In immediately’s movie panorama, it appears like Hollywood is continually churning out lackluster sequels to popular movies, however some nice follow-up movies have fallen completely beneath the radar through the years. Whether or not it’s box office bombs that by no means acquired sufficient credit score or franchise fatigue which means audiences simply didn’t present up, these films have failed to take care of a lot enduring cultural relevance.
The best sequels of all time stand as proof that sure movies profit from additional exploration, and all these sequels provided one thing new and attention-grabbing for audiences to get pleasure from. It’s a disgrace when nice films fall by the wayside, however it’s by no means too late for viewers to come back again and rediscover the enchantment of slept-on sequels.
Predators (2010)
The Predator franchise has struggled for many years to get out from beneath the shadow of the acclaimed authentic Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. With a litany of disappointing sequels and misguided crossovers, like Alien vs. Predator, it’s straightforward to write down off the franchise as a complete and neglect about nice sequels like Nimród Antal’s Predators.
As a fast-paced motion movie that drops people into an unfamiliar jungle on an alien planet, this high-stakes survival story condensed this franchise all the way down to its barest necessities as a bunch of kidnapped killers battle to outlive in opposition to ruthless Yautja. As a suspenseful movie that honors the trophy searching mythology of its extraterrestrial menace, Predators was a extremely underrated sequel.
Scream 4 (2011)
The Scream collection reinvigorated the slasher style within the Nineteen Nineties and imbued it with a self-referential and tongue-in-cheek type. Whereas the collection had lain dormant for over a decade, Wes Craven returned in 2011 together with his closing movie earlier than his demise as Scream 4 tackled the prevalence of legacy sequels, reboots, and viewers nostalgia within the horror style.
As a commentary on social media and web tradition, Scream 4 mixed slasher, thriller, and whodunnit stylings in a manner that happy each audiences and critics. With the trio of Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox again alongside a brand new solid of youthful stars, Scream 4 was a robust passing of the torch for this collection.
Many can be unaware that Stanley Kubrick’s groundbreaking sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Area Odyssey truly acquired a sequel in 1984. Whereas 2010: The 12 months We Make Contact doesn’t maintain fairly the identical trailblazing legacy as what got here earlier than, it doesn’t need to be so woefully underseen, because it stands as a strong sci-fi sequel.
Primarily based on Arthur C. Clarke’s novel 2010: Odyssey Two, 2010: The 12 months We Make Contact was a intelligent journey exploring an American and Soviet crew going to Jupiter to uncover the reality behind the failure of Discovery One mission. Though it was not practically as suave as its predecessor, this Peter Hyams film had loads going for it.
T2 Trainspotting (2017)
There was numerous hype round Danny Boyle revisiting his breakout movie with T2 Trainspotting again in 2017, however that dialogue shortly died down, and it hasn’t maintained a lot relevance within the years since. This was a crying disgrace, because it stood as one in all Boyle’s finest late-career releases that checked in together with his iconic characters 21 years later.
Primarily based on Irvine Welsh’s follow-up novel Porno, T2 Trainspotting reunited Ewan McGregor with Boyle after a long time of estrangement and showcased that this duo was nonetheless a match made in heaven. Whereas Boyle mentioned the potential of a 3rd Trainspotting movie (through Hollywood Reporter), the dearth of tolerating cultural buzz round this sequel means it could by no means occur.
Physician Sleep (2019)
Whereas Stephen King followers and lovers of the work of Mike Flanagan are effectively conscious of the deserves of Physician Sleep, mainstream viewers have paradoxically been sleeping on this unimaginable sequel. As a follow-up to the all-time nice horror that’s The Shining, Physician Sleep had the virtually insurmountable job of residing as much as expectations and by some means pulled it off.
With Ewan McGregor as an older Danny Torrance, Physician Sleep introduced depth and nuance to the story of a person carrying unimaginable trauma paired with supernatural instincts. By respecting the unique work whereas additionally carving out its personal id, this sequel deserves much more credit score for satisfying King and Kubrick followers alike.
Hellboy II: The Golden Military (2008)
Director Guillermo del Toro and star Ron Perlman carved out a novel cinematic world with Hellboy, and the sequel, subtitled The Golden Military, continued its trajectory of groundbreaking visuals, fantastical creatures, and complex units. With a mixture of whimsy and darkish fantasy that few sequels can pull off, The Golden Military simply acquired the whole lot proper.
Nevertheless, Hellboy II: The Golden Military not often will get the credit score it deserves, and budgetary issues meant a deliberate third movie within the collection was by no means produced. As an alternative, two makes an attempt to reboot Hellboy have been made in 2019 and 2024, and sadly, The Golden Military has been left behind by mainstream audiences.
The Colour of Cash (1986)
Regardless of being one of the vital acclaimed administrators of all time, Martin Scorsese has solely made one sequel, and it was a follow-up to a movie he didn’t even make. That was the shockingly underrated The Colour of Cash, a sequel to the 1961 movie The Hustler that introduced again Paul Newman’s Oscar-winning pool shark character Eddie “Quick Eddie” Felson.
With Newman and a younger Tom Cruise sharing the display screen, The Colour of Cash was one in all Scorsese’s most underrated movies and an exciting sports activities story of hustlers conning their manner by means of a match. Whereas it’s usually overshadowed by the likes of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas, those that haven’t seen it ought to search out The Colour of Cash.
Addams Household Values (1993)
Addams Household Values is among the few sequels that may be stated to truly enhance upon the unique, because it embraced a a lot darker and extra macabre sensibility than the earlier movie. With a completely solid ensemble of eccentric characters and a delightfully dysfunctional household on the heart of its story, director Barry Sonnenfeld really delivered with this launch.
Revolving across the Addams household adjusting to the beginning of a brand new child named Pubert, Addams Household Values was a bitter satire that was even funnier than the primary movie. As an underrated traditional of the Nineteen Nineties, it’s solely now, greater than 30 years later, that it’s lastly getting its due and being reappraised by viewers.
Supply: Hollywood Reporter
