When you can't get enough of one particular film and hope to revisit the characters you've fallen in love with in a sequel, be careful what you wish for.
Many sequels seldom live up to their predecessors and fans of the original find themselves disappointed after flocking to theaters to see them.
Franchises are money-making machines, however, and some fans are forgiving of them if they are remotely entertaining.
Unfortunately, not all sequels succeed at this endeavor, and the worst of the bunch was revealed when Redditor poopy_wizard132 asked:
"What is the worst sequel you have ever seen?"
These mega blockbusters smashed at the box office the first time around.
Not so much the second, third, or fourth time around.
Highlander Sequel
"There can be only one..."
– Tiamatium
"The Highlander was a story about a collective of ancient warriors who live forever and are trying to kill each other so that only one can exist. One particularly large powerful warrior is wiping out the remaining immortals in modern times and now he's coming for an immortal who came from the Scottish Highlands and faced him previously in a feudal battle."
"Highlander 2 takes place in the future when the Higherland (Connor MacLoed) has built a dome to protect the world from UV rays after the ozone layer was destroyed... and now all the immortals are aliens... and people who died in the first one are also reborn."
"The movie was so bad that Highlander 3 considered Highlander 2 to not be canon and just became a direct sequel to Highlander 1. To avoid confusion future sequels no longer had a number."
– garlicroastedpotato
Independence Day 2
"What a god awful excuse for a movie. Ridiculous plot, terrible acting, even worse script and an alien moon-sized ship that 'lands' on earth! Really??"
– Tonyhillzone
"This movie lives in a strange space for me. I've never had it happen before where I see a movie, but remember literally NOTHING about it. All I remember is that I watched it, but I don't have any idea what happened, or how it ended. It's just a black hole in my movie watching history."
"At least other movies are so bad that I remember them, but Resurgence has literally left NO impression at all on me."
– Krinks1
Jaws...Again
"The only answer can be Jaws 4: The Revenge. A shark swam all the way from Amity Island to the Bahamas to get revenge on a widow and her family for her late husband killing a different shark some twelve years beforehand. I don’t think I need to elaborate any further."
– thegoodfella98
"Don't forget that the shark roared in that one too which is just absurd."
– BondraP
Superman
"Superman 4 The quest for peace."
"Edit:and with that cast! Still utterly unwatchable."
– Joebroni1414
"I watched this as a kid on tv all the time, I thought it was great. I've seen it since and it's obviously terrible but I still get a kick out of it for just how truly bad it is. Nuclear Man with his nuclear nails, hilarious."
– TheHeyHeyMan
"Alien vs. Predator: Requiem"
"God, what an awful movie that was."
– hodgkinthepirate
"Yup but they didn't hold back on killing everyone... That hospital scene with the predalien... Didn't see that coming."
– GNDM03
These successful films made on a modest budget should've gone out on a high and stopped after the first movie.
Return To The Shack
"Caddyshack 2. Phew, what a turd. Rodney Dangerfield read the script and threw it in the trash."
– StoolToad9
"This is what I came here looking for, just embarrassingly bad for everyone involved, and is absolutely the worst performance of Dan Aykroyd's career. Yes, I've seen Nothing But Trouble."
– TheHeyHeyMan
American Psycho Strikes Again
"American Psycho 2… absolute trash and not in a good way."
– Icy-Side5075
"ya this was a bad idea from the starts. american psycho one is so good because its source material. the sequel just kind of invents a girl serial killer story and completely forgets what the main message was."
– karmagod13000
George Of The Jungle
"George of the Jungle 2. Granted the first one wasn’t that great either, but I liked it. Brendan Fraser made that movie go from bad to okay. Recasting him made the sequel unwatchable."
– leebon427
"I saw this as a kid and didn't even notice the recast at first... Until they broke the fourth wall and George looked into the camera to have a conversation with the narrator talking about how they couldn't afford Brendan Fraser."
– Troncross
Popular franchises as a package deal tend to do well because of their fanbase, but that doesn't mean there's a not a big flop in the bunch.
Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
"I think Rise of Skywalker is probably the worst. It undid every hope I had for the series, and made no sense. I think the set pieces were good, because that's all JJ is good at, really. Tying them together into a story is just not something he cares about, and I really wanted someone who cared about the story of Star Wars to tie up the series."
