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#4364328 - 06/16/17 04:04 PM Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers)  
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In the discussion of The Accountant, sequel movies were brought up, and I thought about whether a sequel was really the right thing for that movie, and then thought about other movies as well. I put "good" in the subject line to filter out movies that were just bad and thus shouldn't have a sequel, and focus on good movies that would not benefit from a sequel.

To me, a movie that works well, and tells a good story with a good ending (not good as in happy, but just a good wrap up), doesn't really need a sequel, even though everyone seems to want more and of course studios are always looking to make a buck.

My first entries are:

Blade Runner
To me, Blade Runner was a well-crafted story that did its job, exploring the meaning of being human through the eyes of someone whose job it was to make that determination, and the lines got blurry. Even though some of the characters went on to other things, the core story was told and I think it should end there.

Highlander
Yes, Highlander 2 is infamous, but one of the reasons I think it was so bad is that the first movie wrapped things up so well that there was no place to go with the story - it told the whole tale and there wasn't anything more to tell, really. Nobody wanted to see what happened after MacLeod was no longer immortal and had no immortals to sword fight.


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#4364330 - 06/16/17 04:16 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Arthonon]  
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My brain completely agrees with your comments on Blade Runner. My heart tells me otherwise though and I'll still be seeing the sequel on opening weekend in October. biggrin


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4364336 - 06/16/17 04:46 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Arthonon]  
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A sequel can be bad, but I do not see anything wrong with sequels themselves.

I don't think Alien needs a sequel, but Aliens is an action cinematic gem. I feel the same about Terminator and Terminator 2.

Without sequels we also would not have STII: The Wrath of Khan, SW: Empire Strikes Back, Superman 2 (the one from 1980, I mean), and Silence of the Lambs (yes...a sequel to Manhunter, which was based on the Red Dragon novel).

So I'll give the sequel a chance, but these days it seems it is more important to market the nostalgia and hype of a sequel instead of trying to surpass the original movie in quality, so I see where your concern comes from.

I think the most recent example of doing this successfully would be Guardians of the Galaxy, which has a very good sequel.


Last edited by Bib4Tuna; 06/16/17 04:51 PM.
#4364339 - 06/16/17 04:54 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Bib4Tuna]  
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Originally Posted by Bib4Tuna

Without sequels we also would not have STII: The Wrath of Khan,




I've always seen ST II more as a "reboot" than a sequel to ST: TMP due to it having such a radically different tone, pacing and narrative. Also, there is zero mention of the events of ST:TMP in ST II. It's almost like ST:TMP never even happened.

Last edited by PanzerMeyer; 06/16/17 04:55 PM.

“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4364361 - 06/16/17 05:40 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Arthonon]  
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I am not saying that no movies should have sequels, just that not EVERY good movie needs one. Sequels can be good movies, but some originals just tell the right story, and adding to it would simply detract from what the first movie accomplished.

12 Monkeys is another one. I know they made a series based on it that a lot of people liked, but I think it was long enough after the original, and changed enough stuff, that it wasn't really a direct sequel.


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#4364364 - 06/16/17 05:49 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Arthonon]  
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Why men throw their lives away attacking an armed Witcher... I'll never know. Something wrong with my face?
#4364371 - 06/16/17 06:16 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Jayhawk]  
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Originally Posted by Jayhawk
Titanic smile


Two immediate responses come to mind.

First: hahaha

Second: I said *good* movies... :P


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#4364379 - 06/16/17 06:34 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Jayhawk]  
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Originally Posted by Jayhawk
Titanic smile




Needs Zombies.

#4364477 - 06/17/17 02:19 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Arthonon]  
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#4364482 - 06/17/17 02:50 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Arthonon]  
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Agree with Blade Runner, not so sure about Highlander. If we could only delete Highlander 2 and get a new one...

The Accountant, however, begs for one--it is written for one. When us writers create an IP, often we have a sequel of series in mind, and leave hooks in the story or underdeveloped plotlines--sometimes clues or hints or character arcs begging for more. These bits and pieces, if left untended, leave the original story weaker than it could have been if they were fulfilled the first time around, and we know this, but we do this because without them, a proper sequel would not work. This is why many sequels /do/ fail, or are poor--because the original film was /not/ written with a series in mind.

