These sequels suck. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the cinematic follow-ups that failed to reach the high bar of their predecessor.
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00:00Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the cinematic follow-ups that failed to reach the high bar of their predecessor.
00:11Right now, I don't want you to, like, do that. Don't!
00:16Number 10, Joker Folie a Deux.
00:18Say what you will, but Folie a Deux is a bold sequel.
00:22Unfortunately, bold doesn't always mean good, and it most certainly doesn't mean successful.
00:28Two years ago, the name Arthur Fleck hit Gotham like a hurricane.
00:32The trial of the century.
00:34They believe Arthur Fleck to be some kind of martyr.
00:40Well, he's not.
00:40Going in, you would have thought this movie was too big to fail.
00:44The original Joker earned gold at the Oscars and the box office,
00:47and adding Lady Gaga as a version of Harley Quinn was a stroke of casting genius.
00:52You should see it out there. They're all going crazy for you.
00:59You did it.
01:00But somehow, the same creative team turned in a misguided musical that disavows the very fanbase the original built.
01:08No one was left happy.
01:09Not critics, not audiences, and definitely not distributor Warner Brothers,
01:14who were forced to weather a catastrophic end to what was once one of their most promising properties.
01:19I got the sweetest suspicion that we're not giving the people what they want.
01:23It's okay, baby.
01:26Let's give the people what they want.
01:31Le Chiffre and Dominic Green have nothing on James Bond's greatest enemy of all, production problems.
01:37You don't have to worry about me.
01:39I'm not gonna go chasing him. He's not important.
01:44And neither was she.
01:46The franchise had just seemed like it was back on track, too.
01:49Casino Royale bet it all on Daniel Craig with dazzling results,
01:53so a sequel should have been easy money.
01:55But then came the 2007 writer's strike.
01:58That wasn't very nice.
02:00Up against a stringent studio deadline,
02:02Quantum of Solace began filming without a finished script.
02:05And boy, can you tell.
02:07Tall, dark, and handsome became muddled, overlong, and forgettable.
02:11A committed cast saves Quantum of Solace from being a complete dud,
02:15but you can find a better Bond fix most anywhere else.
02:18Not a bad idea.
02:21Independence Day resurgence.
02:23Exactly 20 years after their last attack on Earth,
02:26aliens returned for another round of sci-fi carnage in 2016.
02:31It started a couple of hours ago.
02:34Look how their behavior changed.
02:39After 20 years of being catatonic.
02:41Sadly, audiences did not follow.
02:43To start, Will Smith's absence leaves a gaping Stephen Hiller-sized hole in the film.
02:48And nothing Liam Hemsworth does can fill it.
02:51So like any blockbuster, Independence Day instead
02:54stuffed its runtime with a whole lot of CGI explosions.
03:10But while the New Age special effects are a marvel to behold,
03:14they simply can't overcome Resurgence's thin story and thinner characters.
03:18After two whole decades waiting for a proper continuation,
03:22it's safe to say fans expected a bit more than this.
03:25You all have to pick up the pieces once it's over.
03:30This is my part.
03:342017's Wonder Woman is often regarded as one of,
03:38if not the only bright spot in Warner Brothers' haphazard DC Extended Universe.
03:43We can't save everyone in this war.
03:46This is not what we came here to do.
03:48If you're wondering why its sequel isn't part of the list,
03:51that's because it falls into the familiar trap of assuming bigger is better.
03:56I'm sorry.
03:57I messed up.
03:59I messed up, I lied.
04:01There are more characters and more plot,
04:03but not enough time for any of it to connect like it did the first time around.
04:07Rather, the film comes off as rushed, unpolished, and at worst, just plain boring.
04:12No matter how awesome Diana looks in that golden armor,
04:151984 was not a year of her life worth visiting.
04:28If you think good sequels are hard to come by,
04:31good trilogies are even harder.
04:33You hate me.
04:35You hate me.
04:36No, I don't hate you.
04:39I dread you.
04:45I did what I could, Kay.
04:47And despite Francis Ford Coppola's best efforts,
04:50The Godfather Part III does not buck that trend.
04:53The story suffers from a major sense of been there, done that,
04:56and the casting of Coppola's own daughter Sophia did not help matters either.
05:00What is this really for?
05:03Why are you doing this?
05:05Why am I doing this?
05:07But that's not to say The Godfather Part III is unwatchable by any means.
05:11While far from perfect, the film still has seven Oscar nominations to its name.
05:16In a way, that just speaks to how incredible the franchise's foundation is.
05:20When your baseline is that good, a step down is still solid entertainment.
05:25It was God's will.
05:29It was a terrible accident.
05:32But it's finished.
05:38After learning that The Last Crusade wasn't so final after all,
05:41fans around the world gathered to see Indy back on the horse for another big screen adventure.
05:46You're a hard man to read, Dr. Jones.
05:49Ouch.
05:50Unfortunately, it wasn't quite worth the wait.
