Lord of the Rings knew when to stop, but these franchises — with further additions either on the way or rumored to be in the works — have outstayed their welcome …
10. Pirates of the Caribbean/The Bourne Identity
Why They Didn’t Suck: Jason Bourne out-Bonded James Bond; Captain Jack Sparrow owns the seas like Keith Richards owns the stage.
But Another One? Just Junk: The bloody and bruised Bourne trilogy changed the way we thought spy games should be played and indirectly led to a Bond franchise reboot, complete with a backstreet brawler of an 007. Thanks to Johnny Depp cheekily channeling the death-defying Rolling Stones guitar slinger, Pirates of the Caribbean overcame the stigma of being inspired by a Disney theme-park ride of all things. Both trilogies tied up loose ends as best as possible, so any additions would quite frankly be redundant. Besides, after the two Pirates sequels buckled under the weight of their overly loaded interconnected plots, Sparrow should be imprisoned in Davy Jones’ Locker for the rest of eternity before they make a fourth Pirates. And what is there for Bourne to do? He’s already gone to hell and back while on the run as an assassin suffering from amnesia. He’s regained his memories, and the world now thinks he’s dead. Enough already. Let Bourne live out the rest of his days in peace as David Webb.
KEEP READING: Saw VI? Hell to the no!