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5 Movie Franchises That Got Better With Each Installment

Movie franchises decay at an alarming rate. Narratives which had no business continuing in the first place have soaked the realms of cinema with thousands of unnecessary continuations, most of which have proved mediocre and damaging to their source material. Think Resident Evil, or Saw, two perfect examples of movie franchises which constantly have to drum up banal reasons for bringing their characters back into the fray. Sequels like these only serve to push their characters into territories which compromise their established personalities and motives, or to rehash the same plot elements all over again, essentially destroying the integrity of the original story.

4) The Bourne Trilogy (2002-2007)

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The Movies: The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

The Bourne Identity (2002) (Dir. Doug Liman) 

The Bourne Identity is an incredibly accomplished thriller in its own right, both generous in action spectacle, and equally gripping and intelligent throughout. There’s emotional stake at the heart of Doug Liam’s adaptation of the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name, hammered home by a great Matt Damon performance. Though the next films would improve on the formula established here, it’s important to remember that this is where those Bourne staples came from in the first place – including that especially paranoid soundtrack, which seemed to guide the series hereafter. (3.5/5)

The Bourne Supremacy (2004) (Dir. Paul Greengrass) 

Though Doug Liman did a great job with the first entry in the franchise, it is Paul Greengrass who can credited with making the series so popular, what with his hyper-kinetic, handheld approach to shooting action. Hollywood certainly took note in the years afterwards, eagerly copying the British director’s frantically-paced spectacle. As a sequel, though, Greengrass granted audiences a movie both more exciting and tense than its predecessor, perfectly-paced and with brains to match. (4.0/5)

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) (Dir. Paul Greengrass)

Paul Greengrass returned to the Bourne series with his action chops fully honed, delivering a second sequel that nobody was entirely expecting – Ultimatum managed to blow previous Bourne efforts out of the water, offering even more in the ways of suspense, quality action sequences, character development and non-stop thrills, none of which felt forced but actually natural for the arc of its title character. As a result, Jason Bourne became the definite action hero of the era. So much so in fact, that even James Bond had to stand up and take note. Brilliant. (4.5/5)

Note: We’re not including the recent The Bourne Legacy, as it’s not a real continuation of this particular story and could be considered more of a spin-off.

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