– crazy-diam0nd
"It’s not a movie, it’s a board room argument."
– Earthshoe12
Dying Harder
"A Good Day To Die Hard. Couldn't even sit through the entire thing. It is quite the accomplishment that they managed to make an action film boring."
– Qster4
"This is the way. The other Die Hard sequels ranged from good to lacking, but they were all highly entertaining in their own way. A Good Day to Die Hard had zero redeeming qualities and somehow involved a spy mission and Chernobyl in a series of movies about a guy in the wrong place at the wrong time having to kick a**."
– AbeVigoda76
Return To The Matrix
"The Matrix 4."
"I am f'king SHOCKED anyone agreed to come back for that script."
"What the hell was Keanu and Carrie thinking?"
"What the f'k was anyone thinking? Who the f'k thought any of this would be a good idea?"
– TelephoneFanClub
"Studios are starving for established IP's, raking the coals for whatever hint of light. WB/Studio was pressuring a "reboot", 'We'll do it without you if u [Wachowski] won't do it'. So Lana just like 'F--- U' and made a tongue-in-cheek bad script, sloppy CGI movie with closed, finished story no sequel, and Keanu and crew are friends w Lana and prob realized this and signed on to take part in this 'rebellion', sotospeak."
"WB then released it, with a tail bt their leg. Covid didnt help."
– moogly2
Given the fact that many sequels bomb at the box office and draw the ire of dedicated fans, studios will keep churning them out and bank on the fact that the originals performed well.
And what keeps studios cranking out sequels is due to the demands of fans who will go see them anyway.
Who cares if Michael Myers is alive again?
People knowingly go back to theaters knowing they're not in for Oscar-worthy material. These films are bad, but oh so good for a laugh.
Hollywood really has made a mess of entertainment and storytelling.
And it doesn't have to be that way.
There are so many people with new, fresh ideas, yet they choose to keep redoing the same old. concepts.
The people want more and better and it is possible
Nobody needs 167 sequels done poorly!
Redditor MainCrab1383 wanted the entertainment industry to listen up!!
"What do you wish Hollywood would stop doing?"
I wish they would give more chances unknowns. Every known starts an unknown, you know.
It was already great!
Behind The Scenes GIF by BET AwardsGiphy"Remakes of good movies, I don’t understand why they remake good movies, when there are tons of flops that have potential, that they could remake."
Ratchel1916
Not Real
"Characters getting punched multiple times in the face in 1 scene and having no signs of the trauma in the next scene."
kyle158
"Or shot, but they remove the bullet in a dirty motel and sew it up with freaking twine and knitting needles so now it doesn’t hurt anymore and they can go fight more bad guys unencumbered."
Parking_Aerie4454
"This reminded me of characters getting absolutely wasted then either being relatively sober in the next scene, or have no hangover the day after."
pt256
Lights Up!
"Stop making films and TV shows that we cannot see because they are too dark and cannot hear what TF people are saying. That would be a good start."
No-Abrocoma-381
"I honestly think some vfx engineers stuffed up and others thought it was a trend and continued to underexpose. Series 8 of game of Thrones was about 8 slightly diffident blank pixels running about the screen."
Procedure-Minimum
Fill her up!
"EMPTY CUPS. I hate seeing people holding cups and pretending to take drinks from obviously empty cups. Their hands never move right, or if it’s an open cup, you can literally see that it’s empty."
undecyded
"They move their hand way too fast! It's like they don't even know they're supposed to be pretending it has liquid inside."
Alcohorse
Not a 10
Interested Saturday Night Live GIF by HULUGiphy"Casting attractive people in ‘ugly’ roles."'
R_man98
"Like when the obviously gorgeous person gets a makeover."
storagerock
Casting is subjective... so they say.
Save Them!
Season 5 Nbc GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Showing incorrect CPR."
myersla
"Just do what the AED tells you to do. No thinking required."
Ok_Opportunity2693
that scene....
"Forcing a love story that makes no sense in a movie that has nothing to do with romance."
