Hollywood is all about franchises, that is. finding the right material to turn it into a large, profitable property no matter how ill-advised they are. (Looking at you, Dark Universe.) Every now and then, though, a movie comes along that seems tailor-made for a sprawling cinematic universe—one that, had it been made 20 or 30 years ago, would have spawned a popular five-film franchise of, in at the very least, straight to DVD sequels. I'm talking about the likes of The Pope's Exorcist and 2023's The Beekeeper.

Released in 2024, the second film follows Jason Statham as Adam Clay, an ordinary beekeeper who just happens to be an ex-assassin working for a secret government organization known as (you guessed it!) the Beekeepers. After his elderly neighbor and friend gets scammed out of all her money in a phishing scheme, Clay decides to come out of retirement and start cracking down on the whole phishing scam operation. Only, it's not just some random guy on his computer, but an operation that goes to the top in more hilarious ways than you can imagine. This delightfully funny film could also make a fantastic double feature with Thelma, a film that tackles its own senior phishing scam in a very different but no less entertaining way.

Reviews were mostly favorable for The Beekeeper, particularly regarding Statham's performance. /Film's Ben Pearson was less enthused in his reviewadmittedly, negatively comparing the film to John Wick, while recognizing that "there are plenty of enjoyable moments here, and audiences who want nothing more than Jason Statham to win them over are sure to be pleased."

Anyway, "The Beekeeper" became the first box office hit of 2024and now it's getting a second wind on streaming. According to FlixPatrolthe movie is currently one of the top 10 most watched movies on Prime Video and you should absolutely check it out as soon as possible.

The Beekeeper doesn't just have good action scenes, it also has some ridiculously fun sequences like Statham throwing a pot of honey at a machine-gun-wielding baddie, then throwing a lighter at the spilled honey, causing the baddie to burst into flames because—as explains another character - honey is "Hot as f***". It's a scene so good it inspired not one, but two members of the film's staff test if honey is really flammable. Unfortunately, unless Statham mixes his honey with kerosene, honey isn't actually flammable.

What makes the film shine is not just its action, but the unique mythology at play, which makes the world of The Beekeeper feel bigger and ready for more stories. It's a much dumber, DTV version of John Wick, and if that could become a big franchise, this one should be. Plus, unlike "John Wick," this film is resolutely self-contained in its anti-establishment parable, ending with a completely strange and delightful conclusion that begs for a sequel.