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November 11, 2009They Made a Part Two to What? - The Ten Worst Unexpected Sequels of All TimePosted by Turk182 in Lists, FeaturesMost films that end up producing a sequel were more than likely conceived with future installments in mind. Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, even Saw – when the filmmaker wrapped production on part one, they intended to see most of the cast and crew a few months down the line. Much rarer is the sequel that comes completely out of left field, a part two that even the filmmakers never thought would happen when they devised part one. Such must be the case with Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, a follow-up to a massive cult hit that developed such a following on DVD that a sequel was practically demanded by the fans. What other sequels have come up so unexpectedly? How many worked? How many never should have been?
Sadly, the number of unexpected sequels that did nothing more than tarnish the reputation of their predecessor far outweighs the number that worked. Sequels are almost always a step down from the first film but when that first film is an unexpected hit, that's a reaction that's nearly impossible to recreate. You can't surprise an audience a second time. This feature was originally conceived as a "Best and Worst" and the fact is that there aren't enough "Best" to really make a list, but we'll mention a few.
The cream of the crop is undeniably Before Sunset, Richard Linklater's follow-up to Before Sunrise; a film that no one ever expected would produce a part two. Sunset is a lyrical, beautiful film and even more accomplished than the first. After that? It gets kind of slim. If you think The Color of Moneycounts as a sequel to The Hustler, then it would certainly make a best list and there are a few comedies (Clerks II, Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay, Wayne’s World 2, Addams Family Values) and over-the-top horror films (The Fly II, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2) that I never thought would happen and wasn't too disappointed when they did, although most of those films fall short of the original. The fact is that a large majority of these unexpected sequels fell flat as the filmmakers took the elements that worked about film one and simply tried to exploit them for further financial gain. In nearly all cases, audiences saw through the ruse and these films bombed massively at the box office. In fact, most of these unexpected sequels were the last film in these unexpected franchises. Hopefully, Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, expanding this Friday, November 13th, 2009, is better than all ten.
(Note: Straight-to-DVD sequels must be disqualified simply because there are too many to count and no one wants to read about Air Bud: Golden Receiver or Open Water 2: Adrift and my hatred for S. Darko would take up too much space.)
(Note, Part II: We're sticking with "chapter twos" just for the sake of sampling size. No one expected or wanted Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles but we'll save that for another time.)
10. The Odd Couple II (1998)
Original Gross: $45 million (in 1968!)Sequel Gross: $19 million
A lot of unexpected sequels are follow-ups to comedies that developed huge followings and filmmakers assumed that what was funny the first time would be funny again. Of course, as anyone who sat through Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde; Analyze That; or Arthur 2: On the Rocks will tell you that's very wrong. Such is the case with The Odd Couple II, a film that I can't imagine anyone on the face of the planet thinks is more accomplished than the beloved original. When a film works as perfectly and completely as The Odd Couple, it almost seems greedy to try and replicate it and it's hard to laugh when you feel like you're being ripped off. The reason that this stinker couldn't even cross $20 million is that audiences could see through the attempt to capitalize on both the success of Grumpy Old Men and the classic comedy. Comedy of behavior like the oil-and-water mix of Felix and Oscar must come from the keen observation of human interaction and not the desire of a producer to buy a bigger house.
9. The Sting 2 (1983)
Original Gross: $156 millionSequel Gross: $6 million
If we were doing a feature on the largest drop-off in cultural significance, popularity, and overall quality from first film to second, The Sting 2 would probably rank even higher. This is an awful, awful movie, another obvious attempt to capitalize on a film by doing as little as possible to play off the good feelings for the original. The Sting 2 is utter nonsense, a low point in the career of the very talented Jackie Gleason, who sort-of stepped into the role played by Paul Newman in the original. (Hint to actors: If a potential film ever includes the promise of stepping into a role played by Paul Newman, turn it down.) But automatically being in the shadow of the beloved original wasn't the only problem with The Sting 2, it was that the filmmakers almost seemed aware that they could never match the first film and so they barely even tried. There's not one scene in The Sting 2 that works and, like The Odd Couple II, it's better for fans of The Sting to just forget that the follow-up even exists.
