There’s nothing that Hollywood loves more than sequels, as a majority of the highest grossing films of all-time are connected to some form of pre-existing franchise. There is always room for sequels to improve upon their predecessors and succeed on their own merits; beloved sequels like The Godfather: Part II and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King were met with unanimous praise, and both won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Unfortunately, there are many instances in which sequels do nothing more than repeat what their predecessor did. While it is very uncommon for filmmakers to try to make a bad movie, it does get very frustrating for cinephiles when it seems like studios have no motivation for making a sequel other than to make money. Here are ten movie sequels that were carbon copies of the original.
10 ‘Die Hard 2: Die Harder’ (1990)
Directed by Renny Harlin
Die Hard 2: Die Harder had the difficult task of living up to the success of the original Die Hard, which had been instantly hailed as one of the greatest action films of all-time. While audiences were clearly interested in seeing Bruce Willis return to play the role of John McClane, Die Hard 2: Die Harder simply took the first film’s premise and set it on a plane during Christmas.
Die Hard 2: Die Harder wasn’t even the best film with the “ Die Hard on a plane” premise, as both Air Force One and Con Air did the same story in a much more entertaining way. Although Die Hard 2: Die Harder was hardly the worst installment in the franchise, 20th Century Fox thankfully wisened up with the third installment, Die Hard With a Vengeance, which essentially turned the series into a buddy cop adventure co-starring Samuel L. Jackson.
Die Hard 2: Die Harder
John McClane attempts to avert disaster as rogue military operatives seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.
- Release Date
- July 2, 1990
- Director
- Renny Harlin
- Runtime
- 124
- Writers
- Walter Wager , Steven E. de Souza , Doug Richardson
- Tagline
- Die Harder.
Watch on Hulu
9 ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ (2018)
Directed by Rob Marshall
Mary Poppins Returns was the long anticipated attempt at revitalizing one of Disney’s most beloved live-action titles, with Emily Blunt taking on the role that had won Julie Andrews the Academy Award for Best Actress. Although it is technically a sequel, as Mary Poppins is returning to help the older version of Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw), the storyline is virtually identical to the first film.
Blunt performs some very impressive stunts and nails her performance, but there isn’t anything in Mary Poppins Returns that the original film didn’t do better. The use of animated segments was particularly odd; while the technique of combining live action and animation was groundbreaking when the original film was released, it felt very out-of-touch when the sequel was released several decades later. A fun cameo by Dick Van Dyke wasn’t enough to make Mary Poppins Returns feel distinct in its own right.
Mary Poppins Returns
- Release Date
- December 13, 2018
- Director
- Rob Marshall
- Runtime
- 131
- Writers
- David Magee , Rob Marshall , John DeLuca , P.L. Travers
- Tagline
- In a place we hold dear, where wonder once lived… but soon from above, a new story begins.
Watch on Disney+
8 ‘Jurassic World’ (2015)
Directed by Colin Trevorrow
Jurassic World was technically the fourth film in the Jurassic Park franchise, but it was the first installment since the original to take place when the park itself was actually operational. While the concept itself was intriguing, Jurassic World fails to acknowledge that all of the characters who are operating the new park should have already learned their lesson by now.
The poor writing is really evident in Jurassic World, as the film consistently tries to remake moments from the first film (such as the reveal of the T-Rex) without building up to them properly. The poor characterization is also a real issue, as Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard have no chemistry when compared to how excellent Sam Neill and Laura Dern were together in the original film from 1993. Although Colin Trevorrow tried to use the iconic John Williams score again, it had none of the same magic.
- Release Date
- June 12, 2015
- Director
- Colin Trevorrow
- Runtime
- 124 minutes
- Writers
- Rick Jaffa , Amanda Silver , Colin Trevorrow , Derek Connolly , Michael Crichton
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
- Tagline
- The Park Is Open.
Watch on Max
7 ‘Friday the 13th: Part II’ (1981)
Directed by Steve Miner
Friday the 13th: Part II actually delivered on the premise that was promised by the first Friday the 13th, as it finally showed Jason Voorhees being the killer at Camp Crystal Lake. Although the first film had a shocking plot twist that revealed that Jason’s mother was the real killer, the second installment set Jason up as the main villain for what would become one of the longest running franchises in the history of the horror genre.
