It Makes Sense

The idea is simple, take something that worked and do it again. It makes sense to capitalize on the winning formula because it means more money in the bank with almost guaranteed ticket and DVD sales from loyal returning fans. There are a lot of sequels out there that were amazing and some others that should have never seen the light of day.

Some movies are stand alone movies and although they worked at the box office should never really be continued. ‘Fight Club’ (1999) was an epic movie in my opinion, with a brilliant story written by Chuck Palahniuk but if a sequel came out, It would take away from it’s greatness. Another less testosterone based example would be ‘The Notebook’ (2004). That movie had a pretty solid story, the acting was top notch, and is the favorite movie to almost every female I meet. Yet, if they made a sequel (and how could they, outside of a zombie movie) it would take away from it’s greatness.

Sometimes the people that hate sequels are right on the money

There are other movies that are just dieing for a sequel. ‘The Matrix’ (1999) for instance was just itching for another film to continue it’s story. The great part about The Matrix is that it had a beginning, a middle and an end. Some movies just kind of go on, and on, and on… and it doesn’t really matter what order you watch them in. ‘First Blood’ AKA ‘Rambo’ (1982) was a damn good movie, and the sequels are all pretty decent including the new ridiculously action packed one, but it doesn’t really matter what order you see it in because it’s more about the action than the story. The ‘Godzilla’ movies for instance can be watched in whatever order you want to see them in. You can watch any of the films in that series in any order and not really miss a beat.

There are a lot of movies that are made with the sequels in mind like a trilogy, while others have several movies in mind like a series or a franchise. The ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Bourne Identity’ films were made with every intention of making the rest of the trilogy. A movie series or Franchise has higher goals in mind. A series or franchise usually has multiple sequels based around a character or an idea. Some top grossing series today are ‘Harry Potter’, ‘James Bond’, ‘Star Wars’, and ‘Batman’.

There are a lot of people that automatically hate sequels, and will constantly compare them to their original films but sometimes the sequel is better than the original. Here are some examples of sequels that were better than the original:

1. The Dark Knight (2008)
2. Aliens (1986)
3. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
4. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) (yes this film is technically a sequel to a film titled ‘Manhunter’ -1986- with Brian Cox as Hannibal Lecktor)
5. Desperado (1995)
6. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
7. Toy Story 3 (2010)
8. The Road Warrior (1981)
9. Star Wars episode 6: Return of the Jedi (1983)
10. Rocky 2, 3, and 4. (1979-82-85)

Sometimes though, the people that hate sequels are right on the money!  Here is a list of the worst most un-needed sequels:

1. The Next Karate Kid (1994)
2. Porky’s 2: The Next Day (1983)
3. Caddyshack 2 (1988)
4. Battle for Planet of the Apes (1973)
5. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003)
6. JAWS: The Revenge (1987)
7. Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
8. Jason Goes to Hell (1993)
9. Batman and Robin (1997)
10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3 (1993)

Fun Fact

• Godzilla is the longest running film series in movie history spanning from 1954 to the Present with an astonishing 29+ films. (A new film rumored to be released in 2012)