# What is the WORST immediate sequel to a great film? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [May 11, 2025, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246 "2025-05-11T07:15:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/101 "2025-05-12T16:24:53Z")
“The Planet Of The Apes” was great? The plants were earthly, the animals were earthly, the technology was earthly, they spoke English etc. There was no attempt whatsoever to even slightly imply that it wasn’t Earth. That shot of the Statue of Liberty in the end was just (unneeded) confirmation of what everyone with an I.Q. approaching normal should have already known. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/102 "2025-05-12T16:31:03Z")
Yeah, totally weird that the movie filmed on earth for english speaking audiences would have earth plants and english speaking. Some people like watching movies, not trying to earn gold stars to show how much of a special boy they are. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/103 "2025-05-12T16:35:46Z")
It is called “special effects”, something used by almost everyone else in the industry, and just a couple of them to hint that there is something, _anything_, possibly “unearthly” would have helped. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/104 "2025-05-12T16:42:15Z")
Don’t know about worst, but **Back to the Future II** is a serious letdown from the original. The first movie is fun. The second is just dark and violent. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/105 "2025-05-12T16:59:39Z")
Moderating: > [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Some people like watching movies, not trying to earn gold stars to show how much of a special boy they are. Hey, this is Cafe society, not the pit. Please attack the post, not the poster. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/106 "2025-05-12T17:00:19Z")
I think that both the _Matrix_ and _Highlander_ sequels suffered because they expounded on the mysterious aspects of their respective universes. And it turned out that the mysteries were profoundly stupid. I’m coming to the conclusion that if you are writing a sci-fi/fantasy universe with a lot of mystery or an antagonist who’s mysterious and unstoppable, _leave them that way_. Don’t let the readers/viewers know what’s going on or let the heroes get the upper hand until the final victory. The mystery is usually a big part of what makes the bad guys scary. ---
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/107 "2025-05-12T17:01:51Z")
I am with you on the Matrix. Tired old brain in a vat scifi trope, with low effort, stupidly implausible back gound narrative, and morally ambiguous heroes killing everyone in sight. All without a shred of irony. Not that it was meant to be anything more than a live action hyper violent scifi anime. What it did do was introduce a new type of action sequence that were way over the top of anything before using recent capabilities. To me the main failing of the sequels was that it had already been done.I struggled to see how they were much worse than the original. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/108 "2025-05-12T17:03:23Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I think that both the _Matrix_ and _Highlander_ sequels suffered because they expounded on the mysterious aspects of their respective universes. > > And it turned out that the mysteries were profoundly stupid. Ah, yes, the “Midichlorian Effect”… ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/109 "2025-05-12T17:05:42Z")
You may not consider it "Great, but the original **Flesh Gordon** had a lot going for it. The acting wasn’t great, but some Hollywood special effects people generated some high quality effects (along with some some not-so-high quality) and the spoofing was pretty well done. They talked about a sequel for a long time, and the production sketches for the sequel looked pretty good. But the reality was a letdown. It was annoying that they went for scatological jokes (probably an easier sell for an “R” rating than the original “X”), but it was overall disappointing, and even when they tried to create the pre-production sketches, it just didn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/110 "2025-05-12T17:09:08Z")
The greatest part of that movie was the incredible DVD commentary by the makers of that film. They should make a movie about the making of that movie. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/111 "2025-05-12T17:17:48Z")
The worst part of _Flesh Gordon 2_ was its tendency to take a joke that was hilarious for 5 seconds, and try to stretch it out to 5 minutes. Sort of the opposite of a Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker film. Made me want to throw a brick at my TV set. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/112 "2025-05-12T17:18:40Z")
Speaking of Jean Claude Van Damme— both **Universal Soldier** and **Timecop** were cult classics and had underwhelming sequels. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/113 "2025-05-12T17:22:59Z")
The former sequel was a made-for-tv movie, the latter sequel was direct-to-video, and both were totally recast. ---
**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 12, 2025, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/114 "2025-05-12T17:29:33Z")
City Slickers 2 was pretty quick and that first movie was pretty great. Lame, lazy, sequel. ---
**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 12, 2025, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/115 "2025-05-12T17:30:56Z")
Wonder Woman 1984 also deserves a mention. Wonder Woman is a really fun movie. I can NOT believe the sequel was so terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/116 "2025-05-12T17:44:53Z")
Sure, the criteria of ‘great’ is a bit fuzzy but “Highlander 2” is just so bad that the fact they even made a second film must mean the first could not have been that bad. Even great, at least by comparison. But it is an object lesson to pencil pushers that film editing isn’t something you can just do after the fact to try to save some money once the actual professionals have disavowed the movie and are threatened with legal action if they badmouth it. Also, filming on location in a country so badly run it is about to go through hyperinflation in an attempt by producers to save money is not the greatest idea. > **[What went wrong with Highlander II: The Quickening?](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/what-went-wrong-with-highlander-ii-the-quickening/)** > > Christopher Lambert didn't like it. Director Russell Mulcahy doesn't like it. Audiences didn't like it. But is Highlander II that bad? ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/117 "2025-05-12T17:46:52Z")
> [@TheTyrant](#): > > I think there was a significant dropoff between Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park… but frankly I’m not sure if Jurassic Park was legitimately _great_ or if we were just dazzled by things we’d never seen before. Yes, I think this is definitely worthy of consideration for the thread. While my appreciation for the original _Jurassic Park_ has waned a bit over time, in it’s heyday it was an absolute BLOCKBUSTER and everyone loved it. _The Lost World_ was a HUGE letdown and a really bad movie. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Wonder Woman 1984 also deserves a mention. Wonder Woman is a really fun movie. I can NOT believe the sequel was so terrible. 100% concur. Probably the most disappointing sequel I’ve seen in the last decade. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/118 "2025-05-12T17:49:31Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > Yes, I think this is definitely worthy of consideration for the thread. While my appreciation for the original _Jurassic Park_ has waned a bit over time, in it’s heyday it was an absolute BLOCKBUSTER and everyone loved it. _The Lost World_ was a HUGE letdown and a really bad movie. Having seen them again recently, yeah, maybe by modern standards the bloom is perhaps a bit off the rose? But that sequence with the T-Rex in the rain is still phenomenal. _The Lost World_ on the other hand was a let down from the beginning. I remember saying at the time it was a cut rate Godzilla movie set in San Diego. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/119 "2025-05-12T17:54:30Z")
I found **Herbie Rides Again** a profoundly underwhelming follow-up to **The Love Bug**. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246/120 "2025-05-12T18:59:25Z")
Home Alone 2. They just Xeroxed the script for the first movie and added a sickeningly glurgy subplot about a kindly old man who owns a huge toystore in Manhattan. (Suspension of disbelief goes kaboom.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-worst-immediate-sequel-to-a-great-film/1018246.md?page=7)