The franchise, which debuted with the John McTiernan-directed original in 1987, has survived atmospheric highs and truly subterranean lows, awkward series mash-ups and misbegotten attempts at reboots, ...

Growing up, my older brother and I had a "stop, drop and shout" rule. The idea was pretty simple: If we were channel surfing and came upon one of a handful of movies, regardless of whether it was just ...