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| 4 | * ''Film/TwentyTwoJumpStreet'' parodies this in the CreditsGag with increasingly wacky sequel ideas. The concept of the film being a retread of the first one is one that's explored. |
| 5 | * ''Film/AirBud''. It went from a touching story about a dog escaping an abusive owner, helping a young boy find his place, and leading a small-town sports team to victory, to a wacky comedy about ''[[TalkingAnimal talking puppies]]''. Most fans were not amused. |
| 6 | * The brilliant ''Film/{{Airplane}}'' was followed by 1982's ''Film/AirplaneIITheSequel'', which ''wasn't'' produced by the ZAZ team (James Abrahams and the Zucker brothers). Most of its jokes and plot were re-hashed from the original movie, Creator/LeslieNielsen didn't return, and it did so badly at the box office that the planned second sequel was canceled. The best parts were the courtroom scene and the [[AdamWesting self-parodying performance]] by Creator/WilliamShatner. |
| 7 | * ''{{Film/Alien}}'' is almost universally considered as an outstanding horror/science-fiction film, the sequel ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' was even more successful with both critics and audiences and is generally considered as good [[EvenBetterSequel or even better than the first]]; the third film ''Film/{{Alien 3}}'' while not necessarily regarded as a bad film, is nevertheless held as inferior to the previous films with an "obscene" HappyEndingOverride. [[Film/AlienResurrection The fourth film]], however, was disastrous and is loathed by fans of the saga and co-writer Creator/JossWhedon; it halted independent ''Alien'' films until 2012's ''Film/{{Prometheus}}'', and also mostly halted the careers of the producers and director. |
| 8 | ** Between ''Resurrection'' and ''Prometheus'' was ''Film/AVPAlienVsPredator'', which managed to be a success in spite of dividing opinions, specially regarding toning down two R-rated franchises to PG-13 levels and focusing too much on the humans. ''Film/AliensVsPredatorRequiem'', on the other hand, was an outright disaster that took wrong turns with those criticisms (the violence was back but [[{{Gorn}} way excessive]], and the human cast was unlikable instead of boring) while also being shoddily filmed with excessive rain and [[WhoForgotTheLights darkness]] that even made the extraterrestrial fights of the title hard to follow. |
| 9 | * ''Film/AmericanPie'' descended into this for a while. The ''American Pie Presents'' series were [[DirectToVideo direct-to-DVD]] releases with predictable results. The sole main cast member reprising a role from ''any'' of the first 3 movies is Creator/EugeneLevy. Inverted with ''American Reunion'', which brought back the principal cast and was a much better film than the DVD cash-ins that preceded. |
| 10 | * ''Film/AmericanPsycho2AllAmericanGirl'', starred Creator/MilaKunis as a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] college student, whom after surviving an encounter with Patrick Bateman as a teen (in the sequel it's established that he ''really'' was a serial killer), decides to study to become an FBI agent to profile serial killers, and is willing to do anything or kill anyone who stands in her way to achieve her goal. The movie was panned heavily by critics and fans of the original, giving it full FanonDiscontinuity, and Mila has said it's one of her [[CreatorBacklash most regretful roles]] she played. |
| 11 | * Both ''Film/TheAmityvilleHorror1979'' and ''Film/TheHowling'' had an unusually high number of sequels, most of them direct-to-video. With ''Franchise/{{Amityville}}'', it also extended to the book series, which eventually became pure fiction, and got progressively weirder and surreal. |
| 12 | * ''[[Film/{{Arthur 1981}} Arthur 2: On the Rocks]]'' is still held up today as one of the biggest drop-offs in quality between a comedy and its sequel. The original 1981 film was a huge Oscar-winning hit, but prospects for a sequel were dicey from the beginning -- first, writer-director Steve Gordon died the year after its release. Second, a major plot point in the original was Arthur's ServileSnarker valet Hobson [[spoiler: dying at the end of the second act]]. Third, the title character was a happy, witty alcoholic, a character type falling out of favor as TheEighties progressed and as substance abuse of all kinds was increasingly frowned upon. Fourth, the SurprisinglyHappyEnding was pretty definite. There was still a major push for a sequel, though, and the original cast and a new creative team ultimately obliged. The plot made a legitimate attempt to continue the narrative of the first film and give Arthur more CharacterDevelopment by stripping him of his fortune, leaving him and his true love in poverty, and having him sober up as part of his resultant quest to [[EarnYourHappyEnding earn his happy ending]], working in [[spoiler: an appearance by Hobson that may or may not be a hallucination]] along the way (thus adding [[spoiler: fantasy elements to a non-fantastic story]]). Unfortunately, critics felt this sucked all the fun out of the premise and EscapistCharacter, and audiences agreed -- and the cast and crew had their regrets as well. Writer Andy Breckman actually stood outside his hometown movie theater to apologize to anyone who saw it. |
| 13 | * The ''Film/AustinPowers'' series, once it became insanely popular (i.e. by [[Film/AustinPowersTheSpyWhoShaggedMe the first sequel]]), started becoming a caricature of [[Film/AustinPowersInternationalManOfMystery the first movie]], with its VulgarHumor and especially their tendency to take gags that were most memorable from the previous movie and exaggerating them in the next. The first was intended to be an AffectionateParody of the movies Creator/MikeMyers used to watch with his father. After the first became a cultural phenomenon on home video, more writers were brought in to create something DenserAndWackier. By the time [[Film/AustinPowersInGoldmember the third movie]] came around, the series was repeatedly breaking the FourthWall and just generally making a mockery of itself. Still, some fans regret that the token CharacterDevelopment Austin went through in the first movie [[AesopAmnesia had to be systematically scrapped]] for the sequels to work. |
| 14 | * ''Franchise/{{Batman}}''. Creator/TimBurton's ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'' and ''Film/BatmanReturns'' were met with acclaim. Then Joel Schumacher came in, and the [[LighterAndSofter campier]] and more [[MerchandiseDriven toyetic]] ''Film/BatmanForever'' was more {{contested|sequel}}, but still a commercial success. The last movie, ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'' was met with derision from fans and critics alike, torpedoing the plans for a fifth film (''Batman Unchained'') and leading to a reboot with the highly successful ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' a decade later. |
| 15 | * ''Film/BabyGeniuses'': In spite of the original film's critical thrashing, its modest box office success led to a sequel entitled ''Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2'', and viewers are still divided over which one is worse. Plans for a third movie seemed to fall through after its original director Bob Clark died in 2007, only for a new director to take the helm and resume the series with the third released as direct-to-video, and practically ''no-one'' admits that it's better than the first two. |
| 16 | * If there's one thing worse than a highly anticipated movie stuck in DevelopmentHell, it's when the producers, directors, and stars try to rush to get it out of said hell and completed, which is why ''Film/BasicInstinct2'' was condemned by critics and [[FranchiseKiller ruined any chance of a third movie]]. The box office gross didn't even cover Creator/SharonStone's salary for the movie. |
| 17 | * ''Film/BattleRoyale 2'' suffered heavily from this. Even the most enthusiastic fans of the sequel will admit that it isn't anywhere near the caliber of the original (whether it be novel, manga, or movie). |
| 18 | * ''Film/BeCool''. The sequel to ''Film/GetShorty'' was loosely based on the novel that was the sequel to the original ''Get Shorty'' novel, but was so crammed full of {{actor allusion}}s, [[TheCameo cameos]] and industry in-jokes (for both film and music) that it had none of the spark of the first movie. |
| 19 | * ''Film/AHardDaysNight'' is still regarded as a classic with its story that served as {{mockumentary}} on Music/TheBeatles. ''Film/{{Help}}'' showed some decay for a DenserAndWackier plot full of random events and setting changes. And then there's ''Film/MagicalMysteryTour'', which is too bizarre for its own good. (not counting the other movies about the band, ''WesternAnimation/YellowSubmarine'' which didn't involve the actual Beatles until the end; and ''Film/LetItBe'', an actual documentary about a band about to split that seems to be too downbeat for enjoyment.) |
| 20 | * ''Film/{{Beethoven}}'' was a modest hit when it came out, but wasn't anything particularly special. However, the success of the film was enough to give Hollywood an excuse to turn it into a franchise, resulting in a film series that became more and more out of touch with the original with every installment. While ''Beethoven's 2nd'' stayed true to the original formula with its then-familiar cast and Beethoven still at his usual canine antics, ''Beethoven's 3rd'' saw Beethoven transferred to a new family featuring Creator/JudgeReinhold which was related to the original one featuring Creator/CharlesGrodin, with increasingly uninspired villains and stories appearing in each installment. By the time of Beethoven's ''sixth'' film appearance, the series was rebooted and retooled and then the ''seventh'' installment, ''Beethoven's Christmas Adventure'', had Beethoven ''talking'', finally doing away with what little resemblance the sequels still bore to the original. There was also a short-lived ''animated series''[[note]]The only cast members from the movie to take part in it were Creator/NicholleTom voicing the family's teenage daughter Ryce. And Dean Jones, replacing Charles Grodin. Jones played the BigBad in the movie[[/note]]! In 2014, it spawned an ''eighth'' installment, ''Beethoven's Treasure Tail'', vaguely linked to the sixth film. |
| 21 | * ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopII'' was not as well-received by critics as the original, but audiences still liked it. That was not the case with ''Film/BeverlyHillsCopIII'', which was so DenserAndWackier it ended up as just silly, and lost most of the comedy between attempting to be an ActionizedSequel, ditching three good supporting characters (Taggart, Bogomil and Friedman), and dropping a good bit of Creator/EddieMurphy's trademark snark (director John Landis even said he expected the weak script to be improved by Murphy's comedic talents... only for the actor to attempt a more serious performance). |
| 22 | * ''Beyond Film/ThePoseidonAdventure'' starts with a very forced excuse for a sequel, as the capsized ship hasn't yet sunk, and some scavengers arrive at the shipwreck to salvage it. And given that afterwards they get trapped within, where they meet more survivors further down the sinking ship, this of course means it's a retread of the original with nary any inspiration. |
| 23 | * ''Film/{{Birdemic}}'' quickly gained a SoBadItsGood following for its [[LeaveTheCameraRunning slipshod camera work]], AuthorTract-laden dialogue, and incredibly fake-looking special effects. The director, realizing he had a cult hit on his hands, later put out ''Film/Birdemic2TheResurrection'', which--like many sequels to so-bad-they're-good works--is self-aware and deliberately tries to be corny. General consensus on this film is that this results in the movie trying too hard and ending up feeling forced and artificial, [[SoBadItWasBetter completely removing what makes the first movie so fun to watch.]] It's as bad at being intentionally bad as the first movie is bad at being intentionally ''good.'' |
| 24 | * ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' is one of the most famous movies inspired by ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', but ''Film/BluesBrothers2000'' was [[RecycledScript just the same thing all over again]] -- so much that the only major difference is that Creator/JohnGoodman replaced Creator/JohnBelushi -- and it gained little fanfare from critics and audiences. As a result, it [[CreatorKiller completed to the downfall of]] Creator/JohnLandis, who directed the original eighteen years earlier. |
| 25 | * ''Film/TheBourneSeries'' followed a very acclaimed trilogy with two movies that couldn't live up to it: ''Film/TheBourneLegacy'', which tried something different with another main character and was not as inspired; and ''Film/JasonBourne'', which brought back the title character but did absolutely nothing new, with reviews noting the story beats are ripped straight from the first films without deviation. |
| 26 | * ''Film/CaddyshackII''. Creator/ChevyChase was the only star returning for the sequel, which lost all of what made the first movie funny. They knew the writing was on the wall, as every other castmate and returning writer Creator/HaroldRamis had no desire to even consider a sequel. |
