The Best Action Movie Franchises To Binge Watch

Now synonymous with big '80s action, "Die Hard" was originally a low-key affair when released in 1988. Bruce Willis wasn't considered an action star (he was the lead on ABC's romantic sit-com "Moonlighting") and the movie's antagonist, Hans Gruber, was played by the then little-known Alan Rickman ("Die Hard" was his first role in a Hollywood movie; until then, he'd mostly done stage and television work). However, the film ended up being such a success with critics and audiences — even today it has a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes — it immediately launched a franchise. Four sequels have followed the exploits of John McClane and his many, many run-ins with bank robbers pretending to be terrorists.

While none of the sequels live up to the ridiculously high-water mark established by the first movie (yes, it's really that good), they do offer up more of the same McClane that fans love. So for anyone who likes their heroes sarcastic but not totally invulnerable, their villains motivated by greed or revenge instead of world domination, and their sidekicks played by the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, "Die Hard" is the binge for you.

Following the success of series like "Transformers" and the "Transporter," Hollywood had an action problem — fight scenes were starting to look stale. While the movies mentioned above are entertaining in their own right, their fight scenes are similarly composed of special effects, edits between punches thrown and punches landed, and shaky camera. All of this changed, however, when a director named Gareth Evans went to Indonesia to film his action tour de force: "The Raid: Redemption."

"The Raid" tells the story of an elite unit of Indonesian police on a mission to arrest a vicious crime lord. When their original plan to sneak into the criminal's apartment complex goes awry, protagonist Rama is forced to fight through floor after floor of bad guys. Simple enough. What makes "The Raid" stand out from its peers was its fight choreography and insane stunts. Evans worked to make fight scenes appear as if they were all filmed in a single unbroken take, even when a character descends onto a group of baddies through a hole in the floor. Every fight is somehow more visceral, violent, and surprising than the next when audiences are made to feel as if every punch, kick, throw, and shot are happening in real time, not broken up in edits. 

The movie was such a success that Evans made a sequel, "The Raid: Berandal," its plot starting minutes after the conclusion of the first movie. For adrenaline junkies everywhere, back-to-back viewings are required.

"The Matrix" is one of the few franchises that can truly be called a game-changer. It's a truly singular movie: Before it arrived, there wasn't much like it, and while its influence on Hollywood specifically and pop culture generally can't be overstated, there hasn't been anything too successfully similar since. 

Directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski, "The Matrix" depicts a depressing future where humans live imprisoned as batteries for their machine overlords and are kept sedated with a simulation of real life. Aside from having an engaging premise, the series also has some of the most iconic fight scenes of all time.

Whether it's Keanu Reeves' Neo learning kung fu from Laurence Fishburne's Morpheus, Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity running from the antagonistic agents, or a mini-gun laying into an office building, "The Matrix" is packed with scene after scene of iconic violence — and that's only the first movie. The sequels continue to deepen the world-building, introduce fascinating new characters, and test the franchise's protagonists in new and exciting ways. In other words, "The Matrix" franchise is a must-see — especially leading up to the fourth installment.

In 1987, director John McTiernan set the gold standard for genre mashup films with "Predator." Predator begins as standard big '80s action fare, with Arnold Schwarzenegger's Dutch leading a team of special operatives into the heart of Central America on a rescue mission with a CIA agent (played by Carl Weathers) in tow. The first third plays like a parody of popular action movies from the time. The Spec-Ops team quips, shoots, and flexes their way through the mission. In any other movie, the credits would've rolled around the 30-minute mark. But McTiernan and co. set out to tell a different story.

Predator isn't about a successful rescue mission, it's really about an encounter with forces Dutch and his elite commandos don't understand. What begins as a by-the-numbers action flick turns into a sci-fi survival story where the best men for the job become prey to the titular alien species who hunts warriors for sport deep in the jungle. 

The "Predator" series has dropped its devilishly designed alien into increasingly interesting action genre scenarios ever since. For example, in "Predator 2," the alien joins the over-the-top gangland conflict in LA to extremely gory effect. For fans who like their movies bloody and plots hard to guess, "Predator" is the series to spend a weekend on.

The "Mission: Impossible" franchise, based on the popular Cold War-era TV series of the same name, has been quietly cleaning up at the box office for the last 25 years or so. Its success is largely due to the charisma and daredevil attitude of one man: Tom Cruise. Between insisting on doing his own stunts and seemingly raising the stunt bar for actors in each new entry — Cruise is the first actor to ever complete a High Altitude, Low Open, or HALO, jump on camera — Cruise has made the Impossible series synonymous with pulse-pounding stunts.

But more than its anxiety-inducing sequences, the "Impossible" franchise also built a stable of lovable characters (including actors like Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames) with the kind of chemistry usually found on sitcoms like "Friends" or "New Girl." All of this adds up to a series of movies that plays more like an extended TV series than its blockbuster peers. Fans can tune in to see what building Cruise will base jump off of next and catch up with the spy gang's shenanigans.

The "Police Story" franchise is peak pre-Hollywood Jackie Chan. The stunts (in most of the movies) are as real as they are bone-breaking. The central protagonist is affable, even a bit goofy, yet still a kung fu genius. Unlike the other movies on this list, the "Police Story" franchise isn't binge-worthy for its intriguing world-building or compelling characters; instead, it's just about seeing what insane trick Chan will pull off next. The plots are just long, unbroken chains of entertaining action sequences. Want to see Chan jump out of a helicopter to land on a speeding train for a climactic fight? Check out "Police Story 3." Want to see cops and criminals fly through every piece of breakable glass in a mall? Go fire up "Police Story." 

Action fans really should rush out to watch the series in its entirety — it's just that good. Plus, for any viewers who may question the reality of the franchise's stunt work, each "Police Story" entry concludes with an end-credit blooper reel featuring footage of Chan and his stunt team rehearsing. Sometimes the bloopers are funny; other times, it's astonishing that anyone, including the star, walked away from the set alive.

"Indiana Jones" is the pinnacle of the action-adventure genre. Over the years, the titular archeologist has punched tons of Nazis, traveled the world, survived ritual sacrifice, confronted ghosts of Biblical proportions, quested for the Holy Grail, met aliens, and punched Nazis some more. In other words, not many movies do pure, unadulterated escapism like "Indiana Jones." The roguish archaeologist cuts a swashbuckling figure that hearkens back to a more wholesome era of classic 1930s matinee heroes. Plus, there's a healthy dose of humor that would make Jones watchable even if he wasn't escaping in zeppelins, stealing golden icons, and rescuing damsels in distress.  

Steven Spielberg paced the Indiana Jones franchise so well that audiences don't get much time to breathe before the next unbelievable set-piece is on screen. But unlike other films where a threadbare plot loosely ties action scenes together, "Indiana Jones" unites the two. Plus, Spielberg — master that he is — shows rather than tells. Consider Indy's first outing. Spielberg could've included dialogue explaining who Dr. Jones is and what he's all about, but instead, he threw the audience right into an adventure and let Dr. Jones' actions do all the talking. 

In creating movies that play like a theme park ride (and indeed became one), Spielberg developed a franchise that fans will want to hop on as fast as possible.