Sequels can be great. One of the greatest movies of all time, The Godfather Part II, is a sequel. Marvel has built a universe on great sequels. Often though, sequels are a huge mistake. While we don't judge the legacy of a film by its sequels, sometimes we really wish those sequels had never been made.
Caddyshack II
The king of all bad sequel ideas has to be Caddyshack II. There is little redeeming this hacky, half-hearted attempt to follow up one of the funniest, most quotable, and most revered comedies of all time. Virtually none of the original cast returned (smart move), save for Chevy Chase, who is clearly here to cash a large check and shows up in just a couple of scenes. Dan Aykroyd's voice is...bizarre.
Speed 2: Cruise Control
1994's Speed was the surprise hit of the summer and it turned its two stars, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves, into superstars. It's only natural that the studio would dip back into that well. What they came up with, though, Speed 2: Cruise Control, was as bad as the title.
Return To The Blue Lagoon
The original The Blue Lagoon was one of the most critically panned movies of 1980, but it was a huge hit with audiences. 1991's Return To The Blue Lagoon was even more hated by critics, and, unlike the first film, audiences hated it too, as it bombed at the box office. At least the first one has a little charm.
Staying Alive
The 1970s are almost completely defined by Saturday Night Fever. The soundtrack alone is one of the biggest cultural touchstones of all time. Then there is Staying Alive, the sequel released in the early '80s. Instead of the Bee Gees, audiences get Frank Stallone singing the big song from the movie. The movie is, frankly, unwatchable.
The Next Karate Kid
The Next Karate Kid did give us one thing, Hillary Swank's breakout role. That's all, though. It's a classic example of going to the well too many times. Even by the time The Karate Kid III hit theaters, the franchise was getting stale, by going for a fourth film, it got buried for decades.
The Blues Brothers 2000
The Blues Brothers 2000 is another example of a sequel to a beloved classic that nobody asked for. Released 18 years after the original, The Blues Brothers 2000 has some great music, but it lacks all the charm, and all the laughs, that the original Blues Brothers had, not to mention lacking the late John Belushi.
The Whole Ten Yards
Unlike The Whole Nine Yards, which was fun and quirky, its sequel The Whole Ten Yards is a mess. It feels like everyone in the movie is just there to make a little money and it is completely devoid of all the charm that made the first one a success.
Major League II
Somehow, Major League II made enough money to warrant a third movie in the series, but how that happened is anyone's guess. The sequel to Major League is one of the laziest strikeouts of all time. It's filled with recycled jokes and phoned-in performances.
Highlander II: The Quickening
There are few more loved cult classics from the 1980s than The Highlander. It set up a whole world on which to build a franchise, and it has. Somehow that franchise has succeeded despite the terrible second act, Highlander II: The Quickening. Even in a series where critics regularly pan the films, this one stands out for how bad it is. There should be only one.
Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction
1992's Basic Instinct was a hit basically for one reason, the infamous scene with Sharon Stone's character being interrogated by half of the San Francisco police force. That was enough, it seems, to not only make the movie a hit but to get a sequel made 14 years later. Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction shifts to London, but everything else is just a trope-y mess.
Revenge Of The Nerds III: The Next Generation
Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise was a bad idea, but at least it had some funny moments. Revenge of the Nerds III: The Next Generation, on the other hand, is just terrible. This made-for-TV disaster is dull and humorless. Many of the original actors smartly turned down the "opportunity" to re-appear in the franchise, so it's a bare-bones cast that can't do much with the material.
The King's Man
It's hard to know what Matthew Vaughn was thinking with The King's Man. The first two movies in the series were so great, and then there was this. The tone is different, and the comedy is...less obvious, and rarely funny. This is a series that really deserves better because it could be fantastic with the world-building setup in the first two.
The Bad News Bears Go To Japan
Nothing has ever lived up to the original Bad News Bears starring Walter Matthau and Tatum O'Neill. There have been a bunch of attempts to recreate the magic, including multiple movies and a short-lived TV show. While some of those attempts worked a little, The Bad News Bears Go to Japan doesn't work at all.
Alien 3
Even director David Fincher understands that Alien 3 is a hot mess. It's easily the worst of the entire Alien franchise, and it's no surprise, given how troubled the production was. Thankfully, Fincher didn't quit Hollywood over it, because then we wouldn't have all the great movies the director has made since.
My Girl 2
What made My Girl so great was the heaviness of it. Anna Chlumsky's character, Vada, really gets put through the ringer and the performances are amazing. My Girl 2, on the other hand, doesn't have nearly the weight, or the charm for that matter, of the first movie. It's largely forgettable, despite how sentimental some people might be for it, while the first one stuck with audiences forever.
Teen Wolf Too
It's alway dubious when a sequel is made without it's biggest star. Micheal J. Fox was at the height of his popularity in the mid-'80s when he made Teen Wolf. Smartly, he declined to participate in the sequel, so that forced a new story to be wedged in, starring Jason Bateman as a new wolf, and Teen Wolf Too just doesn't work as a result.