Friday the 13th: Part II is actually more entertaining than the first film, as it ditches many of the long, cliche-ridden moments of exposition in favor of some more creative kills. Although the characters are largely derivative, Friday the 13th: Part II does nail the dark coming-of-age aspect of the franchise that has helped to differentiate it from Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Friday the 13th Part 2
- Release Date
- May 1, 1981
- Director
- Steve Miner
- Cast
- Amy Steel , John Furey , Adrienne King , Stu Charno , Warrington Gillette , Steve Daskewisz , Walt Gorney
- Runtime
- 87minutes
- Writers
- Ron Kurz
- Budget
- $1.25million
- Studio(s)
- Georgetown Productions Inc.
- Distributor(s)
- Paramount Pictures
- Sequel(s)
- Friday the 13th Part III , Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter , Friday the 13th: A New Beginning , Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives , Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood , Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan , Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday , Freddy vs. Jason , Jason X
- Franchise(s)
- Friday the 13th
Watch on Paramount Plus
6 ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York’ (1993)
Directed by Christopher Columbus
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York defied the logic of the first film, as the resolution that Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) finds with his dysfunctional family at the end of the original Home Alone is pretty much ignored when they leave him behind once more. Despite the decision to set the film in the Big Apple, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York plays on the same jokes about Kevin having to outwit the Wet Bandits as his parents try to search for him.
Even if it called for a significant suspension of disbelief, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is still a Christmas classic in its own right, as Culkin once again gives a very charismatic performance. It was clearly Culkin’s work that made the franchise so special, as the subsequent sequels that recast Kevin with different actors as Kevin were disregarded as being complete failures.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
One year after Kevin McCallister was left home alone and had to defeat a pair of bumbling burglars, he accidentally finds himself stranded in New York City – and the same criminals are not far behind.
- Release Date
- November 19, 1992
- Runtime
- 120
- Writers
- John Hughes
- Tagline
- He’s up past his bedtime in the city that never sleeps
Watch on Disney+
5 ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ (2016)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Independence Day: Resurgence is a sequel that felt two decades too late, as Roland Emmerich tried to apply the logic of a 1990s disaster movie to modern day. Although Jeff Golblum and Bill Pullman did return to reprise their roles from the first film, Independence Day: Resurgence tried to get audiences invested in a new generation of young heroes played by Maika Monroe, Jessie T. Usher, and Liam Hemsworth.
Although it may have found a second life on streaming, Independence Day: Resurgence is a joyless slog that lacks the whimsical sense of adventure that had solidified its predecessor as a science fiction classic. Emmerich has certainly had a mixed track record in the years since Independence Day, but the complete failure of Independence Day: Resurgence with both critics and audiences suggested that any success that the first film had was more or less a fluke.
Independence Day: Resurgence
- Release Date
- June 22, 2016
- Director
- Roland Emmerich
- Runtime
- 120
- Writers
- Carter Blanchard , Dean Devlin , Roland Emmerich , James A. Woods , Nicolas Wright
- Studio
- 20th Century Fox
- Tagline
- 20 years ago they invaded Earth, but that was just the beginning
Watch on Max
4 ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ (2009)
Directed by Michael Bay
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was eviscerated by critics like Roger Ebert, who felt that the film lacked any of the charm that they had appreciated in the original Transformers from 2007. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen explored the discovery of another “Macguffin” that both the Autobots and Decepticons were fighting over, which for some reason required Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf) to once again team up with Bumblebee and Optimus Prime.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen brought back Megatron once again out of laziness, but also inserted a lot of crass humor that simply felt out of place. While the first Transformers film had a few jokes that felt like they may have crossed the line of good taste, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen felt like it was deliberately trying to offend its audience with racially insensitive humor and characters.
transformers: revenge of the fallen
- Release Date
- June 19, 2009
- Runtime
- 147
- Writers
- Ehren Kruger , Roberto Orci , Alex Kurtzman
- Tagline
- Revenge is coming.
Watch on Paramount Plus
3 ‘Escape from L.A.’ (1997)
Directed by John Carpenter
Escape from L.A. is the only sequel to a John Carpenter film that he actually directed, as he was never involved in the sequels to Halloween or The Thing. Although Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) had narrowly survived the events of Escape From New York, the sequel found him once again working for the President of the United States on a secret mission, which this time sent him to the criminally overrun “City of Angels.”
