Do Films Really Need Sequels?

Hearing that your favorite movie is getting a sequel never grants the satisfaction Hollywood expects. Recently, it seems the pompous people deciding what idea gets a budget of half a billion dollars have agreed to only make spin-offs and sequels. No longer are the days when original, new ideas are given adaptations and screen time. Instead, Shrek is getting its sixth installment.

And that’s the thing: classic remakes, reboots, and sequels are overcrowding our watchlists, leaving new projects in their expensive–and usually mediocre–wake.

Take Joker (2019) for example; it was a phenomenal movie, and it highlighted how society’s negligence towards mental health inherently creates criminals like Arthur. It did great in the box office and left a lasting impression on viewers, but now with the release of Joker: Folie à Deux, people are reconsidering their previous opinions. The movie is not necessarily bad, it just lacks the nuance and strength of its predecessor, disappointing long time fans that were hoping for the same quality–the weak writing being a main complaint.

Same is the case with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, a sequel no one wanted. The original film ended on a good note, a dance number long time fans still reminisce about and a succinct conclusion that left nothing for the imagination. That did not stop Hollywood though, as they managed to create a plot that without the characters and small references to the first Beetlejuice, could have been an entirely separate film. There was no need for this uninspired content to be made, but money is the root of all evil including messy sequels and remakes.

This is not to say that all sequels are always bad, some are essential to completing a story. Series like Star Wars and the Hunger Games benefit from all their movies as you follow the characters through adventures that connect to one another narratively. Taking the Star Wars prequel movies for example: you go from a young Anakin, to an older Anakin who’s showing signs of rebellion, to a full fledged Sith. These films have purpose, they follow a continuous narrative that fans are eager to watch; unlike some sequels that were only approved because of their legacies.

This cycle of good movie, bad sequels is getting repetitive and is ruining the culture that’s been built around films. We want ingenuity, creativity, movies that evoke emotions from us we didn’t even know we had. Hollywood profits off our misery and disappointment when we watch these indolent films. So let’s just stop.