Four out of this week’s top ten films were sequels of some sort (Kung Fu Panda 2, The Hangover 2, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Fast Five). Rather than reinventing the wheel by formulating a novel idea, Hollywood production companies have opted to recycle characters, plotlines, and premises of past successes instead. Massive hits like Harry Potter and Toy Story 2 have led producers to believe in the power of the mystical film sequel. Executives deluded by grandeur envision action figures, theme parks, and a television show spinoff, and believe that their mediocre film too has franchise potential. These big wigs then rush screen writers to produce a script within weeks, double the original budget, up the ante on every plot point, and slop together a hideous mess filled with gaping hole plots, gratuitous CGI, and way too many penis jokes.
Of course, not every sequel turns out to be completely atrocious. The rare exceptions to the rule (like the Dark Knight and Aliens) keep movie sequels a relevant art form. As always, I’ll break down the most common type so film sequels for you:
Story Continuation Sequels
As seen in:Karate Kid 2: The Story Continues, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde, Sex and the City 2, The Lost World: Jurassic Park
A film is made, and the public falls in love with the memorable characters, clever punch lines, and a moving plot. In fact, moviegoers love the film so much that they are curious to know what the future holds for these people they’ve grown to love over the last two hours. This is when a great device known as the epilogue comes in: see Remember the Titans and Legally Blonde for great examples. We run into problems when a self-contained movie with a happy ending is extrapolated into “what happens next.”
Legally Blonde was such a great movie. A chick flick with some substance, peppered with female empowerment and plenty of laughs. It’s sequel was a complete disaster though. For some reason, writers thought a segment on gay dogs would be absolutely hilarious. When I saw it, a guy actually stormed out of the theater shouting that he couldn’t believe they charged him $8 to see garbage like this. I completely share his sentiments. If the valedictorian of Harvard Law goes on to defend Chihuahuas in court and insists her cohorts utilize a “snap cup,” we’ve got some serious issues awaiting the future of our country.
Trilogies and Episodic Sequels
As seen in: the Godfather, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean
What separates these films from other sequels is the knowledge from the start that the original movie is only part of a series. That, coupled with great source material in most cases make for epic tales full of great imagery, symbolism, moving and dynamic characters, and extremely well thought-out plotlines.
The Godfather Part 2 is one of the most flawless sequels in film history. It functions as both a prequel and a sequel by intertwining Michael Corleone’s story with the tale of how Vito Corleone, the original Don, rose to power.
Harry Potter’s astronomical success can be credited to it’s widely appealing source material. Trilogies and Episodic films are perfect for franchising due to their nature of developing die-hard fans, as well as their marketing synergy. Harry Potter fans are familiar with the entire culture of the wizard world–making it the perfect fantasy land to create a theme park based off of.
Because these films have so much invested into them, it’s crucial that producers take extra measures to ensure that it’s a great movie. Original scores, eloquent dialogue, rich cinematography, and thought-provoking characters come together to form truly great movies.
Character-Driven Sequels
As seen in: Get Him to the Greek, American Pie 2, Shrek Forever After
These films originate from likable characters that audiences want to see more of. Most spin-off movies fall into this category. This sort of film differs from the “Story Continuation” type of films because they can often function as stand alone stories. Certain jokes or motifs from the original movie may continue, but a person wouldn’t be completely lost if they did not see its predecessor.
Take American Pie 2 for example. The gang from high school reunites and spends the summer at the lake. They still have the same traits, but face an entirely new set of obstacles. Previous characters are mentioned and a handful of jokes are recycled (Stifler’s misfortune with bodily fluids for example) but the setting, format, and plotline of the sequel is different from the original. In Get Him To The Greek, Aldous Snow is the only character that reprises. Same character, new premise: he’s fallen off the wagon and is tries to make a comeback. In Shrek Forever After, we still have the characters we love, but placed in a Lost-esque alternate reality.
These films are more successful that “Story Continuation” sequels because they’re forced to be more creative. Rather than uprooting what was left as a happy ending, the sequel explores an entirely new set of problems for the characters to face.
