This post first appeared on my former blog Nov 17, 2010.
I’m curious to know—do you look for sequels?
I remember as a kid, sequels were a rare and special thing. With classic movies, you might have a sequel featuring specific characters (The Thin Man’s Nick and Nora Charles come to mind), but more often than not, Hollywood would identify chemistry between two performers and just cast them in different story lines and let them work their magic. Tracey and Hepburn. Astaire and Rogers.
Then in the 70s, I remember seeing a phenomenon I hadn’t noticed before (mind you, I was still under 18, so I may have missed out): movies such as Jaws 2, Rocky 2, Grease 2. At least with Rocky, Sylvester Stallone returned in the title roll, but in the sequels to Jaws and Grease, the original actors were noticeably absent.
Which made me wonder, was Hollywood merely trying to cash in on the success of the original film by creating a sequel that featured the operative words in the title but had little to do with the original blockbuster?
We see the same thing in books. Margaret Mitchell’s epic Gone With the Wind spawned the sequel Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley. It’s argued that Mitchell had no plans to give Scarlett and Rhett a clearly defined happy-ever-after, but the publisher clearly saw an opportunity.
Nowadays, I think we take sequels for granted. Everything from Halloween XYZ (I’ve no idea what number they’re up to these days) to Home Alone 2. Plus, stories have expanded into epics that really do take multiple volumes or films. Go ahead, you can name the biggies: Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Matrix.
But these new epics at least are plotted and include character arcs that carry through the whole series of films. To get a better understanding of the difference between series and sequels, check out Misty Evans’ blog last month at Magical Musings.
With apologies—truly, I rarely go out on a limb and say I don’t like something (I generally just remain silent)—I have to confess that I thought the Bridge Jones sequel was a waste. The Edge of Reason seemed—to me—to negate all the character development from the first film and rewind three people back to their, shall we say, less informed ways.
So, what draws you to a sequel? The title? The same characters with unfinished business? Star names? Do you think sequels are overdone?