Top 10 Seventh Instalments of Movie Franchises

Greetings, reader!

My 10-week series of movie frachise posts just keeps on giving, with this week's post looking at the very best seventh parts across movie franchises. Here we go!

Here are my honorable mentions: American Pie Presents: The Book of Love (2009), Annabelle Comes Home (2019), Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988), Shazam! (2019), Thor: The Dark World (2013).

10. Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Sean Connery's final 007 flick may be his worst Bond adventure, but still, it is a Sean Connery 007 flick. That alone puts it ahead of the worst films starring lesser James Bonds, as Connery is charming and entertaining enough to carry a script significantly weaker than Goldfinger or Thunderball. The plot of Diamonds Are Forever may be a bit generic and predictable, but the heavy use of casinos, henchmen and Blofeld makes for a setting that is nonetheless an entertaining backdrop for Bond's antics. Not the great sendoff Connery deserved, but a decent on-par addition to the franchise.

Also, Shirley Bassey's Diamonds Are Forever is up there with the best Bond theme songs. Hey, there's a good blog post idea for the future!

9. H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

The seventh film of the Halloween franchise took the retcon route: after receiving criticism for escalatingly strange and overdone plotlines in the sequels, the franchise decided that for the purposes of H20, films 3-6 haven't happened. Taking the repeated returns, deaths and re-returns of Michael Myers every few years out of the equation, this film pretends that no one has heard from the killer in 20 years, since his original massacre in Haddonfield, Illinois. And, 20 years after the fateful night that the first two films are set in, Myers makes his grand comeback.

Released on the 20-year anniversary of the original Halloween, this reboot gains a lot from Jamie Lee Curtis' return to the iconic role of Laurie Strode - undoubtedly the greatest 'final girl' in slasher history. Her confrontation with Michael Myers, after being traumatized by their original encounter for 20 years, makes for a dramatic punch amidst the entertaining slasher horror. Not a cinematic masterpiece, but definitely one of the better Halloween sequels.

8. Star Trek: Generations (1994)

Just like the Halloween flick described above, this one isn't all that cinematically impressive, but it gains a lot of nerdy fan-service points for its payoff-heavy plot. You see, this Star Trek film - released after the sequels-to-the-original-series movies but before the Next Generation trilogy - serves as the once-in-a-lifetime crossover between iconic captains James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Jean-Luc Picard (Sir Patrick Stewart).

No matter how cruddy the film's dialogue and certain production elements may be, it's such a trekker's dream come true to see Kirk and Picard in the same film, working together, that the film deserves some cutting-of-slack when reviewing it. It's fun and satisfying, which is more than you can say for a lot of seventh instalments out there.

7. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

After a masterclass original, a series of sequels with quickly deteriorating quality and a god-awful remake, the Planet of the Apes franchise was all but dead - until Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver and Rupert Wyatt revived the franchise with this fresh prequel/reboot.

When I first saw the trailer for this film (I'm pretty sure this happened while I was in the cinema to watch #5 from today's list), I had no idea it was the trailer for a Planet of the Apes film for the first 83 per cent of it. It just looked like a damn good movie about a man in today's world who has an exceptionally smart chimpanzee as a pet.

Then it escalated. Just before the logo hit, I realized in horror and awe what I was seeing: the trailer for the story of how the Planet of the Apes came to be. I was excited, and the end product did not disappoint.

6. Creed (2015)

The Rocky reboot film is, in my opinion, even a tad better than the original Rocky. After the sequels had overstayed their welcome, this fresh start takes place decades later, with a focus on Apollo Creed's son Adonis. Michael B. Jordan (truly the Michael Jordan of actors), does a fantastic job as the title character, as does Sylvester Stallone in his Oscar-nominated performance as the washed-up Rocky Balboa who agrees to mentor the young star.

Also, the directing by Ryan Coogler is insane. The boxing sequences are so well-coordinated and thrilling that I found them exhilarating to watch even though I, and I can't stress this point enough, don't give two shits about boxing. The sport has made for some decent cinema nonetheless, and this movie is one of the best.

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

The last Harry Potter book was split into two parts, which was a smart move - the source material covers so much ground, that one film to capture it all would've been either a) very rushed or b) five hours long. While all of the best moments are saved for the inevitably better Deathly Hallows: Part 2, this is still a very good kick-off for the franchise's endgame. The stakes are higher than before, the story and characters are more mature than ever, and the whole thing is rather exhilarating.

