Ben Shapiro: The GREATEST Movie Franchise of ALL TIME

[@Phillibetrus]

Lord of the Rings was a massive risk. 3 movies greenlit at once to a small time horror director in a fantasy genre that wasn't at all popular at the time and Lord of the Rings was generally considered an unfilmable book.

[@cmln2413]

Yes, and it completely proved that it was done by a "small time horror director"! Horrid would be the highest possible praise for it.

[@willtheprodigy3819]

@@cmln2413What are you talking about? LOL. You’re insane.

[@cmln2413]

@@willtheprodigy3819 And you are allowed to be entirely clueless. A living example that ignorance may indeed be some sort of self induced blind bliss. LOL.

[@Lilly.H.Purple]

I think he meant as a risk of failure or success with the audience, it was a bigger risk with star wars in that aspect. Lotr though had less hard time connecting with the audience which was there.

[@cmln2413]

@@Lilly.H.Purple Who knows?

[@nba2kmadness162]

I love how Ben is just casually rating movies and pretending to all of us he didn’t just drop the biggest meme banger of the decade yesterday…

[@BadMannerKorea]

The content could be delayed days or even weeks. You can kind of guess based on outfit and his uploads, but you really have no idea. The above video could be a week old.

[@Hunter_The_Mubter]

They are pre-shot and released on a schedule

[@milanthechosen]

What do you mean?

[@RussellsHouse]

@@milanthechosen Check out Tom MacDonald "Facts" featuring Ben! 🔥

[@herbiehusker1889]

​@RussellsHouse I saw it last night. It was kind of lame. Not very impressed to be honest. Tom has a good message, but his beats all sound the same and he is just flashy lights and "patriotism." But he's Canadian, so...he seems very astro-turfy to me.

[@LocoLeche]

LOTR came out in this sweet spot in time where CGI was a good enhancement to scenes, but they couldn’t fully rely on it for entire sets so you get these epic, real world sets that are just incredible to behold.

[@Dim-yz6wk]

So true!

[@nba2kmadness162]

Ben is the first man on earth to rap slower than he talks

[@sbffsbrarbrr]

LOL!!

[@f87115]

I concur❤

[@HeatherBDentureDiVa]

I'm 37 and I've been around since there was actually good rap and yeah he's definitely not the slowest I've heard way many slower people than him

[@rogergregoire4618]

​@HeatherBDentureDiVa the comment was raps slower than he talks not raps the slowest of all time.

[@Hunter_The_Mubter]

And he still raps faster than the average politician😭

[@Constantine-316]

The LOTR movies feel like a miracle, they remain unbeaten in my eyes.

[@Grizzlox]

We'll never get a movie like that again

[@Vendetta_Armada80]

Never liked the franchise. Out grew Harry Potter after 2011....

[@Catherine.Dorian.]

@@Vendetta_Armada80That’s such a shame. LotR is just so well done but I get it, my dad hates it lol

[@caseclosed9342]

Back in the days before everything was ruined by wokeness

[@f.iph7291]

Maybe lotr is great because there are not many women in it lmao. Diversity ruined so many movies. Don't get me wrong. Diversity is good If and only if the story suits the diversified characters.

[@1997Gaa]

I have watched the extended LOTR movies 7 times now...not even kidding. EACH time i watch it cry. It never gets old, there's always something else to find while watching since Tolkien built a literal world, back story from beginning to end, mirroring the Gospel in a fantasy world. The writing the acting, the first ever movie to portray and internal struggle on the screen through gollum in such an artistic powerful way. The 3 movies are masterpieces and nothing will ever top it.

[@Smido83]

7? I've watched then more then 15 times... and I am low balling here cause I stopped counting a long time ago.

[@TheNotimprezed]

Seriously, I would watch once a year - every December. But for the last 5 years I've been watching twice a year.

[@Nediac800]

I never counted, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the extended trilogy well over 50 times in my 24 years.

[@JimChap]

@@Smido83 Yep, me too. How about all the appendices?

[@JimChap]

@@TheNotimprezed I like you.

[@drb2168]

There will be nothing like LOTR ever again. The best book series and world ever created, and the greatest film trilogy of all time. Cannot be topped.

[@Realdrlipschitz]

The ONLY film trilogy where all 3 movies were equally fantastic

[@josephpasquarella2123]

Dune might have a chance, if they follow up these next two films like the first one, which was a masterpiece

[@Realdrlipschitz]

@@josephpasquarella2123 I really enjoyed Dune, but I wouldn’t call it a “masterpiece”. I have high hopes for the trilogy, but the first one didn’t exactly hit like Fellowship did. It was visually stunning and well acted, but it has a long way to go.

[@sarov7658]

​@@josephpasquarella2123lol you gotta be kidding

[@tomascech6772]

@@Realdrlipschitz Not really. The third one sucked bad.

[@markdevries2961]

LOTR is damn near flawless. I’m glad Ben resisted his favorite franchise and acknowledged LOTR as the greatest of them all. It’s going to be a very long time before another franchise tops it.

[@GretaThanos]

They were good, but they left out so much of The Two Towers, the Two Towers could’ve been two films

[@markdevries2961]

@@GretaThanos Of course they aren’t the same caliber as the books. That’s not what’s being critiqued here though. As movies they were a perfect trilogy that pieced together just right for the in-film universe created.

[@jeanetteschulthe1andOnly]

You can say that again...and again...and again. I like Star Trek, Star Wars and Indiana Jones too. But LOTR and the Hobbit come out on top.

