It’s hard enough to makeonegreat movie, let alone a sequel to said great movie. More often than not, trying to capture lightning in a bottle twice just doesn’t work out (The Godfather Part IIis a miracle), and in the worst cases, the horrible drop-off in quality can retroactively taint the original film. Which is why most great movies just leave it at that. One and done. There are, however, a number of examples of bad sequels made from genuinely great movies. So we here at Collider put our heads together and came up with some of the most glaring examples.
A caveat: This list excludes Direct-to-DVD sequels from consideration. In most of those cases the filmmakers didn’t even attempt to hit the same quality of the original, as the goal was mainly a cash-grab. So for the purposes of this list, we focused on theatrical releases only.
It’s only fitting that the film that created the “summer blockbuster” was also one of the originators of bad sequels to great movies.Steven Spielberg’s 1975 filmJawsis a masterpiece, and it cleaned up at the box office, so Universal fast-tracked a sequel. Spielberg balked at the prospect of returning to direct due to a mix of PTSD from the making ofJawsand his insistence that sequels, in general, were bad ideas. Universal setJeannot Szwarc(Santa Claus: The Movie) to direct a story that’s basically just the first movie all over again:Roy Scheidersuspects another shark is terrorizing Amity Island, but nobody believes him. There one so-so sequence involving a shark attacking wrecked boats, but beyond that this sequel is as boring as it is lazy. Universal would move forward with two more sequels,Jaws 3-DandJaws: The Revenge, neither of which are good, but the quality drop fromJawstoJaws 2is still pretty astounding –Adam Chitwood
‘Spider-Man 3’
FilmmakerSam Raimiis responsible for making both the bestSpider-Manmovie ever made and one of the worst (althoughAmazing Spider-Man 2gives him a run for his money). Indeed, Raimi’s 2001 filmSpider-Manwas the first movie ever to cross the $100 million mark on opening weekend, and its 2004 sequelSpider-Man 2is hailed as one of the best superhero movies ever made. For 2007’sSpider-Man 3, however, Raimi was forced to include a character he didn’t like—Venom—and overstuffed the film with bad guys, subplots, and lackluster character arcs. This is a movie that is too busy for its own good, and as a result is unfocused. It’s trying to make the audience empathize withJames Franco’s New Goblin andThomas Haden Church’s Sandman while also introducing new love interest Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) while also breaking up Peter and MJ while also introducing Eddie Brock while also bringing the alien symbiote Venom into the third act. Oh, and there’s that whole Emo Peter Parker thing. –Adam Chitwood
‘U.S. Marshals’
The Fugitiveis one of the best thrillers of the 90s. It’s better than it has any right to be, especially when you consider that it was based on a 1960s TV series. It was nominated for seven Oscars nominations and won Best Supporting Actor forTommy Lee Jones. Since people liked Gerard (Jones) and his team of U.S. Marshals, it made sense to go for a sequel, but it turned out horribly. It’s a film that’s rightly been lost to history as it limps through a dull narrative and bland new characters. All the fears people had aboutThe Fugitivebasically came true withU.S. Marshals. –Matt Goldberg
‘Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines’
Here’s a curious case: a bad sequel to a great sequel.Terminator 2: Judgment Dayis one of the best sequels ever made, ramping up that franchise to crazy levels of action, spectacle, and drama. So it’s no surpriseArnold Schwarzeneggerwas reluctant to return for a third go-around, especially withoutJames Cameronat the helm. Directed byJonathan Mostow,Rise of the Machinesbasically feels like a boring rehash, with Skynet sending the T-X back in time to kill a now-twentysomething John Connor’s future wife, as Connor’s whereabouts are unknown. Schwarzenegger’s Terminator returns to protect John (Nick Stahl) and his bride-to-be (played byClaire Danes), butRise of the Machineslacks any of the imagination or danger that the previous two films shared. The only saving grace is an exciting closing moment that sets up an apocalyptic follow-up, but we all know that led to yet another lackluster sequelTerminator: Salvation. If history has taught us anything, it’s that no one but James Cameron should be makingTerminatormovies. –Adam Chitwood
‘The Lost World: Jurassic Park’