Jesuslovesmemost
"Long kisses in the middle of a 'we're running out of time' scene. We gotta save the world, but let me take my time to say goodbye/goodluck first."
aldhibain
"Long kisses after a death defying scene. Sure, kissing is what they do next."
Busy-Appearance-6077
Makes no Sense
"Having a main character whose job/income level does not match their home or lifestyle at all."
Stellathewizard
"I was about to say that Charlie’s shi**y apartment in 'It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia' is the one exception to that rule I can think of. But oddly enough his roommate, Frank, is a millionaire."
FlowRiderBob
"Supposedly when they started making Big Bang Theory they tried putting them in a realistic apartment, and it made it really depressing."
Hrothen
WTF?!
"Adapting stuff into live-action movies when they should really be animated. Examples include upcoming Mega Man, Pac-Man and Minecraft movies which are ALL set to be live-action."
TheChainLink2
"I had no idea that any of these movies were in the works. Pac-Man will be half CGI, NO doubt. Going the Sonic route. Unless they literally just have it as an inspiration, and it's just a guy in yellow running away from ghosts in a labyrinth."
"Minecraft? Well, everyone will watch it, so I'm sure they don't care if it's good. But it's clearly going to focus on Steve building a nether portal and trying to kill a f**king dragon. Mega-Man? Yeah, I can see that working live action. Oh wait, it's a Netflix Original? Yeah, no. That's going to be absolute trash."
Maxtrix07
ID please?
Beverly Hills 90210 90S GIFGiphy"Casting 35 year olds as high schoolers."
StaircaseRailing
"Can we add casting 16-18 year olds to play 11 year olds?! Priah Ferguson was 16 when she played 11 year old Erica Sinclair in Stranger Things season 4. WTH!?"
thatswhatthekidssay
A Nice Mix
"I wish Hollywood would stop treating the medium of animation as something inherently inferior to live action. I also wish 2D animation was used more for movies."
LunarWingCap
"I completely agree! There’s a unique magic in hand drawn animation. I’d even appreciate a mix of 2D/3D or animation and live action."
ArtbySV4151452
"They also should stop calling animation a genre, it's not a genre, it's a medium, as you said." ~ SvenNeve
Save the Kids
"Treating child stars like crap."
my_gender_is_a_glock
"I was watching a YouTube video about Dan Schneider. Apparently Nickelodeon chose Florida to film their shows because of the lack of child labor laws. They also purposefully chose kids whose parents were more likely to be absent or neglectful so they could control the kids more. Like wtf."
SavannahInChicago
No Execs
"All great answers but what I've seen lately is just a lot of whacky decision making. There's multiple video game adaption movies and TV shows come out lately that miss the mark completely. Resident Evil/Halo Etc."
"I know adaptations always have their quirks and things that would outrage a fan base but geez. The Halo TV show really felt like they just wanted to write their own story with already existing characters. It all comes down to executive decision."
"I just wish the creators have more control over their projects. Instead of having execs with no creative abilities suggesting 'Maybe you should make the super-soldier get out of his augmented power armor and instead just fight naked, also make him want to bang the enemy like Romeo & Juliette.'"
NippleBlender
Bad Moves
Giphy"Shaky cam action fight scenes. No this is not artistic. Your choreography just sucks and you have to hide it."
edwadokun
Speak Up
"Lately, so many movies are dark-scened. Watching old movies I can actually SEE what is going on. A lot of new movies I can barely discern what the hell is going on. It could be day time in the scene and it feels like night time. Also, I can’t freaking hear crap anymore in movies. They’re loud mumbling."
Willy_Billy_WHO
Yummy
"Stop having people take like 1 bite of what they ordered then leave. It's a small thing, but I've never seen it happen in real life."
Smitty876
"Or worse, order something when they just intend to talk to someone there for a couple minutes and then leave when the food arrives. Who pays for it?"
FuturePut5
"I now want to see a movie set in one of these restaurants where every protagonist goes to eat. Just a constant parade of people taking one bite, throwing money on the table, or walking out without paying at all."
theresamouseinmyhous
One at a time...
