Franchise Syndrome Archives - Zombies in My Blog

Eternia’s Error: Another Masters of the Universe Misfire

Why is it so difficult for Mattel execs and Hollywood filmmakers alike to create a big-screen He-Man adventure that actually stays true to its original source material? But what is its actual canon, for that matter? Does it religiously follow… Continue Reading →

Blind Cop 2 is the Sequel Nobody Asked for… and That’s the Joke

When I was in high school, I worked at Video Quest, a small video rental store in my hometown. This was back before streaming services put thousands of movies at your fingertips. If you wanted to watch a movie, you… Continue Reading →

June 8, 2026

Simple Star Wars Works with The Mandalorian and Grogu

I remember when Grogu first showed up in The Mandalorian and my immediate reaction was basically, “Oh look, here comes Disney’s newest marketing scheme.” It felt obvious to me, at the time. You’ve got this tiny green baby alien with… Continue Reading →

May 26, 2026

Mortal Kombat in the 21st Century

If the mere mention of Mortal Kombat doesn’t immediately bring back fond flashbacks to the days of coin-op arcades, Mortal Monday of 1993 or the Immortal’s “Techno Syndrome (Mortal Kombat) Song,” well… you’re not me. As someone who lived through… Continue Reading →

May 20, 2026

The Problem with Panda Plan 2: The Magical Tribe

Jackie Chan in Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe

Rush Hour was my entry point to Jackie Chan, that perfect storm of chemistry, humor and controlled chaos that made you forget you were watching a guy improvise combat with furniture. Chris Tucker’s mouth and Jackie’s physical comedy created something… Continue Reading →

April 14, 2026

Disney Finally Deems Darth Maul in Demand

What’s the common thread between Darth Vader, Boba Fett and Darth Maul? For decades, my biggest complaint of the Maker, himself, George Lucas, was that he could seemingly create such cool character descriptions of Star Wars antagonists with ease, but… Continue Reading →

April 5, 2026

Terminating Past Mistakes of a Proud Franchise

Years ago, after watching Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003), I was pleasantly surprised by the overall outcome (it isn’t perfect by any means) as I departed the movie theater. The once-proud franchise that had remained dormant for 12… Continue Reading →

March 24, 2026

Will Paramount Treat Looney Tunes Any Better Than Warner Bros.?

Generation Beta (which is apparently the classification of today’s kids, born from 2025 to 2039) most likely won’t understand the power of hand-drawn animation cels, because they’ll never see it. These days, they’re all created via CGI and now artificial… Continue Reading →

March 17, 2026

Scream 7 Spills the Gore with Cutting Commentary

By the time I graduated high school in May of 1996, the slasher genre felt like it was limping toward retirement. Freddy had cracked too many jokes. Jason had been to Manhattan. Michael Myers had already blurred the line between… Continue Reading →

March 4, 2026

Fallout Season 2 Levels Up the Apocalypse

As a lifelong video game fan, I’ll admit something that might surprise a few people: I’ve only logged a handful of hours in the Fallout games. I know the world. I know the retro-futuristic aesthetic. I recognize the Vault Boy… Continue Reading →

February 24, 2026

Geek Culture, Zombies... and Other Monsters

Tag Franchise Syndrome

Eternia’s Error: Another Masters of the Universe Misfire

Simple Star Wars Works with The Mandalorian and Grogu

The Problem with Panda Plan 2: The Magical Tribe

Disney Finally Deems Darth Maul in Demand