As the saying goes, lightning does not strike twice. The film industry is one of the best examples of this phenomenon. Ultimately, movies are about the money, and when a studio ends up with a hit, the obvious impulse is to make a sequel. Audiences also clearly appreciate the familiarity of the suites.
For most movie franchises, sequel after sequel only leads to diminishing returns. Some series clinched gold on their first release and weren’t deleted until then.
ten Jaws is a masterpiece, the suites, not so much
The liberation of Jaws was the birth of the blockbuster and the wide release. The film was shown on 450 screens across America when it first aired because everyone wanted to see it. No one could blame them – born from the ashes of a tumultuous production, the film is a masterpiece of suspense that stands almost 50 years later.
Each sequel lost more and more of the original creative team. Steven Spielberg and Richard Dreyfuss did not return in the years 1978 Jaws 2, and Roy Scheider retired 3-D jaws in 1983. This peaked in the years 1987 Jaws: revenge, a film so catastrophic that the franchise has been dormant ever since. As star Michael Caine described it, “I never saw the movie, but everyone thought it was terrible. However, I saw the house he built, and it is wonderful. “
9 Halloween is running out of steam
The first one Halloween has one of the most profitable mismatches between production budget (roughly $ 300,000) and box office revenue ($ 70 million). This means that while the film was intended as a standalone film, sequels would soon follow. John Carpenter and Debra Hill’s plans for a Halloween anthology were also killed when Halloween 3 excluded Michael Myers and flopped.
Halloween was made with no greater mythology beyond being a thrill ride in a haunted house. The suites have been left in an awkward position – any attempt to extend the frame usually falls flat (as Halloween ii, Halloween: the curse of Michael Myers, and Halloween Kill show), but simply emulating the formula of the original will not create another masterpiece.
8 Alien was lightning in a bottle
Extraterrestrial actually makes worthy suites in his pocket. that of James Cameron Aliens took the series in a very different and adrenaline-filled direction while still honoring the original. Although David Fincher disowned the film, Alien 3 has been reassessed since the 2003 Assembly Cup. Prometheus and Alien: Alliance also have their fans. However, none of those movies have been able to match the mystery, horror, and depth of Scott’s original. The Chestburster scene alone is a nightmarish masterpiece.
seven Terminator has seen its diminishing returns
The Terminator is a perfect standalone movie. Worthy of a time travel film, the story ends in a seamless closed loop of causation, with no unrelated details. None of the suites, not even the beloved T2, can correspond to the lean and average efficiency of the first. Despite this, the studios kept trying to reboot the franchise, with each attempt dying on the Vine faster than the last. Even the return of James Cameron and Linda Hamilton for Terminator: Dark Fate was enough to save this movie.
6 Back to the future is airtight
Few films are as hermetic as that of Robert Zemeckis Back to the future. Every joke lands and there is no hole in the script. The sequels have their charms, especially the second with parodies the tendencies of the sequels to recycle the original by having the characters literally stumble upon the plot of the first. However, none of them are as tight as the first. It’s for the best that no other sequel has been made since Part III.
5 Jurassic Park hasn’t regained the magic of the original
jurassic park is Spielberg at his best. Its use of groundbreaking CGIs to render dinosaurs also makes it a defining moment in the history of special effects. While the first film demonstrates the magic of cinema in comparison, the sequels simply capitalize on the majesty of seeing dinosaurs come to life alongside humanity. There is little innovation in the concept, unless a T. Rex is unleashed in San Francisco during the third act of The lost World.
4 The Hannibal Lecter series drops after the first film
Michael Mann had already adapted Red Dragon like Man hunter, with Brian Cox as Dr Hannibal Lecktor. However, the work of Thomas Harris got a much more famous adaptation in 1991. Jonathan Demme directed Thesilenceofthelambs, with Anthony Hopkins as Lecter and Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling. It’s rare for a movie to even get a performance as good as both. Silencethe tracks are.
Hopkins himself is the sole intermediary of Silence following him (with the exception of Frankie Faison as the authorizing officer Barney Matthews). Annibal is forgiving and Red Dragon wastes a good script and great cast through directing tied with a CSI episode.
3 The Matrix is an untouchable classic
The matrix is the type of daring blockbuster that’s no longer happening. It’s an entirely original idea, one that has a stimulating imagination both in its world-building and in its craftsmanship, and there is a powerful allegory of capitalist automation underlying it all. The suites don’t have the same oomph. Compared to the (ironically enough) machine-like efficiency of the first film, the Matrix sequels spend too much time going around in circles.
2 Pirates of the Caribbean got worse after Gore Verbinski jumped off ship
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl overcame long odds – pirate movies being dated, the source material being a theme park, and Disney’s own worry about the project and director Gore Verbinski. The sequels are certainly not held in the same esteem as the first. Admittedly, it was only after Verbinski left that the series became downright soulless – Dead man’s chest and At the end of the world may be too long and messy, but they’re visually stunning. If only these visuals were in a tighter package.
1 Daniel Craig’s James Bond was no better than Casino Royale
Take a page from Batman begins and Bourne’s identity, Casino Royale redefined James Bond. After the embarrassing finale of the Pierce Brosnan era, Die another day, Casino RoyaleThe stripped down approach was necessary. None of Craig’s other outings have come close. Quantum of comfort and Spectrum have their moments but above all do not work. Fall from the sky is well done but also more fantastic and less raw than Casino Royale. No time to die sticks the landing concluding Craig’s trip, though the trip to that end is a bit messy.
About the Author