8. The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999)
Original Gross: $34 million (in 1976)Sequel Gross: $18 million
The Rage: Carrie 2 is less of an unexpected sequel and more of a gross misuse of a film's name to try and turn a profit. (See also Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and an amazing number of straight-to-DVD franchises like the From Dusk Till Dawn and the American Pie Presents films.) What's so wrong about The Rage is how clearly the film has nothing to do with Carrie. Does every movie with an angry teen protagonist with a supernatural disposition qualify as a Carrie sequel? Could they have re-branded Jennifer’s Body as “Jennifer's Body: Carrie 3”? (Actually, based on the reception to that film, it might not have been a bad idea.) As you might imagine after watching it, The Rage was written as a stand-alone film that only became loosely connected to Carrie during production, at which point Amy Irving was brought in to make the tenuous connection bearable for investors. So, if you have a script sitting around that is thematically similar to a classic horror film and can get the phone number of a supporting actor or actress from said film, you may have written an unexpected sequel and didn't even know it.
7. Psycho II (1983)
Original Gross: $32 million (in 1960)Sequel Gross: $35 million
This one's a little different. A sequel to one of the most influential films of all time was not that unexpected. In fact, Alfred Hitchcock was reportedly interested in making one himself before he died and Robert Bloch, who wrote the books, penned a second chapter in the life of Norman Bates (although that story has nothing to do with this one). But here's why it qualifies – when one of the best directors of all time passes away before making a sequel to one of his best films, it should be expectedly shelved. Instead, MGM pushed forward with Psycho II (and more increasingly awful sequels), somewhat tarnishing the aura of the original. I can remember being a young man and first becoming interested in more adult films like Psycho. And then discovering why a sequel isn't always a good idea, especially when it's to one of the best movies ever made. What's worse about Psycho II is how clearly it tries to set up a slasher franchise, playing off the trend of the day and turning Norman into just a closer relative to Jason Voorhees than he should be. Psycho II is proof that filmmakers can continue the story with a sequel and still not come close to recreating the mood of the original.
6. City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994)
Original Gross: $124 million Sequel Gross: $44 million
Is there a rule that every Oscar-winning film must at least be considered for a sequel? Do you think that the abysmal City Slickers II would have happened if Jack Palance hadn't found fame again after winning an Oscar for the original and giving the best speech to incorporate working out in the history of awards shows? There seems to be a cabal of producers sitting around trying to figure out how to make money off sequels to Oscar winners and they were clearly responsible for this turkey, a comedy from the director of Leonard Part 6 and Made of Honor that took whatever goodwill was leftover from the decent original film and buried it along with the careers of Daniel Stern and Jon Lovitz. Even Billy Crystal, who had delivered When Harry Met Sally..., City Slickers, and Mr. Saturday Night before this mess would move on to crap like Forget Paris, Father's Day, and My Giant shortly thereafter. It's as if the "legend" of City Slickers II wasn't so much Curly's Gold but a curse on the people who tried to use an Oscar win by a movie icon as a lame excuse for an unexpected sequel.
5. Caddyshack II (1988)
Original Gross: $40 million (in 1980)Sequel Gross: $12 million
Why is Caddyshack II the worst comedy sequel of all time? Because Caddyshack is still such a part of the comedy landscape, quoted regularly and pushed to the front of the Best Buy circular every Father's Day and Christmas, and I'm constantly reminded of the horrendous follow-up. Fletch Lives is nearly as bad, arguably worse, but that film wasn't "unexpected," considering the first was based on a series of books. It was just awful. Caddyshack II was both awful and a cinematic sucker punch, a movie that took so many of the elements that worked about the first movie and distorted them. And, worst of all, it sucked Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd down in the cinematic swirlie. Where do we start – neutered to PG from hard R, replacing Rodney Dangerfield with Jackie Mason, Robert Stack instead of Ted Knight, the gopher talking! It's not so much what doesn't work about Caddyshack II as the fact that there's not a single thing that does.
