Sequels
Written 19 June 2009, 08:59 by Gearóid
To start us off, a lovely dictionary definition. A sequel is “a narrative that is written after another narrative set in the same universe, especially a narrative that is chronologically set after its predecessors” [1]. When I say “sequel” in this blog, I mean a direct sequel, because if I start talking about a series, it could be never-ending!
So, sequels. The get-rich quick way of making films. Why bother being original when you can pop out another narrative with ready-made characters? Or so the argument goes. While many sequels fall into this category, there are quite a few that are better than their predecessor, with a better storyline, more rounded characters, and general improvements based on criticisms of the first film.
Sequels always have the immediate disadvantage of being compared to the film they’re succeeding. Many sequels that are considered to be poor would have likely fared well if critiqued separately. Some people are so attached to the first film that they refuse to enjoy its sequel. And then there are those films which were so bad, you’d wonder how they ever got a sequel.
I’m not going to dwell on the argument of whether a sequel should or should not be made, that can be done elsewhere. I’m going to look at some sequels that, in my opinion, are better than their predecessor, while putting others to the back of my mind.
The first that comes to mind is Terminator 2, given the recent release of another in the series that would be good for the case against sequels. But this, just the second in the series, was better than the first, darker and more brutal, and still very entertaining! On the opposite end of the violence spectrum, there’s Toy Story 2, which I enjoyed immensely (I have it on VHS somewhere!). I never thought much of the first, but I could watch this sequel over and over. It’s not strained as a sequel and you’d be hard pushed to find a bad word said about it.
Thinking of more sequels, I’m brought to comic book films, and the thought that the second film of all the recent ones is the best. X-Men 2 and Spiderman 2 were much better than the first ones, and Batman: The Dark Knight somehow improved on Batman Begins, which was a great film. A great case for sequels!
There are other sequels which are widely regarded as being as good or better than their sequels, but I am not in a position to judge them as I’ve either not seen them in a long time or at all. These include The Godfather Part 2, Return of the Jedi, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Please leave a comment if you have anything to say about these!
Though I’ve only talked about films here, I should point out that the inspiration for this blog came from playing Sonic the Hedgehog 2, a game that was better than the original in every way, something very rare. And the Sonic games have never reached that greatness since. Well, maybe briefly.
So, what do you think? Are these sequels better than their originals? Have I left out one you thought was good? Leave a comment!
— Gearóid
Some good points well made. T2 – so good.
— Paul · Jun 19, 10:37 AM · #
Good blog.
The Bride of Frankenstein is better than the original. It’s very funny and more tongue-in-cheek.
And I liked Spider-Man 3, I don’t know what that means!
— Dara · Jun 21, 05:34 PM · #