So many franchises work really hard to build a world full of fascinating lore, and because of that, sometimes small elements of a movie are more interesting than the main premise.
Some movies in franchises could have been so much better if they focused on something that was hinted at instead of the main narrative. Between bringing back Tom in The Godfather Part III, focusing on Men In Black 3's moon prison, and Popeye immersing himself in French culture in French Connection II, Redditors have some intriguing fixes.
Terminator Salvation (2009)
The quality of the Terminator series dropped off with Rise of the Machines, but the fourth entry of the series, Terminator Salvation, really misunderstood what made the franchise great. It's the most forgettable entry in the series, as what people remember from the time of its release was Christian Bale's leaked on-set tirade.
However, Personage1 thinks it would have had a much better reception if the narrative went down a different avenue. The Redditor thinks "Salvation should have been a deeply personal story exploring all the conflicts John must have of knowing the future." And while it doesn't sound all that action-packed, it'd be much more philosophical and inwards looking, a lot like Judgement Day.
Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)
Man of Steel is one of the most polarizing movies ever made, and while it has a fanbase that swears by its genius, it's hard to get past the ludicrous amount of damage caused by Superman. And though Wooltab loves the movie and thinks it set up the DC Extended Universe, they also think Warner Bros. quickly ruined it with Batman V Superman.
The Redditor focuses on the fact that Superman died in the movie, and they think that he should have been "the lead character in a 'normal' film about himself." As Man of Steel was an origin story, it did feel like audiences didn't get to spend much time with the character before he was killed. If the 2016 movie did focus more on Clark Kent, his eventual death would have been a lot more hard-hitting.
Pacific Rim: Uprising (2018)
It's surprising that Pacific Rim even got a sequel in the first place, as the movie underperformed at the box office, and unsurprisingly, the sequel performed even worse. No-Peace9179 thinks the follow-up would have been more successful if it focused on the characters from the original movie.
They explain that fascinating characters and character development are, believe it or not, important. As the sequel killed off the original characters and sidelined any new characters, the Redditor notes that "having giant robots isn’t enough to make a movie good." According to the user, if the film didn't kill off the characters from the original and focused on them, then Uprising could have been a lot better.
Alien Covenant (2017)
Alien Covenant is a sequel to both Alien and Prometheus, the latter of which is a part-prequel and part-standalone movie. But DarkSchmetterling was disappointed by how it was more of a sequel to Alien than Prometheus, and they think it should have gone down a different path. They argue that it should have told "the story of Elizabeth Shaw and David 8 going to the planet of the Engineers and learning about them and the xenomorphs during the trip."
While the premise of Prometheus and where it sits in the universe is convoluted, especially considering how ambiguous it is, that's also part of its appeal. How open to interpretation the film is and the whole mystery is so fun. If viewers were spoon-fed the meaning behind everything and the mystery was demystified, it might lose some of its magic.
Skyfall (2012)
Some people think that Skyfall is derivative of Home Alone, as the final act of the 2012 James Bond movie sees 007 rigging a house full of booby traps, just like how Kevin McCallister does in the Holiday classic. And that's exactly where Dottsterisk thinks the movie went wrong.
The Redditor argues that Skyfall should have had more of a classic Bond final act, meaning that it should have had nifty gadgets and been more upbeat. Daniel Craig's depiction wasn't exactly known for the humor, so doubling down on the hammy aspects of traditional 007 might not have worked out. But it'd be great to see the return of those trademarks in the upcoming reboot.
The Godfather Part III (1990)
In The Godfather Part III, Michael, who had become a power-hungry, murderous maniac, redeemed himself. That's part of the movie's biggest problem, as few people believe that such a monster should have ever been redeemed.
JKirbyFan reckons that the movie should have focused on a battle between Tom and Michael, where Tom is attempting to dethrone Michael as king of the kingdom. They posit that it should have ended with " Michael and Tom trying to take each other out, with the winner deciding the future of the family." However, Tom was never the confrontational type, and he was always the consigliere who knew his role. And in reality, The Godfather Part III isn't as bad as fans think.
French Connection II (1975)
The French Connection is one of the greatest crime dramas of all time, as it features one of the greatest depictions of a plainclothes detective and a groundbreaking, unforgettable car chase. Unfortunately, French Connection II is more The Sting 2 than The Godfather Part II.
As Laterdude explains with a perfect Simpsons analogy, the 1975 movie "pulled the original Homer and turned its main character Popeye Doyle into a bumbling fool." As the sequel takes place in France this time around, the Redditor thinks the movie could have been so much better if Popeye immersed himself in the culture and spoke French.
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
The Matrix Resurrections didn't exactly get the reaction Warner Bros. wanted, and one of the biggest criticisms of the movie was that it had too similar of a narrative to the original movie. And what makes that more frustrating is that there are so many different and unique observations and ideas in the movie, only for them to be thrown by the wayside.
Reddit user BancroftAgee believes that the fourth movie in the series had a golden opportunity to bring the franchise back to life. They wanted to see the "story of Neo and the Matrix forward into new and interesting territory." But as there are so many different ways the Matrix series can continue, a fifth movie could still be great.
Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is such a dark entry in the Indy series, and that wasn't to everybody's liking, especially not SashaTower. The Redditor believes that the second movie in the franchise should have followed the architect "searching for Atlantis instead of The Temple Of Doom."
Though it shouldn't necessarily replace Temple of Doom, as the 1984 movie is still great, it would be fascinating to see Indiana searching for the lost city, and it could have been one of the best movies about Atlantis. However, there is a 1992 Indiana Jones video game called The Fate of Atlantis, which depicted exactly that.
Men In Black 3 (2012)
The very beginning of Men In Black 3 introduces the movie's antagonist, Boris, being held captive in a maximum-security prison on the moon. Though that concept is totally ridiculous, the movie only got more outrageous from that point on. And Iamunknowntoo thinks that the prison on the moon was the most interesting part of the film.
The Redditor believed that the movie "missed an opportunity to explore that more." As Men In Black International was a box office disaster, it might be worth having the series return back to the moon prison. It'd even make a great TV series spin-off. Who wouldn't want to watch a prison drama full of strange aliens?