| 27 | * Many sequels to movies starring Creator/JimCarrey have suffered from this, including ''Film/AceVenturaWhenNatureCalls'' (which is is considered inferior for overreliance on ToiletHumor and making Ace more of a {{Jerkass}}) and ''Film/{{Dumb and Dumber}}er''. This is most visible in the fact that the vast majority of sequels to his movies do not include him at all, either [[TheOtherDarrin starring someone else in his role]] (''Dumberer''), [[PutOnABus dropping his character entirely]] (''Ace Ventura Jr.'', ''Film/EvanAlmighty''), or disregarding his character's existence altogether (''Film/SonOfTheMask''); Jim Carrey so thoroughly detested working on ''When Nature Calls'' that he declared he would never do a sequel ever again.[[note]]''Film/BatmanForever'' and ''Film/KickAss2'' don't count, despite having about the same reaction as the other listed movies, since neither were sequels to any of his movies.[[/note]] He worked on ''Film/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents'' because it would be a series he'd enjoy doing... but it entered DevelopmentHell after a single movie before being rebooted over a decade later as [[Series/ASeriesOfUnfortunateEvents2017 a Netflix series]], with Carrey's role being taken up by Creator/NeilPatrickHarris. He broke this rule for ''Film/DumbAndDumberTo'', a proper sequel to ''Film/DumbAndDumber'', but that film had a [[DevelopmentHell ridiculously difficult production]] (up to and including Carrey dropping out of the project at one point and, apparently, the money used to produce it having been ''[[http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/15/media/dumb-and-dumber-daddys-home-malaysia-1mdb/index.html stolen from a Malaysian government investment]]'') and received a negative reception from critics. He also returned as Dr. Robotnik for ''Film/{{Sonic the Hedgehog 2|2022}}'', which fared better among critics and audiences, finally marking a Carrey sequel that averted this. |
| 28 | * ''Film/{{Carrie|1976}}'' is considered one of the landmark horror films of TheSeventies, and its success helped to establish Creator/StephenKing, the writer of the book it was based on, as one of the biggest names in horror literature. Twenty-three years later comes ''Film/TheRageCarrie2'', a film that, while most definitely enjoyable in a certain way, fails to hold a candle to the original, and was a box office disappointment. Part of this may stem from the fact that ''The Rage'' was [[DolledUpInstallment originally written as a separate film]] called ''The Curse'' and was turned into a ''Carrie'' sequel presumably after somebody saw [[FollowTheLeader the obvious similarities]] between the two films. |
| 29 | * ''Film/CharliesAngels2000'' was considered fun if uninspired. The sequel ''Film/CharliesAngelsFullThrottle'', on the other hand, tried to disguise the weaker script, both plot and comedy-wise, with more fanservice, quick edits, and celebrity cameos, and could not repeat the same success. |
| 30 | * The original ''Film/ChildrenOfTheCorn1984'' film has suffered from an attack of Sequelitis, spawning seven gradually worsening sequels - ''[[Film/ChildrenOfTheCornIITheFinalSacrifice The Final Sacrifice]], [[Film/ChildrenOfTheCornIIIUrbanHarvest Urban Harvest]], [[Film/ChildrenOfTheCornIVTheGathering The Gathering]], [[Film/ChildrenOfTheCornVFieldsOfTerror Fields of Terror]], [[Film/ChildrenOfTheCorn666IsaacsReturn 666: Isaac's Return]], [[Film/ChildrenOfTheCornRevelation Revelation]]'' and ''[[Film/ChildrenOfTheCornGenesis Genesis]]''. |
| 31 | * ''Film/AChristmasStory'' is regarded as a holiday classic. The sequels were too obscure... except for ''A Christmas Story 2'', which seen as one of the worst movies of all time. |
| 32 | * ''Film/TheConjuring'' fared well with critics, then its prequel ''Film/{{Annabelle}}'' released the following year was reviled by some and considered SoOkayItsAverage by others. ''The Conjuring'' had a proper sequel in 2016 that met critical success, while ''Annabelle'' had a SurprisinglyImprovedSequel in 2017... and then things fell down again with side stories ''Film/TheNun'' and ''Film/TheCurseOfLaLlorona'', before two other SoOkayItsAverage outings with a third ''Annabelle'' and [[Film/TheConjuringTheDevilMadeMeDoIt a third mainline title]]. |
| 33 | * Even in otherwise positive reviews, the majority of viewers and critics feel ''Film/TheCraftLegacy'' is inferior to the 1996 film ''Film/TheCraft'' (and critics weren't [[SoOkayItsAverage hugely enamored]] with that movie, either, though it's regarded as a CultClassic). The main criticisms include being [[SoftReboot overly-derivative]] of the first movie, the rushed climax, the lack of characterization for the girls save for Lily, the [[LighterAndSofter toned-down horror]], multiple unresolved plot threads, and the [[{{Anvilicious}} lack of nuance]] in some of its themes. Not helping is that while ''The Craft'' had something of a uniqueness factor as dark fantasy aimed at teens was [[OnceOriginalNowCommon uncommon in the 1990s]], these days supernatural teen dramas are a dime a dozen. While some appreciated ''Legacy'''s attempts to address topical social issues and its girl power themes, there's not much else to make it stand out. |
| 34 | * ''Film/TheCrow1994'' was an inspired take on a powerful, emotionally-gripping comic book. The sequel ''Film/TheCrowCityOfAngels'' suffered - tortuously - from the writers attempting to take the "framework" of the original story and try to swap out the plot details, replacing the original compelling story with a particularly unsubtle morass of "IKEA Pathos." That, and apparently no one on the film team even ''noticed'' the visual aesthetic of the original, since not even the barest effort was made to retain it. Add to this wooden acting, a notable dearth of memorable lines or dialogue, an obvious, over-the-top AssPull ending, the utter absence of verisimilitude between the visual (and linguistic) environment depicted in the film and the real-life UsefulNotes/LosAngeles it was allegedly based on, and a particularly blatant [[DroppedABridgeOnHim bridge drop]] at the end, and you have a shameful attempt at remaking - even cloning - ''The Crow'', with essentially ''none'' of the things that made the original great. To the point that even if ''Film/TheCrowSalvation'' was middling at best, everyone agrees it was an improvement over ''City of Angels''. But then there was ''Film/TheCrowWickedPrayer'', which wastes [[Literature/TheCrowWickedPrayer a good source material]] and only has entertainment value in an unhinged Creator/DennisHopper performance. |
| 35 | * Of the two MGM distributed ''Series/DarkShadows'' films in the early 1970s, the second, ''Night of Dark Shadows'' is generally considered the weaker for several reasons, including the fact that it's not directly based on any plot arc from the main series, and the fact that ExecutiveMeddling led to a re-edit that left the continuity of the plot choppy and confusing. Add to that the absence of Jonathan Frid as fan favorite character Barnabas Collins (though Frid ''was'' in the first film, and the second features the just-as-popular David Selby as an alternate version of his regular Quentin Collins character) and the fans stayed away in droves. This killed all hopes for a third film in the series. |
| 36 | * ''Film/DeathWish'' started as a grounded, down-to-earth crime drama where Creator/CharlesBronson's character brought about a cynical analysis of the attitudes of Americans regarding the crime waves of the 1970s, and stood out as unique in the action genre at the time. However, its four sequels became progressively less grounded in reality and increasingly over the top, with Bronson resorting to excessive means in dispatching one typical action movie villain after another and dropping the social commentary that magnified the first film's impact. |
| 37 | * ''Film/TheDescent'' is considered a horror classic. Its sequel, ''The Descent Part 2'', is a movie that fans of the first tend to [[FanDiscontinuity pretend doesn't exist]]. The job is made easier by the fact that the sequel follows an alternate ending. |
| 38 | * ''Film/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'', already an adaptation of a book series victim to decay, had three movies that were divisive among fans, but nothing too bad compared to the TrilogyCreep ''[[Film/DiaryOfAWimpyKidTheLongHaul The Long Haul]]'', which between an all-new cast (the now-grown kids made sense to replace, but the adults too?) and a script that was mean, unfunny and overreliant on social media and Website/YouTube references, had at least one review noting [[ReviewIronicEcho the subtitle was a good description on what watching the movie feels like]]. |
| 39 | * Each ''Franchise/DieHard'' film after the first became slightly less believable than its predecessor, resulting in John [=McClane=] being MadeOfIron by ''[[Film/LiveFreeOrDieHard Die Hard 4]]'', and nobody ever bleeding, despite the original's highly-praised realism (though the [[{{Bowdlerise}} decision to lower to PG-13]] is to blame for the BloodlessCarnage). The plot is as convoluted as in the campier Bond films, as well as the marriage he was trying to save in the first film getting only a cursory mention (as being long over). Though up until 2013, at most there were two {{Contested Sequel}}s in the second (for being too similar to the first, as lampshaded by the quote ''"Another basement, another elevator--how can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?"'') and the aforementioned fourth movie (being the apex of SerialEscalation). Then came ''Film/AGoodDayToDieHard'', a fifth movie that did not split the fanbase regarding doing everything wrong. |
| 40 | * ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsWrathOfTheDragonGod'' is often said to have inverted this trope in spite of being released as a Film/{{SyFy Channel Original|Movie}}, which is normally a step worse than DirectToVideo. It helps that the first ''Film/DungeonsAndDragons2000'' was so campy and far gone from what D&D was (or was expected to be) that the few fans left felt it had nowhere left to go but up. The third one, however, ''The Book of Vile Darkness'', managed to do worse again and strangely dropped all connections to the previous movies despite actually numbering itself this time. Eventually, ''D&D'' was rebooted on film with ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsHonorAmongThieves'' with a big budget. While it underperformed financially, it got a good reception from critics and audiences alike. |
| 41 | * ''Film/TheExpendables3'', due to being rated PG-13 and adding unnecessary new characters played by lesser-known actors who are taking the screentime from the bigger name actors whose appearance were the whole point of the franchise, has drawn much criticism. It doesn't help that many of these new characters are played by [[NonActorVehicle real-life MMA fighters and martial artists with little to no acting experience]], which unfortunately comes across in their performances. |
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| 44 | [[folder:F-L]] |
| 45 | * [[Film/FantasticFour2015 The 2015 Fantastic Four film]] is a reboot-related example, being rated ''much'' lower than both [[Film/TheFantasticFour the unreleased Roger Corman film]] and [[Film/FantasticFour2005 the 2 Tim Story movies]] - this is somewhat of an ironic case, as the Creator/TimStory movies were considered incredibly silly and somewhat campy, whereas the 2015 film tried to distance itself from those 2 films and was more in the vein of ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'', yet was universally considered to be the worst version of the Four on the screen (a big feat given the Corman film is a NoBudget effort [[AshCanCopy done only to retain rights]]). |
| 46 | * ''Film/FinalDestination''. Of the films, the first two are viewed as the best, the third is viewed as average, the [[Film/FinalDestination4 fourth film]] is violently hated, and [[Film/FinalDestination5 the fifth]] is viewed as a proper return to form (with the highest critical rating on Website/RottenTomatoes: 61%). |
| 47 | * ''Film/TheFlyII'' is generally seen by critics as inferior to [[Film/TheFly1986 the 1986 remake]] due to being more of a standard monster movie than the tragic psychological thriller of its predecessor. [[CriticalDissonance Audiences]], on the other hand, were more forgiving due to [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome its visuals still as good as those of the remake]]; even critics noted that this was the one area it could match it. |
| 48 | * ''Film/{{Friday}}'' was a great comedy with good performances from Music/IceCube as Craig and Creator/ChrisTucker as Smokey, the latter of whom is widely thought to be the funniest part of the film. A sequel, ''Next Friday'', was released in 2000 and is generally considered inferior - mainly due to the lack of Smokey (Tucker had chosen to do ''Film/RushHour'' instead and had become a born-again Christian after making ''Money Talks''), who was replaced by Mike Epps as Day-Day - but the movie still has its defenders. 2002's ''Friday After Next'', however, has been almost universally panned. |
| 49 | * ''Film/{{Gamera}}'': While the films were never considered high art, the first few films were considered entertaining but gradually became of lower and lower quality around the [[Film/GameraVsViras fourth film]] as it succumbed to over-reliance on repetitive plots, focus on annoying child characters, evermore shoestring production quality, and use of StockFootage to pad the runtime. This culminated with the universally-reviled ''Film/GameraSuperMonster'' which exacerbated these flaws, with ''another'' ineffectual alien invasion, the most annoying little boy main character yet, the budget of a ham sandwich, and ''more than a third'' of its runtime being recycled scenes. The Heisei trilogy which followed [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel invert this]] though, and are considered ''miles'' better than any of the Showa Gamera sequels, by virtue of being a DarkerAndEdgier ContinuityReboot which avoid the flaws of the original series. The [[Film/Gamera3AwakeningOfIrys third and final film]] in particular is often held alongside ''Film/Godzilla1954'' as the gold standard of the kaiju genre in terms of writing and drama. |
