Great movies with a great sequel, which were then followed by a disappointing sequel
08-20-14, 09:52 AM
#26
DVD Talk Legend
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Re: Franchises That Have Gone Too Far?
Yes, exactly. I had this discussion with someone at work yesterday which is why I thought I would present it here. Wording the the thread title seems to have made it difficult, though.
08-20-14, 09:57 AM
#27
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Re: Franchises That Have Gone Too Far?
A Nightmare on Elm Street is a weird case study too. It's actually the first sequel that's the real turd; the others range from decent to great.
08-20-14, 09:57 AM
#28
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Franchises That Have Gone Too Far?
Doesn't a crappy sequel pretty much confirm a franchise has gotten long in the tooth? Did we need Indy 4 or Godfather 3?
The Terminator and Alien franchises are the best examples I can think of. Two crappy Terminator sequels (with a possible turd on the way), two crappy direct-Alien sequels and two (three if you count Prometheus) crappy movies in the Alien universe.
I edited to reflect my point.
The Terminator and Alien franchises are the best examples I can think of. Two crappy Terminator sequels (with a possible turd on the way), two crappy direct-Alien sequels and two (three if you count Prometheus) crappy movies in the Alien universe.
I edited to reflect my point.
I think it's more when you watch sequels that do nothing new at all, and are simply repeating themselves. Like most people commented on, horror sequels are extremely guilty of this. An entry can be terrible and keep interest in a franchise alive, similarly an entry can be great and signal the ending of one (not everything goes out with a whimper). I think there's room for more Indy movies, I don't think we need anymore Grudge movies (or Pulse ones, how that became a trilogy is beyond me).
08-20-14, 09:59 AM
#30
Re: Franchises That Have Gone Too Far?
I believe the opposite.
08-20-14, 10:08 AM
#31
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Franchises That Have Gone Too Far?
Here it is: Great movies with a great sequel, which were then followed by nothing but crap sequels
Many would argue the Shrek films -- I would say the first movie was fine and the second was garbage and kept getting worse. But given that the sequel was pretty popular, very well-received, and made an unbelievably ridiculous amount of cash worldwide, it probably fits.
Many would argue the Shrek films -- I would say the first movie was fine and the second was garbage and kept getting worse. But given that the sequel was pretty popular, very well-received, and made an unbelievably ridiculous amount of cash worldwide, it probably fits.
08-20-14, 10:59 AM
#32
Re: Franchises That Have Gone Too Far?
Definitely the first franchises that come to mind for me are Terminator, Aliens, Star Wars (which will hopefully redeem itself with Episode VII), and Spider-Man.
I don't know if I'll get stoned for saying this, but if The Hobbit at all counts as part of the LOTR franchise, then it gets my vote. I loved the original LOTR trilogy, but try as I might, I can't get myself to care for either of the Habbit movies so far.
I don't know if I'll get stoned for saying this, but if The Hobbit at all counts as part of the LOTR franchise, then it gets my vote. I loved the original LOTR trilogy, but try as I might, I can't get myself to care for either of the Habbit movies so far.
08-20-14, 11:00 AM
#33
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Franchises That Have Gone Too Far?
Yeah, there a few silly things in there (like the parakeet) but I think the whole thing has a great surreal nightmare-ish weirdness to it. It's the only sequel to keep that unpredictable true-to-dream atmosphere before they started going high concept with the dream sequences.
08-20-14, 11:05 AM
#34
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Franchises That Have Gone Too Far?
The Child's Play series took an odd turn after part 3. The original and the first two sequels were straight up horror, after that they turned into a dark comedy series. Of course a lot of people enjoyed the "Chucky" movies more than the "Child's Play" series so who knows.
08-20-14, 11:06 AM
#35
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Re: Franchises That Have Gone Too Far?
Yeah, there a few silly things in there (like the parakeet) but I think the whole thing has a great surreal nightmare-ish weirdness to it. It's the only sequel to keep that unpredictable true-to-dream atmosphere before they started going high concept with the dream sequences.