[@danieldanieldadada]

​@@jeanetteschulthe1andOnlyplease not the hobbit. Was a romance between an elf and a dwarf necessary? Special effects looked like a video game.

[@Novelera05]

Agreed! My old time favorite fantasy movie LOTR

[@stephenthompson3309]

Ben takes most of the franchises "as a whole," considering things like "Oh the first 3 were great, but everything after that was meh," but then he considered Star Wars based on just the parts he likes.

[@kay0946]

Correct

[@chetstevensq]

Exactly, two good films in the series and one B movie to use his parlance. The rest border on hideous.

[@jk28440]

We're all guilty of a little bias...

[@DarrenMarsh-kx8hd]

Yeah, I agree. As a whole Star Wars sucks. As the OT ,ita probably the best franchise ever made.

[@anastasia-fr1gn]

I think Star Wars has become such a huge cultural phenomenon that it creates a little bias towards it. I’m not a Star Wars fan (i enjoy it) and even I started it somewhere at the top of the list.

[@JKimPersonal]

“My money Like Lizzo, my pockets are fat.” - Ben Shapiro 😂

[@kimbros811]

The fact we did not get a reunion between Han, Luke, and Leia is criminal.

[@adamtrombino106]

My issue is that the new writers and directors took once strong characters and beat them down to oblivion completely forgetting the fact the the underdog won, the little guy won! Leia once a strong but still feminine character, was reduced to a depressed somber person. Solo, the brash fumbling pirate who is loveable and really the guy the comes around after learning of what's really going on and how it affects even him, gets reduced to a bad father and criminal who's on the run. And Luke...Judas Priest. They took a true coming of age character and turned him into a recluse like someone who had fallen from grace without even trying to explain how that happened. The man that defeated Vader, his own father as well as the Emperor, suddenly doesn't care about anything or anyone.. Not so sorry, but other than Rogue 1, Disney Star Wars films and all of their spin offs are terrible!

[@TrafalgarWaterDLaw-dl5cm]

Luke the man who BELIVED into his father when the world told him he's mad for having faith in an evil mass murdering Sith lord. Whos faith in his fanilyand by thst father is rewarded by his love saving his fathers soul in a last act of self sacrafice. Whos new order is built on hope and beliving in each other..suddenly about to murder his sister and best friends son in his sleep. Then LOSES HOPE. His greatest attribiute. You cannot make this shit up.

[@lawlietriver8869]

Dude, tell me about it. I am not even a huge Star Wars fan, and even I wanted to hurt someone. It was just mandatory. Anyone that knows story and fandom, like, how was it not automatically just there? Damn.. I am getting mad. Gotta go get a beer and watch some comedy. Have a pleasant whatever it is where you live :)

[@philipsheppard4815]

@@lawlietriver8869 apparently the Luke story line is not that far from what Lucas had written in his outline for the Sequel trilogy.

[@lawlietriver8869]

@@philipsheppard4815 A story can end up the same way, but here is the thing... It is all about how you arrive there. You need to justify it. They did not, AT ALL. Anyone knowing writing knows it is utter crap. Not to mention that your comment had nothing to do with the actual conversation. Is it fair to assume that you liked the sequels?

[@StrobeFireStudios]

I didn't watch the video. But it's the Lord of the Rings. It just is. There's no tarnish. No pretentiousness. It's just pure cinematic joy. From the cast, all the way down through costume, prop design, set, cinematography, practical effects, motion capture technology for Gollum, (which was new back then). Every aspect of the Lord of the Rings is unquestionably top tier. Thanks for reading my comment.

[@MordechaiHershoffyoutube]

Problem with LOTR is the Hobbit and ROP, so if you look at it as a full franchise, LOTR is S tier, the Hobbit is C tier, and ROP is F tier, so if you only look at the LOTR, without the rest it's the best, but you kind of have to take everything into account.

[@kaitlyncrossley5726]

I would actually watch a full series of Ben just reviewing movies, he’s always so spot on with his criticisms and movies are fun to review. He just keeps expanding his career into more unknown territory.

[@michaeltnk1135]

He’s had some pretty awful movie takes. Like The Batman for example

[@abccafe1]

It is laughable to say he was spot on. He literally ranked the Godfather lower than Star Wars. This was biased to the max. The Godfather didn't even get the cultural bonus point.

[@TheRealFry2024]

same kind of

[@DarrenMarsh-kx8hd]

Shapiro has quite a few movie review videos, check out his playlists.

[@katherinemartinez-fuentes4572]

I know it probably wouldn't have made it to the final round but THE MATRIX should've been in the action category! They were definitely ahead of their time in CGI and had the x-factor in storytelling

[@Gebri3l]

The first one was amazing but the rest were just the rest, I don't even remember if there was a third part

[@tormentakid]

it would've been marvellous if Ben's best franchise was the one from a trans allegory movie made by trans sisters. maybe in the perfect timeline...

[@presidentcovfefe]

@@tormentakid well crazy people tend to make good art from time to time. Maybe that’s real the x-factor here

[@bl4ckst0ne]

@@tormentakid Matrix franchise would have been eliminated almost immediately as the first Matrix movie was a masterpiece and then each subsequent movie got worse and worse.

[@williamsmith8522]

3 has redeeming qualities. And people who claim it’s a trans allegory are just goofy. It is the allegory of the cave, it has aspects similar to the story of Jesus Christ. When the first 3 were made they were brothers so no they weren’t making a trans allegory film.

[@captainstage2009]

This video would’ve changed so much if it had come out right after Dune: Part 2.

[@fibanocci314]

I haven't had the opportunity to see it yet. Is it really that good? Would you say it meets and/or exceeds the first?