| 50 | * ''Film/GhostbustersII'' fell victim to this, as the plot reads like [[RecycledScript a Mad Lib rewrite of the first movie]]: An ancient (god/warlock) is resurrected in modern [[UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity NewYork]], possesses Dana Barrett's nebbish (neighbor/boss), and needs (her/her baby) as part of its plot to destroy New York. She gradually falls for Peter's quirky charm, while the rest of the Ghostbusters try to convince the skeptical mayor and a sleazy (EPA agent/mayoral aide) that the world's in danger until the big finale has the heroes facing off with the (god/warlock) in a gothic (skyscraper/library) now overrun by evil, while a giant walking mascot (terrorizes/saves) the city by stepping on things. It's all made even more implausible given how easily all the world-changing events of the first movie seem to have been [[WeirdnessCensor swept under the rug]], and the end result was so lackluster, both critically and financially, that the director and other three stars were completely turned off from Creator/DanAykroyd's plans for a third movie (which were mostly reused in [[Videogame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame a video game that reunited the cast]]). The 2016 ContinuityReboot, for all its controversy, falls outside the range of this trope on technical grounds. ''Film/GhostbustersAfterlife'' was deemed [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel an aversion]]. |
| 51 | * The ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' films often fall under this considering there are [[LongRunners 27 sequels]] to the [[Film/Godzilla1954 original Japanese film]] and [[Film/{{Godzilla 1998}} two]] [[Film/{{Godzilla 2014}} remakes]]. The first film is regarded as a classic and a few sequels are beloved by the fans. However, many films (especially the ones made in the 1960s-1970s) are considered to be SoBadItsGood at best. |
| 52 | * ''Film/{{Grease}}'' is a hugely popular [[TheFifties 50s nostalgia]] musical funfest. ''Film/Grease2'' has only a few characters returning from the original (Frenchie, Eugene, the principal and her assistant, and the coach. All brief roles.) and introduces Sandy's cousin Michael in some weak attempt to connect the two movies. The plot is a GenderFlip of the first movie's plot and the results are... well, [[FanonDiscontinuity most Grease fans like to pretend it doesn't exist]]. Incidentally, ''Grease 2'' unwittingly stopped the franchise from experiencing what would likely be more sequelitis. There were plans for two more movies and a TV series, but they were scrapped after ''Grease 2'' flopped. |
| 53 | * The 2009 comedy ''Film/TheHangover'' quickly became regarded as a rare case of a well-done "raunchy" comedy, making $467 million out of a $35 million budget. A sequel was made only two years later. Unfortunately, [[RecycledScript it played out as a carbon copy of the first film]] set in a different locale and was criticized for having somewhat of a [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]] and [[VulgarHumor raunchier]] tone. In spite of these criticisms, and the fact R-rated comedies were already on their way out by 2011, it managed to make even more money than the first. A third film came out another two years later. By then, "raunchy" comedy was now on its death throes and the film was more of a quirky "coming-of-age" film featuring the thirty-something slacker Alan and the campy Asian gangster Chow while the rest of the gang merely tagged along; unsurprisingly, it's widely considered the worst of the three by critics and viewers alike. |
| 54 | * The ''Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle'' sequels are seen this way by some. The first is well-loved, though technically its box office performance was the smallest of the three, while by contrast, ''Film/HaroldAndKumarEscapeFromGuantanamoBay'' had the highest box office performance of the trilogy but at the same time got a lot of criticism for being too political. However, the third film, ''Film/AVeryHaroldAndKumar3DChristmas'' did quite well and got better reviews by avoiding the overt political tone that plagued its predecessor. |
| 55 | * ''Film/{{Hellraiser}}'' and ''Film/HellboundHellraiserII'' are usually seen as pretty good, while ''Film/HellraiserIIIHellOnEarth'' is often looked down upon for being more "[[ItsPopularNowItSucks mainstream]]" and {{slasher| movie}}y. [[Film/HellraiserBloodline The fourth]] tried returning to the series roots, but suffered severely from ExecutiveMeddling, resulting in the movie getting the AlanSmithee treatent. Mileage tends to vary on the direct-to-video films though ''Film/HellraiserHellworld'' (consensus saying it could've been a decent standalone film, but as a ''Hellraiser'' film, it falls flat) and ''Film/HellraiserRevelations'' (a cheaply produced AshcanCopy that couldn't even bring back Creator/DougBradley [[JustHereForGodzilla as Pinhead]]) seem to be the only ones that are near-universally disliked. For what is worth, Creator/CliveBarker wrote ''Hellraiser'' comics for Boom Studios serve as a direct sequel series to the first two movies, but so far [[CanonDiscontinuity have completely brushed aside the continuity from the other sequels.]] |
| 56 | * Just ask ''Franchise/{{Highlander}}'' fans about the sequels, and you'll be told, "There '''should have been''' only one [movie]!" Part of the issue is that each film tries to retcon the previous movie out of existence (with the partial exception of ''[[Film/HighlanderIITheQuickening Highlander II]]'', which merely retcons the [[Film/{{Highlander}} first one]]'s first thirty minutes; and ''Film/HighlanderTheSource'', which is a direct sequel of ''Film/HighlanderEndgame''; tellingly, both are considered the worst two of the franchise). |
| 57 | * Though the quality of Peter Jackson's ''Film/TheHobbit'' trilogy is still a matter of discussion, ''Film/TheHobbitTheBattleOfTheFiveArmies'' tends to noticeably bottom out. Due to being made at the apex of the trilogy's TroubledProduction, it boasts [[SpecialEffectsFailure the worst effects work]] of any of Jackson's Middle-Earth films, which is all the worse for a film that uses a ''lot'' of CGI, as well as a plot bearing significant scars of ExecutiveMeddling (for instance, the complete sidelining of Bilbo and most of the film's dwarf characters in favor of a divisive-at-best romance plot). It is also considered the most padded of the three, even for a trilogy famous for featuring a lot of AdaptationExpansion and CanonForeigner characters, as the titular battle, which consumes around half its two-and-a-half-hour runtime, was only about half a chapter long in the book it's based on. Though it still has a following, it's rare to find anyone who considers it the best. |
| 58 | * ''Film/HomeAlone1'' is widely considered a classic Christmas movie, even though it [[CriticalDissonance received mixed reviews at the time]]. Its first sequel, ''[[Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork Lost in New York]]'', while it has a very similar plot to the original, is still beloved. However, [[Film/HomeAlone3 the third film]] got a lot of criticism for changing the setup too much. Creator/MacaulayCulkin's Kevin was replaced (he had retired from acting at the time), and the villains were changed from burglars to secret agents. Then, the two sequels after that were low quality {{TV Movie}}s, with fewer and less interesting traps and no actors from the previous movies appearing. The Creator/DisneyPlus movie ''Film/HomeSweetHomeAlone'' earned even more vitriol for questionable choices in characterization - the burglars were sympathetic {{Anti Villain}}s, the kid snobbish and borderline sadistic - that made the movie not only uninspired but mean-spirited. |
| 59 | * ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine'' was well-received, while ''Film/HotTubTimeMachine2'' was ravaged by critics and only slightly better-received by audiences. |
| 60 | * ''Film/TheHowling'': None of the sequels are regarded as being anywhere near as good as [[Film/TheHowling1981 the original]], failing to capture the same blend of dark humor and horror that made the first film work so well, though even among the other sequels ''Howling IV: The Original Nightmare'' and ''Howling: New Moon Rising'' are regarded as being particularly awful (''The Original Nightmare'' was intended as a TruerToTheText adaptation of [[Literature/TheHowling1977 the novel]], but came off more as a bland, cheap-looking remake with little in the way of suspense, while ''New Moon Rising'' is seen as a boring, badly-acted and confusing mess with even fewer redeeming qualities that ''IV''). On the other hand, the [[SequelInAnotherMedium comic book sequel]] that completely ignores every film sequel, ''Revenge of the Werewolf Queen'', is regarded as a worthy follow-up, especially as it's actually a direct continuation of the first film, where as the majority of the films have little-to-no continuity at all. |
| 61 | * ''Film/IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'' was a minor hit in the '90s ''very'' [[InNameOnly loosely based on a mystery/suspense novel]]. It's fondly remembered as one of the better post-''Scream'' slasher films of the day. Its first sequel, ''Film/IStillKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'', is divisive among fans but generally still accepted as canon. The ''next'' film, ''Film/IllAlwaysKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'', was a poor DirectToVideo knock-off that featured none of the original cast and introduced out-of-nowhere supernatural elements that weren't in the original. Fans like to pretend it doesn't exist. |
| 62 | * ''Film/InTheHeatOfTheNight'' had two sequels, 1970's ''They Call Me Mr. Tibbs'' and 1971's ''The Organization'', that most people tend to forget about. It doesn't help that the only people who worked on all three films -- other than Creator/SidneyPoitier, who played Tibbs in both sequels -- were Music/QuincyJones, who provided the jazzy score for each, and producer Walter Mirisch. |
| 63 | * General opinion seems to be that, while not bad or horrible, ''Film/IndependenceDayResurgence'' isn't quite as good or fun as [[Film/IndependenceDay the original film]]. |
| 64 | * ''Film/InterviewWithTheVampire'' vs. ''Film/QueenOfTheDamned''. The two movies were made over ten years apart, with completely different studios, directors, and actors. The themes and tones of the movies were vastly different, and no references were made to characters or plots from the first film, but it was explicitly set afterwards. Both movies being relatively self-contained, [=QotD=] was less of a sequel and more like the closest thing to a ContinuityReboot without actually doing so. ''Interview'' was based on [[Literature/InterviewWithTheVampire the novel of the same name]], while ''Queen of the Damned'' was an attempt to squeeze [[Literature/TheVampireLestat two]] [[Literature/QueenOfTheDamned separate]] novels into one film. |
| 65 | * While the first ''Film/IronEagle'' is considered a CultClassic, the remaining three... definitely aren't. At most, you might get some who argue ''IV'' to be a SurprisinglyImprovedSequel compared to ''II'' and ''Aces'', but all three are considered well behind the first in quality terms. |
| 66 | * ''Film/IronMan2'' is usually considered the weakest or one of the weakest films in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse thus far. That said, general consensus seems to be that the second movie is still an entertaining film, if not exactly as fresh as the first one, and plagued by cramming too much stuff so it can both be a follow-up and help set up ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}''. It may help if you think of it as the second in a trilogy. |
| 67 | * A few ''Film/JamesBond'' films suffered from this, specially ''Film/YouOnlyLiveTwice'' (the [[StrictlyFormula formula]] is starting to age), ''Film/DiamondsAreForever'', ''Film/TheManWithTheGoldenGun'', ''Film/{{Moonraker}}'' (all three for being overly stupid [[note]] ''Golden Gun'' was also a CreatorKiller for director Guy Hamilton [[/note]]), ''Film/AViewToAKill'' (Bond is too old, girl is annoying, [[TheyCopiedItSoItSucks plot is a rehash]] [[note]] Creator/RogerMoore departed the film business altogether after this one; said girl's theatrical career was derailed after her performance and prima donna behavior earned her and the film/series its first Razzie nomination [[/note]]), ''Film/DieAnotherDay'' (silliness, dodgy special effects [[note]] This movie, along with the ''Austin Powers'' trilogy, convinced the Broccolis to reboot the series, and helped be a CreatorKiller for director Lee Tamahori's career[[/note]]), ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'' (too serious for its own good, convoluted plot[[note]]Thank the [[UsefulNotes/TVStrikes 2007 writers strike]] for this one being a mess[[/note]]), and ''Film/{{Spectre}}'' (plot is too incoherent). |
| 68 | * ''Film/Jaws2'', ''Film/Jaws3D'', ''Film/JawsTheRevenge'', ad nauseam. Ken Begg's series of reviews chronicles the slide in quality from ''[[http://www.jabootu.com/jaws.htm Jaws]]'' to ''[[http://www.jabootu.com/jaws2.htm Jaws 2]]'' (which he admits is merely inferior and mediocre, but much better than the knock-offs and the next sequels) to ''[[http://www.jabootu.com/jaws3-D.htm Jaws 3-D]]'' to ''[[http://www.jabootu.com/jaws4.htm Jaws: The Revenge]]'' (which bottomed out at 0% on Website/RottenTomatoes, including a zero star rating from Creator/RogerEbert, and ensnared the careers of a good chunk of its crew). So much that it was mocked in ''Film/BackToTheFuturePartII'': a holographic ''Jaws 19'' poster can be seen during the 2015 sequence. Which makes oddly prescient [[http://www.peterbenchley.com/articles/peter-benchley-the-father-jaws-and-other-tales-the-deep a move by Peter Benchley]], who wrote [[Literature/{{Jaws}} the original novel]]. Prior to the film's release, the royalties were late. He called his agent, she replied that there were negotiations on sequel right. “Sequel rights!? I don’t care about sequels; who’ll ever want to make a sequel to a movie about a fish? Sell them the rights to anything they want ... my life as an astronaut, ''any''thing. I need money!” Eventually Benchley's sequel rights were exchanged for one-time payments for each new installment, making the original author someone not to blame for the decay. Parodied again around "Back To The Future Day" in October 2015, when, to celebrate the gag from ''II'', Universal released a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl092whRLlI fake trailer]] for the aforementioned ''Jaws 19''. |