05:53Crystal Skull wisely leans on Harrison Ford's magnetic work in the role.
05:57But since most of his screen time is shared with his newly introduced son, Mutt,
06:02even that gets old fast.
06:04Maybe I will teach. You got a problem with that?
06:06No. Not if that's what you love doing.
06:09Don't let anybody tell you you're different.
06:11It feels like the studio wanted to shoehorn in as many spin-off possibilities as they could.
06:16And yet the only takeaway here is that fridges can somehow withstand nuclear explosions.
06:22Crystal Skull is good for a few action scenes,
06:24but otherwise, Indiana's original adventures still reign supreme.
06:29I think I understand, Docs.
06:32Star Wars Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker
06:35How does a franchise go from record-breaking grosses to the laughingstock of its fandom?
06:40Well, just watch The Rise of Skywalker.
06:43Most of its issues can be summed up by one egregious line in the film.
06:47Somehow Palpatine returns.
06:49The hand-waved resurrection of one of Star Wars' most legendary villains,
06:53who already had a legendary death too,
06:55soured even the most diehard of fans.
06:57I have died before.
07:01The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.
07:13And don't even get us started on Rey's surprise lineage.
07:16Add to that all the dropped storylines and unsatisfying reveals,
07:20and fans were left with the distinct impression that this trilogy was made up as it went along.
07:25I am all that's left.
07:31And I...
07:38I'm all the Jedi.
07:39Number 3 – Alien 3
07:41Within 20 minutes, this threequel doesn't just jettison its own story,
07:46it actively tarnishes the two films that came before it.
07:49An e-beast come down.
07:53Get down to the beach, there may be others.
07:56Now!
07:57While Ripley was undoubtedly the star of Aliens,
08:00that movie doesn't work without Newt and Hicks.
08:02But did Alien 3 care?
08:04Nope.
08:05Newt and Hicks die offscreen in the film's opening act,
08:08and the franchise's heart goes with them.
08:11What's the matter?
08:12Where is she?
08:13In the morgue.
08:15I have to see her.
08:18I have to see what's left of her.
08:20By prioritizing more xenomorph scares above consistent characters or story integrity,
08:25Alien 3 lost the special touch that makes the original film's classics to this day.
08:30Yes, we all love Ripley, but this movie forgot that a captain is nothing without her crew.
08:36Sounds good to me.
08:37Number 2 – Son of the Mask
08:39On paper, seeing Jim Carrey don the green face paint again doesn't sound like a bad idea.
08:44But that's not what happened.
08:46At all.
08:47Don't you just love Halloween?
08:53Trick or treat?
08:54Jim Carrey didn't return.
08:56Which makes you wonder,
08:57who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to make a sequel to The Mask without the actor who originally wore it?
09:07Jim Carrey's eclectic performance practically defined the slapstick humor in the first one.
09:11So doing any kind of follow-up without his involvement just feels wrong,
09:15especially considering poor Jamie Kennedy was brought in to exclusively do bad impressions and questionable dance moves.
09:22The Mask deserved much, much better.
09:29Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
09:32The Matrix Revolutions
09:34Three movies in, Neo's slow-mo moves had some really diminishing returns.
09:40I know it does. I've seen it.
09:43That's why the rest of me is just gonna enjoy the show.
09:47Because we already know that I'm the one that beats you.
09:51Hannibal
09:52Following up The Silence of the Lambs, we expected better.
09:55Is this Clarice?
09:58Well, hello Clarice.
10:01I'm afraid I have bad news for you.
10:03Dumb and Dumber 2
10:04Fart jokes and bad puns aren't as funny the second time around.
10:08Look Harry, he's hooked on crack.
10:13For the love of God, have mercy!
10:15Space Jam A New Legacy
10:17LeBron James doesn't add to Space Jam's legacy. He kills it.
10:21Can't touch this.
10:23What the? Really?
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10:41Number 1
10:42Speed 2 Cruise Control
10:44In 1994, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves teamed up to save a passenger bus rigged to blow if it fell below 50 miles per hour.
10:52We have a slight situation on the bus here.
10:54Ma'am, if you'll please sit down.
10:56No, I won't sit down. You're scaring the shit out of these people.
10:58Ma'am, please!
10:59He was tense, propulsive and made a killing at the box office.
11:03So in order to replicate those thrills, Speed 2 switched venues to a cruise ship?
11:08I was gonna surprise you tonight, but...
11:14It's a cruise.
11:17This is so unfair.
11:19Yeah, even though it's literally in the name, this maligned follow-up somehow took all the speed out of speed.
11:24As unimaginative as its title, Speed 2 is a boring retread that tries and epically fails to capture the electric thrill of the original.
11:32We cannot stop the ship.
11:35I'm gonna slow it down.
11:36Disappointing is too light a word for it. Embarrassing is much more accurate.
11:41What's the worst sequel you've ever seen in a theater? Let us know about your buyer's remorse in the comments below.
11:48Wait! This is a waste of time.
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