19 Sequels That (Almost) Made You Fall Out of Love With the Franchise
Lots of sequels get made that ruin all the goodwill earned by the previous entries. So much so that, sometimes, audiences are left wishing they never bothered. From Bond to Thor, here are 18 movies that made us fall out of love with our favorite franchises.
'Superman III' (1983)
Richard Pryor, plus whatever is happening in this picture, plus even more Richard Pryor equals this -- the movie equivalent of a mouthfart.
'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace' (1986)
As Liz Lemon would say: "Shut it down." Sadly, no one involved in the production said that. To save world peace, Superman must battle insultingly cheap production values and Nuclear Man, a nemesis cloned from one of Superman's hairs and armed with Lee Press-On Nails that shoot sparks.
'Alien 3' (1992)
If someone tells you to set your "Alien" movie on a prison planet full of skinheads and lice, just say no. In all caps.
'Alien: Resurrection' (1997)
WOOF. This slimy newborn was supposed to mark the next evolution in terror for the then-almost two decades old franchise. Instead, it -- along with Ripley's clone -- heralded the end of furthering the adventures of the number one cause of death for the xenomorph. Outside of a decent first act and a very cool underwater sequence, this sequel was DOA.
'Batman & Robin' (1997)
What were they thinking?! Whatever it was, it wasn't anything resembling concern for our collective well-being, as this movie still scars us 20 years since its release. Its over-commitment to shots of the Bat Crotch, too many ice puns, and neon everything hurt the Batman brand so bad, it took eight years for the healing process to start with Christopher Nolan.
'Star Trek: Nemesis' (2003)
Facing stiff competition from Winter 2003 releases like "Return of the King," the last film featuring the TNG cast was a box office dud. It's the first even-numbered "Trek" to get panned, a fate usually suffered by the series' odd-numbered entries. It photon torpedoed the franchise until the 2009 reboot.
'Blade: Trinity' (2004)
The first two "Blade" films are fun, R-rated escapist fare. The third installment, which would pit Blade against Dracula, could have been just as entertaining. Instead, this franchise-killer is considered one of the worst studio releases in recent memory.
'X3' (2006)
If you need an explanation for why this movie made the list, then that most likely means you've never seen it. Lucky!
The 'Pirates' Sequels (2006 - 2011)
Captain Jack won our hearts in his first movie, but the sequels broke them. Bloated and undercooked stories, coupled with a lack of fun, lead to franchise fatigue settling in. And whatever the hell "On Stranger Tides" was (mermaids with seaweed web-shooters?!) didn't help.
'Spider-Man 3' (2007)
Also known as "The EMO Dance Sequence Heard 'Round the World," the movie was so disliked that it lead to one of two reboots in less than a decade. Ouch.
'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' (2008)
Filed under "be careful what you wish for," this long-anticipated sequel took almost 20 years to make and all it did was make fans wish they could un-make it.
'Sex in the City 2' (2008)
Whomever thought it was a good idea to rush this sequel into production -- with a plot that finds the girls running off to be spoiled in a lavish, exotic locale at the peak of the Recession -- is the one to blame for why this franchise is no more. All the Cosmos in the world can't drown our sorrows over this movie.
'Thor: The Dark World' (2013)
Yeah, this movie almost crippled Thor's non-Avengers adventures. It's lame, exposition-spouting villain and personality-less, "going through the motions" story also didn't help. Thankfully, it was saved by an inventive AF third act and, obvi, "Thor: Ragnarok."
'Quantum of Solace' (2008)
If "Casino Royale" was Bond's "Batman Begins," then "Quantum" could have been his "Dark Knight." Instead, it's a rushed, almost soulless affair. The shaky-cam action scenes feel like Bourne's leftovers, and Bond should never copy from a franchise that it had a hand in inspiring. 007's revenge storyline takes a backseat to a supporting character's this time around, with our favorite spy failing to drive the narrative of his own movie -- he's just there to shoot and punch and blow stuff up before moving on to the next scene as if previous ones didn't really matter. More like "Quantum of Disappointment."
'Shrek Forever After' (2010)
Once upon a time, Shrek was a character audiences felt good about liking. They got excited when he had a new movie coming out. Then this happened. The end.
'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012)
Nolan's trilogy capper is both too much and not enough. "TDKR" bends over backwards to make narrative connections to the previous films that violate some core Batman character elements that they established -- with Batman's arc being that he goes from retired to really retired. That's, um, no. If Bruce Wayne absconding with a woman who did nothing to earn "love of his life post-cowl" status -- other than lie and steal from him -- is your idea of a good time, coupled with passing off the suit to a cop who literally can't fit it, then this movie is for you.
'Star Trek Into Darkness' (2013)
You said it, John Harrison. We mean "Khan." The only thing more frustrating than keeping the fan-servicing villain's name a secret is that it has no impact on the characters when it is revealed. And if we were Khan, frozen centuries before the film takes place, only to be thawed out to help Admiral RoboCop build evil starships, our first questions would be "What's a starship? Why ask me to build one when I know nothing about them?!" Once again, Kirk goes from learning what it takes to be a Captain to really learning what it takes -- after lying to save his own ass at the expense of his crews', and throwing a temper tantrum about it when caught. That's not what heroes do, but the movie can't be bothered to care about that. It's too busy tasking the Enterprise to fire exactly 72 photons full of Khan's people at a planet because reasons. This movie sucks.
'Pitch Perfect 2' (2015)
Aca-nope. Sure, it made a lot of money -- but that doesn't mean it's good. Louder and bigger and longer, "Pitch Perfect 2" lacked the laughs and heart of the original film. It turned Fat Amy into an obnoxious dispenser of mean one-liners, and padded its running time with episodic set pieces in between musical moments that failed to come close to the rewatchability factor that made the first film such a hit.
'Spectre' (2015)
The end of "Skyfall" promised a Bond ready to finally become James Bond. One capable of being the gritty assassin born in "Casino Royale" and also the spy we love from the Connery and Moore era. Instead, the Bond of "Spectre" surprisingly, sadly, literally, turns his back on that promise -- saddled with a crisis of conscience never established in the previous Daniel Craig entries. It also features a classic villain that's wasted due to soap opera-level plot twists and bad monologuing. "Spectre" would have you believe that 007 somehow found his way on the path to being a super spy because the father of his adopted brother/future arch-nemesis (Christoph Waltz) liked Bond better. Yep, Franz Oberhauer became the leader of a super terrorist organization because daddy issues. And became Bond's secret adversary for years and years, implausibly sending disparate threats to attack Bond in movie after movie -- with Bond never once realizing he is in the center of the longest long game ever. Say what you will about "QoS," but at least it didn't put a bullet in the heart of all the goodwill earned by previous outings. Let's hope this isn't Craig's last mission. He, and us, deserve better.
