A good sequel in Hollywood is a rarity. It’s not often that you can capture the magic of the first movie with enough innovation or new content to make a sequel worthwhile. Of course, there are plenty of great sequels out there: The Godfather Part II, Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, Terminator 2, but these are the exception, not the norm. Sometimes, a poor sequel has made the original movie less beloved or iconic than it should be. We often view these movies as full-blown franchises rather than judging them on their own merits. As a result, these great movies have, sadly, become lost in the shuffle.
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Now, every action movie doesn’t have to be mindless fun. The best action movies are the ones that are clever and sharp. That’s what we had with 2012’s Kingsman, and it came with plenty of style and one of the best action sequences in movie history. It was also accompanied by a bunch of sequels that failed to live up to the original. Oh well.
The Hangover
If there were a poster child of a movie for quitting while you’re ahead, it would be The Hangover. Like Ice Age, you can only take the jokes and premise so far before. Both sequels are like watching the interior version of a movie we already know by heart. I still can’t believe they made this into a trilogy.
Ice Age
2002’s Ice Age is what happens when you try to capture lightning in a bottle more than once. Sure, it works with Shrek, but as I said in the opening, that’s the exception, not the norm. Plus, there were plenty of ways to take a Shrek sequel. The premise of Ice Age really only works one time. Follow us on MSN for more content you love.
Monsters, Inc.
Even Pixar isn’t immune to this problem. Monsters, Inc. feels like an afterthought in Pixar’s library compared to Toy Story and The Incredibles. In reality, the original Monsters, Inc. is just as fantastic as every other original Pixar film. However, unlike Toy Story and The Incredibles, it was met with an average-at-best sequel.
The Santa Clause
One of the best Christmas movies of all time, The Santa Clause has the right balance between holiday spirit and clever Tim Allen comedy. Are some of the jokes a little dated today? Perhaps, but that’s what makes it so refreshing: it’s an excellent ’90s film. Its success led to several sequels and a spin-off Disney+ series. As much as I enjoy The Santa Clause 2, it’s nowhere near as good as the original, so the Christmas classic plays second fiddle to other holiday movies. Not in our house, though.
Transformers
Michael Bay’s big-screen adaptation of the popular toys and animated series was a perfect mid-2000s summer hit. It was fun, action-packed, and the visuals still hold today. With its success, however, came a franchise that would run itself into the ground. As a result, the original Transformers movie unfortunately gets lost in the shuffle, even as we get nostalgic for the 2000s era of entertainment.
Police Academy
The success of 2025’s Naked Gun reboot has me hopeful that we’ll see more love and recognition for forgotten 1980s comedies such as Police Academy. Due to the breakout success of the original 1984 film, the franchise has a whopping seven movies, none of which have ever come close to the magic of the original.
Men in Black
On the surface, Men in Black looks like your typical fun summer blockbuster comedy with Will Smith. In reality, it’s one of the smartest comedies of all time. The sequels didn’t get the memo, though. They’re uninspiring, unimaginative, and lack any soul. To make matters worse, they made a fourth MIB movie without the main cast.
The Ring
There was a boom in horror films in the ’90s and early 2000s, and one popular subgenre was remakes of Japanese horror films. Most of them failed to live up to the legacy, but one that did was 2002’s The Ring. Over time, though, its impact felt watered down after saturation from unnecessary sequels.
Paranormal Activity
Paramount Pictures
Speaking of unnecessary sequels, did we really need an entire franchise based on Paranormal Activity? I get it: these movies don’t have large budgets and were extremely profitable. However, because of the onslaught of sequels we’ve gotten, the impact of the first movie has been lost over time. Follow us on MSN for more content you love. Read More From Us:
