In Defense of the 4th Movie

Movie series always have their ups and downs. One or two of the entries are great while the others are either lackluster or just plain dreadful. The first movie is always the best, with the sequel paling in comparison (except for Wrath of Kahn, Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, Terminator 2, etc. Okay, so sci-fi movies seem to pump out some exceptional part dos entries). The third movie is usually, at best, a grudgingly acceptable conclusion to the trilogy.

If the studio is greedy, though, they'll push for the unwanted fourth movie, with disastrous results. These, beloved readers, are the Franchise Killers. Little thought and effort is put into them other than finding a way to make another buck off of an already established and, usually, concluded film series. If they don't outright flop, they're met with such critical lambasting and fan derision that the franchise is essentially buried with that last, lingering entry besmirching the entire series.

But The Smitch is a cinematic optimist, and he loves him some movies. So I intend to embark on a series of entries examining various 4th movies (in no particular order) and trying to find the good in them. This won't be so difficult with some movies. For others, it will be dang near impossible. But, just for fun, let's try to stand up for the Franchise Killers.