1. The Adventures Of Buckaroo Banzai Against The World Crime League (1984)
Pretty much the single most under-appreciated film in history, and what makes it worse is that it not only is it ripe for a franchise, we were even promised
a sequel in the closing credits! When Buckaroo Banzai (as it's commonly abbreviated) was released in 1984, it got astonishingly good reviews, but failed pretty badly at the box office, taking in barely a third of its budget. The story follows Buckaroo Banzai (a neurosurgeon, particle physicist, race car driver, rock star, and comic book hero) who must fight against a small army of aliens from another dimension called Red Lectroids. Fortunately, he has the aid of his rock band - The Hong Kong Cavaliers - and a Black Lectroid, a good alien from the same dimension as the evil Red Lectroids. See why I said it got surprisingly good reviews? But the franchise it could spawn... wow! For starters, what's the 4th-7th dimensions like? What about The World Crime League that the never-made sequel promised? What about space travel for Buckaroo and his Hong Kong Cavaliers? The possibilities are nearly endless!
Any other underappreciated movies that should have become full-fledged franchises? Sound off in the comments below.