While it will certainly not win any points for originality, Escape from L.A. is actually pretty entertaining because Carpenter is so talented at worldbuilding and hinting at more serious socio-political themes. Although for the most part the plot points from the first film are completely reiterated, Escape from L.A. does include a very shocking ending that pretty much ruled out the possibility of a third installments ever existing.
Escape from LA
Rent on Amazon
2 ‘Crank 2: High Voltage’ (2009)
Directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor
Crank 2: High Voltage had to top the ridiculous mayhem of the first Crank film, which was heralded as an instant cult classic for its over-the-top action and darkly comedic sensibilities. While the story once again sees Jason Statham’s Chev Chelios trying to stop the bomb strapped to his chest from detonating by trying to keep his heart rate up, the sequel gets to be even wilder, with an ending that ranks among the weirdest moments in the history of action cinema.
The Crank franchise has remained exciting because of its ability to escalate, and Crank 2: High Voltage certainly takes everything that fans appreciated about the first film and amplifies it to the extreme. While there is certainly room for a third installment in the series to pick up with Chev on another adventure, it would have to work very hard to improve upon the second film.
Crank: High Voltage
- Release Date
- April 16, 2009
- Cast
- Jason Statham , Amy Smart , David Carradine , Dwight Yoakam , Bai Ling , Clifton Collins Jr. , Jose Pablo Cantillo , Efren Ramirez , Julanne Chidi Hill , Reno Wilson , Keone Young , Art Hsu , J. J. Soria , Corey Haim , Geri Horner , William Brent , Jamie Harris , John de Lancie , Ho-Kwan Tse , Galen Yuen , Shu Lan Tuan , Anne Girard , Yeva-Genevieve Lavlinski , Reid Harper , David Scott Rubin , Chester Bennington , Setu Taase , Eidan Hanzei , Najja Meeks , David Rolas , David Dooyun Kim , Portis Hershey , Atticus Todd , Peter Mark , Chad Damiani , Jai Stefan , Tom Roach , Maynard James Keenan , Danny Lohner , Danna Hansen , Keith Jardine
- Runtime
- 85 minutes
- Character(s)
- Chev Chelios , Eve , Poon Dong , Doc Miles , Ria , El Huron , Ricky Verona , Venus , Dark Chocolate , Orlando , Don Kim , Johnny Vang , Chico , Randy , Karen Chelios , Young Chev , Talk Show Host , Fish Halman , Chinese Doctor 1 , Chinese Doctor 2 , Asian Nurse , Nevada , Pepper , School Classmate , Teacher , Hollywood Park Guy , Shot Gun Triad , Long Beach Nose Punch Triad , Sierra , Low Rider #1 , Young Asian Dude , Cypress Triad Hood #1 , Cypress Fat Chinese Guy , Los Vatos Punk , Strip Please Cop #1 , Donut Cop #1 , Donut Cop #2 , Dog Walker #1 , Dog Walker #2 , Glenda Lansing , Inglewood Pedestrian
Watch on Max
1 ‘Desperado’ (1995)
Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Desperado served as a loose remake of Robert Rodriquez’s debut feature El Mariachi, with Antonio Banderas taking on the role of a mysterious gunslinger who fights notorious gangsters. Although it is a fairly straightforward reboot of the first film, Desperado is considered to be the second entry in Rodrguez’s “Mexico Trilogy,” which concluded with Once Upon A Time In Mexico in 2003.
There’s not much originality in Desperado, but Rodriguez certainly nailed the action, with some dangerous stunt scenes that cut corners when it came to safety.Desperado succeeded by featuring some of the cheeky humor that had been left out of El Mariachi, and certainly helped introduce Banderas as the action star of a new generation. Banderas would return to play similar swashbuckling heroes to the one that he played in Desperado in the Mask of Zorro and Puss in Boots franchises.
Desperado
Former musician and gunslinger El Mariachi arrives at a small Mexican border town after being away for a long time. His past quickly catches up with him and he soon gets entangled with the local drug kingpin Bucho and his gang.
- Release Date
- August 25, 1995
- Director
- Robert Rodriguez
- Runtime
- 104 minutes
- Writers
- Robert Rodriguez
- Studio
- Columbia Pictures
- Tagline
- He came back to settle the score with someone. Anyone. Everyone.
Watch on Paramount Plus
Source link
