Blockbuster Hollywood Franchises To Stream On Amazon Prime Video

When a movie turns out to be exceedingly successful, the makers are assured that extending the character's journey or even placing them in unique situations would allow for organic sequels. And thus the very idea of a franchise was born, to appease viewers keen to see their favourite onscreen characters embarking on new and exciting adventures and managing to circumvent every obstacle with conviction and courage. Here are some movie franchises that you should binge-watch on Amazon Prime Video right now:

Harry Potter

Translating J.K. Rowling's magical world on the big screen has led to a series of blockbusters featuring that gifted 11-year-old boy who gets admitted to a school of wizardry and is confronted with trying circumstances that test his peculiar abilities. And while the Harry Potter books were essentially meant for children, the appeal of the movies is rather universal. Fantasy buffs dig them as they usher you into a world where owls carry communique and staircases shift sides on a whim. But they're essentially thrillers for someone with an open mind as the turn of events each film takes can trigger that unsettling feeling, while you remain constantly concerned yet confident of Potter's abilities to sail through it all. If you haven't watched a single one yet, you're a muggle who needs to mend his taste.

Oceans series

The draw of a heist movie cannot be rationalised. There's just something about a motley crew that manages to hatch and execute a meticulous plan to the very last detail – all for a whole lot of cold hard cash, jewels or other precious valuables. So when Steven Soderberg decided to remake the 1960 heist hit Ocean's 11, it was a franchise waiting to happen. George Clooney's Danny Ocean, who headlined the trilogy, charmed audiences by playing a slick operator who assembles a team known for their craft and cunning to pull off grand thefts that couldn't seem more improbable at the outset.

Once you're done binge-watching the three films in this series, don't miss the 2018 spin-off Ocean's 8 where Danny Ocean's sister Debbie (Sandra Bullocks) recruits a team of feisty women played by the likes of Cate Blanchett and Rihanna to snatch an heirloom necklace worth $150 million.

Jurassic Park

Who hasn't watched at least a few from this iconic sci-fi series? Based on the theme park where enormous cloned dinosaurs meant to be a variety affair ended up wrecking mass havoc, the 1993 film was considered path-breaking for its time. It was lauded for its meticulous special effects, particularly for the realistic rendering in depicting the giant belligerent creature's movements and expressions.

The first two in the series were adapted from Michael Crichton's novels by Steven Spielberg, while the subsequent ones weren't. Some don't regard the sequels of this big-screen entertainer with the same fandom as the 1993 film. But if you're one who digs creature movies, few things can replicate the feeling of being ushered into this terrifying world of growl.

Bourne series

If there's one film franchise that has managed to catapult Matt Damon to the league of legendary action heroes, it has to be the Bourne series. Based on the fictional CIA assassin Jason Bourne's desperate struggle to join the dots while struggling to recollect his past, this series packs punches, plot twists, and realistic yet cinematic action sequences. The Bourne Identity (2002), the first in the series, created a benchmark in action films with its practical stunts and docu-style cinematography. No wonder then that the series has justifiably churned out five films and a TV series, Amazon Prime Video's Treadstone.

Indiana Jones

This has to be one of the most successful movie franchises, having survived over three decades. The films are based on the adventures of archeology professor and explorer Dr Henry Walton Jones (Harrison Ford) who perennially finds himself in sticky situations in his dangerous quests for ancient and precious objects. Some of these delve into other-worldly subjects but Indy (as Jones prefers to be called) maintains a rational and scientific mind, doesn't rely on fancy gadgets and yet, manages to trounce his adversaries every single time. This remarkable collection of virtues dubbed him cooler than James Bond but the films are just as action-packed as some of the Bond hits, with elaborately-conceived chase sequences and death trap dodges. The fifth in the series presently in production is slated to release in 2022.

Recommendations in collaboration with Amazon Prime Video