And then for this week's J.K. Rowling disclaimer. Many of my readers are relatives from the same generation as Rowling, and I've understood that the whole trans rights discourse is a bigger question mark for many of them than it is for people in my generation. So here's a recap on why I feel so strongly about this, for anyone struggling to grasp the premise: trans people have always existed, but have become more visible in society during the last few decades, because for a long time it wasn't safe to be openly trans so they had to live in a lie (mind you, it's still very much not completely safe to be openly trans, very much thanks to people like J.K. Rowling). Basically, all this community is asking for is to be able to live their lives, and no matter what right-wing voices from Fox News in the U.S. to the Christian Democrats in Finland may be saying, trans people are not a danger to anyone and giving them equal rights and treating them with basic human compassion is not anything away from anyone.

It's just like the gay rights debate a few decades back: people are afraid of what they don't understand, and some people react aggressively instead of stopping to listen so that they would understand. And this aggression is fueled by people like J.K. Rowling, who falsely claim that the trans community is dangerous and has some scary agenda. She has publicly spoken against the human rights of the trans community for a long time now, and as someone who very much wants trans people to be able to live their lives true to themselves and be safe in society, I am extremely disappointed that the author who shaped a big part of my childhood and inspired some of my favorite movies turned out to be such a bigot. If you have any questions about these topics, I'm happy to discuss them and share more insight, so zap me a message!

4. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

This time-traveling extravaganza is without a doubt among the better X-Men films - you can't really go wrong when you use timeline shenanigans to reunite the original cast (Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Patrick Stewart et cetera) with the reboot cast (Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy et cetera), while throwing a Peter Dinklage villain into the mix just to be safe. There's even a fantastic Pentagon heist sequence, with the spotlight on the lovable Quicksilver (Evan Peters)!

3. Furious 7 (2015)

The seventh Fast & Furious film is much better than it deserves to be. Praising the movie always feels a bit wrong, because a big part of its success is morbidly due to the tragedy of Paul Walker's death - as heartbreaking as it must have been for the franchise's cast and crew to move on, they pay beautiful tribute to the friend they lost. This gives the film an emotional core, complete with a final scene that had me (and a majority of the people in the cinema) crying like a baby.

But Furious 7 is also just a pretty kick-ass sequel on its own merits, when viewed with a "fast cars go brrr" attitude instead of expecting grade-A cinema. The stunts are delightfully over-the-top, the cast has great chemistry and a great time even in the light of losing their star, and the end product is very entertaining.

2. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

Okay, hear me out - this Nightmare on Elm Street reboot is unironically one of the absolutely scaries movies I've ever seen. I won't promise you'll have the same experience, dear reader - these things are very subjective. For my wild imagination and love for barrier-breaking storytelling, the way this Wes Craven masterclass blends fiction and reality made it feel like Freddy Krueger really was somewhere out there.

We've all seen meta storytelling as a means of comedy, but this here film provides some mind-bending meta horror. In the film's plot, we're in "the real world" where the first six Nightmare on Elm Street movies are existing movies, made by Wes Craven, who plays himself in the film (as does Heather Langenkamp, star of the original Elm Street flick). Years after performing that role, Langenkamp starts to have nightmares where Krueger is coming after her, only it's a darker and more real-feeling version of Krueger - and the dreams start to affect her reality.

The premise might seem goofy to some viewers, but for me, it hit all the right notes. This is one of the very few horror movies that actually made me lose a bit of sleep the next night - something about the "What if Freddy Krueger wasn't limited to fiction and the big screen, but turned out to be an entity in real life" idea really hit home.

1. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

When a teenage Veikko Hoffman heard that they're making a new Star Wars trilogy, he was hesitant - right up until the teaser trailer was released, and it blew him away. The film looked so good that skepticism turned into excitement. Some time later, he went to see Episode VII in the cinema, which was a downright magical experience - he had spent so much time watching the six pre-existing Star Wars films, thinking that that would always be it, that it was cathartic to sit in the movie theater, watching the yellow text crawl to the backdrop of John Williams' legendary score.

Thankfully, the movie itself was magnificent. While I do see why some people criticized it for being too close-to-home and similar to the original trilogy, I don't personally see it as being so close that it would be a problem. It plays with nostalgia in a warm and cozy way, while simultaneously introducing a new generation of heroes and villains, tastefully mixing old and new while retaining the franchise's atmosphere. And that ending scene is one for the ages.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my ranking of the top 10 eighth instalments from movie franchises.

