the least, and the one we have the hardest time getting through. We tend to fly through the Indy boxed set that we own a few times a year, but the last time we tried watching Doom, my wife was ready to turn it off halfway through.

On the plus side, I got the NES game for my birthday when I was younger, and even though it's not the best game, it gave me hours upon hours of entertainment as a kid. So, points for that, as well.

My "top five" franchises probably mimic a lot of others' on this site: Indy, Bond, Godzilla, Alien, and Mad Max. They all have their low points (Moonraker, Alien Resurrection, the 90's USA Godzilla, Thunderdome) but each is a series that I can come back to time and time again, and a series that I'll stop in my tracks to watch whenever they come up on TV.

Come to think of it, I think Godzilla vs. Biollante (my favorite!) was released in '89, too. Funny how that works ^_^

[Cafeman]

I liked Star Wars, and I still get excited at each new release, but it doesn't have the appeal to me it once had. Love the Indiana Jones films too but I rarely get in the mood the rewatch them. I love the Jurassic Park series, all of them including Jurassic World 1 and 2. I also very much enjoy Kung Fu Panda 1 and 2 (3 Is dumbed down, too silly, and changes the tone too much floor me). I love it's characters, action and humor, and the music. I also truly liked the darker tone of KFP 2.

But I'd have to say Bond is my pick. There are just so many awesome films over the decades. The Danel Craig films breathed new life into the Bond series for me. But I can always watch the Roger Moore films with Sheriff Pepper too.

I'll mention the Matrix in a negative way. Man, the first film nailed it. That could have been a great series. But neither sequel could live up to it.

[Voor]

Matrix Reloaded was OK and had some cool scenes (like the car chase with the twins), but Revolutions was awful. Like they had 10 minutes of actual ideas/content and the rest was just filler. Really disappointed.

Keanu’s floundered a bit since then, but got his groove back with Wick.

What’s your favorite Craig Bond? Last one i saw was Skyfall, which I really enjoyed.

[Cafeman]

What’s your favorite Craig Bond?

Skyfall has some great moments. I own all 4 on BD and like them all, but Casino Royale is easily still my favorite.

[pacman000]

Probably Star Wars. Of those I like the 1st one, A New Hope, best.