| 69 | * The ''Film/JuOn''/''Film/TheGrudge'' film series, which began life as Takashi Shimizu's V-Cinema TV special but is now up to a second special (which recycled most of the first), two theatrical Japanese films, two Japanese shorts, an American remake, and two American sequels. Special honors to the first American film because it reenacted, almost scene-for-scene in some cases, the exact same plot as the first Japanese theatrical movie, though somehow keeps the main star/character (Creator/SarahMichelleGellar) alive through the end. |
| 70 | * While it's agreed something like this came into effect with ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' there's a lot of debate over when it came into effect. |
| 71 | ** Opinions were divided over whether ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'' or ''Film/JurassicParkIII'' was worse, although the latter usually won out in such arguments, with most outside the fanbase feeling neither of them held a candle to [[Film/JurassicPark1993 the original]], even with several actors [[MoneyDearBoy inexplicably]] agreeing to reprise their roles. Both films' ContestedSequel status slid over the years among the fanbase, with an increasing (but far from universal) number of fans regarding TLW as a worthy sequel to JP though with [=JP3=] usually regarded as the abomination at worst, but a decent effort at best. |
| 72 | ** Since the release of ''Film/JurassicWorldFallenKingdom'' however, an increasing number of fans prefer to isolate the "original trilogy" of films from the ''World'' trilogy, and though many fans liked the film, a notable number of reactions invoked fears that Sequelitis had set in. The closer ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'' was even more derided, particularly the script having a plot with a lesser focus on the dinosaurs. |
| 73 | * ''Film/TheKarateKid'' movies initially averted this trope, as ''Film/TheKarateKidPartII'' was well-received, being different enough from [[Film/TheKarateKid1984 the first movie]]. But then things went straight into much less appreciated routes with ''Film/TheKarateKidPartIII'', which boils down to [[RecycledScript a loose remake of the first movie]], and ''Film/TheNextKarateKid'', a lame and clichéd attempt at ''actually'' remaking the first movie that became a FranchiseKiller. Still, audiences were later receptive to the remake ''Film/TheKarateKid2010'', in spite of taking liberties with the material (for starters, it's about kung fu), and the {{unreboot}} sequel show ''Series/CobraKai'', which is held to be an outstanding aversion, albeit in a different format. |
| 74 | * ''Film/KickAss2'' was generally not as well-received as [[Film/KickAss the original]] (although [[CriticalDissonance audiences reacted better than critics]]), being more violent, dark, and cynical but without the compelling characterization and comedy of the original, [[TooBleakStoppedCaring to the point of being called "unpleasant".]] |
| 75 | * Released in 1989, ''Film/{{Kickboxer}}'' was a fine action film that did well at the box office and helped propel Creator/JeanClaudeVanDamme to stardom. And then came the 1991 sequel, which Van Damme did not return for. Van Damme's character... and the paralyzed brother he fought to avenge... were both murdered before the events of ''Kickboxer 2'', and the protagonist is a previously-unmentioned third brother. Then THAT was followed by three direct-to-video sequels, in which fewer and fewer actors returned to reprise their roles... and by the time the fifth film came out, absolutely no one came back, putting it squarely in InNameOnly territory. Easy to see why most fans tend to ignore everything after the first one. |
| 76 | * Both the original ''Film/KingKong1933'' and the [[Film/KingKong1976 1976 remake]] were followed by forgettable sequels (''Film/TheSonOfKong'' and ''Film/KingKongLives'', respectively, the latter of which finished off John Guillermin's directing career). |
| 77 | * ''Film/KingsmanTheSecretService'' was a surprise hit, and as much as ''Film/KingsmanTheGoldenCircle'' tried to repeat what worked, it fell short of the original in terms of originality, humor, and action, and even shorter in regard to CharacterDevelopment and the general plot. Prequel ''Film/TheKingsMan'' was hit even worse, as the good cast and well-executed action couldn't save an uneven script and excessive length. |
| 78 | * ''Film/TheLegendOfZorro'' had the same director and main couple returning from ''Film/TheMaskOfZorro''. And still was widely considered a step down for being too LighterAndSofter and DenserAndWackier, with excessive comedic bits and childish parts (including an actual big role for a child). |
| 79 | * The first ''Film/LethalWeapon'' movie is generally considered the best, despite making far less at the box office than its sequels. ''Film/LethalWeapon2'' lacked some of the tension, but traded it in for a lot of gags making it funnier. ''Film/LethalWeapon3'' seemed to get a little more tired, and ''Film/LethalWeapon4'' gives us fake-looking sharks, {{anvilicious}} (and hypocritical) political sentiments, and a sympathy-pouch-wearing Rene Russo who's supposed to be 9-months pregnant, and yet ''is able to fight martial arts-trained mooks''. |
| 80 | * Creator/GeorgeARomero's ''Film/LivingDeadSeries'' is often held as having produced three outright classic, genre-defining zombie horror films: 1968's ''Film/{{Night of the Living Dead|1968}}'', 1978's ''Film/{{Dawn of the Dead|1978}}'', and 1985's ''Film/{{Day of the Dead|1985}}''. Romero's return to the zombie genre in 2005, ''Film/LandOfTheDead'', didn't receive [[ToughActToFollow the praise of its predecessors]] but was still seen as a welcome comeback from the pioneer of zombie horror. His 2007 follow-up ''Film/DiaryOfTheDead'', however, did not meet the same positive reception, being widely criticized as a failed attempt to [[FollowTheLeader cash in]] on the emerging boom in FoundFootageFilms that didn't understand how that genre worked. ''Film/SurvivalOfTheDead'' in 2009 indicated to many fans that Romero's spark had finally faded, and [[CreatorKiller he retired from filmmaking afterwards]]. |
| 81 | [[/folder]] |
| 82 | |
| 83 | [[folder:M-O]] |
| 84 | * ''Film/TheMatrix'' was generally well-received and a major game-changer for action movies. The [[Film/TheMatrixReloaded second]] and [[Film/TheMatrixRevolutions third]] movies are usually seen as overly long and pretentious (though some thought ''Reloaded'' was okay), while the prequel ''Anime/TheAnimatrix'' ranges from decent to bad since it's an anthology of nine short films based on ''The Matrix'', with the two-parter CGI ''The Second Renaissance'' considered the best (reason to purchase the rest). The other seven vary. Once [[Film/TheMatrixResurrections a fourth movie]] came out, it was even more divisive, being either a SurprisinglyImprovedSequel or a wholly unnecessary addition. |
| 85 | * ''Film/TheMazeRunner2014'' was well-received for being considerably smarter than a lot of the other [[YoungAdultLiterature YA]] adaptations. ''Film/MazeRunnerTheScorchTrials'' was viewed as a huge step down, with no emphasis on character development and for it being an InNameOnly adaptation of ''[[Literature/TheMazeRunner The Scorch Trials]]''. ''Film/MazeRunnerTheDeathCure'' got even worse reviews (particularly as delays made it come out over two years after ''The Scorch Trials'', when the predecessor wasn't as fresh in people's minds and the YA genre was all but dead), but [[CriticalDissonance fans were more welcoming, deeming it an emotional conclusion]]. |
| 86 | * Those who consider ''Film/MeanGirls'' to be a CultClassic find ''Mean Girls 2'' to be fairly lackluster. None of the characters return (except the principal, who is now the butt of [[OutOfCharacter out-of-place jokes]] [[TookALevelInJerkass where he appears to sexually harass the students]]), instead featuring [[ReplacementScrappy a new group of Plastics and another new girl in Cady's position.]] The plot is very similar, but the original's deconstruction of high school tropes has been mostly thrown aside in favor of playing the cliches completely straight. Add that to its short production time of under a month, it bears resemblance to one of the more unremarkable Creator/DisneyChannel original movies (which makes sense, as several characters are played by Disney Channel actresses). |
| 87 | * ''Film/{{Meatballs}}'': The original 1979 comedy was a comedy classic, featuring Creator/BillMurray in his major film debut[=/=]StarMakingRole, and featuring a ComingOfAge story involving a group of teen campers who are led by rebellious camp counselor Tripper Harrison (Murray) to compete in a triathlon against a rival camp for bragging rights. The original film was a critical and commercial smash hit, but further installments in the series forgot what made the original so enduring (the friendships between the counselors and students), and instead lapsed into HotterAndSexier knockoffs of '80s sleaze films like ''Film/{{Porkys}}''. The end result was a mishmash of SameStoryDifferentNames (two of the three sequels all revolve around a camp competition between rival groups), unrelated concepts rewritten to fit in the franchise's mold, and waning box office. By the time the fourth film, ''Meatballs IV'', arrived DirectToVideo, it's clear that the shine was long gone from the franchise. |
| 88 | * ''Film/MeetTheParents'' was a well-received comedy, ''Meet the Fockers'' was a bigger box office hit but was a ContestedSequel considered either still funny or very inferior, and then ''Little Fockers'' was a total misfire lacking good jokes and having its cast only caring about their paychecks (Creator/RobertDeNiro [[https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/nov/04/robert-de-niro downright admitted it]]). |
| 89 | * The original ''Film/MenInBlack'' was well received by both critics and audiences, but ''Film/MenInBlackII'' (while still being a hit at the box office) was generally considered to be a dud; with the biggest symptoms of ''[=MiBII=]'''s problems being the OneSceneWonder talking pug being promoted to supporting character and Agent K being pulled right back out of retirement because the dynamic between him and J was just too good in the first. In addition, a lot of the first film's fresh and bizarre aliens, appear again in the sequel because they tested well. After a decade in DevelopmentHell, ''Film/MenInBlack3'' was released, and managed to not only be another big hit at the box office but got very good reviews from the critics as well. And then many years later, ''Film/MenInBlackInternational'' was released and was generally regarded as an uninspired dud, and had a tepid box office as well, by far the lowest of any the films in the series. |
| 90 | * Regarding ''Film/MissCongeniality'', many a fan (girl) probably became very disappointed that the second film did not see the return of [[spoiler:Creator/BenjaminBratt as Eric Matthews]], not to mention weaker jokes and characters. |
| 91 | * The ''Film/MissingInAction'' series could have averted this trope but didn't due to ExecutiveMeddling. The original two films were shot back-to-back and as discussed in the documentary ''Electric Boogaloo'', [[Creator/TheCannonGroup Cannon]] executives realized the second film was a SurprisinglyImprovedSequel. Knowing that no one would come out for it if the first movie bombed, they '''released the sequel first''' as ''Missing in Action'' and retitled the original ''Missing in Action 2: The Beginning''! Thus the series gets progressively worse with each installment. |
| 92 | * ''Film/MissionImpossibleII'' was a bigger hit than the first, but earned negative remarks on how in spite of impressive action sequences with all the Creator/JohnWoo trademarks, it had a much more disposable script, with fans of [[Series/MissionImpossible the old TV series]] in particular disliking how it departed from the team dynamics. About the time ''Film/MissionImpossibleIII'' came out, reasserting teamwork and espionage while marking the point the franchise was GrowingTheBeard, ''M:I:II'' came to be seen as the weakest entry in the series. |
| 93 | * ''The Mouse on the Moon'' was completely devoid of Creator/PeterSellers and brought back very few people from ''Film/TheMouseThatRoared'', one of whom, producer Walter Shenson, made two more [[Film/AHardDaysNight (better]] [[Film/{{Help}} recognized)]] movies with director Richard Lester. Unsurprisingly, the other three "Mouse" novels by Leonard Wibberly never made it to the silver screen. |
| 94 | * ''Film/TheMummyTombOfTheDragonEmperor'' is widely considered to be inferior to the first ''Film/{{The Mummy|1999}}'' (a very fun ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' style romp) and ''Film/TheMummyReturns'' (the first film on steroids) films. Probably not helped by the seven-year gap between the second and third films - it badly misses Creator/RachelWeisz, who was replaced by Creator/MariaBello (Weisz's and Creator/BrendanFraser's chemistry in the first two films is obvious whereas Fraser and Bello are unconvincing as a couple). The omission of Imhotep (Creator/ArnoldVosloo) and Ardeth Bay (Creator/OdedFehr) robs the film of those actors' abilities to stretch beyond the schlock setting and craft believable and human characters. Creator/JetLi is criminally underused in the Dragon Emperor role, spending most of his screen time as a CGI dragon. Creator/MichelleYeoh is wasted in her role also and the sequence with the yetis stretches willing suspension of disbelief too far. Critically panned with poor fan reactions, it made LESS money than either of the first two despite seven years worth of inflation, [[FranchiseKiller killing the main franchise]] (though ''Film/TheScorpionKing'' spinoff series continues). |