It’s kind of astounding that a master likeSteven Spielbergmade a movie this bad. Even his misfires like1941andIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullhave some kind of logic explaining why they’re so bad, butThe Lost Worldfeels like a follow-up that even Spielberg believes was kind of unnecessary. While a sequel toJurassic Parkisn’t surprising, what’s shocking is how Spielberg can’t even come close to capturing the excitement of the original, instead falling back on moments that are ridiculous like a kid killing a raptor by using a gymnastics routine or a T-Rex rampaging through a video store. The movie veers from trying to make us genuinely afraid of the dinosaurs (like when the raptors take out the hunters in the high grass) into making a silly monster movie. –Matt Goldberg
‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back’
The originalJack Reacherwas an unexpected delight withTom Cruiseharnessing the personality ofLee Child’s popular character if not his physicality. DirectorChristopher McQuarriedelivered a hard-edged throwback to action films based around practical effects and personal stakes rather than CGI mayhem. Those hoping thatEd Zwick’s follow-up,Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, would build on that promise were sorely disappointed with a lackluster story, a forgettable villain, and bland set pieces. Additionally, saddling Reacher with a kid is a move you make when a franchise is running out of steam, not when it’s just revving it up. –Matt Goldberg
‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’
While there’s some personal debate about which one people love more, the initialIndiana Jonestrilogy is extremely solid, andIndiana Jones and the Last Crusadeperfectly sent our characters off into the sunset. Then, of course,Steven Spielbergand producerGeorge Lucasopted to go back to the well once more with an alien-centric story in 2008’sIndiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. While many pinpoint the alien storyline asCrystal Skull’s most glaring issue, the movie’s biggest sin is that it’s just kind of boring. It bringsKaren Allen’s feminist heroine Marion Ravenwood back in a neutered, watered-down form whose only purpose is to yell at Indy. AndCate Blanchett’s performance as villain Irina Spalko is dialed to 11. Honestly,Shia LaBeouf’s Mutt is one of the higher points of the film, as it just kind of drones on and on in a state of monotony. A far cry from the adventurousLast Crusade, let aloneRaiders of the Lost Ark. –Adam Chitwood
‘Dumb and Dumber To’
Dumb and Dumber Tois another sign that theFarrelly Brotherslong ago lost their touch for lighthearted gross-out humor and just devolved into mean-spirited comedy. Harry and Lloyd are still total morons, but the underlying sweetness to their characters has completely vanished. Now they’re obsessed with mean-spirited pranks and callously offending just about everyone they meet. Perhaps the Farrellys found this to be a fun new way to express their characters’ stupidity, but for audiences, it sucked the joy out what could have been a delightfully dumb time. –Matt Goldberg
‘Speed 2: Cruise Control’
First thing’s first: Yes,Speedis a great movie. DirectorJan de Bont’s 1994 actioner is thrilling, witty, and fun, with one hell of a story hook. But this is one movie that definitely didn’t need a sequel, as evidenced by the atrociousSpeed 2: Cruise Control.Keanu Reevesdeclined to return for the cruise ship-centric follow-up, so the sequel just introduces a new cop character asSandra Bullock’s boyfriend, played byJason Patric. This movie is the epitome of trying too hard, with a force premise, forced performances, and forced action sequences. Not evenWillem Dafoeas a menacing bad guy can make this thing watchable, Bullock has now all but disowned it. –Adam Chitwood
‘Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace’
Okay so technicallyThe Phantom Menaceis a prequel, but for the purposes of this list it still counts—it’s a direct follow-up to the originalStar Warstrilogy, made over a decade later. And it’s not great! Honestly if you go back and watchStar Wars: Return of the Jediyou can see the seeds ofGeorge Lucas’Phantom Menaceplanted—the cuteness; the meandering plot. But this is probably the most famous case of quality dropoff, as Lucas became enamored of makingStar Warsalmost entirely with VFX—indeed if this had come a decade or two later, one wonders if Lucas may have just gone the motion-capture route entirely.Phantom Menacehas a couple of redeeming qualities—the podracer sequence and Darth Maul fight are fun, andEwan McGregoris a swell choice for Obi-Wan. But on the whole this was a misguided affair put on the shoulders of a young kid whoreallywasn’t up to the challenge of portraying Anakin, especially with a performance-hands-off director like Lucas at the helm. So yeah, this one still hurts. –Adam Chitwood
