10 Movie Franchises That Should Have Stopped At One Film

3. Predator

Liam Neeson Taken 2
Fox

Arnie's second entry on this list, but no blame can be attached to him with regard to the quality of the sequels, as this is his only appearance in the franchise. For hard-core Arnold fans, Predator is arguably Schwarzenegger's most popular movie. The Predator itself is a fantastically realised creation, embodying a ruthless, violent thirst for hunting down its prey. Only Arnie could be convincing as a human worthy of the challenge.

Everything that was great about the first movie was absent from the sequels, and the variant spin-offs. This is primarily the absence of Arnie himself, but also the strong cast that was assembled for the first movie, all memorable in their own way with their own great lines. Carl Weathers, known to most as Apollo Creed from Rocky, is a great foil for Arnold and he gets his own iconic moment as the Predator blasts his arm off.

This was a movie that could have worked as a franchise if Arnie had been involved, and with much stronger scripts and production values. The character of the Predator is understandably iconic in its own right and there is some fun to be had in the Predator v Alien match-ups, but it is, as usual, a case of ever diminishing returns.

Contributor

Lifelong music obsessive, regular contributor to US guitar magazines, sometime radio presenter, singer/guitarist in Star Studded Sham, true believer in the power of rock'n'roll and an amp turned up to 11, about to publish first novel, The Bulletproof Truth.