# Movie sequels so bad they make you enjoy the first movie less **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 30, 2006, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819 "2006-04-30T06:46:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/21 "2006-04-30T21:18:17Z")
Here’s a lesser example: _ **Cocoon: The Return** _. The first _Cocoon_ film was light, but quite sweet and I liked it. The second film ruined it. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/22 "2006-04-30T22:52:39Z")
Do you think it’s significant that the Google Ads are pushing HOME DRUG TEST KITS ? 😃 For me, it was Highlander 2. The wierd, mystical beings that drove the first movie are revealed to be exiled space aliens who were fighting for the right to grow old and die. Way to ruin an interesting concept. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/23 "2006-04-30T22:56:53Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > For me, it was Highlander 2. The wierd, mystical beings that drove the first movie are revealed to be exiled space aliens who were fighting for the right to grow old and die. Way to ruin an interesting concept. What on earth are you talking about? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/24 "2006-04-30T23:26:16Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’ll add the Austin Powers sequels. In the first three minutes of the second movie, they kill of Elizabeth Hurley’s character and undo all of the maturing Austin did in the first movie. There were some very funny things in the second movie, but they were offset by an unending stream of shit, dick and fat jokes. And then the third one had three good jokes spread out across 90 minutes. It lessened my enjoyment of the first movie and also my respect for Mike Myers, who suddenly seemed like the world’s biggest one-trick pony. I hadn’t thought of that, but YES, YES, a thousand times YES!!! ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/25 "2006-04-30T23:30:17Z")
Disney’s direct to video sequels for their great animated musicals kind of sucked all the intimacy and allure out of those films: made them seem less like great works and more like the start of the latest franchise of ad naseum repeats. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2006, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/26 "2006-04-30T23:31:59Z")
I’ve seen all four _Highlander_ films, & much of the TV series. The movies are bizarre, in that no two of the four are in continuity with each other. I think it’s even debatable whether _IV_ is in continuity with the TV series. _IV_ is a ridiculous overstuffed mess. I hate _III_, consider it **the** textbook case of bad sequel/fanfic writing. _II_ is just pathetically cheaply done. But I still like the first one. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/27 "2006-05-01T00:22:02Z")
The Halloween sequels after number 2. Halloween - great, Myers tries to kill Strode and only succeeds in wounding her by the end of the movie, the paramedics take her away, so what happens in the sequel? _He follows her to the hospital to finish the job! Perfect!_ After that they just started adding incomprehensible crap about druids and that “thorns” as they tried to explain away Michael’s apparent indestructability. Really ruined Myers as a villain for me. H20 wasn’t bad, largely because of the ending (which they undid in Resurrection, gar!), and the fact that they ignored all the druid nonsense from sequels 3-6. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/28 "2006-05-01T00:59:06Z")
Sort of in the same vein: mention anything about the Star Wars prequels and I will start crying and run to hide under a blanket. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/29 "2006-05-01T01:26:53Z")
More hate here for Star Wars prequels. I only saw Phantom Menance, and that was enough. Nothing I’ve heard from anyone else has made me want to see the rest of the prequels. Even PM was enough to bring my annoyance with things in the original Star Wars movies to new heights. I don’t know what people are talking about with Highlander sequels. No one would be that stupid. What can you do after McCloud gains that power? He’s the one. What? You want to make him an alien or something? How cheesy would that be? I also want to nominate the sequel to Mr. Roberts. I refuse to google for it, but it focuses on Jack Lemmon’s character and it is so painfully lame you forget he stood up to the captain at the end of the first movie. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/30 "2006-05-01T02:40:26Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > More hate here for Star Wars prequels. I only saw Phantom Menance, and that was enough. Nothing I’ve heard from anyone else has made me want to see the rest of the prequels. Even PM was enough to bring my annoyance with things in the original Star Wars movies to new heights. See Revenge of the Sith. It’s great 80% of the time and when it sucks, it’s no where as bad as Phantom Menace. I only cringed one time. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/31 "2006-05-01T02:45:49Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > See Revenge of the Sith. It’s great 80% of the time and when it sucks, it’s no where as bad as Phantom Menace. I only cringed one time. [George Lucas falling to his knees]My… my movie was only good 80% of the time? NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!![/George Lucas falling to his knees] ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/32 "2006-05-01T02:57:34Z")