Self Defense Fighting GIFGiphy"Making movies where the 1 good guy defeats 20 bad guys because the 20 bad guys attack the 1 good guy one by one."
yamsnavas2
The Bad Giveaways
"Spoiling the film in the trailers."
Painting-Powerful
"Or showing all the best/funniest scenes in the trailer and then leaving you wondering wtf am I watching when watching the movie itself."
Kataphractoi
"Or they misrepresent the movie entirely by spinning it as a comedy when it's really a drama with a couple funny bits and only those funny bits make the trailer."
Secretagentmanstumpy
Lord Hollywood has a lot of work to do!
What would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments.
Who doesn't love adding to a story?
We've all watched a film, a tv show, read a book or played a game that once it was over, our hearts sank.
We wanted more!
What happens next?
You never want great stories to end.
And sometimes, the continuation surpasses the original.
It's rare, but it happens.
And I will die on this hill.
Redditor FireSwarm21 wanted to know what sequels and beyond were a step above the originals.
"What sequels are better than the original?"
I love sequels to my favorite stories. The characters never leave.
Rescue Me
the rescuers worry GIFGiphy"The Rescuers Down Under."
Kinuama
"Wow! I haven't seen this movie in likely over 20 years!! Used to be one of my favorites... does anyone know if it's on Disney+?"
FrogAnalSex69
Let's Game
"Uncharted 2: Among thieves."
FlyHigh3000
"I think is extremely common in games since the first one usually doesn't just have to set up characters and story but also the style, engine, etc... With the second the studio can invest way more into the actual game."
Version_1
"The even numbered Uncharted games are my favorites even though 1 and 3 are good too."
Loganp812
Silence
"Silent Hill 2. The game, to be clear, not the second film."
madefromconcentrate
"Even though I wouldn't call the first Silent Hill a good movie, I do really think Cristopher Gans cared about Silent Hill and tried his best."
"You can see he made some changes to the characters and story to male it a more 'palatable' movie for Hollywood. Maybe those changes shouldn't have been made but you can see the reason why it was. If nothing else that movie looked like Silent Hill."
Artikay
The Next Generation
"Wrath of Khan."
xkulp8
"The movie that saved Star Trek. And over Gene Roddenberry's objections, I might add. Also, it still kind of blows my mind that only 5 years passed between The Wrath of Khan and The Next Generation. They feel like completely different eras."
diamond
"Wrath of Khan has a late 70s feel in a 1982 movie. What most people think of as the 80s hadn't quite hit its stride culturally yet. Meanwhile, if you look at the early episodes of TNG they feel a little dated, although not as much."
Green_Prompt_6386
Star Stories
the empire strikes back GIF by Star WarsGiphy"The Empire Strikes Back."
ImportanceBig4448
"Rewatching the trilogy with my girlfriend and the fight scenes are way waaaay better! The pacing, too!"
Lochifess
Ah the drama of the Star Wars series. A neverending saga.
Back to Gotham
the dark knight joker GIF by hero0fwarGiphy"The Dark Knight is leaps and bounds better than Batman Begins."
Boring-Pudding
The Through Line
"Terminator 2."
idkwhattoput_111
"I agree but what is interesting about T2 is that the world-building and plot of the original Terminator plays a major hand in making T2 amazing. Having the antagonist from the first become the protagonist in the second sets up for an amazing plot and throughline."
ShadoFlameX
Warriors
"𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙖𝙙 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙧 is better than 𝙈𝙖𝙙 𝙈𝙖𝙭."
sqeptiqmqsqeptiq
"I watched mad Max recently for the first time and was so confused. I was like, 'where's all the post-apocalypse stuff?' I thought I was watching the wrong film and had to double-check. To be honest I didn't enjoy it that much but I did love all the sequels."
randomisedjew
Dreamworks Works
"Shrek 2 = better."
BigDanal123
"Shrek 1 was very good but Shrek 2 was an improvement in many ways. Shrek 3 was definitely the weakest of the series but not a terrible movie by any means. Shrek 4 was at least as good as 1 and 2."
"Actually Dreamworks does sequels pretty well as the major companies go. Kung Fu Panda 2 was just as good as if not better than the first. The third was not actually that good but they can’t all be winners. The tv shows are pretty good. How to Train your Dragon 2 tore out my heart and stomped on it but it was still a good movie. The Madagascar movies are all of similar quality to each other."
dragon_morgan
Talking to the Spirits...
