10 Once-Great Movie Franchises That Just Need To Die

How many people would have guessed back in 1988 that the action (and not Christmas) film, Die Hard starring Bruce Willis, would go on to spawn four sequels? The first two, Die Hard II and Die Hard: With a Vengeance were actually fairly well received and hold up as decent action thrillers in which Bruce Willis continues to have fun with his character.

However the fourth instalment which dragged John McClane into the 21st Century, lost a hold on reality as the simple idea of a lone police officer became ridiculous action set-pieces.

The final nail in the coffin of Die Hard's credibility was A Good Day to Die Hard, the latest and fifth instalment of the franchise. The film was completely panned by critics, particularly for its simple-minded plot and bastardisation of a once beloved character. Fingers were pointed at Willis for phoning in his performance. The film even ran with the extremely embarrassing tagline, 'Yippee ki-yay mother Russia'.

As for the future of this action franchise, the latest rumours are that a prequel film is on the way, starring a de-aged Willis. Originally titled Die Hard: Year One (no, seriously), but later renamed to simply, McClane. Who asked for this? Who on Earth wants this?