[@k3556io]

No, it wouldn't. It was good but overrated, we'll have to see the whole trilogy

[@captainstage2009]

@@k3556io There’s like 5 more books after this so I think they’re gonna go full Harry Potter with dune.

[@k3556io]

@captainstage2009 That'd be sick, I didn't like it as much as others calling it one of the best movies ever, but I'm looking forward to the next one

[@user-jv9zn3dx4o]

Dune 2 was dope

[@ChismTuggle]

This sounds radical to say, but the Extended Editions of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is, to me, the greatest achievement of art that mankind has ever put together. That sounds silly to say of a film series, but when one really ponders all of the various elements that went into creating The LOTR, and the quality of what we ultimately got, I just don't think it can be denied. From the Score, The Acting, The Props, The CG, The Cinematography, The Set Designs, The Artwork, The Poetry, The Script...it goes on and on, yet to be surpassed. And perhaps never will.

[@jennylupton8858]

Facts

[@LightsCameraKonkle]

agreed.

[@lebronjamesharden3958]

would you rewatch it though?

[@ChismTuggle]

@@lebronjamesharden3958 Every Year.

[@ericmontiel3234]

💯

[@nikopawlowic6557]

There's anothe risk factor that should have been considered for LOTR and that was Peter Jackson was actually filming all 3 movies at the same time, so that would also qualify for a huge risk.

[@sheikyerbouti39]

Not to mention Jackson was a relatively small, unknown director at the time. So convincing the studio to not only finance the filming of one major film, but 3 at the same time was nuts!

[@tadochov]

the story is even funnier. they gave him money for one movie to see how the audience will respond and based on that make the sequels. and Peter Jackson took all the money and made essentially a third of each movie. not in terms of shooting, but in sets, costumes, technology (most of which was basically invented from nothing by Weta digital back then) etc needed, because creating all of it took such a long time. had he made just the Fellowship and see the response, we would have to wait 5+ years for the next movie if all went perfectly. so he kinda bamboozled them in this way when he already had the perfect team in place. so now they had 3 unfinished movies and had the choice of giving him all the money for all three movies, or scrap the whole thing and losing 100 million right there. there was no middle ground.

[@sheikyerbouti39]

@@tadochov Haha I didn't know that! Amazing. The man had a vision and knew what he wanted I suppose!

[@tadochov]

@@sheikyerbouti39and the world is a lot better for it

[@leilav2976]

@@sheikyerbouti39 I mean, so was Lukas! Also, the fact that he was working on all three at the same time would have made it easier to keep a consistent story and tone, whereas, in Star Wars, Lukas had to change the story because they would only greenlight one, and they had to retroactively fix the problems that were created by the changes when the studio decided to let him make the rest!

[@PhillyCoinCollectors]

Awesome. LOTR (especially extended editions) are my personal favorite.

[@veganfoodconfidential67]

Ben made good judgement with the films. LOTR has become a timeless, beautiful movie series. I have seen it when I was young and now with kids, they just love everything about this whole series.

[@RelaxingandPeacefulMusic317]

Lord of the Rings proved it with ROTK alone having 11 academy awards.

[@billylocke9633]

Awards don’t prove anything but those films will stand the test of time. Beautiful works of art.

[@32Jlocke]

Godfather part 1 and part 2 both had 11 academy awards each.

[@chongli3007]

Imagine believing academy awards are the standard

[@meanmadmonkey7762]

The BEST movies ever made IMHO...

[@nomarxistspls90]

It's star wars and it aint close

[@hollystepp3735]

That godfather music immediately sent nostalgic chills through me. Not necessarily from the movies, but the game on ps2. I played that game so many times growing up. I really want to play it again

[@shwedman]

You completely overlook Lethal Weapon and Die Hard in the action list and Ghostbusters and Back to the Future under SciFi

[@briteeyes2133]

I cannot believe the MATRIX is not on there???????

[@RacheoomlChristensen]

Die Hard for sure!

[@איתןשי]

There are just SO many options for action movies though... Maybe if they had 1 more round

[@geddyflea6645]

Dirty Harry and death wish had 5 movies. No horror genre, then again I don’t see Ben as a horror fan

[@markmcflounder15]

Yes!!! (Agreeing with the poster). And, also the Matrix series!!!

[@thebladerunner5226]

One film franchise to rule them all ,one franchise to find them, one trilogy to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

[@authorjoannawhite]

This is the best quote ever

[@cmln2413]

AARRRGH!! I think I'm about to lose my dinner.........

[@TheTewjr]

In Hollywood, where the shadows lie.

[@SicilianoFilms]

All right, look, there's only one "Return," okay, and it ain't "of the King," it's "of the Jedi."

[@Megusta508]

​@@SicilianoFilmsI used to be a massive sw fan and I thought nothing could top it. 4 months later I discovered lotr and a month later I admitted lotr was significantly better. I love Star wars btw

[@AnonN-sr6uu]

It gets really awkward when you realize Mission is possibly the greatest movie franchise of all time...

[@retrojohnny1899]

No mention of the Back to the Future franchise is actually kinda surprising. Two amazing films and a third installment thats dosen't hold up to the other two but is still great by other movie standards. Plus unlike most of the other franchises it hasn't been marred by remakes or modern sequels

[@elskeletor3566]

I think the 3rd film holds up and I like it better than the 2nd film.

[@jzarbaugh]

Agree. The second BBTF is the worst of the franchise- and that is largely because of the future scenes. Also, the re-casting of Jennifer was a tragedy. Still, BBTF is one of the greatest franchises and deserved to be in the competition. Along with Toy Story.

