The Sequel Thread

[nathan detroit]

I have started this thread following a lot of conversations about sequels I have had lately.

One question raised was - what is the longest time between the original film and a same-cast sequel being made?
The original school of thought was The Hustler and The Color of Money but I suggested The Odd Couple and The Odd Couple II. Can anyone beat 30 years?
Sequels with a different cast are different and my suggestion would be the 64 years between Bambi and Bambi II.

I was also discussing the shortest amount of time between a movie and a sequel but I'll leave that one open for discussion for the moment...

What do you think is the best sequel ever made? Or the worst? Which movie has generated the most sequels and which movie would you like to see a sequel to? Are sequels a good thing or bad? Is Hollywood making too many sequels now?

These are all questions I demand your opinion on!!!!

[Angie_Duke]

Originally Posted by nathan detroit

These are all questions I demand your opinion on!!!!

Oh, well if that's how you feel maybe I just won't answer them at all...

Let's see, most of the time I'm fairly apposed to sequels unless they are films based on series of comic books or novels in which case you expect sequels. I have no problem with their being 3 LotR films, but at the same time something like Hairspray 2 should probably remain someone's fan faction at best and not be filmed.

If a sequel is going to be made it should preferably have the original cast and be done within a 10 years span IMO. Sequels made decades later with new casts just scare me. If some director said today that they were making The Philadelphia Story 2: Mr. Connor's Revenge with Will Ferrell in Cary Grants role I'd probably die.

Yes Hollywood is making lots of sequels lately but only because it's become trendy to plan out full fledge trilogies and such even before the first film is released. I think the bigger crime these days are unnecessary remakes of older, already good, films.

Which sequels do I like? Well these are the ones that come to mind first:

The Dark Knight
Toy Story 2
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (yes I know it's a prequel)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The Pirates sequels
Spider-Man 2
Army of Darkness

And then there are sequels which I have no intention of seeing like Beyond The Poseidon Adventure, Jaws 2, etc. for the obvious reason that they just can't be any good.

[Nuklhed]

The Godfather II

[Nuklhed]

I guess I should have added more to the thread.. im sorry. Godfather II great sequel. The Mummy seems to have had too many sequels when they shouldnt have. Same with the horror films, Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm St, etc.

Were the Star Wars movies considered sequels? If so, Empire Strikes Back is another excellent sequel, better than the first one.

[aimster]

Best sequel ever?

Empire Strikes Back

[Barbossa]

Best Sequel: The Empire Strikes Back or now known as Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and as for comedies, National Lampoon's European Vacation and Christmas Vacation

Most Sequels: James Bond (Quantum of Solace is Bond #22)

[nathan detroit]

Originally Posted by Barbossa

Most Sequels: James Bond (Quantum of Solace is Bond #22)

Are the Bonds sequels? How many 'Blondie' movies were made? (just Googled - 28 between 1938 and 1950). There were 31 'Carry On' films but they were not sequels - just a series of unrelated films.

(And I think Jaws 2 is pretty good although nowhere near the original. On the other hand Jaws 4 was simply terrible)

[knittingknerd]

I'm a fan of sequels. Some movies you're stuck going "okay where's the happily ever after?!" They just don't close it right and you're stuck with no closure. Some movies though don't need a sequel. Like seriously, didn't like the Pirate sequels. Number 2 was just boring! The American Pie sequels... not that funny, despite my love for the first one.

[Barbossa]

Originally Posted by Barbossa

Best Sequel: The Empire Strikes Back or now known as Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and as for comedies, National Lampoon's European Vacation and Christmas Vacation

Most Sequels: James Bond (Quantum of Solace is Bond #22)

I completely forgot to put another one down for best sequel: The Dark Knight.

[thrax]

ALIENS: great as the first one was. the second was better

[Gone2Disneyland]

The Dark Knight is THE best sequel ever. Some great runners up tho' are Toy Story 2, T2, Aliens, The Empire Strikes Back & Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which all surpassed audience expectations when they debuted and are well-regarded to this day.

In my judgment, the first twenty James Bond films are hit and miss to being actual sequels to each other and absolutely not as a whole. I view them more like installments rather than continuing story threads left in the previous film. However, Quantum of Solace will break that mold and be a REAL sequel to Casino Royale.

My candidate for longest sequel series: Harry Potter. Each film is a true sequel to story threads introduced in previous installments, on through to the final three films planned for release.

The worst sequel? I like to think I've avoided many, so it's difficult for me to judge. I didn't enjoy The Mummy Returns. My friends dragged me to AVP-R, which we all felt was a waste of time. Many of the TV remakes - Wild Wild West, The Avengers, Starsky and Hutch, S.W.A.T. - are sequels of a sort, but I've avoided these as well. Actually, The Nude Bomb is probably my least favorite sequel I've ever seen, due to the fact that I'm a huge Get Smart fan and The Nude Bomb's finale was just wrong.

Longest break between a film and its sequel? Chinatown & Two Jakes would be a great candidate for consideration; sixteen years between films. Same for 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: The Year We Made Contact. Ironically, I've only see the first films, not their sequels.

Sequel that I feel should be made (and apparently is in the works): Tron 2.0!

Should sequels be made? Sure, if they churn out films like TDK, TWOK & Aliens. I guess reality dictates that you get the bad with the good.