Ouija Board Movie GIF by Ouija: Origin of EvilGiphy"Ouija: Origin of Evil was surprisingly better than Ouija the original. Now Ouija was pretty bad so it didn’t take much but usually these off brand horror movies go from bad to worse if they attempt a sequel."
bobbytwosticksBTS
Sometimes more of the story is always better.
Sequels can be pretty divisive. While there have been some admittedly great sequels over the years (I'm looking at you, Sam Raimi, with your Evil Dead series), many do crash and burn.
Oftentimes, sequels have failed to maintain the same level of quality that made the originals such a success. When this happens, it leaves us feeling like sequels are little more than a cash grab. Let's have some original stories, okay?
But if there have to be sequels–any sequels–then people do have some ideas in mind.
They were more than happy to share them, thanks to Redditor LowVolume-8358, who asked the online community:
"Which movie deserved a sequel but never got one?"
Dredd (2012)
"Dredd. Action movie of the decade. A template for how to do balls to the wall action with strong character development and the exact right amount of plot to drive the show. Tightly packed into an hour and a half so that at no point does the film let up."
johnnythefox
GiphyThis film was highly praised but sadly flopped.
It is unlikely a sequel will ever happen.
It was also released around the same time as The Raid, which has a similar plot.
District 9 (2009)
"District 9. It was so set up for it to have a sequel it seemed!"
Scrantoncity_09
GiphyApparently there has been some work done on this in recent years, but who knows when it will happen?
The Nice Guys (2016)
"The Nice Guys. This movie is the ultimate example that Hollywood comedies can exist outside of generic jokes. The movie is a gem for anyone who enjoys a good unconventional laugh."
LonelyLokly
GiphyThis was the sleeper hit of 2016.
Interesting to see its fan base is as strong and as passionate as ever.
Sky High (2005)
"Sky High! It was so good and this was before the superhero genre was saturated."
brentsu86
GiphyI remember that the marketing campaign for this one wasn't particularly great.
It's no wonder a sequel never materialized.
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
"It's based on a novel that doesn't have a written sequel, so getting a sequel of a similar quality is questionable. There's been one in development since 2016, though it seems stuck there with little hope."
FluidSynergy
GiphyThere has been work done on this one, too, believe it or not.
Perhaps, given the Groundhog Day nature of the plot, the sequel should also be titled Edge of Tomorrow, which would be a clever bit of marketing.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)
"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. This movie is so good and the ending was open enough for a possible sequel."
Akron-R
GiphyYeah, for some reason, I thought those Sherlock Holmes would continue for a little while longer.
Perhaps Robert Downey Jr.'s work with Marvel complicated those plans.
Wall-E (2008)
"Wall-E. Don't get me wrong, it had a fabulous ending, I just want more of those adorable robots. It would have to be good though because that movie was my childhood and shouldn't be disgraced with a bad sequel."
Caffeinated-Bison25
GiphyYeah, do you really want Wall-E to suffer the same fate as Cars, with its two sequels that no one asked for?
Escape from L.A. (1996)
"Escape from LA. Would've loved to see the aftermath of Snake ridding the world of electricity."
Blue-Krogan
GiphyThe real question here is... did Escape from New York really need a sequel?
I doubt Kurt Russell would be down for another round at this point.
The A-Team (2010)
"The A-Team. Supposedly a sequel was in the works, but it was cancelled."
TheSchlaf
College Football Homeloans GIF by Rocket MortgageGiphyliam neeson i love when a plan comes together GIF
GiphyNow here's a film that I forgot existed.
Perhaps that's why there hasn't been a sequel.
Cloverfield (2008)
"Cloverfield. An actual movie to see what happened after the bombing."
Fatal-Symbiote
GiphyThis is actually happening!
No word on when it'd come out, but it's apparently not going to use the found footage style of the original film, which has since gone out of fashion.
Sequels are complicated beasts. In the event any of these are made, it'd be ideal if they had the same level of quality as the originals.
We can dream, right?
Have any suggestions of your own? Feel free to sound off in the comments below!
