10 Film Franchises That Simply Cannot Get Sequels Proper

Film sequels are robust to execute, and although there are a handful of franchises which are good, there are additionally many others that didn’t ship on high quality follow-ups. So long as Hollywood has existed, so too has the thought of the movie sequel. When a film does effectively on the field workplace, producers are often clamoring to money in.

Therein often lies the issue with sequels, and lots of follow-ups are extra about getting cash than they’re about telling compelling tales. Some movie franchises have expansive worlds that may’t match inside the narrative of a single film, however others are stretched thinly throughout a copious variety of unhealthy sequels.

Style additionally performs a component within the frequency of sequels, with horror, motion, and fantasy spawning their justifiable share. Hardly ever does a sequel handle to fulfill the standard of the unique, and that turns into even more true with every new movie in an ever-expanding franchise. Even when one or two sequels work, they’re often drowned by a number of extra unhealthy ones.

Dangerous sequels may be particularly disappointing when the unique movie was a basic, and there is nothing worse than a wonderful concept being squandered by a horrible follow-up. Whether or not they’re cynical money grabs or simply creatively bankrupt, a nasty sequel can do lots to spoil the fame of an excellent movie.

10

Hellraiser (1987-2022)

Clive Barker’s Nightmarish Idea Has Been Butchered

Famous horror creator Clive Barker efficiently tailored his novella, The Hellbound Coronary heart, in 1987, however the Hellraiser franchise went off the rails virtually instantly after. Although the primary sequel, Hellbound, was a serviceable exploration of the wealthy lore of the Cenobites, not one of the follow-ups got here near being as scary or unique because the debut movie.

The largest drawback was that the Hellraiser collection rapidly devolved into straight-to-video fare, which means the budgets had been slashed significantly. Additionally, the advanced and sadistic Cenobites had been became generic horror film villains, and not one of the sequels appeared eager about Barker’s wealthy themes. When Pinhead went on-line in Hellworld, the collection had formally jumped the shark.

9

Ghostbusters (1984-2024)

The Nostalgic ’80s Franchise Could not Get It Proper

Although Ghostbusters is likely one of the most beloved movies of the Nineteen Eighties, it has by no means fared effectively as a franchise. Cartoons and comedian books have expanded the lore, however the supernatural exterminators have faltered each time they tried to return to the large display screen. Ghostbusters 2 almost obtained it proper, nevertheless it lacked the robust character-driven humor of the unique.

A 2016 reboot didn’t launch, and a duo of legacy sequels felt like cynical nostalgia bait, and never somebody’s precise inventive imaginative and prescient. 2021’s Afterlife was far too disjointed to ever make an excellent movie, and the 2024 sequel tried one thing new however could not stick the touchdown. No sequel will ever have the ability to recreate the unique’s appeal.

8

Robocop (1987-2014)

The Sequels Dropped The Biting Satire

Robocop is each a wonderful motion movie, and a witty dissection of most of the tropes discovered within the style. The bitingly satirical motion comedy featured wealthy layers of commentary, and that is one thing that none of the remainder of the Robocop franchise might duplicate. Robocop 2 was the least offensive, nevertheless it was a far cry from the 1987 basic.

All of it started to crumble when the films took Robocop critically, and began treating him just like the very motion heroes that he was initially spoofing. Robocop 3 dropped to a PG-13 score, utterly stripping the collection of its ultraviolent humor. The 2014 remake fared no higher, and woefully misunderstood what made Robocop so good within the first place.

7

Jaws (1975-1987)

A String Of More and more Pointless Sequels

1975’s Jaws is likely one of the most necessary summer season blockbusters of all time, and it helped to make director Steven Spielberg a family title. Sadly, that meant {that a} string of more and more pointless sequels would comply with. 1978’s Jaws 2 was a down-to-earth sequel with just a few highlights, however that is the place the enjoyable stopped.

Jaws 3-D was a tacky catastrophe that stretched the bounds of suspended disbelief to its breaking level, whereas 1987’s The Revenge mercifully ended the franchise on a bitter observe. Simplicity and efficient scares helped make Jaws so profitable, however the sequels by no means bothered to spend money on storytelling. Additionally, they rapidly grew to become repetitive, with the shark assault sequences dropping their luster.

6

Tremors (1990-2020)

The Subterranean Monsters Simply Will not Go Away

Although it was one thing of a field workplace disappointment, Tremors proved to be a giant hit on dwelling video. This impressed a string of direct-to-video sequels that started to float additional and farther from the simple-but-effective appeal of the primary film. Michael Gross’ Burt Gummer slowly transitioned into the main function, and the franchise shifted extra towards comedy.

