Sometimes, the most shocking plot twist isn’t inside a movie—it’s what happens to the franchise itself.
As a series goes on, it’s natural to grow and change. Creators get a better idea of what they’re working with, so they might choose to evolve the story in unexpected ways to keep things interesting. This experiment can either turn out well or bring the franchise crashing down. It all depends on the skill of those behind it. Regardless of quality, though, the shift can be shocking.
Several movie series undergo a radical change from dark to light. These franchises start as intense experiences of horror, suspense, and heartbreak. Their later years, however, dull these edgy elements with silly sidekicks, overblown action, and schmaltzy storytelling. Fans are left dumbfounded and betrayed. That’s not to say that the films couldn’t regain their edge, as some managed to do just that. Then again, this 180-degree turn only makes their journeys more jarring.
Related: 10 Canceled Franchise Movies Made into Something Else
10 James Bond
Many people know James Bond for the gimmicks, but the franchise started as a straight-faced spy saga. Kicking off with Dr. No, the Sean Connery movies were slow burns carried by craftiness. As 007 embarked on missions throughout the world, he sneakily infiltrated terrorist cells and foreign offensives, often emerging victorious through sheer wit. Sure, he had the odd one-liner, but the cheesiness never overshadowed the danger. All that changed once Connery left.
The Bond movies quickly devolved into clichéd comedies. Cornball tropes like death traps, cheeky comebacks, gimmicky gadgets, and physical gags became the norm. Not only did this diminish the danger, but it made 007 into a dope. The fact that Roger Moore played him that way only cemented the problem. Granted, the Timothy Dalton films briefly hearkened back to the series’ killer roots, but the Pierce Brosnan movies returned to the silly status quo. Only with the Daniel Craig flicks did Bond regain a lasting sense of danger. The downside was losing much of the style, so pick your poison.[1]
9 Batman
Tim Burton’s Batman redefined the Dark Knight onscreen. Ditching the 1960s campiness, it presented a haunting caper dripping with gothic atmosphere. The costumed hero was a damaged avenger who dealt with his demons by fighting the criminal underworld. Batman Returns doubled down on the operatic tone, devoting more time to its demented villains. Unfortunately, this deranged approach didn’t perform well commercially, so the studio opted for a new approach.
Joel Schumacher came in to make the franchise more accessible. His solution was Batman Forever. This third entry abandoned the gothic menace in favor of neon lights, hammy villains, and a youthful sidekick. The follow-up, Batman & Robin, took these quirks to a new level. The bombastic direction, colorful costumes, and cheesy jokes were somehow goofier than the ’60s show. Of course, the backlash was so extreme that every reboot since has gone progressively darker.[2]
8 Terminator
Terminator was a relentless chase movie wrapped in chilling prophecy. The story revolved around a malevolent AI called Skynet, which plunged the world into nuclear war before being thwarted by the human resistance. The leader of its enemy was a man named John Connor, so Skynet sent a cyborg assassin back in time to erase him from history. Most of the series operated on this premise. In each entry, the Terminator wiped out anyone in its way as the heroes desperately tried to outwit their tireless pursuer. All the while, they grappled with the grim inevitability of the apocalypse. Unfortunately, the series could only stay serious for so long once Arnold Schwarzenegger became the franchise’s centerpiece.
The films became more about action spectacle than clever tension. Not only did the chases feel increasingly weightless, but both humans and robots started spouting jokes and one-liners. The filmmakers seemed determined to turn the once-scary cyborgs into clowns, complete with rigid smiles and self-deprecating gags. Soon, the Terminators were sillier than Star Wars droids.[3]
7 Lethal Weapon
Although Lethal Weapon was a buddy cop flick, it was steeped in tragedy. Fearless cop Martin Riggs lost his wife in a car accident, making him depressed and borderline suicidal. As luck would have it, this unhinged officer got a new partner in the middle-aged Roger Murtaugh, who worried for his safety as he neared retirement. The resulting partnership was volatile as the old vet had to keep the young rogue from killing everything in sight. What neither expected, though, was an endearing camaraderie where both men found a sense of family. That message may sound mushy, but it was nothing compared to the sequels.
Lethal Weapon 2, 3, and 4 got gradually goofier. Riggs and Murtaugh’s bickering became akin to an old married couple, losing much of the deadly undertones. Their cases still carried weight, but comedy seemed to break up the tension more often. The biggest perpetrator was Leo Getz—a conman whose high-pitched yapping lightened every scene. This little whiner was emblematic of the series’ shift to friendlier territory.[4]
6 Godzilla
Godzilla may have popularized the kaiju genre, but he began as something else. 1954’s Gojira depicted the monster as a metaphor for nuclear destruction. Awakened and mutated by hydrogen bomb tests, he rampaged across Japan, reducing the greatest cities to irradiated ruins and leaving survivors in overwhelming despair.
