7 Sci-Fi Franchises With Multiple Movies That Are Great From Beginning to End 

As the sci-fi genre has evolved, its cinematic success has been dominated by the development of franchises. This is a phenomenon that has turned some of the best sci-fi movie sequels into the best franchises, earning them considerable popularity as well as providing a healthy box office draw. The appeal of a franchise is clear, as it provides audiences with an opportunity to return to characters and a story that they previously enjoyed. In sci-fi terms, this often allows for greater world-building, enabling a franchise to develop a movie’s story into an expansive continuity that affords its fan base a much more immersive experience.

While some sci-fi franchises should have stopped after one movie, others made perfect use of the franchise format, with each new instalment adding something valuable to the continuity. The very best franchises are able to do this with remarkable consistency, delivering one incredible experience after another to their dedicated audiences. Over time, this has led to a number of hugely successful sci-fi franchises, with only the absolute best of them able to boast that they are excellent from beginning to end.

7) The Star Trek Kelvin Timeline Trilogy 

Star Trek: The Original Series is remembered as a sci-fi show that changed the world, but the subsequent movie franchise offered up a frustratingly inconsistent continuation of its story. However, 2009 saw the beloved crew of the Enterprise recast and rebooted in a new cinematic franchise, which grew into a trilogy of movies. All three of the rebooted Star Trek movies were absolutely excellent, boasting the same charm as the original series with the added benefit of 21st-century visual effects technology. A brilliant blockbuster reimagining of the characters and stories that first established the franchise, the movies of the Kelvin Timeline are all truly spectacular.

6) The Matrix 

The Matrix is often considered one of the best sci-fi movies of the 1990s, and its significance within the wider world of pop culture cannot be overstated. While its sequels arguably never quite reached the same heights as the original movie, the four-film franchise is still one of the most consistently entertaining in the genre. The Matrix movies make use of one of the most interesting sci-fi movie plots ever conceived, and, factoring in the many memorable action spectacles its premise facilitates, the franchise is truly exceptional across its multiple movies.

5) Blade Runner 

The Blade Runner franchise may not be as prolific as some of its sci-fi contemporaries, but that isn’t to say that it doesn’t stand out as one of the genre’s best. The original 1982 film featured one of the best sci-fi movie villains of all time, and its 2017 sequel, which was 35 years in the making, only furthered the franchise’s stellar reputation. Visually striking and thematically intriguing throughout, the Blade Runner franchise may be short in comparison to some others, but it’s still one of the best cinematic examples of exceptional sci-fi.

4) Star Wars 

There are very few movie franchises that can claim to be as popular and as influential as Star Wars. Since its beginning in 1977, the franchise has grown to incorporate many movies, TV shows, comic books, and video games. While the quality of Star Wars movies is often considered inconsistent, the fact remains that the overall cinematic journey is excellent. Even the supposedly worst movies in the franchise are remarkably crafted sci-fi spectacles, and there are plenty of positives to be found even in the movies most harshly criticized by fans. While the Star Wars movie franchise may not be perfect, it’s still incredible from beginning to end.

3) Alien 

While it’s primarily categorized as sci-fi horror, the Alien franchise also features amazing action scenes, and it is often noted for its characteristic blend of grotesque horror with massive action spectacle. Like several other major franchises, there are multiple movies in the franchise that aren’t looked upon as kindly as others, but as a whole, the Alien movies are incredible. The bleak and deeply terrifying stories of humanity battling a deadly and resilient extraterrestrial threat are consistently entertaining and are often held up as an example of the best in the sci-fi genre.

2) Planet of the Apes 

With more recent instalments proving to be some of the best sci-fi movies of the 2010s, the Planet of the Apes franchise has cemented itself among the genre’s best franchises. Beginning in 1968 with the titular movie, the Planet of the Apes franchise was initially comprised of enjoyable B-movies that were underrated sci-fi gems. However, the modern prequel movies served to rekindle the franchise, making use of eye-catching visual effects and engaging stories. As a result, the Planet of the Apes franchise is one that is truly remarkable in its entertainment value, with all of its movies enjoyable in different ways.

1) Back to the Future 

The Back to the Future trilogy is, to many, an embodiment of ’80s sci-fi. Its time-travelling narrative and memorable characters made for one of the best three-film arcs in the history of the genre, and it’s a franchise that is remembered for its consistent quality across all three movies. As the three movies’ respective stories follow directly on from one another, the trilogy’s narrative comes off as especially cohesive in comparison to other sci-fi franchises. There are very few sci-fi fans out there who would argue against Back to the Future as one of the most consistently excellent franchises, which is a mark of the quality of all three of its movies.