It’s widely known by now that the trio of perfect sequels in cinema are “The Godfather Part II,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”
If you’re lucky, your favorite movie’s sequel doesn’t end up as abysmal as “Grease 2,” “Stayin’ Alive” or “Caddyshack 2.”
And in a rare occurrence, a sequel can be inferior to its original but still maintain cult status in the franchise’s fan base (i.e. “Evil Dead 2,” “Back to the Future Part II,” or “Ghostbusters 2.”
In 2014, audiences have a glut of sequels to choose from: “300: Rise of an Empire,” “Rio 2,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” “22 Jump Street,” “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Horrible Bosses 2,” “Dumb and Dumber To,” and “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.”
Which of these sequels have been, or are going to be, just as successful as the first ones? What are the tricks to making the sequel worth the effort?
Only two weeks into its release, and “22 Jump Street” is proving to be just as funny and popular as its predecessor, “21 Jump Street,” with audiences and critics loving them equally.
Like its original, “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” on the other hand, was another hit but suffered at the box-office in comparison.
“Captain America” actually was better in quality as a sequel and was one of the instances in which a new crew aided the movie.
“300: Rise,” “Rio 2” and “Spider-Man 2,” meanwhile, perpetuate the pattern of good first film, inferior sequel.
It’s too close to call how well “Horrible Bosses 2,” “Dumb and Dumber To” and “Sin City: Dame” will do, as moviegoers are a bit hesitant to become excited for the latter two.
Despite so much potential to make another good film, so much seems to fail regularly. If the characters are loved, what makes it all go wrong? Oftentimes it’s a half-baked script that’s too rushed and not given enough time because of fear the fans will lose interest if the movie isn’t released soon enough.
Or, in the case of “Dumb and Dumber” and “Sin City,” there is too much time in between the first and second movies, so the fan base has moved on to other franchises/movies. The original “Sin City” now is 9 years old, and “Dumb and Dumber” currently is in its 20th anniversary.
Most viewers would even go so far as to say that favorites don’t even need a rewrite because classics are good enough to be watched repeatedly.
Only time will tell how much this year’s sequels will fail or profit, but one thing we can predict is that audiences will be there opening weekend to form their own opinions.
mbianco@durangoherald.com. Megan Bianco is a movie reviewer and contributes other entertainment related features and articles.