Top 10 Sixth Instalments of Movie Franchises

Greetings, reader!

My 10-week series of ranking various instalments from all the movie franchises I've seen continues, with this week's post focusing on the very best sixth parts in the world of cinema. Let's go!

Here are my honorable mentions: American Pie Presents: Beta House (2007), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), The Curse of La Llorona (2019), The Wolverine (2013).

10. Iron Man 3 (2013)

The sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is many things: the first post-Avengers (2012) film, the final solo film of Tony Stark / Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), and an all-around decent good-but-not-amazing superhero flick. It's a fine enough send-off - sure, Stark would go on to appear in many more team-up films, but with this being his last solo outing, it does have a sentimental end-of-an-era feel to it.

The dramatic tone is the film's biggest strength, with some of the flaws weighing it down being the semi-generic plot and the far-fetched motivations of the main villain (the good ol' "Tony ditched me at a party once when I wanted to talk to him, so naturally I've been plotting my violent revenge for years"). Still, it's entertaining run-of-the-mill MCU.

9. Aquaman (2018)

For once, the DC Extended Universe (Marvel's biggest rival's attempt of their own MCU, with shockingly varying results) ranks ahead of the largely better rival franchise. The sixth movies of both superhero franchises are good but not great, but Aquaman barely takes the edge when comparing the two. It's more original, being the first-ever proper live-action big-screen adaptation of the semi-iconic superhero in question.

While the film is a bit convoluted and chaotic in what it's trying to be, there's a lot of zany worldbuilding and Jason Momoa fun to enjoy. A decent one, especially when not taken too seriously.

8. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)

Oh, speaking of not taking things too seriously! This slasher flick isn't serious even by the standards of the Friday the 13th franchise, but in a sense, that exactly is the reason why it's one of the more beloved entries by the series' fans. The fifth entry in the franchise, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, was an underwhelming failure because it tried too hard to be genuinely scary - a hard thing to be, when producing the fifth consecutive movie about the same killer at the same lake killing similar teenagers with a decreasing budget.

The sixth film of the 12-film franchise (you bet your ass I've seen all of them) marks a pivotal turning point: instead of trying too hard to be dark and mysterious like the first film, they start going all tongue-in-cheek, high on entertainment value, essentially understanding the target demographic of the types of people who tune in to watch the sixth movie of a slasher franchise. Jason Lives is hilariously corny, respectably self-aware, and just an overall blast.

7. Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

The sixth Mission: Impossible film is much like the post-2013 Fast & Furious films: the peak of the franchise has been passed after it surprisingly got better for a while, but the films still have big-name directors and overall grand production values attached to them due to the popularity of the peak era, so the later sequels are still a good time. Mission: Impossible - Fallout won't change your life, but if it's big-budget stunts, neat action set pieces and exciting spy plots that you're looking for, you could certainly do a lot worse than this one.

6. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

You didn't see a lot of Friday the 13th and Halloween in my instalment posts 1-5, but for 6-10, the slasher franchises are regular customers. The sixth Halloween film is, well, the sixth Halloween film, so it's no cinematic masterpiece. But for fans of the franchise, it's a welcome dive deeper into the rabbit hole (at least I think so - as one of the more polarizing instalments in the franchise, The Curse of Michael Myers has its fans and its haters).

I find this to be one of the better obscure sequels in the 13-movie horror franchise. A young Paul Rudd is charming as Tommy (the kid from the first Halloween, all grown up!), and I love how the plot goes deeper into Halloween/Samhain lore as a part of explaining Michael Myers' origin. This makes up for the directing and dialogue, which are on the level you'd expect from the sixth film in a slasher franchise.

5. Rocky Balboa (2006)

As far as legacy sequels go, this one isn't quite in the tier of Top Gun: Maverick or Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. But it's still very decent - Sylvester Stallone gives one of his more layered performances in the role, Burt Young and Talia Shire toy with nostalgia in their sentimental performances, and Milo Ventimiglia is just right for the role of Rocky's son. The plot is one of the better examples of the "retired hero comes back for one last job" trope, as it manages to tie in to some heavy and very humane themes.

4. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)

The sixth Star Trek movie is by no means the franchise's last, as it was succeeded by a generational crossover film, a trilogy of Next Generation sequel films, and a trilogy of reboot/prequel movies with an all-new cast. It is, however, the final adventure of the original cast, and therefore a major end of an era. The 7-person main cast had been playing the roles of the Enterprise crew throughout the original TV series in the 60's, the animated series in the 70's, and a total of six films, ending with this swan song.