_Star Trek II_ made me enjoy _Star Trek: TMP_ less, because the sequel was so good that the original’s flaws became _even more obvious!_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/33 "2006-05-01T02:58:01Z")
Yeah, to be fair, Revenge of the Sith wasn’t horrible at all, and could have served as a mediocre-to-good prequel all by itself. Even Return of the Jedi has its fair share of embarrassing parts. Sadly, the first two prequels are so gut-wrenchingly horrendous that the entire Star Wars franchise was tainted as a result. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/34 "2006-05-01T03:15:33Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > _Star Trek II_ made me enjoy _Star Trek: TMP_ less, because the sequel was so good that the original’s flaws became _even more obvious!_ Heh. Not what the OP had in mind, but quite true. The first Trek movie serves primarily as an example of what happens when you try to make a two-hour movie out of a one-hour episode 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/35 "2006-05-01T03:19:55Z")
I only got around to watching the final Matrix film last week, and right now, I’m considering rewriting the two sequels if I fall into unemployment. The first sequel could pretty much stand as is – I’d mostly cut a few scenes, especially the big fight – but the third movie needs drastic work. I agree with **Bryan** though. It’s amazing that they can use _the exact same shots_ in the sequel and make a far, far better film! ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/36 "2006-05-01T04:00:31Z")
In retrospect, what the Star Wars prequel really ruin is Yoda. [spoiler]Yoda’s great plan is to, get this, basically hide and then die in a swamp for NO REASON after attempting ONCE to do ONE THING to try and stop the continued rise and rule of the Sith. Oh yeah, and he’s going to learn to merge with the force, also for no apparent reason other than to pester people with visions and voices after he’s dead. I mean seriously. How can he possibly complain that Luke is “too old” to begin the training in Empire, when it’s basically Yoda that decides what to do with the supertwins that could be the key to defeating the Sith (and he decides… to basically ignore the heck out of them)? I mean, I know that dying alone in a swamp SOUNDS like the best way to defeat the Sith, but wouldn’t training or working with the remaining Jedi as well as the children of the chosen one be a better long term plan? Is this what previous Jedi did when faced with the Sith? Oh, we fought to a draw (and I seemed to have the upper hand until his guards came) once… so I’d better just give up for all time and allow them to control the galaxy. Ho hum. [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![XaMcQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f9ae1b/32.png) [@XaMcQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XaMcQ)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/37 "2006-05-01T04:13:39Z")
Queen of the Damned, which sucked so badly I wanted to scream and throw things at the screen in the theater, which is not like me at all. Now Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise seem like brilliant actors by comparison. You think maybe that’s what they had in mind all along? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/38 "2006-05-01T05:22:22Z")
Don’t even get me started on _The Passion of the Christ 2: Our Risen Lord Kicks Some Roman Ass_, let alone _Back to Casablanca: Weekend at Rick’s_ or even _Citizen Kane 2: Rosebud’s Return_. Better that those movies had never been made at all… ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/39 "2006-05-01T05:58:10Z")
I thought that _Apollo 13_ completely screwed up _Apollos 1-12._ ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2006, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819/40 "2006-05-01T06:10:47Z")
> [@Apos](#): > > In retrospect, what the Star Wars prequel really ruin is Yoda. And you forgot to mention his lightsaber fight, which was such an obvious sop to fanboys that it detracted from the actual scene it was in. I think it’s better to say “In retrospect, included amongst the many things the Star Wars prequels really ruin is Yoda.” Because I felt that despite Ewan McGregor’s actual, real acting - rather unique in the series - they also ruined Obi-Wan by making the entire thing his fault. If he isn’t so rude to Anakin all the time and trains him better, the whole Vader thing doesn’t happen. If he just finished Anakin off on Level 10 - I mean, the lava world - then none of it happens. Having learned how those things “really” went down, I’m left wondering why he didn’t spend all of _Star Wars_ smacking his forehead and saying “man, I’m such a bonehead!” :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movie-sequels-so-bad-they-make-you-enjoy-the-first-movie-less/354819.md?page=3)