The 1990 movie had a powerful setup and attention-grabbing characters, however the Tremors sequels eschew storytelling in favor of copious Graboid motion scenes. Whereas this usually would not be the worst factor on the planet, the sequels’ low budgets imply the motion is mediocre and typically downright terrible. More moderen sequels have leaned closely on CGI, additional cheapening the expertise.

5

Halloween (1978-2022)

The Basic Slasher Sequence Is Surprisingly Hole

John Carpenter helped to invent the trendy slasher film when he made Halloween in 1978, however Michael Myers hasn’t fared effectively within the many years since. Halloween II picked up proper after the primary, and was meant to shut the ebook on the masked killer, however the failure of Halloween III meant the anthology method merely wasn’t going to work.

From the late Nineteen Eighties by means of the early 2000s, Myers would return in a handful of flicks that ranged from okay, to completely horrible. Halloween was so efficient as a result of the motivationless crime mirrored fashionable fears, however every sequel tried too arduous to discover Myers’ backstory. Even the David Gordon Inexperienced trilogy from current years was method off the mark.

4

The Terminator (1984-2019)

The Highs & Lows Of Motion Film Sequels

The unique Terminator was a gritty neo-noir with heady sci-fi ideas that thrilled the viewer with tense motion and distinctive visuals. Terminator 2: Judgement Day arrived and never solely matched the standard of its predecessor, however exceeded it in some ways. Nonetheless, after nailing one nice sequel, the remainder of the Terminator franchise was downhill.

Terminator 3 obtained too slowed down in attempting to copy the magic of the primary two films, whereas the remaining sequels discovered themselves tangled within the franchise’s advanced timeline. Every new reset to the continuity solely made issues worse, and films like Genysis and Darkish Destiny had been so centered on time journey paradoxes that they forgot to inform attention-grabbing tales.

3

The Matrix (1999-2021)

One Concept Is Stretched Far Too Skinny

The Matrix is a type of films that was good for its time, and the rise of know-how within the late ’90s was very inspirational for cinema on the flip of the brand new millennium. Sadly, the participating cyberpunk concepts within the first film had been in a short time stretched skinny throughout two sequels that launched in fast succession.

Although The Matrix Reloaded had numerous the identical motion as its predecessor, it was already displaying wear-and-tear on its themes. By increasing the world of The Matrix, the films in the end risked explaining an excessive amount of, and that is precisely what occurred in Revolutions. No ending might have been really satisfying, however the threequel squandered numerous alternatives.

By the point 2021’s Resurrections rolled round, the inward meta narrative simply wasn’t very attention-grabbing, and The Matrix had began to really feel like a late Nineteen Nineties time capsule and never cutting-edge cinema.

2

The Karate Child (1984-2025)

One Nice Film, A Bunch Of Lackluster Sequels

Some films are begging for sequels, however The Karate Child wasn’t one. It by no means appeared essential to return to the world of The Karate Child, however Hollywood could not resist the possibility to make a fast buck. The Karate Child Half II began the development of merely copying one of the best components from the primary film, and the threequel adopted go well with.

Even when the franchise tried to restart, it by no means had the identical spark as the primary movie. The Karate Child is the quintessential teen drama story, and it has all of the hallmarks of an excellent sports activities narrative too. Sadly, that implies that sequels are certain to really feel like echoes, and even 2025’s Karate Child: Legends is simply one other rehash.

1

Jurassic Park (1993-2025)

The Dinosaur Franchise Could not Recreate The Magic

A long time after he reinvented the blockbuster with Jaws, Steven Spielberg did it once more with 1993’s Jurassic Park. Distilling Michael Crichton’s novel right into a extra interesting cinematic package deal, the movie blended all one of the best facets of the artwork of filmmaking into one easily-consumed package deal. Sadly, that magic can be misplaced when the franchise returned in sequels.

The Misplaced World got here closest to matching Jurassic Park, however the third film was far too unusual and cynical. When the Jurassic World franchise started, it too took issues in a brand new course that divorced it from the appeal of the 1993 movie.

Jurassic World: Rebirth deliberately leaned towards the grittiness of Crichton’s novel, however was typically foolish and trite. Motion pictures like Jurassic Park are exceedingly uncommon, and even its sequels could not reside as much as the excellence of the unique.