Die Hard was one of my favorite examples for a long time. Alone, the movie is incredible. But mixed with Die Hard 2... ugh. I still don't like Die Hard 2, my memories of that film are so bad I can't will myself to watch it again. They made up for it with Die Hard 3, but the original wasn't written in a way to suggest there ever being a sequel. However, another big series for the day, Lethal Weapon, was slightly staged for a sequel with a fantastic character dynamic that only got better in later films. The bad sequels don't utilize these hooks to canonically fit themselves in the arcs--and sometimes it is impossible, and when that happens, you do something completely different, but it better be awesome; or maybe the source material is so far out there you do something extreme anyways like Wrath of Khan and enjoy how awesome it is.

#4364624 - 06/18/17 02:48 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Arthonon]  
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The man who directed the first Rocky movie just died. I read an interesting little tidbit in his autobiography. He said that when he was handed the original script for Rocky, he loved it. Rocky dies at the end. He wins the fight, but he is so brutally beaten that he is rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Adrian (that was her name, right?) is with him. He doesn't even make it to the hospital. He dies on the way with his head in her lap.
Imagine! No Rocky sequels. What the Hell would Stallone have done for the next ten years?
I don't think audiences would have liked it, though. It defeats the whole uplifting idea about the film that people loved. The little guy who makes it big. Instead, it's about a man who finally realizes his life's dream...and then he dies! Personally, I like the whole bitter sweet idea.


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#4364639 - 06/18/17 05:08 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Arthonon]  
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Highlander - even their catchphrase says it all "There can be only one".
Matrix - thankfully they never created any sequels.

#4364675 - 06/18/17 08:35 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Arthonon]  
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The first Pirates of the Caribbean was great. Fun, exciting and well-made in most respects. The rest of them do not exist in my world.


In all my years I've never seen the like. It has to be more than a hundred sea miles and he brings us up on his tail. That's seamanship, Mr. Pullings. My God, that's seamanship!
#4364734 - 06/19/17 11:10 AM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Pooch]  
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Originally Posted by Pooch

Imagine! No Rocky sequels. What the Hell would Stallone have done for the next ten years?
.



The Rambo movies?


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4364801 - 06/19/17 03:14 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: PanzerMeyer]  
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Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Pooch

Imagine! No Rocky sequels. What the Hell would Stallone have done for the next ten years?
.



The Rambo movies?


Funny you should mention that - "First Blood" was supposed to end with John Rambo dying also.

Do we sense a theme here? biggrin

#4364803 - 06/19/17 03:16 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: semmern]  
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Originally Posted by semmern
The first Pirates of the Caribbean was great. Fun, exciting and well-made in most respects. The rest of them do not exist in my world.

They made more than the first one? biggrin


Ken Cartwright

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#4364810 - 06/19/17 03:32 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Arthonon]  
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"The Last of the Mohicans 2 - Turns Out He Wasn't the Last After All", now playing at a theater near you. smile


Acutally, I always though a neat short film could be made out of "The Last of the Mohicans": 75 seconds of logos, then followed by a 5 minute credits intro with the Last of the Mohicans riding through beatiful Colonial New England, watering his horse by the creek, standing on a hill looking around meaningful (very), continue riding some more. Then after the intro music faded, we cut to him riding down a field. Suddenly, a shot rings out, he holds his belly, blood spurting out between his fingers, he falls from his horse. The End.

biggrin

Last edited by Jayhawk; 06/19/17 03:37 PM.

Why men throw their lives away attacking an armed Witcher... I'll never know. Something wrong with my face?
#4364813 - 06/19/17 03:39 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Jayhawk]  
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Originally Posted by Jayhawk
"The Last of the Mohicans 2 - Turns Out He Wasn't the Last After All", now playing at a theater near you. smile



It's also discovered that the dastardly French general Montcalm started a famous chain of French restaurants in Quebec after his retirement from the army.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4364822 - 06/19/17 04:02 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: PanzerMeyer]  
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Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Originally Posted by Jayhawk
"The Last of the Mohicans 2 - Turns Out He Wasn't the Last After All", now playing at a theater near you. smile



It's also discovered that the dastardly French general Montcalm started a famous chain of French restaurants in Quebec after his retirement from the army.



hahaha


Why men throw their lives away attacking an armed Witcher... I'll never know. Something wrong with my face?
#4364824 - 06/19/17 04:04 PM Re: Good Movies That Shouldn't Have Sequels (Possible Spoilers) [Re: Arthonon]  
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That reminds me of a friend of mine who wanted to get into the UCLA Film Program, and he had to submit a "socially relevant" script as part of his application. He wrote a script about a screenwriter who had written mindless action flicks, and wanted to do something more. As an example of the mindless action flicks this character had written, my friend came up with "The Last Battlefield," and to show typical Hollywood thinking, he added"The Last Battlefield 2." Probably not a surprise that my friend didn't get accepted...


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