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Movies. Movies. MOVIES! Let's talk movies. Hollywood is notorious for milking good stories to death. If a film makes more than $5 every executive's next genius idea is to produce as many sequels as possible until the general public loses all interest.
And then they wonder what happened. They never seem to realize that if you're going to continue the story you have to have enough story to tell and you can't just throw money at all of it.
So most sequels tend to be crap and then blemish the legacy of the original. However, once and awhile, the stars align and a fantastic sequel is made.
And what is even more rare is a sequel superior to the original. It has happened. Let's discuss some.
Redditoru/Tall-Elderberry-3167wanted to share about some of film's greatest continued stories, by asking:
What movie sequel is actually better than the original?
I'm not big on sequels but, the new "Halloween" sequel from 2018 was brilliant. I've lost count on how many times I've watched it. And I'm counting down to "Halloween Kills" this October.
Better Dark
the joker film GIFGiphy"The Dark Knight."
"In every single way. The action is far better, story was much more interesting, better performances, script and direction."
Prosper
"Star Trek II, but I do love the first film, and I'm excited for the 4k release."
"I don't hate the first one, and II does recycle a lot of footage and props, but the story they tell and the fact that it felt like the first time the crew were in real danger that someone may not make it out alive (.......) made it pretty special feeling."
MAX!
"The Road Warrior."
"Had me confused for a second before I realized you're talking about Mad Max cause it was released in the US under that name. But yes. You're 100% right."
"I was a big fan of the Eragon novels, but was disappointed with the movie, especially with how the Urgals were portrayed. I'm a sucker for car chases and the opening sequence of Mad Max is one my favorites. However, The Road Warrior was a better movie."
DEUX!
"Hot Shots! Part Deux."
"The love scene from Hot Shots! where he puts an olive on her bellybutton and pops it into her mouth is the hottest scene in cinema history, so no."
Oh Mortica
the addams family m fangirl challenge GIFGiphy"Addams Family Values."
"I came here to say this. The first one wasn't bad, actually, but the sequel has all that social commentary Paul Rudnick added to the script, like the Thanksgiving dinner scene."
"The Dark Knight" for sure was superior to all the Batman films. And I completely forgot about "Hot Shots." That was a hilarious romp. I'm gonna check it out again.
He Came Back
terminator 2 film GIF by Lionsgate Home EntertainmentGiphy"Terminator 2."
"I'm still amazed how good the special effects were, comparable to today's CGI without the tech. The liquid terminator walking through the prison bars is a timeless scene."
More Wolverine...
"X-Men 2."
- J4CK64
"I really felt robbed when the first one ended. Even though it was a full length movie, when the credits started it felt like a tv episode ended, not a movie. Looking back I suppose it was always about the franchise and sequels and not about trying to tell the whole story with just one movie."
- avashad
Braver. Bolder.
"Empire Strikes Back."
- CMelody
"In retrospect, ESB may be the genuinely bravest sequel ever made. It would have been so so easy to just make "Star Wars II," repeating the vibe and feel of the original, and it still would have made swimming pools of money. Instead, they made a deeper, darker, and more complicated movie that openly deconstructs many of the tropes embraced by its predecessor."
"And they knew they were going to piss off some people by subverting expectations, but they still went for it. I honestly think that's why Star Wars is still going strong as a brand today. If it had stayed solely in the realm of rehashing Flash Gordon and samurai flicks, it would have gotten stale. ESB gave these silly movies about feuding space wizards actual depth."
Perfect
"Shrek 2. Obviously because of the Holding Out For a Hero scene."
"It's basically a perfect sequel. Takes everything great about the first film, steps it up, and improves the pacing, the heart and the depth. All the while it feels like the natural progression to the first film, expanding on themes from the first film. Really couldn't ask for much more from a sequel tbh."
Webbed Stories
Spider-Man Reaction GIFGiphy"Spider man 2."
"This! This is the best Spiderman movie to date and no one can convince me otherwise. I am so stoked to see Spiderman: No Way Home because they are bringing back Dr. Octopus."
T2 forever. See sequels can be great with the right plan. But, for the love of God... when will Fast & the Furious end?!!
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