10 Sci-Fi Franchises That Peaked With The Very First Movie

Despite producing incredible first movies, several science-fiction franchises never manage to replicate their original success. Science-fiction movies lend themselves well to sequels, depicting worlds with endless possibilities and potential narratives. However, many of them fail to retain their cultural impact after the first installment.

Several highly successful science-fiction franchises have pushed the boundaries of the genre and technological capabilities. As such, these movies became cultural phenomenons and promptly produced sequels. Unfortunately, some of these could not maintain the impressive precedent set by the initial movie.

10 The Matrix (1999)

Sequels: The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, And The Matrix Resurrections

The Matrix was a triumph of groundbreaking special effects, establishing the franchise’s trademark “bullet time” technique. The Matrix also featured a unique cyberpunk design, with striking color schemes and slick cinematography. While each sequel retained these elements, they also elaborated upon the nature and purpose of the Matrix. This direction ultimately proved heavy-handed and convoluted. Additionally, The Matrix sequels lacked the succinctness the original movie managed with its self-contained narrative. As a result, the sequels felt too expansive and meandering. Nevertheless, The Matrix sequels are still incredibly enjoyable thrill rides, but they suffer without the focus and originality of the first movie.

9 Back To The Future (1985)

Sequels: Back To The Future Part 2 And Back To The Future Part 3

Back to the Future quickly became a cultural phenomenon that garnered two sequels. While Back to the Future Part 2 and Back to the Future Part 3 did a reasonable job of maintaining the original’s legacy, the charm and effectiveness were harder to replicate. The Back to the Future sequels struggled with casting issues and did not feature any scenes as iconic as the first movie. Regardless, the sequels were still wildly successful and were sterling attempts to continue the story. The original Back to the Future is just a perfect movie, and it could never be surpassed by a subsequent installment in the franchise.

8 Jurassic Park (1993)

Sequels: The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park 3, Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, And Jurassic World Dominion

Despite some entertaining follow-ups, the first Jurassic Park movie remains the pinnacle of the franchise. The outstanding special effects rival some of the more recent entries, many of which ditched the practical animatronics — and as a result, greatly damaged their illusion of reality. Furthermore, the decision to find increasingly threatening dinosaurs to serve as antagonists for each sequel became tedious. This was particularly noticeable during the Jurassic World trilogy, which resorted to inventing fictional, more deadly dinosaurs. None of these sequels ever retained the same menace as the original movie’s Tyrannosaurus, or recaptured Jurassic Park‘s charm.

7 Transformers (2007)

Other Movies: Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, Transformers: Age Of Extinction, Transformers: The Last Knight, Bumblebee, And Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts

The first Transformers movie deftly adapted the beloved science-fiction franchise and delivered a romping, action-packed blockbuster. Unfortunately, each sequel offered noticeably diminishing returns. The franchise lost several key cast members and introduced overly convoluted narratives. However, the biggest issue with the sequels was the abundance of computer-generated imagery. The fast fight sequences became confusing, with the CGI increasingly becoming distracting and difficult to engage with. Each movie also repeatedly asserted that the latest threat was the biggest challenge the characters would ever face, cheapening each previous movie and undermining the inevitable future sequel.

6 Men In Black (1997)

Sequels: Men In Black 2, Men In Black 3, And Men In Black: International

None of the Men in Black sequels were able to recreate the magic of the original. The initial Men in Black movie worked so well because it introduced Agent J (Will Smith) to its hidden world of wonders at the same time as its audience. This was greatly bolstered by Vincent D’Onofrio’s terrifying antagonist, who was genuinely frightening and highly effective. The Men in Black sequels could not offer a villain as compelling as D’Onofrio and struggled to find a fresh angle on the established universe. The sequels also lightened the original’s darker tone, favoring weaker, less mature stories.

5 Planet Of The Apes (1968)

Other Movies: Beneath The Planet Of The Apes, Escape From The Planet Of The Apes, Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes, Battle For The Planet Of The Apes, Planet Of The Apes, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, War For The Planet Of The Apes, And Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes

The Planet of the Apes franchise boasts an impressive 10 feature films. The original is hailed as one of the best movies ever, with exceptional makeup and an iconic central performance from Charlton Heston. The original Planet of the Apes received a series of underwhelming sequels and a remake directed by Tim Burton that failed to remake the original’s success. Several movies in the reboot series have nearly matched the original’s quality, but each struggled to match its gravity or become similar cultural sensations. Regardless, a further sequel titled Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has been confirmed.

4 Pitch Black (2000)

Sequels: The Chronicles Of Riddick And Riddick

Vin Diesel’s The Chronicles of Riddick franchise started promisingly with the original Pitch Black. The science-fiction horror movie deftly crafted a claustrophobic tension, supported greatly by the minimal visuals and sparse art design. This promptly changed with The Chronicles of Riddick, which opted for an overwhelming visual style riddled with science-fiction clichés and unconvincing CGI. The third movie compounded this further, seemingly oblivious to what made the original so good: the imposing darkness. Nevertheless, a fourth movie titled Riddick 4: Furya has been confirmed.

3 Starship Troopers (1997)

Sequels: Starship Troopers 2: Hero Of The Federation, Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, Starship Troopers: Invasion, And Starship Troopers: Traitor Of Mars

Starship Troopers was critically panned upon its release but has since been reconsidered as a science-fiction classic. The disappointing reception to the original prompted director Paul Verhoeven to abandon his Hollywood career, which subsequently dashed hopes he would direct a sequel (via Syfy). Instead, a string of low-budget, direct-to-video sequels were released, including two animated movies. Each of these steadily deteriorated in quality and was completely devoid of the sophisticated anti-fascist satire explored in the first film. Instead, they proffered a standard action-adventure narrative that failed to meet the original’s brilliance.

2 RoboCop (1987)

Other Movies: RoboCop 2, RoboCop 3, And RoboCop

The first RoboCop movie was a glorious fusion of hyper-violence and stalwart science-fiction narratives. It explored themes of capitalism, corruption, masculinity, and the media, packaged as a gory action-adventure. Unfortunately, each RoboCop sequel only replicated the gratuitous violence from the original and none of the sharp social commentary or dystopian satire. The 2014 remake came very close but proffered nothing original and was far less effective. While each sequel was entertaining, they all lacked the substance and intricacies of the original RoboCop and struggled to repeat its success.

1 Predator (1987)

Other Movies: Predator 2, Alien Vs. Predator, Alien Vs. Predator: Requiem, Predators, The Predator, Prey

Predator was a novel combination of science-fiction and 1980s action movies. Even when considering the entire franchise, Predator was a unique entry. It kept the focus on the human characters while maintaining a relatively simple narrative. As a result, Predator was an enjoyable, violent romp. Predator became a victim of its success, however, when the eponymous creature was established as a horror icon. As a result, the sequels shifted the narrative to favor the Predator itself, which greatly hindered them. Prey very astutely countered this trend but was not quite as impactful as the initial encounter. Predator had some great sequels, but none surpassed the very first movie.