I know, I know. Things are crazy out there. Most of us are supposed to be self-isolating these days and, what makes things worse, is that there's seemingly no end in sight. We really don't know what's coming from one day to the next and we all just really need to take it one day at a time. But, you're friends here at JoBlo.com are here for you and, if there's even a hint of a silver lining, its that your time in isolation is much better spent digging into some solid entertainment than worrying about things you can't possibly control.
So, while you've got the time, why not binge watch your favorite film series or – better yet – dive into that franchise you've never seen. Here are a few of our favorites, and hopefully they inspire some of you to sit back, relax and get lost in some of the best feature film sagas of all time.
If there's ever a time for The Force to be with you, it's now. With THE RISE OF SKYWALKER now on Blu-ray/Digital, you can finally watch the whole saga all in one shot (including the spinoffs). Of course, your order of preference is up to you, but if you're going by order of events, then it's THE PHANTOM MENACE, ATTACK OF THE CLONES, REVENGE OF THE SITH, SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY, A NEW HOPE, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, RETURN OF THE JEDI, THE FORCE AWAKENS, THE LAST JEDI, THE RISE OF SKYWALKER.
Phew! Man, that's a lot of Star Wars (and kudos to anyone that wants to work in all the animated shows, specials and The Mandalorian). Filled with all the action, wonder, excitement, lore, special effects, creatures, mythology and decades-long nostalgia, there's something for everyone here, even if you have mixed feelings about certain episodes. In the end, this is the OG franchise that's brought joy to multiple generations (except for those who got their childhood's taken away by that mean ol' George Lucas and Kathleen Kennedy) and will surely continue for generations to come. So, launch yourself into a galaxy far, far away while you're holed up in the house and enjoy the escape. It's one of the best out there. – Paul Shirey
WHERE TO WATCH: Now available on 4K/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, you can also stream the majority of these on Disney Plus.
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Now, I know a lot of you folks aren't like me, and might find the sixty year legacy of James Bond 007 a little daunting. The fact is, I've been obsessed with the movies since December 31st, 1989 when, as an eight year old, I saw my very first James Bond film, THUNDERBALL, on the ABC Sunday night movie. It kicked off an obsession, and I've seen each of the classic era Bond films (everything from DR. NO through LICENCE TO KILL) at least a dozen times each.
But, some of you might have only gotten into Bond through Pierce Brosnan or even Daniel Craig, so now that you have time I urge you to go through the franchise one film at a time. Are some of them dated? Sure, but whatever the case these movies paved the way for the modern action film and are worthy of close study. For me, they're the best escapism out there – beautiful people in beautiful places on adventures. What more can you ask for? And by the way, if you own the (amazing) Blu-ray box put out by MGM for the 50th, you still don't have quite the whole franchise covered, as there are two controversial outliers, 1967's CASINO ROYALE and 1983's NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN that also demade a look, and for anyone curious about how/why they got made, well, that'a rabbit hole you also might enjoy going down now that we've all suddenly got all this time on our hands. – Chris Bumbray
WHERE TO WATCH: You can purchase all of the Bond Films on Blu-ray and Digital, but you can also catch the Pierce Brosnan films on Netflix and the first two Daniel Craig films on HBO Now. Also, it looks like ALL the Bond films will begin streaming in 4K on Amazon Prime starting April 1st!
“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
A perfect quote for Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's THE HOBBIT and THE LORD OF THE RINGS, which is sure to transport you out of the slumber of your Twitter feed, MSNBC, Fox News and Facebook. Now, some of you may not have cared for the stretched-out THE HOBBIT trilogy, but it's still a fitting bookend to THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, which paired together makes for one hell of a journey through Middle Earth.
My recommendation under these circumstances is to catch both trilogies in their extended cuts, which can make for a more "completist" viewing experience. THE LORD OF THE RINGS in particular is full of some really outstanding additional footage and scenes, which make it the only way to watch the series for me. Hey, it's not like you don't have the time, so settle in, get enough food for second breakfast, elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper and step onto that road. – Paul Shirey
WHERE TO WATCH: You can purchase the extended editions of both THE HOBBIT trilogy and THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital. You can stream the theatrical cuts of THE TWO TOWERS and RETURN OF THE KING now on Netflix.
After 10 years of storytelling, the Marvel Cinematic Universe cemented itself as the biggest and best franchise in Hollywood, culminating in AVENGERS: ENDGAME (with SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME serving as a kind of denoument to the whole thing), which captured the coveted title of highest-grossing movie of all time. Now, of course there are those that don't vibe with the MCU and that's fine. But, for everyone else, this is the perfect modern example of a long-form story under a single roof that delivers the goods from top to bottom. From 2008's IRON MAN all the way to 2019's SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME, there's a treasure trove of films to watch (23 in all) that have something for everyone.