| 95 | * ''Film/MuppetsMostWanted'' starts with [[http://youtu.be/DAl08h_KW8A a song about sequels]] that hangs a lampshade on this trope. ''"And everybody knows that the sequel's never quite as good."'' It was further lampshaded by Dr. Bunsen, who pointed out this was the seventh Muppet film released in theaters. Unfortunately, the film itself [[BoxOfficeBomb bombed at the box office]] [[AcclaimedFlop despite being generally well received by critics]]. |
| 96 | * ''Film/NationalLampoonsVacation'' is a well-liked road trip comedy, and out of its sequels, only ''[[Film/NationalLampoonsChristmasVacation Christmas Vacation]]'' gets a pass with its relatable Christmas hijinx. ''[[Film/NationalLampoonsEuropeanVacation European Vacation]]'' was deemed as an inferior rehash, ''Film/VegasVacation'' is watered-down to the point the series was now PG, and [[Film/{{Vacation}} the 2015 "remake"]] got widely bashed for reveling in crude humor. |
| 97 | * ''Film/{{Neighbors|2014}}'' was well-received and a huge box office success, grossing $270 million against a $18 million budget. A sequel was ordered, leading to ''Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising'' two years later. Although it received a modest reception, which was a rarity for sequels to comedy films at the time, critics complained that the film used the same clichés as the prior film and did nothing unique to them. |
| 98 | * With a title like ''Film/TheNeverEndingStory'', one would expect the movie to have at least a few sequels or follow-ups. The first movie is a very nice fantasy film; [[Film/TheNeverendingStoryIITheNextChapter the second movie]] is not ''as'' good as the first one (with a dramatic drop in production values), but still watchable, at least compared to [[Film/TheNeverEndingStoryIIIEscapeFromFantasia the third movie]], which had to invent a plot out of whole cloth and ended up with a lot of cringeworthy sitcom-style humor plus OOC characters and [[FranchiseKiller shut the book on]] ''[=The NeverEnding Story=]'' (it's also an [[CreatorBacklash early regrettable role]] for villain actor Creator/JackBlack). That third film only got a limited release in the States after the second bombed there, and eventually went DirectToVideo by Creator/{{Miramax}}[=/=]Creator/{{Disney}} instead of Creator/{{Warner|Bros}}. |
| 99 | * ''Film/NuttyProfessorIITheKlumps'' raised the low-brow comedy of [[Film/TheNuttyProfessor1996 its predecessor]] to unsavory levels and the results wound up very inferior and often disgusting - an enhanced role for the other Klumps already meant {{Toilet|Humor}} ([[{{Gasshole}} the father]]) and VulgarHumor ([[DirtyOldWoman the grandmother]]), but things like [[BlackComedyRape rape by giant hamster]] were uncalled for. |
| 100 | * ''Film/OhGod'' is generally remembered as a quirky little Creator/CarlReiner comedy, while the next two movies are ignored almost to the point of being FanonDiscontinuity. The changes in creators definitely didn't help. |
| 101 | * The first ''Film/OnceUponATimeInChina'' film is an iconic classic that more or less made Creator/JetLi a superstar and has a number of very moving scenes that push it well beyond being just a kung fu movie and more towards a tragic, EndOfAnEra sort of historical film. The second doesn't have the same iconic status, but it's a very high-quality movie beloved by the fans with a lot to enjoy (especially Creator/DonnieYen and Jet Li facing off) and in some specific areas (such as the depiction of Westerners and Chinese xenophobia) it might have done some things better than the original. The third film... most fans will agree that the main good thing about it was an antagonist who does a HeelFaceTurn about halfway through the film and subsequently became a favorite character of the fandom, but otherwise it's fairly underwhelming and forgettable. Jet Li declined to reprise the lead role of UsefulNotes/WongFeiHung for the fourth and fifth films, and they afterward became exiled to CanonDiscontinuity, not even being included in the official Blu-Ray boxset of the series. While Jet Li did return for the sixth movie and it seems to be regarded as at least some improvement over the previous two films, it didn't gain much attention outside of Hong Kong and is still a ''steep'' drop in quality from the first two installments. |
| 102 | * ''Film/OneCutOfTheDead'' was a NoBudget Japanese horror-comedy [[ShowWithinAShow Film-within-a-film]] detailing the misadventures of a film crew filming a zombie movie being besieged by actual zombies and then the behind-the-scenes production of the InUniverse actual horror film. It was a really clever and fun little flick that gained many times the amount of its miniscule budget at the box office and was even remade five years later as the big-budget French film ''Film/FinalCut''. However, even the funniest and cleverest joke loses its appeal once you heard it, so its sequel ''[[https://www.moriareviews.com/horror/one-cut-of-the-dead-in-hollywood-2019.htm One Cut of The Dead in Hollywood]]'' was basically ignored by everyone, being essentially [[RecycledScript the exact same film]] with the only difference of a [[StylisticSuck trashy]] faux-American setting. On top of that, even the French remake was lambasted by some critics, for being the exact same film but replacing the creativity with money and a much more polished production. |
| 103 | [[/folder]] |
| 104 | |
| 105 | [[folder:P-S]] |
| 106 | * While not considered terrible ''Film/PacificRimUprising'' is considered a major downgrade on [[Film/PacificRim the original]], lacking Creator/GuillermoDelToro's artistic vision, having disliked {{retcon}}s, much less likeable or memorable characters (along with [[DroppedABridgeOnHim anticlimactically killing off]] returning fan-favorite Mako Mori), and being far more MerchandiseDriven. Rather tellingly, following this film, nearly all online hype regarding follow-ups to the franchise (which was very prevalent beforehand) vanished almost overnight. |
| 107 | * ''Franchise/ThePinkPanther'' movies escalated the slapstick comedy, wacky disguises, and whatnot quite a bit in the 1970s entries, even bringing in science fiction elements in ''Film/ThePinkPantherStrikesAgain''. There were also new female leads in each entry, whether they became Inspector Clouseau's love interest or not. The series also hit FranchiseZombie status with ''Film/RevengeOfThePinkPanther'', which Creator/UnitedArtists commissioned for summer 1978. Still, they were all hits -- the franchise jumped the rails in TheEighties when director-writer-producer Creator/BlakeEdwards attempted to continue the series in spite of the death of Creator/PeterSellers, who played Clouseau. It turned out that without [[JustHereForGodzilla Sellers]], people weren't interested in more of the same hijinks. This was [[FranchiseKiller made clear]] with the release of ''Son of the Pink Panther'' in 1993, which became a ''huge'' BoxOfficeBomb and is considered to be the series' worst. |
| 108 | ** The 2000s-era reboot featuring Creator/SteveMartin went through the same path: even though the first one was regarded as quite uninspired, it became successful enough to spawn a sequel that amped up the inappropriate humor, becoming thrashed by critics and audiences alike. |
| 109 | * ''Film/{{Piranha}}'', which Spielberg himself considered the best ''Jaws'' knockoff, was followed by ''Film/PiranhaPartTwoTheSpawning'', whose quality can simply be summed up by the fact that there are now flying piranha! (the one positive is that it gave Creator/JamesCameron its first directorial job) It also inspired a second case with remake ''Film/Piranha3D'', praised for its ComedyHorror approach, only to be followed by ''Film/Piranha3DD'', disliked for [[DenserAndWackier slanting so far into comedy]] it became too stupid to be enjoyable. |
| 110 | * The original ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes1968'' had four sequels - most entering FranchiseZombie; Creator/CharltonHeston even asked that the second, ''Film/BeneathThePlanetOfTheApes'', to [[spoiler:end with Earth being destroyed]] [[TorchTheFranchiseAndRun so it would be the last]], but didn't work - with varying levels of quality, mostly due to lowering budgets, culminating in the terrible ''Film/BattleForThePlanetOfTheApes''. It only continued afterwards in TV series and reimaginings. The third movie, ''Film/EscapeFromThePlanetOfTheApes'', considered the best of the sequels, was the only one deliberately written open-ended with a sequel in mind. The fourth movie, ''Film/ConquestOfThePlanetOfTheApes'', would have been the last (the producer was already considering a TV series), but profits were good enough to justify a fifth movie. |
| 111 | * The ''Film/PoliceAcademy'' series. The first movie was a commercial success and jumpstarted the careers of several actors who would go on to bigger projects (Creator/SteveGuttenberg, Creator/KimCattrall, Creator/BobcatGoldthwait), but as the sequels progressed, the humor became increasingly lowbrow, and cast members started leaving throughout the franchise. By the time the seventh and final film, ''Mission to Moscow'', was released in 1994, only a handful of original characters remained, and it failed to surpass the $200,000 mark. It's the last theatrical film directed by Alan Metter, who disowned it in the end. |
| 112 | * The first ''Film/PoisonIvy'' was a CultClassic despite its poor critical reception (a lot of which came from it being [[GirlShowGhetto directed by a woman and centering on teenage girls]]). Its sequels follow the formula of the trope - featuring none of the original cast, only a vague connection to the first film, and amping up the gratuitous sex and nudity (which actually wasn't in the film). And of course all of them were either DirectToVideo or made for TV. |
| 113 | * ''Film/{{Predator}}'' was an acclaimed action movie with a sci-fi slasher bent, introducing a very cool monstruous alien. ''Film/Predator2'' was nowhere as well-received for its over-the-top approach, as the Predator now hunts gangs of ethnic stereotypes in an UrbanWarfare setting. ''Film/{{Predators}}'' earned [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel better remarks]], but then ''Film/ThePredator'' was deemed to fall short, with the weakest protagonist of all four movies and a DenserAndWackier script that added very contentious lore regarding the Predator species. (all that said, everyone agrees FirstInstallmentWins, but [[ContestedSequel the other three all have their share of defenders and dissers]]; only ''Film/Prey2022'' escaped it and was mostly well-received) |
| 114 | * The original ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' spawned three sequels, none of which involved Creator/AlfredHitchcock due to [[DiedDuringProduction his death]]. ''Film/PsychoII'', directed by Hitchcock protege Richard Franklin, is widely considered a good follow-up to the first movie. The third and fourth movies, not so much. |
| 115 | * ''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'' is FirstInstallmentWins, and all of its follow-ups [[ContestedSequel split opinions]]; the most positively received is ''Film/RamboFirstBloodPartII'', a critically reviled but very popular ActionizedSequel that generated a bevy of imitators and is the reason why Rambo is [[SequelDisplacement mostly associated with slaughters]] when in ''Film/FirstBlood'' he causes quite the property damage but [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness only kills one person, mostly by accident]]. The other movies strayed even further from the compelling anti-war story of a disrespected ShellShockedVeteran that started the series, with ''Film/RamboIII'' being fairly boring in spite of the warfare, ''Film/RamboIV'' going BloodierAndGorier, and ''Film/RamboLastBlood'' not only [[HappyEndingOverride overriding the last film's ending]] but also having a [[OvershadowedByControversy controversial approach]] with Mexican HumanTraffickers as its villains. |
| 116 | * ''Film/ResidentEvil2002'' generally has a mixed reception from fans and general audiences, which, even if not very faithful to [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil the games]], has a similar enough tone and entertaining action to keep it engaging. [[Film/ResidentEvilFilmSeries The sequels...]] not so much. Chief criticisms include deviating even further from the source material, lots of nonsensical {{Ass Pull}}s, and turning Alice, already a base-breaking CanonForeigner, into an increasingly InvincibleHero and obvious CreatorsPet. |
| 117 | * The first ''[[Film/TheReturnOfTheLivingDead Return of the Living Dead]]'' is an almost perfect mix of black comedy and horror and is also a {{deconstruction}} and/or AffectionateParody of Romero's "Dead" series. It's a CultClassic. ''Film/ReturnOfTheLivingDeadPartII'' uses a lot more comedy than the first which makes it less scary. ''Film/ReturnOfTheLivingDead3'' disregards continuity from the first two and makes it DarkerAndEdgier. More scary but without the charm. ''Film/ReturnOfTheLivingDeadNecropolis'' and ''Film/ReturnOfTheLivingDeadRaveToTheGrave'' aren't well-regarded at all. |
| 118 | * ''Film/TheRing'' franchise has suffered from this disease. While each of the three "original" films has been well-received (Japanese, American, and Korean, respectively), their sequels have met with various degrees of scorn and failure to the point that the very first sequel, a film adaptation of the novel's follow-up ''Spiral'', is considered so bad it's CanonDiscontinuity by the Japanese producers, who went on to make ''Ring 2'' instead. (Alternatively, even though *that* was a big box office draw, its overall lack of originality and goofier aspects had the studio shifting gears by changing directors and going back to the source material by adapting one of author Koji Suzuki’s short stories into the prequel ''Ring 0: Birthday'', which is generally regarded as a solid entry, and being the swan song of the Japanese film series until the Sadako 3D movies released a decade later.) |
