The best movies to watch that were the 4th entry in their franchises

It’s hard for any long-running franchises to stay consistent. Are there any good sequels? Although rare, they are possible. Threequels? Even rarer, but still possible. The fourth film in a series? Most don’t make it that far, and many that do are by that point unrecognizable from the original.

The fourth Thor (Thourth?) is now in theaters. The fourth Thor (Thourth?) movie is now in theatres. Read our review. Now is the perfect time to look back at some rare examples of franchise successes. These are the top ten best home-viewable franchise series: late reboots, early franchises, and long-running genre shows.

Mad Max Fury Road

Warner Bros. Pictures

It’s incredible that Mad Max Fury RoadExists at all. This third installment in a series that was almost forgotten, was filmed over 138 days in the Namibian desert. It premiered nearly 30 years after its predecessor. Mad Max Fury Road defied the odds in every way, securing its place as not only one of the best films in George Miller’s oeuvre, but as one of the most celebrated action movies of the 2010s. While Tom Hardy is a great actor playing the role of Max Rockatansky the road warrior, the true star of the movie is Charlize theron’s Imperator Furiosa who proves to be a formidable opponent. Even without the intense set-pieces and massive vehicle chase scenes, the sheer spectacle of this film is mind-blowing. Steven Soderbergh put it best: “I don’t understand how they’re not still shooting that film and I don’t understand how hundreds of people aren’t dead.” —Toussaint Egan

Mad Max Fury Road It is streaming on HBO Max.

Land of the Dead

Universal Pictures

George A. Romero’s earlier zombie movies like Night of the Living Dead And Dawn of the Dead are what the horror master is known best for, but 2005’s Land of the Dead It is one of the most underrated entries to the franchise. The story takes place in post-zombie-apocalypse Pittsburgh, ruled by Dennis Hopper. Pittsburgh’s wealthiest residents live in an apartment complex, leaving everyone else living within its walls to live in poverty. As in many Romero movies, Land of the Dead Effectively grapples with difficult themes. —Pete Volk

Land of the DeadTubi offers free access to the video, as well as ad-free viewing.

Mothra vs. Godzilla

Image from The Criterion Collection

The fourth film in the Godzilla series (and second in the Mothra movie), this movie is among the most memorable of all the Showa-era films. This is also the last to portray Godzilla as the villain. Director: Godzilla And Mothra This is the outstanding entry in a remarkable series of kaiju movie entries, directed by Ishirohonda. The film features an excellent score and strong themes that focus on corporate greed and nuclear tests. And of course the iconic battles of two of the most terrifying movies ever made. Anyone even slightly interested in kaiju is sure to be satisfied with the 88 minute run-time. —PV

Mothra vs. Godzilla It is also available on HBO Max, The Criterion Channel and FuboTV. You may also watch the show for free on Tubi or Pluto TV with Plex ads, Crackle and The Roku Channel.

4. Scream

Image by Dimension Films

The Scream series has a ridiculously high batting average, so it’s no surprise that its fourth entry is great. The meta-slash series is brought into modern times with the plot centering on the rise of social media as an avenue for youth to gain fame. It’s one of the best movies of 2011, and it has been voted the #1 movie of 2011. Of course, along with its surprisingly accurate predictions about what growing up online can do to a person, it’s also a funny murder mystery and slasher, complete with a cast that includes Scream regulars like Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox, alongside newcomers like Emma Roberts, Alison Brie, and Hayden Panettiere. —Austen Goslin

4. Scream Paramount Plus, Starz and Prime Video are both available.

The Bride of Chucky

Universal Pictures

Two dolls set out on a road trip to murder with unwitting teens. They blame one another when bodies begin dropping.

The first three movies of the Child’s Play series follow a young boy named Andy. No matter where he goes — be it to a foster home, a military school, whatever — he is followed by the murderous Chucky doll, which is possessed by the soul of the dead serial killer Charles Lee Ray.

First movie. Child’s PlayThe fourth is an excellent black comedy. The Bride of ChuckyThe series is now heading in an entirely new direction. Andy is completely gone — he doesn’t make an appearance and is not mentioned once. The dolls are the main focus: Chucky, Tiffany. Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) revives Chucky and, after a bloody argument, Chucky makes her into a doll.

Two dolls, including a young Katherine Heigl, go on a sadistic roadtrip with two teenagers. It is a funny and murderous adventure. The delightfully bizarre duo of Tilly (returning to voice Chucky) make for a hilarious and entertaining time. —PV

The Bride of Chucky Tubi has a variety of ads that you can watch.