With the year being 1991, the impending end of the Cold War (if it ever really did end) was a major theme for The Undiscovered Country, through the symbolism of the Klingon Empire finally entering peace talks with the Federation. The optimism that colored this film has aged quite tragically when considering Mr. Putin and his invasion of Ukraine, but watching this is a nice escapist callback to a time when it briefly seemed like the world might be getting better (truly making this the Wind of Change of movies). The diplomacy-oriented plot makes for exciting political tensions, a nice bridge between the timeline of the Original Series and The Next Generation, and ultimately, a fitting send-off for the beloved crew.

3. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

A decade after The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson completed his Hobbit prequel trilogy with this conclusion to the six-film Middle-Earth franchise. I defended the over-hated Hobbit films in last week's blog and the one from two weeks ago, and will continue to do so here. My exact opinion of The Battle of the Five Armies is complicated: the trilogy's admitted flaws are the most prominent here, as the source material is only the last less-than-a-hundred pages of the book, which makes for a lot of filler material.

But, at the same time, the final Hobbit film contains all of the trilogy's finest moments. While I get that people were a bit disappointed when excpecting another Return of the King, I will never understand how so many Tolkien fans saw the movie as a complete failure. My Tolkien-loving heart was deeply moved by Richard Armitage's towering Thorin performance, the charge of the main dwarves from Erebor into the face of battle, and the delightfully genuine moment of levity between Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) after the battle. The very final scene is also a beautifully poetic bookend for the whole six-film saga, making for a film that works well in its climactic nature despite being a bit too silly at its worst.

2. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

The sixth Harry Potter film is very special to me, as it was the first one I was allowed to watch in the movie theater when it came out. I took it all in, nerdily noticing the parts that had been changed from the books, being shaken to my core by the cave jump scare (countless re-watchings later, I still wince), and crying my eyes out when [REDACTED DUE TO SPOILERS] kills [REDACTED DUE TO SPOILERS]. David Yates did a great job adapting the darkest book so far into the darkest movie so far, still having tons of humor and heart in the mix for a decent balance.

Also, f**k J.K. Rowling. If you're like me and struggle with continuing to enjoy the books and movies that are a big part of your life while questioning how much you can do so when being so strongly against the author's bigoted worldview and public hate speech, I recommend not doing anything to financially support Rowling, as well as finding ways to be a good ally. Donating to causes working for trans rights is a good step - The Equality Project and YIP (Youth In Policy), for example, are organizations doing remarkably important work in making the world safer for the trans community. Signing petitions against transphobic legislation (something that's very much going on in both of my home countries) is also recommended, as is using your power to vote for a party and candidate with a strong stance on trans rights.

1. Star Wars: Episode III - The Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The sixth Star Wars film to be released is the chronologically third one, completing the polarizing prequel trilogy and bridging the gap between the Clone Wars storyline and the Original Trilogy (before a whole bunch of spin-off films and Disney+ television shows would add their own twists to said bridge in said gap). It's the best of the prequels by a long shot - some of the trilogy's flaws are quite present and prevent the film from reaching the exact level of the original trilogy, but most elements are improved upon a great deal from Episodes I&II.

The film focuses on Anakin Skywalker's (Hayden Christensen) descent into villainhood, and this makes for a vibe significantly darker than most of the franchise's offerings. While it might be too dark for some viewers (I remember my dear mother being less than pleased about choosing this as a fun-for-the-whole-family film on one Christmas Eve), the common opinion seems to be that it's still fun enough to feel like proper Star Wars, with the extra-dark story making it stick out as one of the more memorable instalments. The fall of the Jedi order and the Empire's rise is portrayed in an appropriately dramatic manner, and the film's last minutes have a downright epic feel as all the main characters arrive in their Original Trilogy settings. It's all quite poetic.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my list of the top 10 seventh instalments from movie franchises.

Top 10 Fifth Instalments of Movie Franchises

Greetings, reader!

My 10-week dive into the various parts of various movie franchises continues with this week's post, where I reveal my very favorites in the category of cinematic Part Fives. The overall quality of films is starting to sink as there are significantly less great fifth parts than second or third parts, but I still scrambled together ten worth discussing - and here they are.

Here are my honorable mentions: Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985), Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989), Rocky V (1990), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989), The Nun (2018).

