10 Movie Franchises With No Bad Sequels

5. The Matrix

Got to hold my hands up here - I was wrong about The Matrix sequels. For the longest time, I was one of those guys that was like, "the CGI is bad!" "The romance is boring!" "The only good bit is the highway chase!" Bad, bad takes from a man who had clearly lost his way.

Thankfully, before seeing The Matrix Resurrections in 2021, I decided to go ahead and revisit the entire series start to finish. The original Matrix is still the Wachowskis' magnum opus - one of the finest action films ever produced and one that also reset the genre landscape. But The Matrix Reloaded and, to a lesser extent, The Matrix Revolutions, are still worthy, artfully crafted follow-ups replete with great set-pieces, Carrie-Ann Moss on a motorcycle, and lots of Hugo Weaving stealing every scene he is in.

The Matrix Resurrections is my favourite sequel in the series, however. Helmed by Lana Wachowski alone this time, Resurrections reiterates what the story means to Wachowski and how ultimately that's all that really matters. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss are magnetic once again, and while the lack of Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving is noticeable, new additions Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jessica Henwick and Jonathan Goff are all worthy replacements.

Give it another 10 years, and everyone will be kicking themselves for not appreciating this masterpiece the same way they did the first sequels from the early 2000s.