Baton Pass
We look at every consecutive pair of films. Does the sequel honour what came before, deepen characters and raise meaningful stakes? Soft reboots and retcons cost points.
About the ledger
The Ledger Behind the Rankings
RankThistleWhistle is an independent site for people who plan movie marathons properly. We don't rank by hype or box office. We rank by staying power.
3Legs in every score
0Paid placements
2026Current edition
The Scoring Method
Each series gets a score out of ten on three legs. The average decides its place on the board.
Pace Hold
We weigh the weakest entry as heavily as the best one. A series with no bad film beats a series with one masterpiece and three duds.
Finish Line
Ended series are judged on their final film. Ongoing series are judged on their most recent three entries, so a strong run can't coast on old glory.
Independence & Updates
We are a small editorial team based in London. We are not affiliated with any studio, distributor or streaming service, and nobody pays for placement. Rankings are reviewed when a new instalment of a covered series is released, and every page shows its own dated revision in our records.
Facts such as release years, instalment counts and awards are checked against studio releases and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards database. Judgements, naturally, are ours, and we explain each one so you can disagree on the merits.
Spotted an error, or think a series is ranked unfairly? We genuinely want to hear it.
See the method in action on the Baton Board.