10 Movie Franchises That Need To Return To Their Roots

The Indiana Jones franchise set out with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg determined to make something "better than James Bond", resulting in the first entry in the series, Raiders Of The Lost Ark. Harking back to the action adventure serials of old, Lucas and Spielberg crafted a near perfect blockbuster, repeating it with close to the level of perfection for the following two movies.

The return to the franchise in 2008 - nearly 20 years after Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade - turned out to be something of a misfire. Despite all the elements in play, including an energetic (for his age) Harrison Ford reprising the role of the titular hero - the formula which made the originals so endearing seemed to have been watered down.

The familiar plot felt stale, the set pieces (aside from the diner fight sequence and subsequent chase) marred with heavy handed and unrealistic CGI, and the trademark moments of rough violence notable by its absence. The movie's MacGuffin of interdimensional beings was also a stretch too far for many fans of the originals, taking the balance between real world dangers and mysticism a step too far.

While some might like to see the role handed over to a younger actor capable of the more physically demanding action scenes (for example Chris Pratt, once rumoured to be considered for the role), the next entry in the franchise looks set to continue with Harrison Ford, this time without his son Mutt (played by Shia LaBeouf). If Spielberg can reign in Lucas's wilder writing excesses (thankfully we were spared his haunted house concept), and trade the cartoonish CGI action for the more effective practical effects and stunt work, the franchise might well be redeemed.