The best and worst movie spinoffs

This is the first time we get into the meat of the character inspector Jacques Clouseau, played brilliantly by Peter Sellers. Though not directly a sequel of "The Pink Panther" (1963) — Clouseau had more of a supporting role in that film — the popularity of his character got the ball rolling with this one. The sleuth would then become the focal point of the franchise. 

We should have been able to tell the credibility and popularity of this film was doomed when Jimmy Olsen (Marc McClure) was the only character from the successful Christopher Reeve "Superman" films to show up in this flick. Though this Helen Slater-led film was a box office bomb, the television series version of "Supergirl,"  starring Melissa Benoist, is still going strong.

Depending on opinion, "U.S. Marshals" could appear on either side of this debate. We liked it, simply from the standpoint that Tommy Lee Jones' character of deputy marshal Sam Gerard from "The Fugitive" is fun to watch — and listen to — even if he's not that likable. From an entertainment factor, it works, though it's not in the same league as "The Fugitive." Then again, that should not have been the point from the beginning.

Jay and Silent Bob finally get their own film. We kind of wish they didn't. And now there is gonna be a reboot? The cameos were funny and the post-screening of their fictional film in the movie was humorous. However, the plot was relatively weak, kind of jumbled and disorganized — basically, all over the place. It was as if the dynamic duo thought it up while stoned at a party in Asbury Park one night.

Russell Brand stole many a scene as Aldous Snow in 2008's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." When he got a starring role as the same character, he actually did not disappointment. Teamed with Jonah Hill's character, Aaron, as his escort to a show at Los Angeles' famed Greek Theatre, the pair endure several misadventures. But we also feel a sense of compassion for both, which is a pleasant surprise.

Also considered a prequel in some circles, it's the standalone story that predates the events of both "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns," the latter in which Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson earned his first in-depth role as Mathayus (aka "The Scorpion King"). For those really into "The Mummy" franchise, it was probably worth the time, but otherwise it's a whole lot of cheese to digest.

We first met Puss in Boots in 2004's " Shrek 2," when he teamed to help the main character and Donkey. With Antonio Banderas again portraying this swashbuckling feline hero, we follow him before the time of "Shrek," as Puss tries to make things right again within a series of adventures. Overall, this film received mostly positive reviews and made more than $550 million worldwide. 

While 2000's "Pitch Black" blossomed into a sci-fi cult classic on some levels, this tale following the adventures of that film's main character, Richard B. Riddick (Vin Diesel), did not earn the same theatrical love. The reviews were generally mixed and more on the negative side. Meanwhile, Diesel earned a Razzie nomination for his effort.

While part of the "Bourne" family of films, this is a standalone picture starring Jeremy Renner as black ops agent Aaron Cross. Though not the big name like Matt Damon, Renner is solid in the lead role and seems to fit action roles better than Damon in some cases. It's a solid "B" and is worthy of being part of the popular "Bourne" franchise.

Some considered this a crossover, though it seems only in the sense that two of the greatest big-screen monster villains appear in the same film together. While the premise seemed like a can't-miss, the movie lacked substance, especially from the actual human characters who should have had viewers longing for those from the original films of each franchise. Sure, a sequel was made, but that didn't help matters. 

We're going to get technical here. This is a sequel to the X-Men spinoff regarding Wolverine, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," which we will get to later on this list. But we'll still qualify it as part of the original spinoff, and it's much better. Haunting of sorts. We got inside Logan/Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and actually felt more emotionally attached to the character than in the previous film. It was a nice recovery and some cinematic redemption for Jackman.

Separate from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a spinoff of 2003's "Daredevil," "Elektra" should not have been made — and star Jennifer Garner reportedly did not want to be part of it but was contractually obligated. The plot had little substance and Garner, herself, seemed to be going through the motions during a movie that has been considered one of the worst of the last 20 years.

Who doesn't love those mischievous little yellow critters that first caught our attention in the "Despicable Me" films. So, really, it was only a matter of time that Gru's army got its own shot at big-screen glory. It was also no surprise that Kevin, Stuart, Bob and Co. made more than $1 billion dollars worldwide. They'll be back at it with another film in 2020.