The “Lightening Strikes Twice” Sequels
As seen in: The Hangover Part 2, Home Alone: Lost In New York, An American Tail: Fievel Goes West
These film have insanely unlikely premises, but the first time they happen it’s somewhat convincing. Take Home Alone for example: a family of 20-something people woke up late for an international flight. In the mayhem, they forgot about the 8-year old kid sleeping in the attic. Not only is the viewer convinced that this could happen, but you actually sympathize with the frazzled parents. After all, with stories of mothers leaving their babies strapped to car seats for 10 hours straight in 100 degree weather, forgetting a child in the comfort of their 5,000 square-foot home doesn’t seem so bad.
Fast forward to the next family vacation. Granted, Home Alone‘s attempt at explaining how Kevin McAllister got separated was a solid B+ effort. The battery change, man in a trench coat, and lost plane ticket–reasonable enough I suppose, but wouldn’t parents be super conscious of making sure they had everyone the second time around? Really, it’s films like the Hangover 2 that insult the general public’s intelligence in the worse way. The same people get drugged, mixed up with gangsters, shot at, steal wild animals, meet celebrities, and lose someone on the eve of a wedding twice?! Really?
Another thing about the Hangover 2–they duplicated literally every single joke, which I’m certain was intentional, but just isn’t very funny. Stu’s missing tooth became his tattoo. Phil gets injured again. Instead of waking up naked, Alan wakes up bald. They have a monkey to deal with instead of a tiger/baby. They find a camera at the end–again. Couldn’t they have at least changed it to an iPhone?
Plot-Driven Sequels
As seen in: Evan Almighty, The Next Karate Kid, Legally Blondes, Mean Girls 2, Lost Boys: The Tribe
Same scenario, different protagonists. These films often spawn off of a premise that producers just can’t let go of–blinded by a false sense of pride, they tweak the plot, move characters around and produce questionable films that only make it to wide release if they’re extremely lucky. Morgan Freeman first gives Jim Carrey a chance to be omniscient in Bruce Almighty, and similarly casts Steve Carrell in a nouveau-Noah role in Evan Almighty.
You’ve probably never heard of the last three examples I listed. That’s because they went straight to DVD/Netflix. Excluding television, when producers try to plop new characters into an identical situation, it loses all sense of logic.
Kid Movie Sequels
As Seen In: every moderately successful children’s movie ever made
successful–take Kung Fu Panda, Ice Age, Toy Story, and the upcoming Cars example. But close your eyes and think back to yesteryear, when “going out with friends” meant someone’s parents took you to the local Mazzio’s.
Remember Aladdin 2: Return of Jafar, Lion King 1 1/2, Lion King 2, Pocohantas 2: Journey to the New World, 102 Dalmations, Little Mermaid 2: Return to the Sea, Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True, Cinderella 3: A Twist In Time, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, Belle’s Magical World, Mulan 2, The Rescuers Down Under…you get the idea. For the most part, these all went straight to video and eventually thrown in the Disney Vault.
Comic Series Sequels
As Seen In: Batman, Spiderman, Superman, X-Men, Iron Man, Transformers, pretty much every super hero film besides Watchmen
Much like epic film series, movies based on comic books are generally successful because of their popular source material and high demand. The fans of these films are the most loyal ones out there–they will dress up, attend midnight showings, and take to the blogs and message boards to discuss their disappointment and how the “graphic novel was so much better,” then repeat the cycle when the next installment is released.
What surprises me about these type of films is their large crossover appeal. How many people who never saw Batman Begins lined up at midnight to see The Dark Knight? Generally, these films do a good job at keeping stories contains, so first timers can enjoy the story just as much as die-hard fans.
Like kid movies sequels and epics, the merchandising potential for these sort of films is immense. The popularity of tie-ins like Halloween costumes, the original comics, and even t-shirts increase with every new film released, proving to be a win-win situation for everyone involved (except mothers with fickle children of course).
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