4. Basic Instinct 2 (2006)
Original Gross: $118 millionSequel Gross: $6 million
Speaking of overall bad movies, sequel or not, Basic Instinct 2 is only enjoyable as a laugh-out-loud, MST3K-esque experience. Get some friends together and razz the film Showgirls-style or don't even bother because to take this train wreck seriously is to get a headache trying. When a film spends as long in development hell as Basic Instinct 2, perhaps you should just let it burn. Rarely has a film been more out-of-touch with its audience and more trying to force feed viewers a meal that they didn't order. No one was wondering what Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone) had been up to for the last decade-and-a-half. Here's a suggestion for potential sequel producers, go somewhere "average," like the mall or a Costco, and ask the first ten people you see if they would buy a ticket to your proposed sequel. Not one would have said yes to Basic Instinct 2. In fact, most would have laughed out loud.
Original Gross: $141 millionSequel Gross: $26 million
Arguably the most "unexpected" sequel of all time and easily one of the worst. Oren Peli, if you're reading, please don't take the massive, Blair Witch-esque success that you've had with Paranormal Activity and fall into the temptation to make a quickie sequel. I can guarantee you that someone has suggested it already with the amount of cash Paranormal Activity has brought in but you should look at Book of Shadows as a cautionary tale of what can happen to a beloved horror film when an unexpected sequel follows in its shadow. There are a lot of bad movies that fall apart at some point during production, either through bad acting, direction, or editing, but a truly bad unexpected sequel is usually junk from conception. Such is the case with Book of Shadows, a movie that never should have been green-lit and did nothing to answer the numerous questions that fans of the original had at the controversial end of The Blair Witch Project. The only question after Book of Shadows was why it ever existed in the first place.
2. Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
Original Gross: $85 millionSequel Gross: Unknown (Perhaps it made absolutely nothing?)
Imagine if James Cameron made "Beyond Titanic" and you'll realize the level of ridiculousness of the least successful action extravaganza of Irwin Allen's career. Why not "2013"? "Deeper Impact"? "Armageddon-er"? You get the idea. Allen reportedly originally considered a relatively credible story in which the survivors of The Poseidon Adventure would be forced together on a train after the Poseidon incident and find themselves stuck in a tunnel collapse, recreating the mood of the original without ridiculously throwing them into water again. Sadly, they went with ridiculous. Beyond the Poseidon Adventure picks up immediately after the original with a tug-boat captain (Michael Caine, no stranger to awful sequels as he would go on to star in arguably the worst of all time, Jaws: The Revenge) boarding the wreckage to rescue the survivors. Nothing about the film works but it's the fact that it even exists that places it so high on the list. What's next? "The Day After the Day After Tomorrow"?
1. Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)
Original Gross: $6 million (a lot more on home video)Sequel Gross: $16 million
I've never been able to jump on-board the cult of Connor MacLeod not because I have any significant problems with the original Highlander but because I've seen the horrendous sequels, none worse, more superfluous, or generally unnecessary than Highlander II: The Quickening. It almost feels like The Quickening is a cruel joke on fans of the original, which was, by now, a massive cult hit on home video. You know what you like about Highlander? We're totally going to screw that up. How? Well, we're going to bring back a dead character, turn the immortals into aliens, remove all character motivation, and write a completely incomprehensible screenplay. The film is so bad that director Russell Mulcahy reportedly walked out of the world premiere after 15 minutes and Christopher Lambert threatened to leave the set. Roger Ebert said it best when he called the film "a movie almost awesome in its badness." But even that doesn't completely earn the film the number one spot. No, what sets The Quickening apart is that even fans of the canon have completely discarded it, ignoring it for the television series and third film. It's not just unexpected or unnecessary. It's forgotten. Not all films are immortal.
Posted by Turk182 in Lists, Features - November 11, 2009 at 9:11 AM
mishasilv at Dec 04 2009 21:15:47Further to the Poseidon sequel post: underscoring just how ridiculous -- and tasteless, IMO -- this film is, Michael Caine's character initially goes into the ship not to rescue anyone but to loot the overturned oceanliner and claim salvage rights (!) -- this for a ship whose fires were still burning hot and whose Film 1 survivors had been whisked away via helicopter just minutes prior. An absolutely unbelievable premise that makes this film a non-starter. Add in Sally Field's character's implausible comic relief and you wonder why the producers didn't just add a laugh track while they were at it making this horrible, horrible film. Without question The Worst Movie I've Ever Seeon.
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