10 Film Franchises You Really Should Stop Watching After The 2nd Movie

Okay, admittedly these movies aren’t exactly the first entries into this decades long franchise, but each trilogy can be viewed in isolation, away from every other movie in the series.

The sequel trilogy has been oddly controversial since the release of The Force Awakens in 2015, with many fans believing Disney deviated too far from what made the original movies great in the first place.

Despite this, The Force Awakens was met with positive reviews on release, with many seeing it as a fresh start for the franchise, even if it was derivative of A New Hope.

The Last Jedi was met with even more warmth from critics, as it set course for the series to go in new directions. Rian Johnson took some bold decisions with the movie, taking the narrative to unexpected and exciting places. It also provided some thematic depth for the franchise, exploring themes that are both resonant and poignant.

Many weren’t fans of this new direction, and it seems that Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams was one of them, with his follow up, Rise of Skywalker, departing from most of what Johnson set up.

Rise of Skywalker decided to play it extremely safe, even if that meant defying narrative logic to bring fan favourite characters back. The final product is one that feels cobbled together in an attempt to appease fans.

One can’t help but think a new and exciting direction for Star Wars was abandoned in the name of fan service and familiarity.