Are we in the year of the fourquel? Judging from the film release schedule, it's hard to argue otherwise. This week, two highly anticipated follow-ups, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F on Netflix and Despicable Me 4 in cinemas, will be released.
And that's with Bad Boys: Ride or Die and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Kung Fu Panda 4 all still showing, the latter months after initial release.
While cynics might consider the fourquel to be a symptom of studios milking franchises to death, there have been a surprising number of excellent fourth entries into long-running series, with some the obvious high point of their respective franchises.
That's because producing a fourth film is often a sign of how healthy and full of potential a franchise is rather than it scraping the bottom of the barrel. Here are 10 of the best.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
It's easy to forget now that the film has become so woven into the cultural fabric, but when the Brad Bird-directed fourth film in the Mission: Impossible series was released, the franchise was on shaky ground.
It had been five years since the moderately-successful third film, and Tom Cruise, the franchise's anchor, was coming off one of the weakest stretch of his career, with films Valkyrie and Knight and Day failing to make much of an impression.
It turns out, all he had to do to re-cement himself as his generation's greatest movie star and box office draw was to climb the world's tallest building unaided. Easy peasy.
And while the film's central set piece is its most memorable aspect, with the shot of Cruise on top of Dubai's Burj Khalifa having come to represent his ambitious career in the cultural imagination, the film itself is also a stellar blockbuster from start to finish, setting the tone and template for the rest of the series.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road is more than just the top entry in the post-apocalyptic franchise. It has also become, in the nine years since its release, widely considered one of the best action films ever made.
A work of unbridled ambition and brilliance by its visionary filmmaker George Miller, who also helmed the first three films in the series back in the 1970s and 80s, the anachronistic Fury Road features perhaps the best practical effects ever put to film, released at a time when the rest of Hollywood was phoning it in through green screen.
This is kinetic filmmaking at its best, full of memorable characters, bright colours and constant thrills. The film's prequel Furiosa may not have reached this film's heights, but that is because nothing can or probably will ever again. As a result, Fury Road will only get better with age.
Toy Story 4
Did we really need a Toy Story 4? That was the obvious question before it was released. After all, the third film was not only an excellent animation, it was also the perfect ending for the series.
In its tear-inducing climax, Andy, now grown up, says goodbye to the toys that he grew up with, including Buzz and Woody, handing them down to a new child to enjoy.
Toy Story 4 succeeded not by trying to undo that ending, but by asking what comes next for Woody, the cowboy doll voiced by Tom Hanks who had tied his entire identity to his former owner.
By following that route with emotional honesty, the film became a poignant achievement in its own right, becoming an existential and mature look at getting older, letting go, and how we define our own success as people. It's a template also working for Pixar's Inside Out 2.
Alien: Resurrection
The Alien franchise had experienced a bumpy ride with the third film, Alien3, which due to differences between director David Fincher and the production company received a muted reception.
For the fourth film, a different creative hand was needed, and the project was given to French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Having directed Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children, Jeunet had shown an artistic style that mixes the whimsical with the macabre.
Released in 1997, with Sigourney Weaver returning to play Ripley, the film was a box office success, making $160 million against its $75 million budget. Unfortunately, adoration for the film and its artistic merit would arrive years later upon re-examination, being more respected for the brave and outlandish choices it made.
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
The first Planet of the Apes film was a hit upon release, prompting the production and release of four subsequent sequel films. The second and third film are great and have their fans, but with the fourth film, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, the franchise was able to explore its philosophical and political theses against the real world.
The film shines through its performances but the set design of the dystopian city which took on a brutalist and industrial aesthetic really makes the fourth film a standout.
Lethal Weapon 4
Buddy cop films are a staple of action cinema and some of the best are in the Lethal Weapon series. If recent news is to be believed, officers Riggs and Murtaugh will be returning for a fifth film.
The last entry in the series came in 1998 with the fourth film which stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover and also featured Chris Rock, Joe Pesci and martial arts star Jet Li.
The beauty of the fourth Lethal Weapon film lies in its attempt to join with the 1990s trend of bringing martial arts cinema to Hollywood. Director Richard Donner directs both the big bombastic scenes and the intimate fight scenes very well.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek began life as a television series in 1966 with stories of galactic conflict and cultural differences presented in a dense sci-fi adventure.
The show lasted for 80 episodes and kept growing in popularity even after it ended, giving way for its jump to the big screen with a feature film in 1979. Star Trek: The Motion Picture reunited the original cast and set the stage for multiple sequels.
The fourth film, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, does something not seen before in the series – put the crew of the USS Enterprise in 1980s San Francisco. The film is at its best when the space farers come face to face with normal everyday people, sequences that are full of laugh-out-loud humour and real heart.
Rocky IV
The Rocky film series really leaned into its purest form of training montages and fist pumping songs by the fourth film. Set against the backdrop of the cold war, the film’s villain is a Soviet boxer named Ivan Drago, portrayed most unforgettably by Dolph Lundgren.