10. Terminator: Genisys (2015)

The fifth Terminator film is by no means amazing or must-watch. The dialogue is quite laughable and the plot more than a bit convoluted. But, for fans of the franchise, it delivers many entertaining and satisfying moments, while pumping enough new blood to the franchise to be much more enjoyable than the joyless Terminator: Salvation that came before it.

Arnold Schwarzenegger still has the right charisma and energy for the role ("Old, not obsolete", as his character speaks in the film), while Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke is badass enough to channel Linda Hamilton in the iconic role of Sarah Connor. The film is very silly, but the action is admittedly entertaining. Pretty much the level you'd expect for the fifth Terminator film.

9. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

Some people have called the fifth Mission: Impossible the best in the franchise, and I have to disagree with that: I respect the franchise's consistency of producing multiple sequels pretty much on par with the original, but in my opinion, they hit their peak with Ghost Protocol. Still, the fifth film is a success - crazy stunts, memorable big-budget action set-pieces, entertaining and lovable recurring side characters, and everything else you'd expect from the Mission: Impossible series is present. A thoroughly decent addition to the franchise, this one.

8. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)

When ranking Attack of the Clones, I struggled with the same thing I struggled with for last week's post concerning Episode I - The Phantom Menace. It's hard to compare this to the rest, because how exactly do you rate a film that is subpar for its franchise, but the franchise itself is so dear that even its lesser instalments have a major place in your heart? Tough to say, but I ended up quite satisfied with the #8 position for this one.

As opposed to Episode I that was kind of all over the place, this middle instalment of the prequel series demonstrates clearly what the prequels got right and what they got wrong with its different storylines. All of the trilogy's flaws are paraded in the Anakin (Hayden Christensen) / Padmé (Natalie Portman) storyline, where loads of room is given to laughable dialogue and a romance between two actors with zero chemistry. However, the trilogy's strengths are showcased in Obi-Wan's (Ewan McGregor) storyline, which feels like vintage Star Wars with its entertaining space adventure vibe. So, despite its shortcomings, the fifth Star Wars flick to be released is an important part of the saga, and re-watching it is always more of a joy than a drag.

7. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)

Oh, hell yeah. Very much the Avengers of the Japanese Kaiju universe, this film introduced one of the most badass and lore-wrapped monsters in cinema history, and had a bunch of iconic monsters from the previous films team up to go against said villain.

It's a dream come true for monster flick nerds, for many reasons:

A) We see the monsters, who were the 'bad guys' in previous films while essentially serving as metaphors for the majesty of nature being a victim to humanity's abuse of the environment, finally as the heroes.

B) Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan teaming up is just an earth-shattering payoff.

C) King Ghidorah is a frightening, badass villain and the final fight between the monsters is one for the ages.

6. You Only Live Twice (1967)

The fifth James Bond flick feels like a metaphorical Season 1 Finale for the 007 franchise: Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the SPECTRE-leading villain who had been teased throughout the first four films, finally takes center stage as the film's big bad. He's played by the fantastic Donald Pleasance, and makes for a truly fitting antagonist for Sean Connery's James Bond to go up against.

Despite the dramatic plot and high stakes, You Only Live Twice is still a goofy and cheesy old-time Bond film at heart, and this balance makes for a spy flick equal parts climactic and silly. Not an easy balance to land, but certainly done well here.

5. Fast Five (2011)

The Fast & Furious franchise has a strange progression - you'd expect a silly racing car series to descend with escalatingly bad sequels (the "Police Academy fall", if you will), but instead, it started getting better and reaching a peak before its downfall (the "Mission: Impossible arch", if you will).  And for this particular franchise, the peak is reached with the fifth film.

Fast Five puts the franchise's street racing roots in the back seat (pun intended), and embraces the heist caper formula. All the goods are there - the team-assembling montage, the intense sequence of the heist going down, the big post-heist reveal, et cetera. Fast Five has been called "Ocean's Eleven on wheels" for a reason. All in all, a thrilling crime blockbuster, bound to please whether you like the rest of the franchise or not.

4. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

If you read last week's post, you won't be surprised by my defending of the over-hated Hobbit trilogy. When you accept that they're flawed and not as masterful as the Lord of the Rings movies, but watch them as an open-minded Tolkien fan wanting to enjoy it instead of an angry internet reviewer hell-bent on proclaiming that your favorite franchises and whole childhood are ruined, you're bound to find a lot to appreciate in all three films. From Howard Shore's score to Peter Jackson's production designs, a lot of the Lord of the Rings trilogy's magic hits hard in these films as well.