| 119 | * ''Film/RoboCop1987'' and its sequel ''Film/RoboCop2'' were violent, edgy and full of satire on mid-[[TheEighties '80s]] corporate culture. While the second film was derided for focusing too much on shock value and having less of the satirical humor, the franchise was still doing pretty well for itself (an animated series was created during this time, and the films performed very well at the box office). Unfortunately, studio executives (likely smelling [[MerchandiseDriven several marketing opportunities]]) toned down the violence in the third film, ''Film/RoboCop3'', to appeal to younger viewers. While there were some elements that remained from the previous films (Music/BasilPoledouris' score, a return to the silver armor from the first film, most of the [[AnyoneCanDie surviving cast members]] returning and some of the satire), the end result was too juvenile for most audiences, and the film bombed both financially and critically. Although there were attempts to resurrect the franchise over the years (a mid-'90s Canadian-made TV series bombed after one season, a late-'90s [[AnimatedAdaptation cartoon]] was critically panned and a miniseries [=[=][[CaliforniaDoubling also filmed in Canada]][=]=] was made-for-TV, a [[Film/RoboCop2014 2014 reboot]] was seen as SoOkayItsAverage), it never really flew with audiences. |
| 120 | * ''Franchise/{{Rocky}}'': |
| 121 | ** The series had one of the longest cases of Sequelitis ever. The series started out gritty and realistic, but gradually became more over-the-top to the point where [[Film/{{Rocky}} the first movie]] won an [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] for Best Picture and [[Film/RockyV the fifth]], after a drawn-out decline, is generally regarded as terrible. After a 16-year SequelGap, [[Film/RockyBalboa a sixth entry]] was made, and successfully took the series back to its roots, as well as providing closure to Rocky's career. |
| 122 | ** Parodied by a sight gag in ''Film/AirplaneIITheSequel'', where you can see a movie poster showing a 90-year old man in boxing trunks and gloves, with the caption "''Rocky XXXVIII''". Also parodied in ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'' (which pokes fun at the whole trope), where a newscaster announces the film critic will be reviewing "Rocky Five... ''Thousand''." |
| 123 | * Shortly after Diane Thomas agreed to write a sequel to her first screenplay ''Film/RomancingTheStone'', she was killed in a car crash. The studio went ahead with the sequel and created ''Film/TheJewelOfTheNile'', a film so bad that one college screenwriting professor made an exam out of pointing out all the flaws in it. |
| 124 | * The ''Film/RushHour'' trilogy. The first was a box-office success and a modest critical hit. ''Rush Hour 2'' had mixed critical reception but still did well in theaters. ''Rush Hour 3'' is unanimously considered the weakest of the three, despite also being a modest box office hit. |
| 125 | * ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'': |
| 126 | ** Fans have debated whether the series has suffered from Sequelitis, and if so, at what point. Some say it was the second film ("''Saw'' never needed a sequel!"), others say it was the third ("the second film only counts!") or fourth ("the third movie finished the series perfectly!"), and others say it was the fifth ("that movie just plain ''sucked!''"). Oddly enough, most of these usually agree that the sixth was a surprising improvement and felt like a return to form for the series. ''3D'' was almost universally panned by fans and critics alike at first, but opinion eventually became too wildly varied to pin down any fan consensus. |
| 127 | ** Honestly, the series '''[[FranchiseZombie was]]''' supposed to stop at the third film, but when Creator/{{Lionsgate}} saw how much money it was bringing in, they demanded that the script to ''Film/SawIII'' be changed to allow more movies to be made. The suckiness of ''Film/SawIV'' and ''[[Film/SawV V]]'' and Sequelitis in general are the fault of ExecutiveMeddling. |
| 128 | * The ''Film/{{Scanners}}'' franchise. The original film was a landmark in sci-fi horror, and had David Cronenberg and Creator/MichaelIronside doing some of their best work... but then came a pair of DirectToVideo sequels that stopped going for shock value and settled on B-movie cheese focusing on various scanners' unsuccessful attempts to start a revolution, backed by shoddy effects and weak performances by the main cast. This later produced a spinoff series, ''Film/ScannerCop'', which also went DTV and just had more of the same. |
| 129 | * ''Film/ScaryMovie'' expressed the tagline, ''No mercy. No shame. No sequel.'', but as we all well know, did have one anyway (with the tagline "[[ILied We lied]]"); which reveled far too much in VulgarHumor for its own good. The series got closer back to its roots of satirizing horror movies in the third, but then stepped back again and had that Creator/TomCruise couch jump parody in the fourth. A fifth film happened, but mostly everyone from the previous films is out of it, and rarely would anyone say that that's a good parody. The spinoffs of the franchise have been even worse, starting with ''Film/DateMovie'', billed as "from [[Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg two]] of the six writers of ''Scary Movie''", and somehow running on to three more. |
| 130 | * ''Film/{{Scream}}'': |
| 131 | ** ''Film/{{Scream 1996}}'' is considered a great movie. ''Film/{{Scream 2}}'' is pretty awesome too. Then comes ''Film/{{Scream 3}}'', which gives plenty of reasons to be treated as bad by critics and fans. ''Film/{{Scream 4}}'', which came well after the original trilogy, is accepted as a better effort than ''Scream 3'', if still not on the same level as the first two films. |
| 132 | ** Fans of the films also don't think particularly highly of the [[Series/ScreamTheTVSeries spinoff TV series]] that came after ''Scream 4'', but since that's its own separate continuity, it can be, and often is, easily ignored. |
| 133 | ** Occurs in-universe with the reception of the ''Stab'' series. These films were based on the real-life events until the events of ''Scream 3'' made protagonist Sidney sue the producers, leading to unrelated movies that kept on going to six sequels - one of which involving time travel. ''Film/Scream2022'' downright shows that an eighth ''Stab'' directed by Creator/RianJohnson (reference to Johnson's wildly polarizing ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/TheLastJedi'') went so off-the-rails that fan outcry was enormous. [[spoiler:Culminating in two {{Loony Fan}}s starting a killing spree in Woodsboro hoping it can inspire a better ''Stab'' movie!]] |
| 134 | * ''Film/SDarko''. Despite having one actress from ''Film/DonnieDarko'', Creator/DaveighChase, returning for this sequel, most ''Donnie Darko'' fans [[FanonDiscontinuity won't even acknowledge its existence]]. |
| 135 | * The original ''Film/{{Sharknado}}'' was just a typical [[Film/SyfyChannelOriginalMovie Syfy Z-movie]] churned out by [[TheMockbuster mockbuster]] proprietor Creator/TheAsylum. What set it apart from the rest was its absurd mishmash of creature feature and DisasterMovie, as well as downright silly moments like Ian Ziering taking on a shark with a chainsaw, turning it into a social media phenomenon. Syfy immediately greenlit [[Film/Sharknado2TheSecondOne a sequel]], which ramped up the SoBadItsGood elements and stuffed it with celebrity cameos. In no time, ''Sharknado'' became a CashCowFranchise for The Asylum and an event for Syfy, ordering sequels for the next few years. While the [[Film/Sharknado3OhHellNo third film]] cranked up the goofy factor (the sharks are flown TO SPACE!), the franchise started to lose its bite with the [[Film/SharknadoThe4thAwakens fourth film]]'s [[SerialEscalation attempt at upping the ante]] being seen as tired. By the time the [[Film/Sharknado5GlobalSwarming fifth film]] rolled around, viewers felt that the franchise had outstayed its welcome and the SoBadItsGood factor was getting contrived to the point of not being amusing anymore. While the [[Film/TheLastSharknadoItsAboutTime sixth (!) film]] {{lampshade|Hanging}}d the series' longevity and apparent fatigue, it was clear that the initial joke was stretched out for so long it was no longer there. |
| 136 | * Though ''Film/SherlockHolmesAGameOfShadows'' managed to be a box office smash like [[Film/SherlockHolmes2009 its predecessor]], critics and audiences found it weaker and more uneven. |
| 137 | * ''Film/ShockTreatment'' was originally planned as a sequel to ''Film/TheRockyHorrorPictureShow'', but was re-written as something much different after Creator/TimCurry refused to be typecast as Frank. The second movie features Brad and Janet, but the events of ''Rocky Horror'' are never mentioned. Taken on its own, it has its merits but proved a massive disappointment for people expecting an actual sequel. Point of clarity: ''Shock Treatment'' was not the original plan for a sequel, that being ''Rocky Horror Shows His Heels'', which never ended up happening. ''Shock Treatment'' does keep Brad and Janet (albeit played by [[TheOtherDarrin different actors]]), and some of the subtext to their relationship troubles can be taken to have been caused by the first movie. Judge Oliver Wright probably is the Criminologist, making Creator/CharlesGray and Jeremy Newson (Ralph Hapschatt) the only actors to continue playing the same characters ([[WildMassGuessing unless you consider the [=McKinleys=] to actually be Riff and Magenta returned to Earth for some strange reason]]... also, Bert Shnict was supposedly Dr. Scott in earlier versions of the script). Besides, [[MemeticMutation it's not a sequel, it's an equal]]. |
| 138 | * Most {{slasher movie}}s tend to suffer this fate. |
| 139 | ** At the time of writing (2018) there are eight ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' movies and [[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet2010 a remake]], eight ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' movies, [[Film/{{Halloween 2007}} a remake]] with [[Film/HalloweenII2009 a sequel]] to that remake and [[Film/Halloween2018 a direct sequel to the original which ignores the rest of the franchise]] and ten ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' movies and [[Film/FridayThe13th2009 a remake]]. And that's just the names most horror fans would be familiar with. As expected, the quality of the sequels of these franchises varies widely. |
| 140 | ** The only movie in ''Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre'' series that has gained wide recognition is [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre1974 the original]]. [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2 The first sequel]] took a more exaggerated, comedic route that remains controversial among fans and critics, although part 2 has gained a cult following over the years. [[Film/LeatherfaceTheTexasChainsawMassacreIII the third film]] is considered forgettable and [[Film/TexasChainsawMassacreTheNextGeneration the fourth]] is infamous for its NarmCharm. Despite great box office success, [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacre2003 the remake]] is highly divisive, and [[Film/TheTexasChainsawMassacreTheBeginning its prequel]] is mostly disliked. |
| 141 | ** One particularly painful example: The original ''Film/SleepawayCamp'' was surprisingly deep for its genre, and possessed a genuinely unexpected (yet not nonsensical) TwistEnding that ''hasn't'' succumbed to ItWasHisSled. The sequels, by comparison, are almost parodies of their predecessor. According to writer/director Robert Hiltzik, only the 2008 sequel, ''Film/ReturnToSleepawayCamp'', is canon (he had little to nothing to do with ''Film/SleepawayCampIIUnhappyCampers'' and ''Film/SleepawayCampIIITeenageWasteland''). |
| 142 | ** ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' deserves special mention. The first film is seen as one of the best horror films ever, and every following film is seen as average at best and more often disastrous. It's at the point where, not counting the reboot (which itself was victim to this, as no matter if the first movie split opinions, the [[Film/HalloweenII2009 follow-up]] got terribly received for being an overall incoherent mess and completely ruining both Laurie's and Dr. Loomis' characters), the franchise has had to pull CanonDiscontinuity ''twice'', with ''Film/HalloweenH20TwentyYearsLater'' ignoring everything after the second film, and ''Film/Halloween2018'' ignoring everything after the first. It's generally seen that the 2018 film is the only one to be a genuinely good follow-up, though not as good as the classic original (they're the only two with a positive critical reception). And even then, follow-up ''Film/HalloweenKills'' ended up a ContestedSequel criticized for characters behaving stupidly and how after the predecessor shook up things came something falling headfirst into slasher convention. ''Film/HalloweenEnds'' also ended up not winning reviewers over. |
| 143 | *** There are two entries in the ''Halloween'' film series that generally fight for the position of "worst of the franchise". ''Film/HalloweenTheCurseOfMichaelMyers'', for its messy, nearly incoherent story, the heavily disliked "Thorn Cult" plot-line which needly retcons Michael's motivations, and a confusingly ambiguous ending in both versions. ''Film/HalloweenResurrection'', for its utterly ridiculous HappyEndingOverride, a dull and tired plot, dumb, unlikeable characters, and another poorly written, ambiguous ending. Both films were so reviled that they resulted in the series being rebooted. |
| 144 | ** The ''Film/ChildsPlay'' franchise doesn't get nearly as much hatred for their sequels as other franchises. That said, there are two major contenders for this trend: |
