the problem with sequels

livia treviño
Aug 9, 2017
2 min read

We are currently in the age of sequels and I can't wait for it to end. Every time I see a trailer for another Fast & the Furious or Transformers movie, I throw up in my mouth a little bit. I know that a lot of sequels are great, but we need to stop thinking every story warrants a continuation, no matter how perfect the preceding one was (I'm looking at you, Mean Girls 2). Here are the main issues I have with sequels:

same shit, different budget

"22 Jump Street" (a really good sequel) repeatedly makes fun of the fact that sequels tend to double in monetary value, but stick to the same formula. I don't fault studios for going after the same story, especially if it has numbers on it's side. I do, however, fault them for taking twice as much money and turning it into the same movie, but in a more expensive location.

As a creature of habit who eats Subway for lunch consistently, I completely understand being scared to change things out of fear of losing value. But if somebody gave me $50 for lunch, I'm getting a steak, not just a more expensive sandwich.

the lost art of originality

What makes me the most upset about sequels are when they don't add anything to the original story line. Great sequels add to the story, they don't just re-tell it. A lot of people blame the existence of sequels for the lack of originality in movies, but sequels themselves aren't the problem.

We need to put more pressure on filmmakers to approach the same universe with a unique angle. Imagine if the second Transformers movie was a period piece instead of a mish-mosh of uninteresting action scenes and call-backs to a mediocre plot.

saturation

I don't know if you guys know this, but I love movies, so I don't necessarily want to limit the amount being made. However, I do draw the line when resources are being wasted on a failed project.

Neil Blomkamp was supposed to direct a movie version of the popular video game, Halo. The project fell through and as a result, Blomkamp used that money to make District 9 (one of my favorite movies ever). It gives me a headache to think the money used to make a masterpiece could have been wasted on a shitty video game movie.

Despite my clear stance on the state of the "sequel", I don't think they should stop being made. I just think they need to be seriously considered beforehand. Filmmakers shouldn't make a movie because of money or demand, they should make it because they believe in it.

As an audience, we need to stop dismissing sequels when they're bad. Just because the second Avengers needed to happen for Thor: Ragnarok and Infinity War to take place, doesn't make it any less of a failure. We have a responsibility to demand more for our attention, otherwise we'll be at 20 Fast & Furious movies until somebody realizes car chases can't replace a good script. they paid to watch a 50 minute car chase