10 Franchises That Peaked With The First Movie

Before Kingdom of the Crystal Skull came along and ruined the franchise/destroyed my childhood/proved George Lucas is evil/delete where applicable, the globe-trotting adventures of Indiana Jones were about as close to perfect as a franchise could get.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is one of the greatest blockbusters that Hollywood will ever produce, a fact that was true from the moment it hit theaters and still remains indisputable almost 40 years later. With the bar set so high, there was virtually no way the sequels would be able to top it.

Temple of Doom took things in a darker direction that proved hugely divisive among audiences and critics at the time, and while it can't come close to matching the dizzying heights of its predecessor it still manages to deliver a pulp adventure that boasts several of the franchise's most iconic moments.

The Last Crusade arguably came the closest to recapturing the inimitable magic of the original, thanks largely to the introduction of Sean Connery and the sparkling chemistry he generated with Harrison Ford as the series moved towards buddy movie territory with more comedic but no less enjoyable results, as well as concluding with what seemed like a perfect sendoff for Indy and his companions.

Enough has been written about Crystal Skull, but let's just keep it simple and say it certainly didn't restore the franchise to its former glories, yet may not be as irredeemable as some corners of the internet would have you believe, entirely depending on who you ask.