08-20-14, 11:18 AM
#36
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Franchises That Have Gone Too Far?
I'd argue Hellraiser as well. The original is a classic, the sequel is a visually striking and massively creepy. Afterward... poop.
08-20-14, 11:31 AM
#37
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Franchises That Have Gone Too Far?
I get what the OP is trying to say: Franchises that kept going and going even though it stopped being good after the first or second sequel?
My first thought was every horror movie franchise as well. Final Destination being my favorite of the group. First one was great and original (which is rare for horror movies). Second one was good too but not as good as the first. Now they've done six of them, I believe. While they've all been fun and watchable none of them come close to the original. If they never made a sequel to that move they would have been a lot better off.
The Fast and The Furious is an interesting case for this. The first one was a retelling of Point Break with cars. It wasn't great but it had a real story. The second one sucked. In the third one they just threw the franchise name on a completely different movie. And then they reinvented the franchise as action movies rather than being only about racing. It's worked out for them, but IMO, the first one is still the best.
My first thought was every horror movie franchise as well. Final Destination being my favorite of the group. First one was great and original (which is rare for horror movies). Second one was good too but not as good as the first. Now they've done six of them, I believe. While they've all been fun and watchable none of them come close to the original. If they never made a sequel to that move they would have been a lot better off.
The Fast and The Furious is an interesting case for this. The first one was a retelling of Point Break with cars. It wasn't great but it had a real story. The second one sucked. In the third one they just threw the franchise name on a completely different movie. And then they reinvented the franchise as action movies rather than being only about racing. It's worked out for them, but IMO, the first one is still the best.
08-20-14, 11:47 AM
#38
RIP
08-20-14, 11:55 AM
#39
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Re: Movie Franchises with One Sequel Too Many
Sounds to me like Terminator shouldn't count, because it's had two--soon to be three--sequels too many. Indiana Jones is a good example, there was a series with three good to great entries (I know some people have issued with Last Crusade but I'll be damned if it isn't a ton of fun), and then out of nowhere we get this giant stinker.
08-20-14, 12:51 PM
#41
08-20-14, 12:59 PM
#42
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: Great movies with a great sequel, which were then followed by a disappointing seq
Superman 3 first came to mind. I LOVED Superman I & II as a kid, and remember renting Superman III on VHS with my brother and we both thought it was horrendous. I would like to revisit it someday to see if its as bad as I remember.
08-20-14, 01:03 PM
#43
DVD Talk Legend
Thread Starter
Re: Great movies with a great sequel, which were then followed by a disappointing seq
Yes, this is a great example. Although Superman Returns is probably considered miles above Superman III and IV, the first two films are easily the best of that series.
08-20-14, 01:39 PM
#44
Moderator
Re: Great movies with a great sequel, which were then followed by a disappointing seq
08-20-14, 02:07 PM
#47
Re: Franchises That Have Gone Too Far?
I would argue PLANET OF THE APES (1968) after the first sequel (1970) and I would include the reboots as going off the rails, too, since I don't care how much you all liked DAWN (which I didn't see because I hated RISE so much).
One can certainly argue STAR WARS after EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (which Joliom mentioned).
One can certainly argue STAR WARS after EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (which Joliom mentioned).
08-20-14, 02:08 PM
#48
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Great movies with a great sequel, which were then followed by a disappointing seq
I know a lot of folks here didn't care for the Pirates sequels, but I thought they were decent enough while the 4th movie really took a further dive in quality.
08-20-14, 03:12 PM
#49
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Great movies with a great sequel, which were then followed by a disappointing seq
I'd think it's easier to try to compile a list of worthwhile third movies (where the first two were good). Most of the time the second movie is a cash in, sometimes it turns out to be arguably the best in the series (Aliens, T2). But the third is almost always either a cash in or the original director/creator/cast is really losing momentum (excepting stuff like Harry Potter or LoTR where they're following books).
08-20-14, 03:14 PM
#50