Sequels often expand the stories from the first film. Most of the time they can be good at giving us more characters to follow, more action, more questions to ponder and even give the audience a better time than before. These movies are not part of that equation. These five movie sequels felt forced and achieved nothing in terms of entertainment or matching the sheer joy that we experienced from the films that came before them. The movies that are about to be mentioned were popular with audiences but the sequels were far less well-received by fans and critics alike. So, let’s revisit these five atrocious sequels that didn’t need to be made in the first place.
The Hangover Part 2
Forget the weird and unfunny third entry, part two is a cut and paste job only set in a different location. The Hangover was a massively successful comedy and enthralled audiences and kept them laughing the whole way. The second film didn’t even try to be original or clever. They took the same jokes, scenarios and placed them in a different location. Did you ever wonder why the characters were running around asking themselves, “How can this happen again?” Yeah, we were asking ourselves the same exact thing. Sure, the third and final entry we can all agree was just an odd choice, but audiences felt robbed when watching part two, because we might as well have stayed home and taken ourselves back to Las Vegas instead or a tired rehash in Bangkok.
Happy Death Day 2U
You know, Happy Death Day was an interesting concept that was not only a good slasher film but also brought in the laughs along the way thanks to a wonderful performance by Jessica Rothe. Why on Earth did a sequel need to be made? Sure, Scream 2 was great but this is nowhere even close. Getting rid of the horror element, this sequel decides to go all science fiction and attempt to explain how the events of the first film happened. First of all, the idea of explaining why undercuts the fun from the first film. No one wanted to know why she kept waking up on the same day over and over again. We were already intrigued by the idea. Jessica Rothe is treated like a secondary character in this abysmal sequel and the science element in the movie doesn’t belong in a slasher/comedy film. It just doesn’t work. If that doesn’t convince you then ask yourself this, did anyone want to know why Bill Murray kept reliving his day in Groundhog Day? Did anyone want to know how this scientifically could’ve happen? No, no one did. We don’t care. Let us get into the magic of movie without having the magician tell us how’s he’s going to perform his trick.
3 From Hell
Rob Zombie has a unique style when making movies and while House of a Thousand Corpses was certainly interesting, it didn’t feel like a complete film. The idea was great and the Firefly family appropriately sadistic, but the end result wasn’t exactly fulfilling. The Devil’s Rejects on the other hand, is the writer and director’s signature masterpiece. That sequel was a fantastic ride, gleefully brutal and ended on a satisfying note. One has to wonder how it was possible that Rob Zombie could top himself; well, we got 3 From Hell. Taking place immediately after The Devil’s Rejects, this movie expects us to believe that the remainder of the Firefly somehow survived. Yeah, I don’t think so. 3 From Hell is a great title but just another lazy rehash that doesn’t match the flair of either two previous films. It feels as if Rob Zombie has ideas that he wanted to film already but didn’t get the chance to and decided to make another film. It’s really just a film with good performances but is just an excuse to showcase more violence and inhumanity that’s committed by the Firefly family. You may think it’s good on its own merits, but it doesn’t match the masterpiece that is The Devil’s Rejects and that is just a fact.
Independence Day: Resurgence
Independence Day was the most popular movie from 1996 and seeing these large ships hover over major cities then inflict astonishing destruction across the globe was good fun, plus who can’t forget that amazing shot of the White House blowing up! That was fantastic. A sequel sounded like the right idea but fans of this film had to wait twenty years for that to happen. The result is a movie that is so boring, I myself remember hardly nothing about it. The action sequences are confusing and you gotta love how they kill off Will Smith’s character (you know the badass in the first film) in favor of these younger cast members that aren’t as convincing. Roland Emmerich returned to helm this project and not even the returning stars of Jeff Goldblum, Brent Spiner and Bill Pullman can save this movie. Sure, the special effects are fine but who cares when the story isn’t interesting and the action isn’t exciting. It’s just plain boring and could’ve been so much more.
Speed 2: Cruise Control
How do you make a sequel more exciting than seeing a bus that can’t slow down past fifty miles an hour in rush hour traffic? Oh yeah, set all the action onboard a massive cruise ship! That makes total sense. Oh, and don’t cast Keanu Reeves either, even though he was the leading star in the first film. Now, I will admit that I rather enjoyed Speed 2 for what it was but when compared to Speed, it’s not even close. Speed was exciting and stills ranks as one the best action movies of the 1990s whereas Speed 2 is so slow that people can literally outrun the danger. No, seriously, they outrun the ship when it crashes onto the dock. I’m not kidding. Willem Dafoe is a decent villain and I will give credit to Jason Patric for playing a believable and passable hero but when anyone mentions the movie Speed they will be talking about the bus and not this slow piece of junk. Like I said before, it isn’t terrible, but Speed didn’t need a sequel. It was perfect in its own right and this sequel and forever stained that reputation.
Which sequels did you think were unnecessary? Which one could you live without if you never saw it? Let us know on Twitter.
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