The Bourne Legacy

Universal Pictures

Jeremy Renner’s Bourne movie always gets unfairly overlooked in discussions of the series, but it’s actually a worthy follow-up to the initial trilogy. Renner plays a man named Aaron Cross, a U.S. government agent who watches from inside as Jason Bourne’s amnesiac rampage brings to light an entire government conspiracy. These Bourne films are action movies that have a side-show of shady government conspiracies. Bourne LegacyIt puts this latter part front and centre and is one of most outstanding spy thrillers ever released. —AG

The Bourne Legacy You can watch it on Peacock.

The Muppet Christmas Carol

Image: Walt Disney Home Entertainment

The fourth Muppet movie, Christmas Carol excels because it is as close as we get to the “replace all actors but one with Muppets” Twitter prompt that goes around once a year. Michael Caine plays Ebenezer with the sincerity, intensity, and professionalism of a Shakespearean production. It’s the deft balance of his heartfelt, serious performance with the usual raucous Muppet shenanigans that makes this one of the best Muppet movies (or Christmas Carol movies) ever made. —PV

The Muppet Christmas CarolYou can watch it on Disney Plus.

Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace

Image by 20th Century Fox

The Phantom MenaceEach day is better. Star Wars’ fourth movie is singularly ambitious and a landmark of movie world-building. The After The Return of the Jedi, it would have been easy to return to that movie’s sickly sweet sentimentality, safe action, tiny, insular world, and bland characters time and time again, just like Disney has for almost a decade now. Lucas instead created the star wars space opera of his dreams and a blueprint for blockbuster action, excitement and entertainment, without ever having to speak a word. Empire Strikes BackStar Wars: The Best Movie, But Star Wars Fans in 2022 Want to Love Star Wars More Than Anything. The Phantom Menace. —AG

Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace You can watch it on Disney Plus.

Boyka: Undisputed

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Image

The Undisputed series of action movies is one of most popular of all time. However, it’s often overlooked because so many of them were made directly to video. The franchise started with Walter Hill’s 2002 prison boxing drama It is undisputedVing Rhames stars in “The Spectacular”, starring Wesley Snipes. Direct-to-video expert Isaac Florentine assumed control of the franchise in 2006 and shifted the emphasis to mixed martial arts. Michael Jai White was chosen to play the antagonist Yuri Boyka (played here by Scott Adkins), but it turned out that Boyka won the battle.

Undisputed II: Last Man Standing And The Undisputed Third: Redemption are both legitimately great action movies, but we’re here to talk about Boyka: Undisputed. The movie, directed by Florentine and released in 2017, focuses on the aftermath of an underground battle where Boyka accidentally killed his opponent. After discovering the opponent’s wife owes money to a crime lord, Boyka decides to fight for the gangster’s club in order to repay her debt. Adkins delivers another stellar performance, and Tim Man choreographs amazing fight sequences. BoykaThis movie is great action and lasts for 86 minutes. —PV

Boyka: Undisputed It is now available on Netflix.

Image: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

I’ve talked about this movie a lot on this website — it’s on our list of the best thrillers to watch at home, and more recently the best movies added to streaming this July — so I’ll stop short of repeating myself and merely say Day of Reckoning The hypnotic and bloody mixup of genres takes long-running sci fi series in surprising new directions. It also has a strong action-horror bent. —PV

Day of Reckoning for the Universal Soldier It is also available for streaming on HBO Max or free with advertisements on Crackle.

Master Z: Ip Man Legacy

Image by Well Go USA Entertainment

I spent quite a bit of time deciding whether the fourth movie in the excellent Ip Man series is 2019’s Ip Man 4. The Finale (self-explanatory) or 2018’s Master Z: Ip Man Legacy A spinoff from Ip Man 3). I’ve decided to go with Master Z Two reasons. It’s literally the fourth film in the series. As much as Scott Adkins is my favorite (and I do), it was not the right choice to close this movie list with three of his movies.

This movie follows Max Zhang’s character from Ip Man 3The story of a father struggling to take care of his child and heal from the defeat at Ip Man’s hands in previous movies. Yuen Wooping, a legendary martial arts choreographer and director, directs the movie and stars Dave Bautista (Michel Yeoh) and Tony Jaa. Master Z It is both a valuable addition to Ip Man’s canon as well as an outstanding martial arts crime thriller. —PV

Master Z: Ip Man Legacy It is free to view on Peacock or FuboTV and Hi-Yah.