[@bl3343]

I'm sure they would have added it if the question was best trilogy, not franchise. With the exception of The Godfather, the rest of these series had more than three movies.

[@retrojohnny1899]

@@bl3343 that's just not true. Otherwise the Dark Knight Trilogy, Blade Runner and LotR series wouldnt even be here. Also they kinda cheated with Star Wars by excluding 2/3 of the movies just so it could get further in the rankings.

[@maritzasylvia]

@@bl3343well when I was 18 I fell asleep every time my bf would but it on while going through it in 2002, now?! Its amazing! I officially watch the hobbit & lotr through ❤

[@yazao8282]

Ben, you HAVE to read the entirety of Lord of the Rings. It's one of the greatest novel ever written and it goes into so much more depth then the movies.

[@dutchrequired]

go ahead and make him

[@GreyWolfLeaderTW]

He should also read the Silmarillion (although it would likely require multiple readings to really understand it and get it).

[@lilzabug]

@@GreyWolfLeaderTW I've had the Silmarillion book for decades, but haven't quite had the inclination to dive into it. I'm at the age now where I require large print books. 🧐 I bought the LOTR Platinum Series Special Extended Edition boxed set in 2008 new for $50 and I cherish it. I read the books back in high school and was so glad that the film story was as well-made as it was.

[@yazao8282]

@@GreyWolfLeaderTW Absolutely. Silmarillion really delves into all the lore that's only lightly touched at best in the lord of the rings and the hobbit. It's not an easy read for most people though.

[@erikfm77]

Books are generally always better than the movies 🤷

[@ellieh3369]

LOTR is one of my favorite movies of all time. I read the books as a teenager and was excited when I saw previews for the movies. They did not disappoint.

[@vincei4252]

Totally concur with Ben on killing Han Solo in the absolutely pointless and pathetic way they dreamed up. That was the last "Star Wars" movie I ever watched. unforgivable.

[@ramengirll]

Also how they "faded" off Luke as well. Really dislike Rey's character, zero character growth.

[@0987__]

Same

[@windsongshf]

I enjoyed 7, but the murder of Han was unredeemable. I hated "new" Star Wars from that moment on.

[@RacoonLord-mt9hv]

​@@windsongshfAndor is REALLY good, it's not a movie though.

[@Landofalcon007]

Ah, but then you didn't get to see just how much worse it got after TFA 😂

[@JayG724]

Sergio Leones Dollars trilogy is my number 1. A Fist Full of Dollars For A Few Dollars More The Good The Bad and The Ugly. The scenery the acting and the music are absolute perfection.

[@elskeletor3566]

He definitely doesn't talk about that for sure. Or doesn't mention Dirty Harry.

[@viefcheesecake]

My favorite movie of that trilogy is fistful of dollars ngl

[@philipsheppard4815]

Leone only made 6 films and in those included two of the best Westerns and the best Gangster film ever made.

[@eadiebrown7510]

Yep!! To each his own 😊

[@abccafe1]

the acting was mediocre and the first film was just a blatant plagiarised rip off of yojimbo, which was still much better.

[@nickaveris87]

Little bit disappointed how quickly the Mission Impossible franchise was written off, probably the most consistent action movie franchise especially from Ghost Protocol onwards.

[@richhutchinson2934]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Only thing is, just off the top of my head you missed one: “Back to the Future”. Part one was almost a perfect movie.

[@dougrobinson8602]

And it went downhill from there. Two was somewhat decent but Three was awful. JMO, but I agree the first film was brilliant.

[@Mr.Goodkat]

@@dougrobinson8602 You're a lunatic, one was a masterpiece, two was one of the best sequels of all time and three was great.

[@anneb889]

One is pretty much a perfect movie….i didn’t like two as much, but I enjoyed three. But I would think that it would be an option.

[@retrojohnny1899]

It probably would have beaten Star Wars for best Sci Fi

[@bl3343]

I'm one of those weirdos who likes the second Back to the Future movie even more than the first.

[@kristinholzerart]

That little scene of Frodo laughing cringe-ly that y'all edited in there CRACKED me up

[@marykayklim2563]

I would have loved to see the scene where Sam was carrying Frodo at the very end. But I guess in the picture that I had there, he did beat the Poison of the Nazgul. And, poor Hobbit Actually thought it was the End of his journey when it was just the beginning.

[@jcmphreek]

The first 3 Bourne movies are among the best action movies ever made. Each one on its own just incredible. The action scenes were amazing. The score was amazing. The chase scene (you know the one) is probably the best chase scene in cinematic history

[@JackPitches5647]

We all know the chase scene

[@russkepler5139]

“Jesus Christ… that’s Jason Bourne”

[@mikemosc3254]

I would argue that pirates of the Caribbean would have been more fitting in the action category over the fantasy category. Despite having lost of fantasy.

[@nehemiaharndt5772]

Too much magic to be action, not enough focus on magic to be fantasy. I think where it ended up in the “adventure” category makes sense.

[@mikemosc3254]

no way dude. that entire series is an excuse to have witty lines and awesome sword fights. it's action. action adventure sure, but action 100%@@nehemiaharndt5772

[@graffiti.777]

The first three potc are masterpieces. Love those movies.

[@EddieHenderson92]

@@nehemiaharndt5772 Still makes more sense than Rocky or The Godfather being in action.

[@Megusta508]

I love potc and sw but lotr is simply better than them

[@rainoflegend]

Lord of the rings hands down.