The cast does a great job in The Desolation of Smaug, from the tried-and-true performances familiar from the Lord of the Rings (Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel et cetera) to the Hobbit trilogy's compelling additions (Martin Freeman's Bilbo and Richard Armitage's Thorin brilliantly emulate their book counterparts). While the plot isn't as adventurous as the film's predecessor or as explosive as its successor, we still get fantastic worldbuilding, neat moments from the book coming to life, and a cliffhanger ending complemented by a shivers-down-your-spine original song.

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)

The fifth Harry Potter movie had a tough job - being based on the longest Potter book by far, a lot had to be cut. That is why Order of the Phoenix isn't nearly as good as the book it's based on, but as the choices of what to cut were largely smart, it's still a very cohesive part of the film series. Its biggest strength comes from the directing department, as David Yates took the reigns for the later half of the eight-movie series, starting with this one - and his style fits the later Potter adventures with brilliance. Just at the time when the story starts to get darker and more mature, Yates comes in with a style clearly more gloomy and pensive than the Potter directors before him, while still including enough whimsical magic (or magical whimsy?) for it to feel like the same franchise.

And then for my weekly reminder that J.K. Rowling should not be glorified, no matter how important her works and the movies based on them are for fellow fantasy buffs. If you want to read the Potter books, I suggest borrowing them from someone (we all have a friend who owns a collection) instead of buying them, therefore avoiding financially supporting a vocally transphobic bigot. Everyone makes their own decisions on where they land on separating the art from the artist - I've landed on still being able to enjoy the books and movies while being very much aware of the horrible worldview of their creator. If you feel like the books and/or movies are ruined for you because of Rowling's hate speech, I respect that. If you still like watching them, I'm certainly in no position to judge as I do the same, but I do recommend reflecting on these topics and doing what you can as an ally to help make the world a safer place for trans people. Defending Rowling or denying the problems around her is most certainly not the answer.

2. X-Men: First Class (2011)

Finally, I get to show some love for the X-Men films in one of these posts! The first, second, third and fourth films of the mutant hero series based on Marvel Comics weren't quite good enough for their respective top 10 lists, but as far as fifth films go, you don't get much better than First Class. In this prequel/reboot, we follow younger versions of the main characters familiar from the original trilogy, in a truly fresh and fascinating origin story.

The score by Henry Jackman is magical and exciting, and don't get me started on the film's casting - James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender were pretty much the only people right enough to fill the shoes of Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen, in the iconic roles of Charles Xavier and Magneto. There are many good films in the X-Men franchise, but this one is honestly my #1 favorite.

1. The Avengers (2012)

The fifth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the first Avengers movie. While it may look small when compared to the level of spectacle the MCU went on to deliver later, one must remember how huge of a deal this crossover movie was when it was released. The idea of shared cinematic universes was fresh and new at the time, and an event like this had never been done before, at least at such a scale.

The protagonists from multiple related superhero films, as well as side characters from them and other iconic Marvel characters teased in said films, all appear together for a glorious team-up. What makes it special is how well-planned it all is: crossover films before this one were much more "hey, you know these separate existing films? Let's throw their characters in together!", whereas with Marvel, they knew what they were setting up from the start. That is why Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger are so filled with clever and gradual blocks of large-scale set-up.

The end result is worth the wait: Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Captain America (Chris Evans), The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) all team up together and the level of blockbuster entertainment is magnificent.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my ranking of the top 10 sixth instalments of movie franchises.

Top 10 Fourth Instalments of Movie Franchises

Greetings, reader!

Welcome to the fourth post of my 10-week dive into the world of movie franchises and their various instalments. Today I'm ranking the very best fourth movies in different franchises. It was the oddest list to make thus far, as I noticed that in weirdly many franchises, the fourth one ranks quite low - this isn't just because of the overall deterioration where a later sequel is likelier to be worst than an earlier one, as there were more individual gems to be enjoyed in the category of fifth and sixth instalments as there were here. Maybe part fours are just cursed or something. Anyways, it was a fun challenge to compare the below-average instalments of many great franchises to above-par instalments of overall lesser franchises!

Here are my honorable mentions: Annabelle: Creation, Fast & Furious, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Rocky IV, Wonder Woman.

10. Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

After the original Godzilla, the sequel Godzilla Raids Again and the vintage monster-mash King Kong Vs. Godzilla, the fourth Godzilla film ever made marked the first instance of the iconic monster being pitted against another creature from Japanese Kaiju lore, having had its own origin story in a solo film (therefore I consider this crossover to be the fourth instalment in the Godzilla franchise and the second instalment in the Mothra franchise).

Wow - even for me, that was a lot of Veikko. Anyways, this is a fantastic old-school monster flick, with exciting lore and visuals that have aged to look cheesy, but are quite something for the time of the film's release. The themes are also poignant, as the plot takes jabs at capitalism and humanity's greedy tendencies in a manner more nuanced than American monster films could ever dream of.

9. Jurassic World (2015)

After the three original Jurassic Park made the franchise's popularity and relevance fade with their varying quality, Colin Trevorrow revived the series with this fresh and nostalgic reboot. Mind you, Jurassic World is not revolutionary or mind-blowing to the slightest, but it does everything a reboot is supposed to do in a thoroughly solid manner.

The balance of callbacks to the original Jurassic Park and introductions of new settings, characters and storylines makes for an end product that feels very "Remember that film you loved in the 90's? Here's everything you liked about it, but in a 2010's style". Naturally it's not nearly as good as the original, but quite a bit better than films #2 and #3. A textbook example of reboots done right, while far from perfection.

8. Ocean's Eight (2018)

Oh, hell yeah. I am so thankful for this female-lead Ocean's Eleven reboot - I was so scared of being unconsciously sexist after I didn't like 2016's Ghostbusters, but this flick confirmed that I have no quarrel with the concept of all-female reboots. The Ghostbusters reboot is just bad cinema. Ocean's Eight is a female-lead reboot done right, and a very overall kick-ass heist flick. Similarly to the case of Jurassic World, this one isn't as good as Ocean's Eleven, but significantly better than Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen.

While the cameos and other neat connections to the original Ocean's cast are a delight, the new gang are the stars of the show through and through. Awkwafina and Mindy Kaling provide comic relief, Rihanna and Sarah Paulson provide fun and surprising characters, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway add a lot with their effortless star power, and Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett are dynamite leading ladies as one can expect. All in all, a heist caper worth checking out!

7. Star Wars: Episode I - A Phantom Menace (1999)

This one was tough to rank. Some people hate it, others have forgiven it or have a nostalgic soft spot for it, and the overall discourse around the Star Wars prequels is fascinating. My own relationship with the prequels is similar to my relatitionship with the post-Sorkin seasons of The West Wing or the Brian Johnson era of AC/DC - it's clearly less good than what came before, but it's still really good.

By Star Wars standards, especially when compared to the original trilogy, Episode I is flawed in many ways. The acting performances vary in quality, the dialogue is sloppy, and some of the attempts at comic relief feel more than a bit forced. That's why The Phantom Menace is only at seventh place, ranked below the fourth instalments of many franchises that wouldn't hold a candle to Star Wars when comparing franchises as a whole.

But, still, the film does a lot right. The Star Wars atmosphere still hits hard, the visuals are great for their time, and there are some unforgettable and epic moments in the mix. So that's why it still belongs on the list, and above quite a few decent-but-not-amazing flicks. Subpar Star Wars is still Star Wars.

6. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Here we have the first Captain America film, which belongs on today's list as it is the fourth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (after Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Thor). It's the last solo film to be released before the first Avengers flick, and the build-up towards that major event is certainly a part of Captain America: The First Avenger's charm.

But it's a lot more than that: in all its simplicity, this flick has arguably more heart than any other MCU flick. The franchise can be roughly divided into three eras: the early films where they didn't take the universe all that seriously (2008-2014), the golden era where they took the films just seriously enough (2014-2019), and the past-its-prime era where they take the films a bit too seriously (the 2020's). This film is one of the better instances from the first era, as the "not taking it so seriously" feel, which is a weakness in films like Iron Man 2, is most certainly a strength. The film is a blast.

5. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

Mission: Impossible has always been one of those franchises that aren't among my big favorites, but make for solid and moderate enjoyment nonetheless. The first film is pretty awesome, the second one has its moments, the third is a case of J.J. Abrams' directing and Philip Seymour Hoffman's villain making up for the lazy plot - and then we have the franchise's peak with Ghost Protocol.

