Kevin Wozniak
A fourth film in a franchise can be made for a few different reasons. The film could continue a story that has been growing over the previous three films. A fourth film can also act as a soft reboot, changing the trajectory of a film franchise in terms of its tone or its character focus. A fourth film can sometimes be a continuation of a film series we thought was over. And sometimes the fourth films in a franchise can just be another adventure with a character or characters that we love.
With the John Wick franchise being the latest film franchise to get a fourth film with John Wick: Chapter 4, I am going to look at the best fourth films in a film franchise. While we may live in a cinematic world dominated by franchises and universes, it takes a lot for a franchise to get to a fourth film, let alone that fourth film be a good one. Below is a list of some of the best fourth films in a film franchise. While it isn’t every single great fourth film, each of the films represents a type of fourth film mentioned above. Some continue a story, some change the course of an entire franchise, and some just take us back to a character we know and love. These films also show that great fourth films can come from any genre, from comedy to action to horror.
Thunderball
At the point of Thunderball’s release in 1965, it became clear what a James Bond movie was. They starred Sean Connery as James Bond, the greatest spy in the world and the man every woman wanted to be with. They featured a world-threatening plot, this time Bond having to find two atomic bombs that were stolen by SPECTRE. The films always took Bond to an exciting location and featured new and fun technical gadgets and toys for him to play with.
While not as good as the three previous Bond films, Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger, Thunderball is still one of the great Bond movies. The nautical, Bahamas setting is bright and colorful. Connery is as suave as ever and solidified himself as the best actor to ever play Bond. And the underwater action sequences are expertly shot. Thunderball is typical Bond, which means it’s an action-packed good time.
Rocky IV
The fourth installment of the Rocky franchise features one of Rocky’s most iconic villains, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) taking over the boxing world with complete menace. After killing the star-spangled boxer and Rocky’s best friend Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) during a bout, it’s up to Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) to get revenge on Ivan for his friend and for his country.
Rocky IV might be one of the more ridiculous entries in the Rocky franchise, but it is easily one of the most entertaining. The Cold War slugfest features exhilarating fight scenes and one of the best training montages in the entire franchise. It’s a movie that bleeds red, white, and blue. A film that marches to the Star Spangled Banner while bald eagles screech in the background as fireworks explode in the sky. Rocky IV is an American classic.
Bride of Chucky
The last time we saw Chucky, the murdering, psychotic doll, he was shredded into hundreds of pieces and it seemed like he, and his story were over. But thanks to the power of witchcraft and horror movie storylines, he is brought back to life by Tiffany (a wonderful Jennifer Tilly), a former accomplice and lover of the man whose spirit possesses Chucky. Tiffany then becomes a doll herself after Chucky kills her and transfers her spirit into the doll of a bride and the two go on a killing spree while also trying to handle their relationship issues.
If you think that sounds ridiculous, that only skims the surface of the madness that is Bride of Chucky. The first three Child’s Play movies are straight horror movies about Chucky trying to kill Andy, Bride of Chucky, which came out seven years after the third Child’s Play film, took the horror franchise in a whole new direction. While still featuring some spectacular, violent kills, Bride of Chucky took the franchise from horror-thriller to campy, horror-comedy. It’s a hilarious, bloody riot.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Mike Newell’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire picked up right where Alfonso Cuaron left off with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He continued with the darker mood and look that the franchise was heading down while also making a wildly entertaining film that is filled with action and dynamic visuals. Goblet of Fire develops Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hemione (Emma Watson) more as characters by showing their maturity and having them go through changes as friends and as wizards.
Goblet of Fire was also a key Harry Potter film because it featured the return of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) on screen, in a scene that is as terrifying as it is riveting. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is one of the best and most important films in the Harry Potter franchise.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Mission: Impossible–Ghost Protocol was the perfect combination of two mad geniuses coming together to reignite a franchise. Brad Bird, the challenging genius known for his award-winning animated films The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille, made his live-action directorial debut in a franchise led by Tom Cruise, who was in the midst of a career revival following some bad personal PR and under-performing films in the back-half of the 2000s
The result was action poetry. Bird’s eye for spectacle mixed with Cruise’s willingness to do everything and anything to make the most entertaining film possible was a match made in heaven. It has an intricate plot and features more humor and emotion than any previous Mission: Impossible film. Bird’s vision for the action took the franchise to new levels. Every set-piece is spectacular, with the standout being Tom Cruise scaling the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, a pulse-pounding, awe-inspiring scene, especially on IMAX.
Bird and Cruise elevated the Mission: Impossible franchise to what it is today.
American Reunion
American Reunion is a movie that reminds us that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Nine years after American Wedding, American Reunion finds Jim (Jason Biggs), Oz (Chris Klein), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nichols), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and Stifler (Sean William Scott), the once-horny group of high school teens obsessed with getting laid, now old, boring, and at very different points in their lives. Whether they’re in an unexciting marriage, a terrible job, or not happy with their place in life, they’ve all gone in separate directions but still mostly stay in touch. That is until they reunite for their high school reunion, where the group falls back into their own ways and gets themselves into several awkward and hilarious situations.
But along with the raucous shenanigans, American Reunion is full of heart and sweetness, something that the franchise as a whole balanced wonderfully. It finds our characters looking back and reminiscing about the good times they had in high school, past loves, past friendships, and how they had the whole world ahead of them while realizing how great their current lives are and that they still have plenty to look forward to. It’s great stuff from one of the great comedy franchises of the last thirty years.
Mad Max: Fury Road
It was 30 years between Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome and Mad Max: Fury Road, but the wait was worth it. Mad Max: Fury Road is a stunning cinematic achievement from the mind of George Miller. A kinetic, high-octane action film full of grit, spectacle, and thrills. It is a technical marvel on every level. The production design, costumes, and make-up are all stunning and the editing and cinematography are otherworldly. Miller’s vision for this film is unmatched. It is directed at the highest level and nobody else could have made this movie.
Miller brought us back into the post-apocalyptic hellscape and embeds us in the world in a way few directors could. We feel every inch of the film: the heat, the sand, the metal, the quench for water, and the desperation of our characters. Led by Charlize Theron (one of the best performances of her career), Tom Hardy, and a slew of terrific female supporting performances, this is a movie that beneath all the rust, dust, dirt, and sand is a really beautiful film about hope and survival in a time of despair.
Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the greatest action movies ever made and could be argued as the greatest action movie of the 21st century.
Toy Story 4
When it was announced that Toy Story 4 was being made, it was a bit puzzling. Toy Story 3 had ended so perfectly that it would have made sense if we never saw Woody, Buzz, and the gang on the big screen ever again. Their journey with Andy was over and their new journey with Bonnie was starting, a beautiful, pitch-perfect ending to an iconic trilogy.
But Pixar knew what it was doing with Toy Story 4. Like the previous Toy Story films, Toy Story 4 is an entertaining, hilarious, beautifully animated adventure that brings back all the classic characters while introducing us to some new ones in the form of Forky, Gabby Gabby, Giggle McDimples, Duke Caboom, and Ducky and Bunny (the scene-stealers of the movie).
Where Toy Story 3 was about the story of Woody and Andy’s ending, Toy Story 4 was about the ending of Woody and Buzz. It looks at finding your purpose and value in life and knowing when to go your way, even if it means leaving the ones you love. It’s powerful work from an animated movie about toys, but it’s what we’ve come to expect from this franchise.