[@RooiDuiwel]

As some one that read all the books, the movris arent that good, i read the books after watching the films, and yeah... Made the films average in hindsight just my opinion

[@DeathWatch-jh3yx]

Star Wars hands down.

[@TurinTuramber]

​@@RooiDuiwelBooks are far better but that doesn't mean the films aren't the best franchise.

[@JustSomeGuy009]

Maybe unpopular, but lotr is incredibly boring.

[@TurinTuramber]

Finally ​we have found a fast and furious fanboy. @@JustSomeGuy009

[@BewtwoYTHayden]

Your editors deserve a raise. They do an incredible job!

[@warclams]

Ben seems happier lately which makes me happy

[@kaizokujimbei143]

It's because Isreal has basically won the war.

[@420snacktime]

Ben gives credit to Batman begins for rejuvenating superhero movies. I think you have to give the first Toby McGuire Spider-Man some of the credit

[@Holmscapes]

100%

[@wikingagresor]

The first movie to rejuvenate the superhero franchise was Blade in 1998. Without it you would never have Spider Man and the rest.

[@MegrelMamba]

​@@wikingagresorSo true. I was about to say.

[@kennethyoung4768]

I think the success of the first X Men movie should get some credit as well.

[@meganbradley2369]

@@kennethyoung4768people sleep on X-men so bad

[@arthurlau98]

For me, always LOTR in Jan 2025. It still holds up. And those battles. No one do it like them. Pelennor field charge is the best battle in movie history. And the musics is excatly on point.

[@WickedZZzY]

The fact that Fast and the Furious, The Matrix, Back to the Future, Die Hard, Rush Hour, and The Karate Kid weren't even considered when shows like Pirates of the Caribean were clearly shows that Ben needs to fire his producers. What a shambles.

[@briteeyes2133]

Lol shocked matrix and Back to the future missing. LEGENDARY

[@abelgonzales3695]

Matrix 1 was the only great movie. The next two were mediocre and the newest one was straight 💩.

[@WickedZZzY]

@@abelgonzales3695 You're seriously going to argue PotC is better than The Matrix?

[@abelgonzales3695]

@@WickedZZzY I’d substitute Back to the future for Pirates. The matrix above pirates though.

[@TacticalGhost007]

I think the Rambo franchise should be included too. Love the first one, still among my top 5 favorites of all time.

[@SYWH-TruthisReal]

Every time I watch LOTR, I am moved. I love all the other final movies, but none move me like LOTR.

[@KorithStoneheart]

As a huge fan of the books, there were some changes made in the movies that just aggravated me to no end. Aragorn isn't afraid of failure and the sword gets reforged in Rivendell before they set out. Faramir does NOT take the ring back to Minas Tirith to please his father. He shows he has more wisdom and is pure hearted. He's much stronger in the books. There's not a single ranger in the movies; they are at the battle of Helm's Deep, but in the movies some Elves all the way from Lorien show up! Hahaha! Like there are not enough Elves already! I love it when directors that almost nobody has heard of think they can improve on a masterpiece. Edit. Peter Jackson was not a household name before directing LoTR

[@1997Gaa]

I have watched the extended versions 7 times each...not even kidding. Every time I cry, everytime I love it everytime I I'm convinced it's the best

[@janelleg597]

I get annoyed with all the blubbering

[@MusicalMarble]

Cop Genre: Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Dirty Harry, Speed, Rush Hour, etc.

[@dennisshaper4744]

Oh Lord, Speed? One movie...then garbage.

[@MyLuggage12345]

I'm glad they're including the interactions with the producers. Good stuff.

[@candacefangirl5448]

I love when Ben geeks out about movies, makes me feel more normal. lol. I don’t have many people in my life to get into movies so much to have personal opinions about them, so thanks Ben. You’re the MVP.

[@YourMrFixer]

I agree. Hard to bring up which Harrison Ford movie is the best when you’re on the boat fishing with buds.

[@Tusocalypse]

I think he got it right with LOTR. But one of my favorite parts of this video is that Ben recognized that Terminator 2 is, legitimately, like a top 3 action movie of all time. Might be my favorite action movie ever.

[@thelastdisplay]

Where is The Matrix series? It's probably the most influential sci-fi action flick in the last 25 years. Dune should have been left off. It's only one released film.

[@tomascech6772]

Have you watched the last one?

[@onclebob2178]

Exactly! MATRIX! I’m a star wars fan since ever, but sometimes I think matrix is better.

[@Deadnickers]

Only the first matrix movie is good 😂

[@IntermissionForBunny]

Ben confirmed for robot. Who the hell says LOTR as "El Oh Tee Arr?" "Lord of the Rings" has the exact same number of syllables

[@dshannon565]

Back to the future had to be added in here. Great series of films. Lethal weapon would be another great shout.

[@tabithatate6215]

I'm glad they gave the Jason Bourne trilogy the respect it deserves. Its not the best but its really good.

[@colbyreyburn6432]

Him picking Bourne over the bond series is a joke

[@Jaasau]

If Borne 1 and 2 are on TV, I have to stop and watch. They’re those kind of movies.

[@sociopathmercenary]

Love the Bourne series.

[@meattroller8853]

There are a lot of corny Bond movies.

[@jesserichards729]

Ben playing off of his producers made this non-weekly show sooooo good. You guys should do this for all of Ben's weekend posts

[@djnfbrhkelkondwvb6853]

The sound design in The Dark Knight is amazing and Nolan uses practical effects, they actually blew up a hospital, flipped an 18 wheeler, filmed the plane sequence irl. For me it has to be a 5 for technical

[@JonathanLovitt]

Separating Nolan's batman from all Batmans or DCEU gives it a big advantage over some of the others you didn't separate. Also Nolan's Batman doesn't exist without Raimi's Spider-Man being an absolute smash.