If you want to really go nuts, roll in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Netflix's Marvel shows to really drag this sucker out. If you stick to just the films, you've got 59 hours and 7 minutes ahead of you, which is more than a weekend, so you're got your work cut out for you. Either way, it's hard to argue with spending some time in the MCU to distract from our "viral woes". This is one franchise that many of us will love "3,000" till Thanos snaps us from existence. – Paul Shirey
WHERE TO WATCH: You can purchase The Infinity Saga (I.E. all 23 movies) on 4K/Blu-ray/DVD/Digital and can catch some of them on streaming as well. Disney Plus has most of them playing there, while ANT-MAN AND THE WASP and AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR are on Netflix. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, THOR, IRON MAN 2, IRON MAN 3, THE AVENGERS, AVENGERS: ENDGAME, ANT-MAN and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY are on Disney Plus.
There was a time that Sylvester Stallone might have bristled at beng pigeonholed as Rocky Balboa, but, in recent years, the character has proven to be remarkably enduring, with the CREED films introducing tboth the character and the actor to a whole new generation who – GASP – may not have seen the originals. If that's the case than take this forced vacation as your opportunity to dig into the legacy of Rocky Balboa right from the start, The series is remarkably consistent, with excellent continuity between each, adding up to a pretty great storyline for the Italian Stallion, from his reign as the champ to his downfall, to his unlikely comeback and finally, coming for circle, his time as the mentor to his former enemy turned BFF Apollo Creed's son, Adonis. This franchise is the perfect thing to turn your quarantined frown upside down, and if ever there was a series tailor made to make you feel good about yourselves, this is it. – Chris Bumbray
WHERE TO WATCH: You can purchase the entire ROCKY and CREED series on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital with CREED II streaming on Amazon Prime now.
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The MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise can be neatly divided into three parts. First there were the early, auteur driven entries, each of which reflected its director, with the first a classy (if confusing) straight-laced spy thriller from Brian De Palma, while the second was a deliciously cheesy bullet ballet courtesy of John Woo. While massively successful, neither film was an easy birth for Paramount Pictures or star Tom Cruise, but when J.J Abrams came on board to do the third film, the series found the creative godfather they needed, even if the third did surprsingly poor business in the wake of a sudden downturn in Cruise's box-office fortunes that, happily, didn't last long. While Abrams didn't direct GHOST PROTOCOL, his fingerprints are all over it, although Brad Bird gave the film an amazing look that, for my money, hasn't been equalled since, even though, for my money, it's not quite the best in the series.
Rather, the best movies are from Christopher McQuarrie, who, with ROGUE NATION and GHOST PROTOCOL, became the guy to godfather the series in its current iteration, with FALLOUT, arguably, the best entry yet. That said, all of the films are a blast and the franchise as a whole always makes for a compelling, fun rewatch. – Chris Bumbray
WHERE TO WATCH: You can purchase the entire MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE series on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital ($29.99 on Amazon NOW) and you can stream the latest, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT on Amazon Prime now.
Accio, Harry Potter Marathon!
What better place to escape when cooked up in the house like a boy living under a staircase than The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I'm speaking of the films, of course, which trace the life of young Harry Potter and his friends, particularly Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate a wondrous world of magic; from magical creatures, tricky spells, colorful teachers, menacing villains to young love, the Harry Potter series is a beautifully-adapted series of films that champion the muggle experience, even if set in a magical world, while leaning heavily into the bonds of friendship amidst the struggle of good vs. evil.
If you're looking for a pure escape into another world, J.K. Rowling's masterful creativity will sail you away, compounded by the outstanding spectacle put on by the filmmakers and the spirited performances by the entire cast. To this day, it's the young adult series to beat in terms of adaptations, which grows in maturity from film-to-film (just as the books do) and makes for one of the most satisfying conclusions of any series. Of course, if you're looking to really stretch it out, why not begin (or end, your choice) with the first two films in the FANTASTIC BEASTS saga, which take place a good couple of generations prior to HARRY POTTER, but certainly help to layer the series. You can always skip 'em, but hey, what else have you got to do except find your patronus? – Paul Shirey
WHERE TO WATCH: You can purchase the entire HARRY POTTER series (as well as the first two FANTASTIC BEASTS films) on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital, but you can also stream them all on Amazon Prime right now, while FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD is currently streaming on HBO NOW.
Cue the John Williams theme!
Man, it really is hard to beat 1993's JURASSIC PARK, isn't it? Steven Spielberg perfectly captured the spirit of Michael Crichton's novel (although not exactly as dark or as faithful) and while the follow-on films could never best it, there's still some true fun to be had as they progress. Plus, dinosaurs! THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK gets kind of a bad rap, but outside of the silly plot and gymnastics, it's actually pretty fun and Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm gets the spotlight. JURASSIC PARK III brought back Sam Neill and Laura Dern, but didn't quite give us a hat trick to stand up cheer to.
