20 Great Movie Franchises That Became Unwatchable

All too often, when a sequel follows a powerful and popular film, it misses the point of what made it so special in the first place. For example, it seems as though Orion Pictures saw First Blood's success in 1982 as a consequence of Sylvester Stallone and nothing else, and so threw him back into the fray in Rambo: First Blood Part II three years later.

However, the original film had a real message brought to life through Stallone's struggling Vietnam vet, John Rambo. The sequel, against everything that First Blood stood for, sent the protagonist back to Vietnam in what was an insult to the character, and the beginning of the downfall.

The rest of the franchise, Rambo III, Rambo, and Last Blood were all scrambling to try and reignite a series that had lost its spark with no hope coming back.

If you want Stallone in a by-the-numbers popcorn action flick, the Expendables movies are right there. They know what they are, and they lean into it brilliantly. The character of John Rambo, and the original First Blood deserved much better than this.