[@texdan1]

Same with sticking to the original Trilogy of Star Wars... add the JarJar effect and the nosedive of the sequels and you get kind of a meh overall.

[@Sorry-sk4kt]

It’s the same with LOTR without The Hobbit, TBF Godfather is kind of odd to include on the list

[@strungoutjunkiestrungoutju9233]

Your forgetting blade 1998

[@Nicolas815]

nolan's batman impacted the cbm genre much more than raimi's trilogy lets be real

[@leroyrodgers6089]

Ben could easily make a separate channel and just do reviews and talk about movies and not be political and everyone would love it. He's good at this.

[@bl3343]

​​@greglbennett he did what?!? No, that's not true! That's impossible!

[@justtocomment5848]

Honestly as a politically left leaning person I would watch Ben's movie review channel

[@TheDoomKnight]

And bring on The Critical Drinker as a guest appearance once in a while!

[@TheDoomKnight]

​@greglbennettThe only thing positive about The Rise of Skywalker was that the whole film was just a big middle finger to Rian Johnson.

[@GrossmanGreiner]

Idk Ben has really bad media literacy because he always imposes his worldview onto the film and judges it based on that criteria. He has no taste for nuance and has really poor understanding of films in general

[@LucVasAbb]

Damm, this was a good video. And I'm happy with the three winners! =)

[@Omega-uq5fs]

Hahaha Frodo laughin while Ben was thinkin about the acting score was priceless

[@yew2oob954]

I really love the Planet of the Apes trilogy...it might be perfect in terms of each movie of the trilogy holding up. Also, the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy...is pretty close to perfect in terms of the entire series arc.

[@JackPitches5647]

Idk if he has seen the new trilogy if he has then I should have been number 1

[@guilhermeknust6068]

Putting Batman(Nolan) alone as a Universe instead of just DCU just like with the MCU feels like cheating, actually. Why not do this with the other "contestants" as well, like James Bond? Anyway, LOTR is the GOAT, but to be fair they didn't include The Hobbit trilogy (wich is awesome as well).

[@Lawrence_Talbot]

The problem is a lot of franchises were once great until they were redone for “modern audiences”. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, it’s near impossible to find a franchise that hasn’t been tainted.

[@zsigomark]

The Dollar trilogy

[@Suddsy.]

Don't forget the Police Academy franchise 😂😂

[@alexanderyancey7670]

LOTR in 3 movies is stand alone. IMO None of the other movies matter.

[@nehemiaharndt5772]

I actually concur with Ben that Indiana Jones 5 is actually pretty decent. My ordering for the franchise is 3,1,5,4,2.

[@damo9961]

The Rings of Power is TV, not film so it it doesn't count. LotR is still untainted except for mediocre hobbit movies.

[@firstlast5872]

Without watching - its lord of the rings and it isn't even close.

[@G1Arduo]

I think the X factor behind the Godfather was the idea that real mafia bosses started to behave more like Marlon Brando's character in real life. Can't really tell how true this was though

[@aranh6523]

Lord of the Rings. The end.

[@shawnmoney8055]

Still haven’t seen this smh

[@Mr.Perry33]

Harry Potter franchise is better and has generated more money at the box office

[@andreekap6963]

@@Mr.Perry33 Watch the whole LOTR trilogy first! Trust me, you will love it more than Harry Potter! Because I was a big Potterhead back in 2011-2013

[@andrewyoung6484]

LOTR X factor was they filmed three films at once. I don’t think that was done before and Peter Jackson was rejected for taking that risk from certain movie studios.

[@1997Gaa]

Or the sheer fact it was a smaller director/producer (I forget which one) and that it is a mirror of the Gospel. Tolkien was a Christian. The fact the movies are so widely loved and break the religious barrior is an incredible thing

[@louwrld7118]

I love Harry Potter and was hoping you would make it win but you saying the books are good but not the movies is a pretty good answer for me.

[@circedelune]

The books are pretty good, not great, but fun. The movies are fun for kids, but pretty silly for adults. It’s hard for me to turn off my brain for long enough to enjoy the movies.

[@EmperorNapoleon1815]

Completely agree. LotR stems from Tolkien’s nearly flawless writing, which was miraculously transformed into a nearly flawless set of films. They are truly unparalleled - the summit of cinema. That said, the Nolan Batman films are truly a work of art, and Star Wars is a wellspring of entertainment value. I grew up with all of them, and SW and Tolkien are by far my two favorite fictional franchises… well, barring Godzilla. But everyone has their own tastes!

[@ThePreciseClimber]

Oh, come on now. They Hollywood-ified the shit out of LotR. A battle that lasted 2 pages in the book would get stretched to half an hour in the movies (now with Legolas shield-surfing!). Ultra-thick plot armour, mediocre comic relief, lacklustre romance, terrible portrayal of Sauron, weak portrayal of Aragorn (even the animated version from the 70s had a better Aragorn). They're still good Hollywood blockbusters but they're FAR from "nearly flawless." No wonder Christopher Tolkien disliked them.

[@cordnichols8677]

How the heck do they not include back to the future? I understand it not getting to the final 3 or whatever, but not to be nominated? Cmon man

[@EddieHenderson92]

I agree, maybe the best trilogy and it hasn't been ruined by modern day Hollywood.

[@badbot2832]

I think star trek's strength is its philosophy, especially with the later TV shows (90s) it's also just really nice to watch sci-fi about the future that's not incredibly depressing. Realism or not, it gives us something to work towards.