| 145 | *** ''Film/ChildsPlay3'': This sequel garnered heavily negative reception from critics and fans. The problems with this one range from Andy's actor being replaced, unlikable characters such as Tyler and Shelton, the story working more like a military war camp film than a slasher film, and so many plotholes. The biggest problem with this film is that it was rushed, being released just nine months after ''Film/ChildsPlay2''. Creator Don Mancini and Chucky himself, Creator/BradDourif, [[CreatorBacklash have disowned it]]. |
| 146 | *** ''Film/SeedOfChucky'': While critics had mixed opinions on the film, fans absolutely loathed it, as while ''Film/BrideOfChucky'' renewed the series by going in a ComedyHorror route, ''Seed'' went too far into the former and didn't provide enough of the latter, with spoofing and pop culture references overtaking the scares and kills. Some even deem the film even worse than the aforementioned ''Child's Play 3''. |
| 147 | ** ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' started the follow-ups wrong with ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreetPart2FreddysRevenge'', which everyone agrees to be inferior to the original, albeit over time it evolved from "widely hated" to "ContestedSequel" after the reappraisal of the [[HoYay homoerotic overtones]] and how it retains the scary Freddy rather than make him more comedic. ''Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet5TheDreamChild'' was also deemed a step back with a ridiculous plot and an uncertain tone that ranges between dark and grim to silly and funny, but earned a share of defenders for its gothic atmosphere. Still, follow-up ''Film/FreddysDeadTheFinalNightmare'' is widely considered the absolute worst in the franchise, often hated for being way too goofy to the point of parody, to flat characters, to random cameos that drag the movie down and in general being a poor conclusion to what was supposed to be the final entry of the series. |
| 148 | ** Of the twelve ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' movies, only the first four movies and the sixth, relatively speaking, are seen in a respectable light, with the first kickstarting the franchise, the following three entries building up one of the most memorable slasher villains, and the sixth rejuvenating a series that just had an unsuccessful attempt at reinvention with self-referential humor. The rest are generally considered forgettable at best or downright awful messes at worst. Four of the films in particular compete for being the ''worst'' of the series, although opinions vary wildly. |
| 149 | *** ''Film/FridayThe13thPartVANewBeginning'' for its trashier tone and less relatable characters, lack of focus, too much of the violence being censored, and the highly contentious ending, specifically the [[spoiler:twist that Jason is not the killer or even in the movie at all.]] Notably, the following film, ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIJasonLives Jason Lives]]'', {{retcon}}ned various elements of this one and only took it as BroadStrokes canon, and met a much better reception for it. |
| 150 | *** ''Film/FridayThe13thPartVIIIJasonTakesManhattan'' for the mere fact the title markets it as a "Jason in New York" story when only a third of the film itself takes place in New York. Crappy production quality, nonsensical setup, and subpar story and acting only compound upon it. |
| 151 | *** ''Film/JasonGoesToHellTheFinalFriday'' for the massive and extremely convoluted changes to the mythology, so different from the formula that it turns into a dark fantasy horror where Jason is a demonic worm instead of a slasher, [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks ultimately diverging far too much for most fans to stomach]]. |
| 152 | *** ''Film/JasonX'' for the extremely ridiculous and blatant [[RecycledWithAGimmick "Jason in space"]] premise, taking away any serious scares for self-indulgent camp. This one is one of the most contentious of the sequels, with some seeing it horrid mess and others as a hilarious romp. |
| 153 | * ''Film/SmokeyAndTheBandit'' was a massive hit in 1977, with only ''Film/ANewHope'' grossing more money at the box office that year. Its two sequels, however, did not do so well against its fellow ''Franchise/StarWars'' films. The second film was considered [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks a tired rehash of the first film]] but gets some flack off of it for at least featuring Creator/BurtReynolds and Creator/SallyField in their starring roles and having an awesome climactic battle. The third film, however, put Creator/JackieGleason's Buford T. Justice in the lead role (which is considered the only positive about this film) and omits Sally entirely and Burt's only involvement is a cameo at the end. |
| 154 | * ''Film/SnowWhiteAndTheHuntsman'' received a sequel in 2016 titled ''Film/TheHuntsmanWintersWar'' - dropping Snow White completely. Word was originally that her actress Creator/KristenStewart was removed from the franchise after a scandal involving her having an affair with the first film's director, but she later said she kept turning down the scripts due to their general badness. The sequel pulled several {{Retcon}}s including giving Queen Ravenna a sister [[CousinOliver she'd never mentioned before]] to serve as a new antagonist, ignoring any mention of her canonical brother, changing the backstory involving the Huntsman's dead wife (who turns out to be NotQuiteDead) and going for a LighterAndSofter tone. The film was a huge bomb that acted as a FranchiseKiller, savaged by critics and viewers alike. |
| 155 | * The original ''Film/{{Species}}'' was a decent (if not spectacular) sci-fi horror film that had Creator/NatashaHenstridge running around (mostly naked, to boot) while a team of scientists tried to stop her. [[Film/SpeciesII A sequel]] three years later combined a nonsensical plot (the scientists clone the original alien, then act shocked when she escapes to mate with another member of her species), cheesy effects, and a cast that appeared to be going through the motions, and the following TV movie, ''Film/SpeciesIII'', was made by filmmakers who thought the entire franchise was composed of gratuitous violence and sex. The fourth film, ''Film/SpeciesTheAwakening'', splits opinions - it's either an improvement, regarded as a decent B-movie that by having a plot not very connected with the previous two stands well on its own, or somehow even worse, as it's even cheaper-looking than the third and lacking on story depth, sex, and blood. |
| 156 | * The first ''Film/{{Speed}}'' movie was a huge commercial and critical success. The sequel ''Film/Speed2CruiseControl'' was almost universally panned while barely avoiding being a box-office flop worldwide, and is one of the all-time classic examples of what Sequelitis is fully capable of. It began the career derailment of director Jan De Bont. |
| 157 | * ''Film/SpyKids1'' proved to be a very successful family film and thus spawned its own franchise; unfortunately, each new installment has done worse than the one that came before. While ''Film/SpyKids2IslandOfLostDreams'' proved to be a decent movie despite this, ''Film/SpyKids3DGameOver'' quickly came to be considered the series' jump the shark moment, having little to do with the franchise other than the characters; however, this did not stop Robert Rodriquez from producing (reluctantly) ''Film/SpyKidsAllTheTimeInTheWorld'' in 2011, ''[[SequelGap eight years]]'' after the conclusion of the original trilogy, with rumors of a fifth film on the way despite the fourth film's poor critical and box office reception. |
| 158 | * ''Franchise/StarTrek'' has the "StarTrekMovieCurse" - [[Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture the first]] (which can be considered a sequel to [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries the series]]), [[Film/StarTrekIIITheSearchForSpock third]] (this one is considered alright, but still not as good as 2), [[Film/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier fifth]] [[note]] This one earned the Worst Picture Razzie for 1989 and beamed away any ideas of [[Creator/WilliamShatner Bill Shatner]] directing another film ever again [[/note]], [[Film/StarTrekGenerations seventh]] and [[Film/StarTrekInsurrection ninth]] films are considered letdowns. It was broken when the [[Film/StarTrekNemesis tenth]] was a critical and commercial disappointment [[note]] This nearly killed the franchise and BigBad actor Creator/TomHardy outright, but still succeeded in killing ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]'' branch, the writing careers of crew member Creator/BrentSpiner and John Logan, and the directing career of Stuart Baird; Hardy and three other ''TNG'' regulars all have a serious hatred for the film [[/note]], leading to a [[Film/StarTrek2009 wildly successful reboot]] (though some try to make the curse still work by considering the AffectionateParody ''Film/GalaxyQuest'' the tenth movie). ''Film/StarTrekIntoDarkness'' got a decent critical reception, but the overall opinion was either that it didn't live up to the first reboot (if you loved the movie), or that Creator/GeneRoddenberry is spinning in his grave (if you didn't), and contains a rather infamous [[TheUntwist Untwist]] that those trying to to justify the (''Quest''-adjusted) curse can point to. The jury is still out on ''Film/StarTrekBeyond'', which got generally positive reviews from critics, and [[ContestedSequel more mixed reviews from a fanbase still deciding what to think of the reboot movies.]] |
| 159 | * In the ''Franchise/StarWars'' series, this started with ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', which was widely disliked by critics and fans at the time of its release; nowadays it's considered quite as good as the [[Film/ANewHope two]] [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack movies]] before it but still a classic. Then came ''pre''quelitis, with ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' and ''Film/AttackOfTheClones'' widely considered the two weakest films in the series. ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', however, was generally thought to be an improvement, but [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel that's not saying much given the competition]]. Fortunately, the next in the series, ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', is generally believed to be a return to form, and ''Film/RogueOne'' is widely regarded as being a worthy prequel to ''A New Hope''. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about ''Film/TheLastJedi'' which received [[ContestedSequel mixed receptions]] that [[BrokenBase divided the fanbase]] once again. Then came ''Film/{{Solo}}'', which unlike ''Rogue One'' was considered [[SoOkayItsAverage alright]] at best, and ''Film/TheRiseOfSkywalker'', which reviewers bashed (alongside ''The Phantom Menace'', it's the only not-Fresh Episode on Website/RottenTomatoes) for an uncreative and messy plot, split the fanbase even further though the overall trend leans towards dislike, and grossed the least of the three sequel trilogy films by a decent margin. |
| 160 | * The ''Film/SpiderManTrilogy''. The first two are considered to be stunning critical and commercial successes. The third film has a massive BrokenBase, though it remained the most successful Spider-Man film for 12 years. Then ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' reboots the franchise and is met with a decent reception, though it made a whole new BrokenBase. Then it happens ''again'', with ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan2'' being overall regarded as an average movie at best to being considered a complete failure at worst, causing [[Creator/SonyPictures Sony]] to cancel the rest of the series and create ''another'' reboot, ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'', with a helping hand from [[Creator/MarvelStudios Marvel]]. |
| 161 | * ''Franchise/{{Superman}}''. 1978's ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' told his origin story, was quite successful and today is regarded as a TropeCodifier that proved superheroes could credibly carry serious films. It was followed by ''Film/SupermanII'', which also got warm reviews but was plagued by CreativeDifferences between director and producers. ''Film/SupermanIII'', in turn, is an uneven mess of a film with Lois Lane being [[ChuckCunninghamSyndrome chucked away from existence with no explanation]] and Creator/RichardPryor stealing the show... but in an extremely clumsy fashion. And then there was ''Film/SupermanIVTheQuestForPeace'', an {{Anvilicious}}, SpecialEffectFailure-filled, unmitigated ''disaster'' that completely bombed both critically and commercially. It was ''[[FranchiseKiller 19 years]]'' before another Superman movie was released-- ''Film/SupermanReturns'', which pointedly [[CanonDiscontinuity erased III and IV from its continuity]]. ''Superman IV'' also erased the career of Mark Pillow, who moved on to being a family man, and helped towards the implosion of Creator/TheCannonGroup. ''Returns'' received decent reviews from critics, but it didn't gross as much as the studio expected and split the fanbase, with one of the frequently-raised criticisms is that the producers didn't seem to be able to make up their minds as to whether they were actually making a continuation of the earlier film sequence, or whether they were making a completely fresh start. The next movie, ''Film/ManOfSteel'', was an actual intended reboot. |
| 162 | [[/folder]] |
| 163 | |
| 164 | [[folder:T-Z]] |
| 165 | * ''Film/{{Taken}}'' was a slick action movie that proved Creator/LiamNeeson was very good for the vengeful OneManArmy genre. ''Taken 2'' was nowhere as fresh, but still warmly received. ''Taken 3'', on the other hand, was widely considered a disappointment showing a severe lack of ideas and all the problems in recent action movies, such as frantic editing - a widely mocked [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCKhktcbfQM fence-climbing scene]] has ''fourteen cuts in six seconds.'' |