There are bad ideas for movies, and then there are just plain mistakes. After failed attempts at "The Mask II" featuring Jim Carrey, star of the original hit, this is what was left. It can be debated whether this bomb is actually a sequel instead of spinoff. But since Ben Stein's Dr. Arthur Neuman is the only relation to "The Mask," it's a standalone — piece of garbage, to put it nicely. 

Now this is a film that fits the true meaning of a spinoff and hits it out of the park. Taking a supporting character (Apollo Creed) from one of the most successful movie franchises ever ("Rocky"), this digs deep into his story. The picture, which can hold its own with any in the "Rocky" juggernaut, earned plenty of accolades with Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone at the forefront. It inspired a sequel in 2018 that also enjoyed success.

When Queen Latifah's character Gina was introduced to fans in 2004's "Barbershop 2: Back in Business," she was a solid addition to the franchise. When she ran with this spinoff, the Queen was about all that was worth watching. The jokes weren't nearly as funny, and big-name co-stars like Kevin Bacon and Andie MacDowell added little to the project. We can call it tolerable but just not on the same level as the "Barbershop" films.  

While the Marvel Cinematic Universe considers its movies to be under one umbrella, intertwining with others to make for one big plot line, X-Men does not, at least not necessarily. The idea for a "Deadpool" film was reportedly conceived before Ryan Reynolds' initial portrayal of Wade Wilson in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (which, we promise, we'll get to soon). The foul-mouthed superhero is actually quite endearing in between the raunchiness and inappropriate behavior and popular enough to spawn a sequel that was just as good. 

Now, "National Lampoon's Van Wilder" was far from a cinema masterpiece, but Ryan Reynolds had his moments amid the sophomoric humor of that film. The same can't be said for Kal Penn when trying to take Wilder's assistant Taj for his own ride. Neither critics nor audiences liked the movie, which was not a surprise considering the jokes weren't really funny and Penn was probably too good for this role.    

This spinoff, or even prequel if one will, to the massively successful "Harry Potter" machine gives lovers of that series an entirely new world of magic and wizardry to explore. Thanks to Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), audiences were not disappointed — as should have been expected. Of course a sequel, "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" was released in 2018 to keep the ball rolling.

If we were to rank the worst spinoffs of all time, "Evan Almighty" might be the runaway winner. The spinoff to the relatively funny "Bruce Almighty," "Evan" was not going to be saved, even by funny man Steve Carell and the great Morgan Freeman. The film was a critical and commercial disaster, considering a whopping $175 million was blown on this modern-day Noah's Ark flop.

It can be argued that "Rogue One" can hold its place even among the best movies in the "Star Wars" family of films. We're talking "A New Hope" and "The Empire Strikes Back." The plot is everything we had hoped when going back to see how this band of rebels got the plans to the death star and found its weakness. The characters are genuine, bad or good, and easy to root for or against. 

The knock on this film has always been that Hugh Jackman is just fine as the main character, though not as good as in its follow-up ("The Wolverine"). It's just that even with all the hype surrounding this film within the X-Men family, everything else about it falls way short. From the story to the supporting roles, it's quite forgettable.

The first spinoff from the "The Lego Movie," "Batman" went above and beyond in a lot of ways, especially in terms of plot line. Audiences of all ages could not help but feel Batman's loneliness. Even with all he had in his life, he could not continue his selfish ways. It worked on a lot of levels, most obviously at the box office, where it made more than $300 million worldwide.

First, "Planes" was just fine for younger audiences, which are likely to get behind anything animated. However, it was never able to enjoy the same success as the "Cars" franchise it was born from, and as a spinoff, it was really, in concept only. Audiences never felt for Dusty Crophopper and buddies like we did for Lightning McQueen and Co. Maybe it was just too much of these types of animated comedies. Though considered a disappointment in the realm of Disney, it spawned a sequel and plenty of merchandise.