[@karabenzer5410]

I haven't watched a Star Wars movie since they killed Han Solo. I was devastated. Having all the old characters in the new movie was the best part of it. I'll never get over that.

[@RacoonLord-mt9hv]

Don't watch the new star wars movie, it'll ruin it for you. Except Rogue One and some of the new series.

[@disneyjenn1671]

Agreed. Rouge one is so good. The characters, the storyline… excellent. All other new movies are garbage.

[@timparks9833]

You haven’t missed anything

[@Durzo1259]

The whole trilogy was about destroying the character of the original cast before killing them off, to be replaced with Disney's far superior new characters. It was the most disgusting display of a narcissistic superiority complex.

[@MIZZKIE]

Do yourself a favour and watch Rogue One, especially if you love the OG trilogy. Even if you've given up on Disney Star Wars, you HAVE TO. I do not consider myself a Star Wars fan, but Rogue One is in my Top 10 movies of all time. It makes A New Hope (Episode 4) even better, giving it more weight to the rebellion. And if you are okay with political drama, you should also give Andor (which is connected to Rogue One) a chance. It's so serious and heavy that there are times where you completely forget that this is about Star Wars. So much pain, suffering, manipulation, and self-sacrifice. (EXACTLY what I've personally always wanted from Star Wars) Andor is Star Wars for adults. It completely discards younger audiences. BTW The side-arc with Andy Serkis is awesome too. The big reveal is very shocking.

[@nintendfriendspod]

I completely agree with the results, however...I would make an argument that Sam Raimi's Spider-Man is what really started the wave of Super Hero movies. It was a huuuge blockbuster and made them cool again. We wouldn't have the Nolan Batman films or the MCU without Spider-Man 2002.

[@jameydunne3920]

I think you're close, but there are two other candidates that really reset comic book movies. Wesley Snipe's Blade (1997) is (in my opinion) The Little Mermaid of comic book movies. It elevated a flailing subgenre into legitimacy in the same way that Mermaid reput the "classic" in "classic Disney animated movies". The other movie I'd say would be the Bryan Singer directed X-Men. That one cemented the idea that "those silly comic book movies" could be taken seriously.

[@lebronjamesharden3958]

OH YES THANK YOU!!

[@a.d8509]

Spiderman did not start the wave, x men and blade did

[@bradleyspencer4339]

How do you not have the Hunger Games in there? Not that it would win, but it belongs in the discussion.

[@williamkeepers1935]

For me, that franchise I connect to was Back to the Future. The first one came out when I was 13, and to me, it was one of the best movies ever. The sequels, if you think of the movies as three related but separate character arcs were actually really well done. The first movie was really about George McFly getting a second chance to live the life he should have, and George McFly was in many ways the central figure of the series. Had George not transformed, there would have been no need for the second because in some ways it was Marty having to come to terms with his parents and siblings happiness and finding something beyond that drive to prove himself that animated him when his family was miserable since now they weren't. It was darker because Marty was a darker character than George. The third was Doc finding late in life the chance for love and relationship he had missed out on in life as he obsessively invented and didn't pursue relationships, not really the same kind of character evolution, but fun. To me this was a terrific series but Ben is a lot younger than me and may not have the same connection to these movies.

[@Moffrogangus]

At the end, Ben put facts over feelings and selected the right answer.

[@nehemiaharndt5772]

Well you know what he says: “Look at the stats; I got the facts.”

[@CoJoPa2010]

Blade Runner and Avatar make the bracket with 2 movies each, but Die Hard, Fast & Furious and Rambo left off?! Also no Horror division???

[@HoodTrophy1800]

Hunger Games too

[@noahgraff-uw8rs]

Hunger games is mid

[@mrafam626]

Really Ben? we’re gonna pretend you didn’t just break the matrix with that awesome rap? Dude, you made my freaking day.

[@chasehervey2384]

"Every time they screw up Star Wars, I want to punch a wall!" So true, so true....

[@beanone2]

💯

[@shaunwhelan17]

I'll never be able to get over "a map to luke" was what they were looking for in the first new Star Wars.

[@rickh9396]

The reason the Star Wars screwups hit us harder than other screwups is because with Star Wars it's being done intentionally.

[@EmeraldKnightReviews]

You should watch Avatar the last Airbender animated series with your kids I’d say it’s a 100/10 show

[@daveknight3940]

Agreed! I started watching it with my oldest, when it aired. He's 17 now and we still watch it occasionally.

[@ihaveafettfetish9348]

My cabbages!

[@johannakunze3300]

Unforgettable, wonderful.

[@DetectiveDonut]

It would score a 5/5 on everything

[@AlAl-b5j]

The 2010 movie is a masterpiece, but a much different masterpiece. Almost like The Room.

[@miltiadisathanasiou4058]

my top 5: 1. LOTR 2. Godfather 3. Star Wars 4. Dollars Trilogy 5. Indiana Jones

[@thomasarnoldcoe6527]

Nice

[@Spartacus-hc9xt]

No scene in Star Wars has ever made me feel the way the ride of the Rohirrim does

[@viefcheesecake]

No scene in LOTR has made me feel what the throne room scenes made me feel (They're both great movies)

[@marcmarc1967]

@@viefcheesecake The Throne Room scene is ALL about the music. Watch it w/o the music and it's pretty lame.

[@viefcheesecake]

@marcmarc1967 the ride of rohirrim is also heavily carried by the music...