The first Rocky entry is hopeful and heartbreaking, the second and third are thrilling boxing films, but there’s no easier and more fun watch than Rocky IV. The film ends with the cheesiest speech from Stallone’s Rocky urging the Soviet crowd to put aside their differences with the West and unite in their love for boxing. Somehow, it actually works.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
Widely considered the best film in the Jason Voorhees slasher horror saga, the inaptly named Final Chapter (there's now 12 films in the franchise) may not be the kind of classic that transcends the genre like Halloween or The Exorcist, but it's a film that shows how downright fun a trashy 80s horror film can be.
It's a dish without new ingredients, merely high quality ones. Child star Corey Feldman (Gremlins, The Goonies, Stand By Me) joins the series opposite the always entertaining utility player Crispin Glover (Back to the Future's George McFly) for what starts as a teen comedy and quickly becomes a bloodbath when the masked monster of a man (he would become something a bit more supernatural after this one) returns to wreak havoc.
Bed and Board
Any fan of Richard Linklater's Before trilogy should find a way to watch the French director Francois Truffaut's five-film series The Adventures of Antoine Doinel. Filmed over a 20-year period, the story follows a Doinel, who is something of an on-screen alter-ego for its filmmaker, from childhood to adulthood.
When we first meet him in 1959 landmark The 400 Blows, one of the cornerstones of the French New Wave, he's a 14 year old struggling to fit in at work and school, disillusioned by an increasingly disappointing world.
His discovery that his mother is unfaithful in her marriage causes a crisis within him. When we meet him as an adult in Bed and Board, he's married the woman he pined for in the third film Stolen Kisses. But when a new infatuation sets up faces a potential infidelity of his own, he's become what he once despised.
RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: April 10
More on Quran memorisation:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 1
Kane (50')
Newcastle United 0
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia
Three Penalties
v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)
v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)
v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)
Four Corners
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)
v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)
One Free-Kick
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Palestine-Israeli relations
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 109-3 (10ovs)
Salt 30, Malan 24, Trego 23, Jayasuriya 2-14
Bangla Tigers (9.4ovs)
Fletcher 52, Rossouw 31
Bangla Tigers win by six wickets
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE'S%20YOUNG%20GUNS
%3Cp%3E1%20Esha%20Oza%2C%20age%2026%2C%2079%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E2%20Theertha%20Satish%2C%20age%2020%2C%2066%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E3%20Khushi%20Sharma%2C%20age%2021%2C%2065%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E4%20Kavisha%20Kumari%2C%20age%2021%2C%2079%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E5%20Heena%20Hotchandani%2C%20age%2023%2C%2016%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E6%20Rinitha%20Rajith%2C%20age%2018%2C%2034%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E7%20Samaira%20Dharnidharka%2C%20age%2017%2C%2053%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E8%20Vaishnave%20Mahesh%2C%20age%2017%2C%2068%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E9%20Lavanya%20Keny%2C%20age%2017%2C%2033%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E10%20Siya%20Gokhale%2C%20age%2018%2C%2033%20matches%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E11%20Indhuja%20Nandakumar%2C%20age%2018%2C%2046%20matches%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Tiger%20Stripes%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amanda%20Nell%20Eu%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Zafreen%20Zairizal%2C%20Deena%20Ezral%20and%20Piqa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204.5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
5pm: Warsan Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Dhaw Al Reef, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Al Quadra Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mrouwah Al Gharbia, Sando Paiva, Abubakar Daud
6pm: Hatta Lake – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Yatroq, George Buckell, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adries de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Zakher Lake – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Astra%20Tech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdallah%20Abu%20Sheikh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20technology%20investment%20and%20development%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More on animal trafficking
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
Fast%20X
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Louis%20Leterrier%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vin%20Diesel%2C%20Michelle%20Rodriguez%2C%20Jason%20Statham%2C%20Tyrese%20Gibson%2C%20Ludacris%2C%20Jason%20Momoa%2C%20John%20Cena%2C%20Jordana%20Brewster%2C%20Nathalie%20Emmanuel%2C%20Sung%20Kang%2C%20Brie%20Larson%2C%20Helen%20Mirren%20and%20Charlize%20Theron%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20Caine%20Mutiny%20Court-Martial%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWilliam%20Friedkin%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKiefer%20Sutherland%2C%20Jason%20Clarke%2C%20Jake%20Lacy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam
Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
EU Russia
The EU imports 90 per cent of the natural gas used to generate electricity, heat homes and supply industry, with Russia supplying almost 40 per cent of EU gas and a quarter of its oil.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now
There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:
1. Rising US interest rates
The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.
Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”
At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.
2. Stronger dollar
High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.”
3. Global trade war
Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”
4. Eurozone uncertainty
Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.
Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”
The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”
The years Ramadan fell in May
Teams
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
WISH
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now