Batman & Robin
It's almost a cliche to dog on Batman & Robin, the fourth of the '90s Batman series that started with Tim Burton's Batman. George Clooney, who plays the Caped Crusader has lambasted it, and the writer even apologized for the quality years later. It's ill-conceived at every level.
The Godfather Part III
The Godfather Part III is a polarizing film. Some love how it fits into the overall sage of Michael Corleone; others hate it. The first two Godfather movies are as close to perfect as cinema can be, but with this third installment, some of that mystique is lost.
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer recycles so many of the tropes that people hate about horror movie sequels that it's easy to ignore. While the original I Know What You Did Last Summer was a surprise hit despite the critics' lukewarm response, this sequel was unpopular with everyone, critics and fans alike.
Son Of The Mask
Son Of The Mask is a bad movie. While almost everyone could have told those responsible for it that releasing a sequel to a movie that is beloved for Jim Carrey's performance, without Carrey, would be a bad idea, someone still decided to do it. This is what they get, a critical and box office disaster. On the plus side, it meant no more Mask movies without Carrey (or at all).
American Psycho 2
Would American Psycho 2 be as bad if it was compared to the original? Well, yeah, probably, but it didn't have to be compared. The original script had no connection to American Psycho, but the producers decided, for some reason, to retcon into a sequel. Mila Kunis, the star of the movie, doesn't like it, nor does Bret Easton Ellis, who wrote the novel American Psycho was based on, and neither should you.
The Sting II
Who's idea was it to take a movie as loved as The Sting and make a sequel that doesn't have any of the stars from the original? The Sting II is just that. Gone are Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Robert Shaw, in are Jackie Gleason, Teri Garr, and Oliver Reed (playing Shaw's character). Audiences are the ones getting conned in this one.
Smokey And The Bandit Part 3
Smokey and the Bandit, starring Burt Reynolds and Sally Field, is one of the most delightful comedies ever made. Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 is not. It's not even close. The problems start with not including Reynolds or Field in the movie (though Reynolds does make a cameo at the end). Without the chemistry between the stars that helped make the first one a classic, this sequel is as flat as a truck full of open Coors bottles.
Independence Day: Resurgence
Independence Day: Resurgence isn't the worst sequel on this list, but that doesn't mean it's a great movie. A film that takes decades to get made, as this reportedly did, is usually a disappointment, and this was, both financially and critically. Even director Roland Emmerich admits he shouldn't have made it.
Cruel Intentions 2
Cruel Intentions 2 was an attempt to salvage what was already a mistake. Originally it was conceived as a TV show prequel to the legendary teen classic starring Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Michelle Gellar, the only two episodes filmed were combined and released with some racey not-safe-for-TV scenes added on DVD. The results are as poor as you'd expect.
Pacific Rim Uprising
Producing a follow-up to 2013's Pacific Rim was a no-brainer. The result is Pacific Rim Uprising. It's really not that bad of a movie, but losing a visionary director like Guillermo del Toro is sure to make the movie less innovative. There should be a real future for this franchise, but it needs to get back on track with the originality of the first film.
Wonder Woman 1984
Everything should work in Wonder Woman 1984. As a stand-alone film, it's okay, but when compared to the first Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot, it leaves a whole lot to be desired. Are there worse movies on this list? Yes, but this sequel was still a victim of its predecessor's success and as such, is a disappointment. Reviews were good when it was released, but it's not held up as well as the original.
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
The Boondock Saints is a classic example of a movie that succeeded on the strength of its fans, spreading mostly through word-of-mouth. Inevitably, that success led to The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, which is too bad, because that's a sequel that could have been so much better than it is. As it is, it's better to just think of the original as a stand-alone film.
Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
Sometimes it's best to just let things lie. When you have a surprising phenomenon, like The Blair Witch Project, you don't have to try to milk for it for more. No one paid any attention to that advice in 2000, when Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 was released. No one could ever reproduce the success of the original, and this sequel proves it.
Zoolander 2
Yet another sequel to a beloved comedy that no one really needed. Despite all the major cast members returning from the original, Zoolander 2 falls as flat as Derek Zoolander's personality. It doesn't have the laughs or the appeal of the first, and while it doesn't diminish the original, it does diminish the character a little.
Jaws: The Revenge
Jaws is one of the best movies of all time. The Jaws franchise, on the other hand, is an example of diminishing returns with each ill-conceived sequel. This downward spiral reached its nadir with Jaws: The Revenge. The shark no longer resembles anything realistic at all and instead takes on the personality of a villain in a slasher film. The fourth and final installment in the franchise is, to date, the final one, thankfully.
Dumb And Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
Why do moviemakers ever think it's a good idea to make sequels that don't include at least some of the lead actors in their predecessors? Dumb And Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd is the most egregious example of this. Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels are the whole reason Dumb and Dumber is so great, how could anything without them be any good? It's not.
Sometimes Hollywood needs to remember that just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should do it. This list of sequels we wish were never made is proof of that.