[@Megusta508]

​@@viefcheesecakesw and lotr are both amazing. In my eyes I think lotr is way better but I love sw almost as much

[@williamstormo2922]

Both are incredible franchises

[@RobbieOccasionallyRants]

RE: STar Wars technical abilities. If you want to understand what we knew as special effects before Star Wars, watch Logan's Run (the sci fi movie from the summer before STar Wars came out) and then watch New Hope. Watch them back to back. You will understand better the effect SW had on audiences but also on the industry forever.

[@matthewgreen6652]

You incorrectly ranked them based on the brackets. Lotr and Batman met in the semifinals so lotr should’ve gone to the finals and won first. SW and Godfather would’ve also met in the semifinals and SW would’ve met lotr in the finals. Batman and Godfather would’ve met in consolations for 3rd and 4th. So based by the brackets shown it really should be: 1st Lotr 2nd SW 3rd Batman 4th Godfather. (I’ve clearly gone to too many wrestling tournaments)

[@damagedskvll]

The planet of the apes (most recent) is great, I don't see it ever getting enough praise. I cried like a baby on the third movie ending.

[@gondolier41413]

They were good I'm surprised he didn't mention them.

[@nfredbearofficial]

I love Planet of the apes too. Old ones and new

[@bobhero7789]

The last one made its final mark

[@china_sickness7005]

I feel like Superman and Spider-Man are definitely the ones to thank for all of the modern comic films. Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man are Christopher Reeve’s Superman are so under appreciated nowadays.

[@thegreyowl8753]

How did we leave out "neverending story, hunger games, Divergent, Riddick, fast and furious, Transformers,?"

[@murraykelm5691]

Agree with a lot of what he said, but how can you not like the original Blade runner, truly mesmerizing film.

[@tothestars3958]

The casual dismissal of Mad Max hurts. Fury Road was amazing.

[@thomasarnoldcoe6527]

Fax

[@michaelsheflo]

Nolan's Batman is my top pick. Every moment is mesmerizing. But I respect Star Wars for being a pioneer and LOTR for the sheer scale of production.

[@proud2bgeeky]

I love that The Godfather is so good they felt they had to include it and then basically just gave it a bye for the first round.

[@ead630]

For me, the eight Harry Potter movies have provided more raw entertainment than any other franchise

[@KishorTwist]

The series revealed itself on the third one, very somber!

[@snickerzz648]

Lord of the rings is my go to, but I will say, I think Harry Potter is a close second. I’ll never understand Star Wars fandom, action is lame, characters are one dimensional. Harry Potter was genuinely an interesting story and during the holidays it hits different 🎄

[@abelgonzales3695]

@@snickerzz648I agree. I’m originally a Star Wars fan, but LOTR and Harry Potter were just more interesting and magical. And that they both came out right after 911 made them that much more of a distraction for me. I’ll always have a special place in my heart for those two franchises.

[@nehemiaharndt5772]

Yes, but I agree with the assessment that the books carry the movies way more than a franchise like LOTR. Moviewise, not contest LOTR is better. Bookwise, LOTR still wins but it is much closer.

[@Elazarrrr]

I totally agree

[@kerrypickens8594]

The reason he doesn’t like the original James Bond movies is he didn’t watch them at drive in movie with his parents

[@smexyapman]

The way he kicks mission impossible out so quick is crazy

[@golfncrypto1542]

WTF why isn’t Back to the Future a part of this? By far a better franchise than 90% of these on the list.

[@briteeyes2133]

I cannot believe the MATRIX is not on there???????

[@facelessandnameless]

100%

[@golfncrypto1542]

@@briteeyes2133 matrix was on there

[@geddyflea6645]

I can only imagine they probably forgot about it since there hasn’t been a movie from back to the future since 89

[@geddyflea6645]

I’m surprised they did not have Spider-Man or Superman

[@TheDarkknightrules92]

Great Analysis Ben!!! What Fantastic film franchises we've been pleased with. ❤

[@carsonthorell3509]

I would love to see Ben’s take on Studio Ghibli movies. But If I had to guess he has only seen spirited away and may not have cared for it and passed on the greats like princess Mononoke.

[@maritzasylvia]

Noooo Ghibli is amazing ❤❤❤❤

[@odlfmariner470]

@@maritzasylvia nooo?

[@NefariousTV]

Sean Connery James bond is absolutely the best James bond.

[@williamwheeler7068]

I found one Drama Franchise. "Lassie" From movie and TV mix it has lasted 77 years. The most recent movie was in 2020

[@LovleyLemonade]

Billys laugh being voiced over with the high-pitched meme laugh took me by suprise. 😂

[@danday9697]

The 1989 batman is so slept on. Michael Keaton was a better batman. A better batmobile. I know people wont agree but i think jack Nicholson was as good of a joker as heath ledger. The second one still had the best catwoman, and penguin.

[@Kinesiology411]

Anyone can do a cape and brood in the shadows. It's the human altar ego which distinguishes one above another. In that respect, Keaton wins by miles, much like Christopher Reeve for his Clark Kent.

[@pats334]

I liked the 89 Batman but Batman Returns is absolutely terrible

[@danday9697]

@@pats334 I didn't say it was a great movie, but Danny devito is still the best penguin, and Michelle Phifer is still the best catwomen

[@captainstage2009]

You made an action list and didn’t include Rambo?

[@mikemcgee5950]

Nothing is over! You just don't turn it off. Fucking Brilliant.

[@jwiki1]

You are young Ben. The original Star Trek to us older folks was as awesome as Lost in Space series and the original Planet of the Apes!! Personally, they are the two series that introduced me to and made me love Sci Fi.