The dramatic going-rogue plot keeps you guessing and in suspense, director Brad Bird's borderline cartoonish antics are sure to keep the tone entertaining and light enough despite the drama, and the stunts performed by America's favorite scientologist Tom Cruise are almost as crazy as the man himself. And a shoutout to Finland's own Samuli Edelmann for his role as villainous henchman Wistrom!

4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)

Much like the case of Star Wars: Episode I earlier on the list, this is a film that is below-average for the series it belongs to, but still ranks highly due to the franchise's overall level being so solid that even the lesser films are pretty awesome. The Goblet of Fire is my least favorite Potter film (while still better than the Fantastic Beasts films), but let's face it - none of them are bad. It's worse than the others mainly because Mike Newell's directing style feels more general-Hollywood-fantasy and less specifically Harry Potter, especially compared to the franchise's other three directors who all brought something unique to the franchise. But it's still a kick-ass film, with elements from the cast to the score being just as great as always.

And then for my weekly J.K. Rowling rant. What really bugs me is how public she has to be - I'm painfully aware that many people of her generation have unfortunately conservative views on trans rights due to a lack of understanding, and to a degree it's understandable that people who didn't grow up aware of trans issues would take longer to wrap their head around the fact that there's this community of people who just want to live their lives true to themselves and they aren't a danger to anyone. But why couldn't she keep her stupid close-minded views to herself?? Why insist on all these public rants?! Doesn't she realize that thousands of LGBTQ+ youths grew up loving her books, and that it breaks their heart to find out that the author doesn't respect their human rights? So, yeah, I'm really hoping that she'd just shut the f**k up.

3. Thunderball (1965)

Quite a rare occurrence to see the week's James Bond representative ranked higher than the likes of Harry Potter and Star Wars on my blog! But, as far as fourth instalments specifically go, the fourth 007 adventure quite simply has what it takes. In one of Sean Connery's most entertaining outings in the role, we follow a plot that doesn't even try to be believable or conventionally great cinema like the modern Bond flicks, but rather embraces the cheese and makes for an unforgettable and extremely fun spy flick.

From makeshift jetpacks to underwater fight sequences, from exciting settings in the Bahamas to the fantastically over-the-top-villain Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) wanting to blow some major cities up with stolen nuclear warheads, Thunderball is a relentless, tongue-in-cheek thrill ride. A stone-cold classic with peak Sean Connery charm.

2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

I know - this one gets a lot of hate. In my unpopular opinion, the Hobbit movies are actually really good, and people over-hate them for the unforgivable sin that they are not as masterful and perfect as The Lord of the Rings.

Did the 310-page book need to be made into three movies? No, it didn't, I'll admit that much. But does it being split into three films hurt as much as many fellow fantasy nerds claim? No, it does not! Peter Jackson made some exciting choices with these films: it's not just the events of the short book drawn out, but rather a juxtaposition of the White Council plotline which makes sense (while it isn't followed in The Hobbit book, it's based on Tolkien's other in-universe writings and took place at the same time while involving familiar characters, so why not include it?). And fan service like connections to The Lord of the Rings, which I for one enjoyed.

The first Hobbit film (that is therefore the fourth film in the Middle-Earth franchise, and thus on today's list) isn't as much of a masterpiece as the three Lord of the Rings films. But that does not make it bad. The more lighthearted tone is fitting as the Hobbit book is more fun and zany than the heavier Lord of the Rings books, and many of my favorite parts from the first third of the book come to life in a wonderful manner on the big screen. Grow up, haters.

1. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

And so it is that today's winner comes from a thoroughly surprising franchise! Mind you, I'm one of the biggest Star Trek fans I know, but it's widely recognized that this franchise does TV shows better than movies by average, so one wouldn't expect to see one of the Star Trek films topping a list like this one.

While the superiority of Star Trek TV over the franchise's film sequels is certain, as no Trek movies have come close to the greatness of what Deep Space Nine or The Next Generation are at their best, it still needs to be stated that some of the better Trek films do kick their share of ass. And one of them is The Voyage Home.

You wouldn't expect the fourth consecutive movie sequel to the original series, starring the same washed-up cast, directed by one of the main actors, adding comedy to the genre combination of sci/fi and adventure, and having a plot revolving around going back in time to the 1980's to communicate with humpback whales (no, really) to be, um, good. But it is. The fourth Star Trek flick is fun as hell, the chemistry of the main cast and their interactions with side characters met throughout the time travel hijinks are off the charts, and the ending is deliciously satisfying.

Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for the next chapter of this project - the top 10 fifth instalments of movie franchises.