| 166 | * ''Film/{{Ted}}'' became a surprise hit at a time comedies aimed at adults had already fallen out of favor with audiences. Three years later, [[Film/Ted2 a sequel]] was made, but was soundly criticized for trying too hard to get away from the sophomoric humor that made the first film such a success, eventually ending Creator/SethMacFarlane's forays into film. |
| 167 | * ''Film/{{Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|1990}}'' was considered [[FirstInstallmentWins a nice piece of 1990s pop culture]]. The [[Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIITheSecretOfTheOoze second film]] wasn't quite as well-received due to being DenserAndWackier, but it still had a few entertaining moments, and it has its fans. [[Film/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesIII The third film]], however, was bashed mercilessly by critics and fans alike (fans were actually far more ruthless on it than ''Series/SiskelAndEbert'' ever were to the trilogy as a whole), and it's viewed as the worst of the three by a healthy margin; it swept the Turtles off the big screen until 2007, and it would take until 2014 for another live-action ''TMNT'' film to surface; it does not have any continuity to the others. |
| 168 | * ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'': The [[Film/TheTerminator first]] is iconic. The [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay second]] is considered one of the [[EvenBetterSequel greatest sequels of all time]]. The [[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines third]] is one hell of a ContestedSequel, and resulted in a [[Series/TerminatorTheSarahConnorChronicles TV series]] being made on the principle that T3 [[AlternateContinuity never happened]]. The [[Film/TerminatorSalvation fourth]], while visually impressive, lacks substance and ended up being an underperformer at the box office, which then led to the [[CreatorKiller death of its production company]] and [[ChannelHop the rights being sold off]]. And when [[Film/TerminatorGenisys the fifth]] came out, again it wasn't as well-received - particularly how it retcons the events of the first four movies with [[TimeyWimeyBall convoluted time travel]] - and led to the next film doing another reboot. ''Film/TerminatorDarkFate'' garnered a mixed reception, with a particular sore point being how the movie opens with a HappyEndingOverride as painful as the aforementioned one of ''Film/Alien3'', but it nevertheless [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel got the best reviews since the third]]. |
| 169 | * There were six films in ''Film/TheThinMan'' series. The first got a Best Picture nomination and is still remembered as a classic. The subsequent movies have been progressively less acclaimed, going from the "pretty good" second movie to the "terrible" sixth one.[[note]]And bear an ArtifactTitle since the "Thin Man" was killed in the first movie.[[/note]] |
| 170 | * ''Film/TheToxicAvenger'' is a horror-comedy classic. The second film isn't ''bad'', but it’s too goofy at times just the first half of what was really one big movie. 2 and 3 were actually just big movie that got split into two films, and it shows. The third film was panned and subjects Toxie to severe BadassDecay. This being the sort of series it is, the fourth film ( [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel which is better regarded then the previous two films]]) hangs a hilarious LampshadeHanging on it during the opening narration: |
| 171 | -->15 years ago, A mop boy named Melvin Ferd fell into a case full of toxic waste and became a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength, he became... The Toxic Avenger, the first superhero from New Jersey! [[SelfDeprecation Then came two shitty sequels, sorry about that]]. [[CanonDiscontinuity This is the real sequel]]. |
| 172 | * The ''Film/{{Transformers|FilmSeries}}'' movies are a really steep example of sequelitis. |
| 173 | ** [[Film/Transformers2007 The first movie]] was regarded by critics as nothing special, but was for the most part well-received by fans and general movie-goers for being essentially a fun disaster movie with robots, and for at the least showing the Transformers onscreen in a live-action setting. The [[Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen second]] however was regarded as downright bad, having tons of [[RefugeInAudacity unneeded adult humor]] (such as the pot-smoking mom, robots who behave like racial caricatures and mechanical testicles) and a generic plot. |
| 174 | ** The [[Film/TransformersDarkOfTheMoon third]] movie is seen by some as an improvement, but by an even greater number of people as just as bad or ''even worse'', as it tried to please everyone and lowered the screen time for the robots (even though they are the title characters), made the first half almost a sort of parody (which led to the return of Sam's parents who by now are nothing more than TheArtifact) and the second half a sci-fi war movie that [[DroppedABridgeOnHim dropped bridges on many characters]]. |
| 175 | ** [[Film/TransformersAgeOfExtinction The fourth]] movie acted as a soft reboot of the series by replacing the human cast and notably extending the length of the action sequences; which in turn made the film the longest of the series (2 hours and 45 minutes). While this move gave the title characters a notably increased amount of screentime, the final result was also considered by many reviewers to be a monotonous and phoned-in regurgitation of the previous three films. |
| 176 | ** [[Film/TransformersTheLastKnight The fifth film]] looks to have finally driven off the public, to the point that it underperformed in ''[[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff China]]'', historically the franchise's biggest stronghold, and grossed less than the first film despite a decade of inflation and foreign market expansion. (the bad reception even poisoned the well to make ''Film/{{Bumblebee}}'', widely considered [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel better than all the sequels]] and maybe the first movie too, not as much of a success as the mainline series; still, [[Film/TransformersRiseOfTheBeasts a seventh movie]], following on ''Bumblebee'' and incorporating ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', managed to be released) |
| 177 | * ''The Trial of Billy Jack'': The first two movies in the series, ''The Born Losers'' and ''Billy Jack'' are both well-received. ''Trial of Billy Jack'', on the other hand, is listed frequently as one of the worst sequels ever made. Fourth movie ''Billy Jack Goes to Washington'', a blatant copy of ''Film/MrSmithGoesToWashington'' which came out well after the series' cultural moment had passed, was seen by almost nobody, and lacks even the SoBadItsGood reputation of ''Trial''. |
| 178 | * Parodied InUniverse in ''Film/TropicThunder''. Tugg Speedman stars in the ''Scorcher'' series, which revolves around the Earth repeatedly ceasing to spin and becoming a giant fireball. The 6th one, ''Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown'', changed the planet's fate into a frozen wasteland because the previous films had exhausted the previously mentioned concept. Here's the trailer: |
| 179 | -->'''Trailer Announcer:''' In 2013, when the Earth's rotation came to a halt, the world called on the one man who could make a difference.\ |
| 180 | ''[Speedman is shown standing on a blasted cliffside, and everything in the background is on fire. He has a baby in one arm and a rifle in the other]''\ |
| 181 | When it happened again, the world called on him once more. And no one saw it coming. Three. More. Times! Now, the one man who made a difference five times before is about to make a difference again. Only this time, it's different.\ |
| 182 | ''[Speedman is shown standing on an iceberg, and everything in the background is frozen. He has a set of twins on him and he's holding two rifles]''\ |
| 183 | '''Tugg Speedman:''' Who left the fridge open?\ |
| 184 | '''Trailer Announcer:''' ''[voice over]'' Tugg Speedman. ''Scorcher VI: Global Meltdown''.\ |
| 185 | '''Tugg Speedman:''' {{Here we go again}}. Again... |
| 186 | * Another film that spoofed this trope was ''Film/{{UHF}}'', which featured [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ega5Rcct2s a fake promo for]] ''Film/{{Gandhi}} II'', an ActionizedSequel that basically turns Gandhi into Film/{{Shaft}}, [[ArsonMurderandJaywalking violently beating up bad guys, romancing ladies and ordering a medium-rare steak]]. |
| 187 | * ''Film/UniversalSoldier'' had a lot of it, first with two TV movies without anyone from the other movies, and then by actually bringing Van Damme back in ''Film/UniversalSoldierTheReturn'', but delivering a lame action movie with underwhelming effects and an idiotic plot. Surprisingly, the direct-to-video sequel ''Film/UniversalSoldierRegeneration'' (which like ''The Return'' ignored the two TV movies, also removed ''The Return'' from canon), averted this, being considered [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel the first worthy follow-up]], only for ''Film/UniversalSoldierDayOfReckoning'' to be [[BrokenBase a more divisive affair]]. |
| 188 | * ''Film/UpPompeii'': [[Series/UpPompeii The series]] is regarded as a classic, and the film is a decent enough adaptation. While opinions on the sequel, ''Film/UpTheChastityBelt'', weren't nearly as positive, the third film, ''Film/UpTheFront'', was hated on release. |
| 189 | * ''Film/USMarshals'' was less enthusiastically received by critics and audiences than ''Film/TheFugitive'', the film to which it is a spinoff. |
| 190 | * ''Film/WaynesWorld2'' was deemed a step down and not as fresh as the [[Film/WaynesWorld first]], though with still positive reviews and a fair share of fans - though not the same box office success, as [[Film/MrsDoubtfire steep]] [[Film/SchindlersList competition]] made it only gross $48 million domestically against a $40 million budget. |
| 191 | * Movies based on video games aren't exempt from this rule, either, even though very few of them get sequels in the first place (and [[VideoGameMoviesSuck usually deservedly so]]). Just ask anyone who paid to watch ''Film/MortalKombatAnnihilation'' or ''Film/LaraCroftTombRaiderTheCradleOfLife''. The vanishingly rare exceptions include ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBirdsMovie2'' (the highest rated video game movie of all time) and ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog22022''. |
| 192 | * ''Film/WeekendAtBernies'' is an amusing little comedy, with Creator/TerryKiser [[EnsembleDarkhorse stealing the show]] as the eponymous dead guy. Then they went and made a sequel. The female character one of the heroes spent the entire first movie obsessing over/wooing vanishes without even the most cursory attempt at {{Hand Wav|e}}ing, and it was all downhill from there. Some viewers felt that ''Weekend at Bernie's II'' pulled off the rare feat of being so unbelievably stupid that it came back around the other side and was SoUnfunnyItsFunny. Referenced in ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', as evidence that Lily is a "laugh-slut": |
| 193 | -->'''Ted:''' "Remember that time we heard her laughing, and we thought she was watching ''Weekend at Bernie's'', but it turned out she was watching ''Weekend at Bernie's II''?" |
| 194 | * ''Film/WonderWoman2017'' was a critical and commercial success that turned out to be a shot in the arm for the struggling Franchise/DCExtendedUniverse. ''Film/WonderWoman1984'' is considered at best a ContestedSequel and at worst far more inferior, with hostility being shown towards its [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter wasting of Cheetah]], questionable handling of Steve Trevor, and {{Broken Aesop}}s. |
| 195 | * The ''Franchise/XMenFilmSeries'' had two beloved movies, followed by a ContestedSequel. Since continuing after ''[[Film/XMenTheLastStand The Last Stand]]'' would be hard, they decided to make prequels instead. First was ''Film/XMenOriginsWolverine'', which also divided everyone; then came ''Film/XMenFirstClass'', but it completely {{averted|Trope}} sequelitis and is now considered the best in the series since ''Film/X2XMenUnited''. Following that was a sequel/stand-alone story to ''Wolverine'', simply titled ''Film/TheWolverine'', which was considered a better film than its predecessor back in the day. Then came indirect ''The Last Stand'' sequel/direct ''First Class'' sequel ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'', which was not only considered a better film [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel to both of]] [[EvenBetterSequel its predecessors]], but was also hailed by critics as the series' zenith followed closely by ''Film/{{Deadpool|2016}}'' which is considered the first successful R-Rated superhero movie. Afterwards, it became a lot more uneven with ''Film/XMenApocalypse'' being one of the biggest {{Contested Sequel}}s in the franchise, ''Film/{{Logan}}'' being hailed as one of the best X-Men movies, if not THE best, and considered a tremendous improvement over the two previous Wolverine-centric movies, ''Film/Deadpool2'' being considered good although whether it is better than the first or not is debatable, ''Film/DarkPhoenix'' getting even worse reviews than ''The Last Stand'', and ''Film/TheNewMutants'' [[TheShelfOfMovieLanguishment being delayed too much]] and ultimately not being well-received to officially end Fox's run with a whimper rather than a bang. |
| 196 | * ''Film/{{Zoolander}}'' garnered mixed reviews and did okay at the box office during its initial release, eventually becoming a CultClassic. Then in 2016, ''Film/Zoolander2'' received a thrashing from critics and audiences long fed up with silly comedy (this being one of a string of bombs that killed the R-rated comedy film), who also took offense at the numerous jokes aimed at the fashion industry (whose popularity exploded during the 2010s) even though several noted designers made [[AdamWesting humorous cameos]]. |
| 197 | [[/folder]] |
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