Everyone loves movies, but not everyone loves movie sequels. Sometimes, you might wonder why on earth a movie needed a sequel anyway. Of course, the answer is usually to make more money, and though that’s not a bad thing, it can be glaringly obvious when a sequel is made simply to build on a previous film’s success. Many sequels are unimaginative, boring, weird, or simply terrible. I’ve compiled a list of the worst movie sequels of all time. Read on to see what they are!
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Honestly, I could have included the third Jurassic Park film as well. It’s a shame, considering how amazing the original film is, as well as the 2015 sequel, Jurassic World. The Lost World fails as a sequel because it doesn’t bring anything new to the series. What impressed audiences the first time around, such as the incredible special effects and creative plot, was already stale by the time The Lost World was released. It doesn’t have better effects, or a better plot, or better anything. It’s the first movie rehashed all over again, just with a few new characters. This is where the third film fails as well as many other sequels to various series. If you want a good sequel, you have to improve upon the first film, otherwise, you’re wasting your time.
Evan Almighty
This is an example of a sequel that should never have made it to production let alone release. Bruce Almighty was a hilarious, unique, film, about an ordinary man, Bruce, played by Jim Carrey, literally becoming God. To my knowledge, that plot had never been executed up to that point, and then Evan Almighty came along a few years later, except instead of becoming God, its main character became Noah. Yes, the Noah from the Bible who builds an ark. Yes, this film is about a modern man building an ark. The plot is just too ridiculous to be funny and the special effects look cheap. It seems like Evan Almighty tries to appeal to more family audiences than its predecessor, but its childish humor is more insulting towards its audience rather than entertaining. This is simply an awful movie.
The Matrix Reloaded
Okay, so I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of The Matrix in general. I just don’t see the appeal of the first film, but I understand why it’s so famous. The special effects, that iconic slow-motion photography, the plot, it was all groundbreaking for the action genre. How many films do you see now that use slow-motion? You have The Matrix to thank for that. I’m grateful for the action staples that The Matrix popularized, and it’s a film that will always hold a special place in cinematic history. Its sequels, however, are not good. Both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions are more examples of unnecessary sequels. The Matrix was satisfying. I don’t think many audiences were clamoring for a sequel, let alone two. Just let a good thing be, movie studios, stop trying to be cash cows.
Spider-Man 3
This is the film responsible for the Amazing Spider-Man reboot, and yet another reboot being released this summer, Spider-Man: Homecoming. If it wasn’t for this disaster, I imagine that Tobey Maguire would still be donning the Spidey suit today. Unfortunately, Spider-Man 3 went very, very wrong. There isn’t one villain, but three. All packed into a two-hour film. Sounds good right? Nope, not at all. We have the new Green Goblin, Sandman, and Venom all fighting our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. There’s just way too much going on in this film, and it’s such a shame because it could have been done so much better. Venom is one of the beloved Spider-Man enemies, and he was completely butchered because there simply wasn’t enough time to flesh him out, nor was there time to really flesh anything out. All of that plus emo Peter Parker make for a disappointing film. Oh well, perhaps it was a blessing in disguise because this summer’s Spider-Man looks to be the best one yet.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Dear Hollywood, stop with the unnecessary sequels. Indiana Jones is an extremely popular series for good reason. The original trilogy was entertaining and fun. It was full of wonder and excitement. It made people everywhere want to be an adventurer. Fast forward thirty years, and Hollywood decided to bring back the magic that made the originals so wonderful, except they didn’t bring back the magic. In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indy is an old man. He doesn’t move as quickly as he used to; he’s not the action hero he once was. And instead of being okay with that, the film decides to make jokes about his age. They aren’t funny. And then not to mention Shia Labeouf as the son Indy didn’t know he had. Shia’s character is so bad I can’t even remember his name. He didn’t belong in this film, and that plotline was cliched and executed poorly. This is an all-around bad movie. There’s nothing redeeming about it.
Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace
The worst Star Wars film of all-time. Okay, I know some people disagree. Attack of the Clones is a close second, in my opinion. If there’s something everyone can all agree on, it’s that the first two prequels aren’t good movies. It’s unfortunate considering this is one of the most popular franchises ever, but I suppose there are always flaws even in the best series. Here are the reasons why Phantom Menace deserves its spot on this list: Child Anakin. It’s incredibly sad that the actor playing him got so much hate because it really wasn’t his fault. Even the best actors, such as Ewan McGregor, did not get to showcase their skills in this film. Watch Natalie Portman in this and you would never guess she’d eventually win awards in future roles. Unfortunately, little Anakin’s bad acting mixed with the horrible script make for a memorable infamous portrayal. Now did I mention how horrible the script is? That’s the second reason this film is so bad. Star Wars has never had great dialogue, but Phantom Menace takes the cake for bad dialogue. Now to reason number three, Jar Jar Binks. Put him in any film and chances are that film will end up on lists like this. He’s just the worst.
Cars 2
Cars 2 shouldn’t have been made because the original wasn’t good either. Cars is one of Pixar’s poorest efforts, and that’s saying something considering they often make such high-quality films. Cars 2 isn’t just one of the poorest efforts, but it is the poorest effort. It’s not really even an effort. Clearly, Disney and Pixar were just looking for money when they made this sequel, not caring about quality. For some reason, the Cars franchise remains popular with young children, maybe because there’s something enchanting about talking cars. But take away the whimsy of talking cars and you have a bland, boring series. And who on earth decided to give Mater such a larger role in Cars 2? He’s like the Jar Jar Binks of this series.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
I hate Transformers. Clearly, I am biased against this film in the first place, but the reason it’s on this list is because not only is it a bad Transformers movie, it’s a bad movie period. From the bland romance to repetitive action, and silly humor, there’s nothing that’s actually fun about this movie. If you like watching mindless action sequences, it’s fine as far as that goes, but if you like anything more substantial, there’s nothing of substance here. It’s a bad romance, a bad comedy, a bad action film, and a bad drama. I will never understand how this series continued after this film.
Jaws 2
Jaws is a classic. Everyone knows the theme song. Everyone has heard of the iconic film. But how many people watched Jaws 2? Not nearly as many, because it’s not nearly as good. Of all the Jaws sequels, Jaws 2 is actually probably the best, but chances are if you haven’t watched this one, you’ve probably never even heard of the others. I wanted to include films on the list that a wide range of people would at least know about, so that is why Jaws 2 has earned its spot here. Jaws 2 is much more of the same action and horror you watched in Jaws 1. It’s another unnecessary sequel that doesn’t try to improve on its earlier effort. It’s a waste of time.
Teen Wolf Too
The first Teen Wolf is a cult-classic that spawned a television series (the television series is nothing like the film, however.) Teen Wolf Too is not a classic. It’s perhaps one of the most unnecessary sequels, and that’s saying something considering how many other unnecessary sequels I included on this list. Teen Wolf Too doesn’t even have the original cast in the film, nor the same characters. What was endearing humor in the first film, feels forced and decidedly not funny in the sequel. Even the title is stupid. “Too,” really? Major eye-roll. A simple “Two” would have sufficed. Maybe it sounds like I’m being too harsh, but this just isn’t a good sequel.
