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"Sequels"

Ok I’ll be precise and to the point. I’m not a sequels fan. In fact I pretty much hate them. I don’t mind some of them. Terminator 2 was good and the sequels to Star Wars were good. However, none of the sequels that have been made in the last 5 years do I rate as being as good as the original.

Let me take the scream trilogy for example. The first received great reviews and was being hailed as the start of a new genre. The film was amazingly good. Then came the sequels. I got a sense of déjà vu in almost every scene… it was eventually over and although entertaining just didn’t match the quality of the original. The original had well… been original and this clearly wasn’t. The reviewers picked up on this but it was still a great hit with the people that watched it…. So out came another one… again still entertaining but again still unoriginal. The only differences in these sequels were in each one of the films you didn’t know whom the killer was and were excited to find out who.

It seems that we have come to a time where sequels just aren’t at good. Rate films where the sequels have been better than the original please in this post… Terminator, Godfather and endless more will no doubt pop up or ones I disagree with. Well what do we notice about these films?

We can notice they are what seems made 10ish years ago. I’m only guessing here but I think filmmakers can’t make improvements on the original as they:
a) have to keep lightly to the story of the first (or it won’t be a sequel)
BUT
b) the big problem is they can’t make it look better… Terminators special effects were pretty poor. However, the second films were amazing. The liquid metal man made the film! Without the Liquid Metal Man that film would no way have been better than number 1.

I have recently been horrified to see that a Final Destination 2 is in the making. Final Destination was an amazing film that stunned reviewers and did well at the box office. So to cash in on that films success they are going to make another one. However lets look at this logically. To make Final Destination 2 a sequel they will have to either:
a) Use the same characters with the continuous fight against death. (Basically the same story but continuing on from where the last left off)
OR
b) Take a new set of characters and admit them to a similar scenario
I personally can’t think of any other ways they could do a sequel… so sigh this sequel is destined to be unoriginal and yet another rubbish sequel. I may be proved wrong but I highly doubt it.

Games on the other hand their sequels can get better quite easily – just take the original game and add lots of more features. The thing with films is at the moment the film industry is at a dead end – it can’t enhance it’s special effects and sets as they have the best already.


So stick to one film series I say, forget about sequels just give us a similar formula with different characters.

Meka_Dragon wrote:

I can't
> wait for Friday the 13th X.


Do you know if Jason Vs Freddy is getting a release,

The Carpenter 2

The rule is simple, if it makes money, it will get a sequel.

Hence American Pie 2.

Horror sequels rule.

I can't wait for Friday the 13th X.

I'd call the rest of the Star Wars films sequels and prequels. The Empire Strikes Back is the best film in the series in my opinion, even though it doesn't truly have an end to it. Though all it really does is to set up the story for the final part, it has some of definitive Star Wars moments in it. Like Luke fighting the phantom Darth Vader on Dagobah, Leia admitting that she loves Han before he's frozen, and Darth Vader telling Luke that he is his father. Plus AT-ATs are cool :-).

The late 70s and early to mid 80s were a great time for sequels. Aliens is a fantastic film, and a sequel which took the original's concept, and totally overhauled it. You also have Back to the Future II which was fairly brave in taking the fun original film, and giving it a dark undertone. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a great film in it's own right, but maybe not too different from Raiders of the Lost Ark. And no matter how camp it is, Superman II was hugely enjoyable, mainly down to the genius step of casting Terence Stamp as General Zod.

Then you've got the previously mentioned Terminators, the two Gremlin films, the Bill and Ted films (I think I'm probably in the minority, as I actually preferred the second one). It is harder to think of more recent sequels that have been as good, or that have tried to do something different. Some have been astoundingly bad, like Speed 2, The Crow: City of Angels, and Escape from LA. I haven't even mentioned horror sequels, as they have been fairly consistent at being rubbish throughout history.

In fact in the past I would look forward to sequels. Now I've got so used to them being a money spinning opportunity, I can almost visualise the plot before I've even seen them. Though there is hope. The new Matrix films should be superb. The Wachowski brothers will never live it down if they aren't. The X Men shows potential for sequels, especially as the first film did a lot of character exposition. And of course there's Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and maybe even Harry Potter (though I can't say I'm a fan). Maybe it will be worth watching sequels again soon.

Yeah but not better than the original, then again it had Heather Graham in a CENSORED CENSORED. Hmmmmm you right it was better.

Tiltawhirl wrote:
> Sequels that are better than the original hmmm let me
> see,


Im sure one of the
> Star Trek sequels is better than the original film, I haven't seen
> them so I can't comment.



Its funny you should say that, its generally accepted even by the most hardened trekkies that ALL of the Star Trek sequels are better than the original (even number 5).

Surely Austin Powers 2 was real good!?!

I've watched both actually, Desparado plus the original. It was quite strange though. My history teacher's dad was the editor of Loaded and as a result my history teacher was actually very cool. He was really into films and making them as well, and he loved both versions of Desperado and so he made us watch them. Then a load of morons joined my set who bought in 'the best films ever made!!!!' ie Bad Boys, Blade and Starship Troopers.

My history teacher did some amazing short films things of his own though. There was a remake of the ear scene from Resevoir dogs, and an incredibly well edited film about university life set to Born Slippy by Underworld. Off the subject but what the hey.

Ahh thought of another one, Desperados better than El Mariachi. Then again you probably haven't heard of those films so I will shutup. There made by the guy who made From Dusk Till Dawn, Robert Rodriguez.

Sequels that are better than the original hmmm let me see,

Terminator 2
Robocop 2 (well i thought it was)
The Godfather 2

ummmmmmm thats about it really.

Im sure one of the Star Trek sequels is better than the original film, I haven't see them so I can't comment.