Time for Movie Madness! Check out some of the other movie-related posts linked at Daily Mish Mash. Or better yet, write one yourself!
In watching TV over the weekend, I ran across a couple of movies that should never have been made. I am firmly of the belief that some plotlines are best left as a stand-alone feature and should not be overdone by making more movies! Don’t get me wrong, I love a GOOD sequel, but not all sequels are created equal. HA HA HA. *ahem*
Moving on, to NonSoccerMom’s List of Sequels That The World Could Do Without (possible spoilers, although I don’t think so):
Men in Black II. Oh, no. No no no. I really enjoyed the first movie because it was such a novel idea! Who doesn’t like a movie about a secret law enforcement group? Particularly if they are there to police the aliens living among us! See? Novel. But in the second movie the whole thing just fell flat. And Lara Flynn Boyle scares me a little. Not to mention, way too much of that talking dog. Just…no.
The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions. This is another example of an awesomely creative idea run way into the ground. I love The Matrix. It is absolutely excellent, and I think it works so well because it was so innovative. And the ending was such that it could have been left alone and no one would have been the wiser. But the Wachowski brothers had planned on a trilogy, by god, and that’s what they made. Okay, okay. If I’m being totally fair and honest, the second one wasn’t THAT bad. Revolutions, however, stinks.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park III. I have already spoken of my love for the original Jurassic Park. It’s a love that does not extend to these crummy sequels. Again, a novel idea that was taken too far. Do we sense a pattern of overkill here? Also, Tea Leoni is just annoying.
The Ring Two. GAH. The first one scared the crap out of me. And while I will admit this one is sort of creepy, it just doesn’t have the impact of the original. Probably because of the lame scene with the deer.
Under Siege 2: Dark Territory. Really? The world needs TWO movies starring Steven Seagal as a soft-spoken Navy SEAL turned chef? At least Gary Busey isn’t in this one.
Blade II and Blade: Trinity. Yikes. I ashamedly admit I actually liked Blade, okay? Yes it is…bad. For lack of a better word. But at least the first one doesn’t have 40,000 main characters and also at least had the element of originality working for it (there I go with the “novel idea” thing again). The second and third one are just too much. Too many characters, too over-the-top. Actually, I have two main problems with Trinity: Jessica Biel and Parker Posey. I like both of them in other films, but Biel does not cut it as an action star (see also: Stealth, OH MY GOD) and Posey seems to be having a very hard time with her vampire teeth the entire movie. It’s really hard to take her seriously as big bad vampire queen or whatever when she talks like she has a mouthful of marshmallows.
Look Who’s Talking Too and Look Who’s Talking Now. Come on, admit it. You liked Look Who’s Talking just like the rest of us. The kid playing Mikey was cute, and we all wanted Kirstie Alley and John Travolta to get together. At the risk of repeating myself (TOO LATE), it was a creative idea! And as usual it was done to death, especially by the third one. Who wants to see a movie about talking animals? NOT ME. At least their lips didn’t move. Because that freaks me right the hell out.
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls. The original is on my list of all-time favorites. It cracks me up every time. I was very disappointed in this one though. Not nearly as funny, and a lot more of the gross humor that I really hate. To be honest, I haven’t see it since it was in the theater back in 1995 so I don’t remember a lot of the details. I do seem to recall some disgusting scene involving a revolting amount of snot, though, and that was more than enough for me. Bleah.
You may think from reading this that I hate all sequels. Not true. Some of my favorite movies come in sets: Lethal Weapon, Die Hard, Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings. I just like for the follow-up films to be halfway decent, that’s all. What sequels do you think are lame?
I think that you have listed all the lame ones!! I wouldn’t watch the Austin Powers films anyway, so I think that, by default, all those sequels are lame!!
2 Fast, 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift (although I own it…what’s up with that?).
I agree! There are some pretty BAD sequels out there. I think the ones that annoy me the most though are those designed for pure profit and b/c movie studios KNOW kids will make their parents buy them. Just think of every Disney movie lately – there’s always a “made-for-dvd” sequel that is just AWFUL but that every kid wants to have. THAT I hate.
I think Look Who’s Talking is by far the most heinous of these. I liked the first movie! The others! NOT SO MUCH!
Another movie I liked (SHUT UP)…Step Up. Now there’s a sequel. To which I say: NO.
Oh! And Sister Act! No need for a sequel there, although I did kind of like the singing better in the second one!
Good choices! I watched Jurassic Park 3 again the other day just to laugh at how absurd it is. I heard there might a fourth?!?!
While I LOVED Airplane (a classic in our family)…Airplane II *sucked*
And while The Fox and the Hound made it onto my list of scary Disney movies, The Fox and the Hound 2 was actually really cute!
Great list!! I haven’t seen all the ones you mentioned but I will say that I had to turn off Jurassic Park 3 halfway through because it was so terrible. And I hardly ever turn a movie off. Another sequel that didn’t make it to your list that I thought was horrible was the Ocean’s 12 and 13. Terrible!! They couldn’t even be saved by all that eye candy!
Thanks for playing along!
A big AMEN to your post. It’s ridiculous what people will do to make when they think they can make a quick buck.
I agree with you 100%! why do they feel the need to do sequels to SO MANY good movies! I LOVED look who’s talking, and while i was still pretty young when it came out, i was stoked to see the 2nd… and even the 3rd, hoping and praying that it would be better than the 2nd… they just womped!
I have to add any Disney sequel ie: Aladdin 2, The Little Mermaid 2, Beauty and the Beast 2, etc. Most Disney films are classic; why do they have to ruin them by making stupid sequels?
I guess this is what I get for waiting until evening to read everyone’s postings and comment, because almost all of the really crappy sequels have been named. The only other sequel that I can think of is the sequel to “Get Shorty” – “Be Cool.” Completely lame, horrible the whole way through. I remember being really mad that I paid good money to see it in theater. To make it even worse, my BIL gave the movie to hubby that year for Christmas >:(
I have been trying to come up with a bad sequel not already mentioned for 2 days. And the best (worst) I can come up with is that second Charlie Brown Christmas movie they came out with about wanting a dog.
You have sooo hit the nail on the head! I’m with you on all of these! Another one I thought of was the second Speed movie. I loved the first one (although my husband loves to harrass me about it) but the second was just lame.
Interesting reading