Top 10 Best Spin-Off Movies
Everyone knows the spin-off is the truest form of flattery. In this video, http://www.WatchMojo.com counts down our picks for the top 10 spin-off movies. For this list, we're taking a look at those films that follow secondary characters or exist in the same universe as the films that preceded them. These movies spin-offs are really the best of the worst, since there weren't too many good options as far as quality spin-offs go. You'd think Hollywood would've milked this idea to death by now.
Special thanks to our users joelthetrolls and Mattyhull1 for submitting the idea on our Suggestions Page at WatchMojo.comsuggest
#10: “U.S. Marshals” (1998)
Spinoff of “The Fugitive” (1993)
On its own, “U.S. Marshals” is not a bad movie. But when compared to 1993’s “The Fugitive,” a critically acclaimed film that earned Tommy Lee Jones an Oscar, it barely gets a “C” for effort. Sure, there’s plenty of action and pretty cool fight scenes. We also get to see Wesley Snipes hop a train like the IRS is after him. On second thought, that would’ve made for a more interesting sequel.
#9: “The Tigger Movie” (2000)
Spinoff of the “Winnie-the-Pooh” franchise (1924-)
He’s sorta clumsy, he can bounce on his tail, and he’s finally been given the spotlight. Throughout the Pooh franchise, Tigger has always been that friend who’s constantly screwing things up, but that you keep around because he’s fun. In this kid’s flick, Tigger is on the hunt for a family of his own. It’s a cute little film you can watch with the young’uns – that is, if you can tolerate your younger siblings for a 90-minute stretch.
#8: “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001)
Spinoff of “Clerks” (1994)
Set in Kevin Smith’s View Askewniverse, which basically means you’re gonna see Ben Affleck and Jason Lee in the same movie, the film follows the misadventures of the titular twosome as they head for Hollywood. If you hadn’t grown tired of the Jay and Silent Bob in any of their previous iterations, you may get a kick out of watching them onscreen as they elude the police and crash film sets.
#7: “The Chronicles of Riddick” (2004)
Spinoff of “Pitch Black” (2000)
If watching Vin Diesel skulk around in the darkness in “Pitch Black” was enough to whet your appetite, then consider the film’s spinoff a full sci-fi meal. While “Black” may have had Riddick fighting monsters in the dark, this film sees him pitted against absolutely terrifying religious space colonizers called Necromongers. While it wasn’t much of a box office hit, “Riddick” has found a cult following among fans.
#6: “Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” (2013)
Spinoff of the “Jackass” franchise (2000-)
It’s the spinoff no one asked for, but we’ve honestly seen worse. As if the world hadn’t gotten enough hidden camera, “shock value” antics from the Jackass crew, this spinoff is here to remind you that they’ll never stop. Ever. An old man (or just Johnny Knoxville in prosthetics) and a young boy embark on a road trip with a dead body in the trunk. And, as you can guess, hijinks ensue.
#5: “This is 40” (2012)
Spinoff of “Knocked Up” (2007)
Katherine Heigl’s somewhat unhappily married sister and brother-in-law stole the show enough in “Knocked Up” to warrant a spinoff. And since Judd Apatow clearly loves seeing his cute kids and wife role-playing with another dude onscreen, he obliged – and to tell the truth, we’re not really complaining. The movie’s not bad, if you can relate to the first-world problems of an upwardly mobile yuppie couple on a visceral level. All sarcasm aside, it’s definitely good for some genuine laughs.
#4: “The Bourne Legacy” (2012)
Spinoff of “The Bourne Identity” (2002)
This film takes place after Jason Bourne blows the whistle on the whole “illegal CIA programs” thing. Not to be deterred in their quest to create the perfect soldier, this black ops group must apparently kill everyone involved in the previous programs to keep everything hush-hush. That pretty much brings us to super soldier Aaron Cross, who’s on the run to avoid being massacred in the name of government secrets. Seems easy enough.
#3: “Get Him to the Greek” (2010)
Spinoff of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (2008)
Although Jonah Hill appeared in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” as a waiter-slash-groupie of Aldous Snow, his role in “Greek” is completely revised. He plays a head-hunter for a record company that’s on the decline who’s been tasked with escorting rock star, Aldous Snow, to a concert event. Russell Brand reprises his role as Snow, a lascivious rocker on a drug and alcohol bender who’s trying to revive his career. It’s even got a cameo by Diddy.
#2: “The Wolverine” (2013)
Spinoff of the “X-Men” franchise (2000-)
Everyone knows Wolverine was the most interesting character in the film versions of the X-Men. Apparently, Hollywood thought so as well and ran with the idea of having a film with him as the central character. Deviating from the previous X-Men movies, we get to see Wolverine’s plot unfold in Japan, as he battles the Yakuza and the Silver Samurai over his immortality. There’s even a surprise appearance from Professor Xavier!
Normally we’d include some honorable mentions here, but honestly, there just weren’t any other spinoffs that were honorable, let alone worth mentioning.
#1: “Puss in Boots” (2011)
Spinoff of the “Shrek” franchise (2001-10)
We may have grown accustomed to seeing him at Shrek’s side in “Shrek 2,” but Puss had his own story that needed to be told. In this spinoff, which is basically a prequel to the second Shrek movie, we see how Puss earned his boots, and are given a glimpse into his past. Even without any mention of Shrek, it’s a pretty good film that follows the adventures of an adorably debonair feline.
Do you agree with our list? What is your favorite movie spinoff? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