Spawning a 70-year franchise, Godzilla soon evolved into a beloved protector. Most movies saw him fight rival monsters in cheesy, rubber-suited brawls. The goofiest examples were the 1960s and 1970s flicks, which had combatants flying through the air and dancing around like wrestlers. That’s not to say they stuck with this silliness, as later films upped the sci-fi spectacle through advancing effects. Certain entries, such as Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One, actually recaptured the disastrous pathos. For every tragic tale, though, there’s a blockbuster with a kaiju clash.[5]
5 Evil Dead
Despite its zany reputation, Evil Dead started as a total horror story. The original film followed Ash Williams and college friends during a woodland retreat. Settling into an abandoned cabin, they stumbled on an ominous book with Satanic text. Reading these passages inadvertently summoned a legion of demons, who possessed and slaughtered the kids with sadistic glee. Ash was the only survivor, but his adventures were just beginning.
The sequels quickly took the franchise in a sillier direction. They still had horror elements, but they mixed in a bunch of slapstick gags and one-liners. Ash became a dopey blowhard forced into a savior role, and the ensuing battles were downright cartoonish. The franchise kept this irreverent style through two sequels and a TV series. The reboots—2013’s Evil Dead and 2023’s Evil Dead Rise—returned to a more horrific tone, but even these films had hints of crazed humor. After all, it had become the franchise’s trademark.[6]
4 Predator
This series mixed the extraterrestrial horror of Alien with the macho appeal of ’80s action. Predator and Predator 2 were brutal tales where hunters found themselves hunted. In each film, a masked killer emerged from space and began slaughtering every formidable foe in the area. It didn’t discriminate between soldiers, cops, or gangsters. All these people found themselves butchered like cattle as they were utterly unprepared for this unknown terror. Unfortunately, the mystique could only last so long.
The movies soon took a turn toward bombast. The Alien vs. Predator flicks reduced the hunter to a spectacle, and the subsequent standalone stories didn’t do much better. It was basically just a monster for the humans to shoot. Granted, Prey returned to the series’ simple roots with a 1700s survival tale, but newer installments have experimented with different directions for the creature and its mythology. The unseen assassin was increasingly a thing of the past.[7]
3 Shrek
You might wonder how an animated kids’ movie could be edgy, but Shrek made it part of the brand. The film revolved around an ornery ogre. Rejected by the world, he shunned others in turn, regularly chasing people out of his swamp. Unfortunately, his solitude ended when the tyrannical Lord Farquaad rounded up the famous fairy tale creatures and dumped them on Shrek’s land. To reclaim his property, the ogre had to rescue a princess for the crooked lord to marry. The premise was as cynical as it was ridiculous, and the script never missed a chance to take shots at fairy tales—at least until it became one.
Much like their protagonist, the Shrek movies were cute and cuddly in their later years. The ogre settled into married life with the princess he saved, and the resulting culture clash turned him into a big, green goofball. This change diminished the overarching cynicism, losing the mean-spirited humor along the way. It ultimately left the franchise as generic kiddie fare.[8]
2 RoboCop
The violence of RoboCop was infamous among moviegoers. Taking place in a dystopian Detroit, it presented a world overcome by crime and commercialism. Even the police became just another product. After Officer Alex Murphy died on duty, the resident megacorporation used his remains to build RoboCop—a cyborg enforcer programmed to protect the populace. He fulfilled that mission with ruthless efficiency, leading to gruesome shootouts with the city’s worst gangs. Over time, though, that cold exterior melted away as Murphy slowly regained his humanity. The films followed that trend, albeit not as gracefully.
RoboCop 2 and 3 were notably softer than the original. They emphasized metallic destruction and set pieces over bloody carnage. The bad guys also became Saturday morning cartoons in the third outing, shamelessly chewing the scenery and wielding cheesy special effects. Much of the self-awareness was gone. The 2014 remake tried to fix these problems, but it still prioritized bombast over subtext. This franchise was as faulty as RoboCop himself.[9]
1 The Expendables
How fitting that this throwback suffered from the same problems as its inspiration. The Expendables centered on a team of veteran mercenaries. These guys took on the toughest missions available without batting an eye. Though well past their prime, they often had the experience to overcome suicidal odds. What’s even better is that they weren’t official, meaning their government could deny anything they did. It also meant that they could wreak as much havoc as they wanted. The end product was a bloody homage to ’80s action flicks. The appeal was simple, yet it somehow got lost along the way.
Like many action sequels, The Expendables 3 abandoned its R-rated roots for a PG-13 rating. Team leader Barney Ross sidelined his veteran allies in favor of younger mercs, none of whom had the grizzled demeanor or the pedigree of their predecessors. This swap made the movie feel like a CW knockoff, and the greater number of quips cemented that image. Worst of all, the shooting, stabbing, and punching were all oddly bloodless. The fourth flick tried to win people back, but this belated follow-up was somehow softer due to green-screen-heavy chases and half the cast being gone. Like the aging action stars themselves, the franchise eventually lost its teeth.[10]