Then, came the softish-rebootish-sequelish JURASSIC WORLD, which gave the franchise new life and another place for Chris Pratt to show off his ripped bod. Still, it also featured some cool new dinos and plenty of loose-in-the-park mayhem and gave Jurassic fans hope for more. Then, came JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM, which had mixed results, but again still gave us the things we really want to see in a movie about dinosaurs: DINOSAURS! With the next entry getting underway once we fight off our current dilemma, We'll have two JURASSIC trilogies to look back on and what better way to prepare to enter the jungle again than to kick back and watch it all unfold from the safety of your own living room. Hold onto your butts… – Paul Shirey
WHERE TO WATCH: The JURASSIC PARK/JURASSIC WORLD films can be purchased on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital and you can stream JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM currently on Amazon Prime.
Family!
Now, who would have ever thought that THE FAST & THE FURIOUS, a low-rent B-movie starring two unknowns (at the time) would ever spawn a multi-billion dollar grossing series? It's worth remembering, the saga had an inauspicious start, with the Toretto gang initially working as low-rent hijackers stealing DVD players, while the film itself was more-or-less a so-so POINT BREAK clone, right down to the ending where Brian lets Dom go, something which doesn't make a lick of sense as he's basically a thug in the first film. 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS is a legitimately awful movie although perhaps an important one for the canon as it introduced the Tyrese and Ludacris characters, although, in my unpopular opinion, the movies only started to get good when Justin Lin came in with TOKYO DRIFT, which introduced Sung Kang's Han in a one-off adventure for Lucas Black's Sean Boswell.
However, it was the fourth film, FAST & FURIOUS, which really kicked the franchise into high gear, as they were finally able to entice Vin Diesel and Paul Walker to reunite, and the movie itself, which to be fair isn't that good, plays out like a hybrid of the original film and what was to come. In some ways, it's a rough draft and finally, on FAST FIVE, they nailed it, spinning the franchise off into an international, high-end caper which set the stage for all that was to follow. The movies are a blast, and while you'd be perfectly justified in just watching the series from the fifth film on (iTunes offers you that option if you buy the collection), there's something cool about revisiting the series from its start and seeing the evolution. As an added bonus, toss in the first spinoff, HOBBS AND SHAW, to complete the family experience! – Chris Bumbray
WHERE TO WATCH: You can purchase the entire THE FAST & THE FURIOUS series on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital and you can stream some of them as well. FAST FIVE and THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS are available on Amazon Prime, while FAST FIVE and FAST & FURIOUS PRESENT: HOBBS & SHAW are on HBO NOW. If you want to really deep dive, check out the animated series, Fast & Furious: Spy Racers on Netflix (yes, Dom is in it).
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I love the STAR TREK film series, but I'll admit, there isn't a more inconsistent franchise out there. If we're taking about the classic Original Series and Next Generation line-up movies, before J.J. Abrams got involved, a real case could be made for watching every second film as opposed to all ten, but the whole "only the even numbered Trek's are good" theory never really worked for me. Yes, the series gets off to a very slow start with STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (although it has one of the best score's of all time – by Jerry Goldsmith – with his theme being repurposed for TNG), but STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK, while nowhere near as good as THE WRATH OF KHAN, is still one of the better entries. In fact, I love the whole "Genesis Trilogy", which I supposed would be II – III – IV, with THE VOYAGE HOME being a massive success in the eighties and, adjusting for inflation, still the most popular STAR TREK film of all time.
STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER is cheesy fun, with it William Shatner's big ego trip (he directed and the movie is full of bits where he's on his own being macho), and of course, STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY is probably the second or third best Star Trek movie of all time, depending on how you feel about FIRST CONTACT, which was the movie that arguably made the Next Generation cast bankable on the big screen (although GENERATIONS was not a flop as some seem to remember). The STAR TREK film series petered out with INSURRECTION, which even director Jonathan Frakes seems cool on (his Blu-ray commentary with Marina Sirtis is hilarious), while STAR TREK: NEMESIS just about ended the series for good, although it's paid off surprisingly well in the new "Star Trek: Picard" series. At any rate, there you have it – ten big sci-fi adventure movies to binge on. They're not all great but heck, even when Star Trek is bad it's still kinda good, right? – Chris Bumbray
WHERE TO WATCH: You can purchase all the STAR TREK films on Blu-ray/DVD/Digital and STAR TREK I – VI are available to stream on Amazon Prime, as are the TNG films FIRST CONTACT, INSURRECTION and GENERATIONS (sorry, no Nemesis).