Great Movies that are better without a sequel

Wedwood

After reading some of the threads about 'franchise movies', thankfully not all critically and commercially successful movies are ruined with unnecessary sequels.

Here's some examples of movies that thankfully remained 'solo', add yours below !

1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Thankfully Spielberg made sure we didn't get the 4th, 5th, 6th Kinds. Mind you, he did start the 'special edition' phenomena when he added the 'inside the mothership' sequence at the end.

A sequel of sorts was considered by Spielberg under the working title 'dark skies' with more malevolent aliens, which didn't materialise, but was eventually re-engineered as War of the Worlds.

2. E.T. The Extraterrestrial. Another Spielberg standalone, which thankfully kept its bittersweet ending.

3. Blade Runner. Ok, there's talk of a sequel but thankfully it stays in Development Hell. I remember when this was originally released, people were put off by Harrison Fords downbeat sci- fi noir, which was effectively the opposite in tone to that other space saga he was attached to. By the time people recognised Blade Runner for the classic it is, almost 20 years had passed, effectively rendering a sequel unworkable, particularly if Dekard is what was suggested.

Instead, like Close Encounters, Ridley Scott re-edited some aspects of the movie and released the 'Directors Cut', as an alternative to a sequel, which in fairness helped freshen up the movie.

Right, which great 'franchise free' great movies should also get a mention.

brianregan09

Gladiator thankfully never got a sequel one of my favourite movies of all time , There was a treatment written for a seqeul that involved a lot more supernatural stuff with Maximus fighting his way out of hell....Sort of like God of War (playstation game)

Scared Hitless

What's a "franchise movie"? Is it a movie that had at least 1 sequel?

Goldstein

A great movie is still a great movie regardless of how many sequels it has.

Scared Hitless

Titanic

Faith+1

The big lebowski. I could only imagine the sh*t heap if they made a sequel

johnny_ultimate

At the risk of being 'that guy', well over 90% (approaching 99%) of great movies do not have a sequel.

And yes, a sequel no matter how awful should not undermine the quality of the original.

zAbbo

Wedwood wrote: »

Instead, like Close Encounters, Ridley Scott re-edited some aspects of the movie and released the 'Directors Cut', as an alternative to a sequel, which in fairness helped freshen up the movie.

Wait, what? The Final Cut is the definitive version.

b757

Independence Day, but unfortunately the sequel was given the go ahead last week.

Will Smith is not in it so it will be terrible. :P

eddhorse

I'm glad they didnt make an "Aliens 2" !

pixelburp

Wedwood wrote: »

After reading some of the threads about 'franchise movies', thankfully not all critically and commercially successful movies are ruined with unnecessary sequels.

Here's some examples of movies that thankfully remained 'solo', add yours below !

1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Thankfully Spielberg made sure we didn't get the 4th, 5th, 6th Kinds. Mind you, he did start the 'special edition' phenomena when he added the 'inside the mothership' sequence at the end.

A sequel of sorts was considered by Spielberg under the working title 'dark skies' with more malevolent aliens, which didn't materialise, but was eventually re-engineered as War of the Worlds.

I don't follow this: War of the Worlds was a deliberate, if somewhat loose, adaptation of the HG Wells novel, I don't see how it could have started as a sort-of sequel to Close Encounters. It took some liberties, but it was actually a pretty faithful adaptation to the book. I mean sure, both films involved aliens, but otherwise there doesn't seem to be a link.

Telecaster58

My favourite title that I'm glad I never saw made real is Still All Quiet on the Western Front.
Casablanca 2 must surely rank as a nightmare
Midnight Cowboy 2: Return to Miami certainly holds no allure.
The list is potentially endless really

pixelburp

pixelburp wrote: »

I don't follow this: War of the Worlds was a deliberate, if somewhat loose, adaptation of the HG Wells novel, I don't see how it could have started as a sort-of sequel to Close Encounters. It took some liberties, but it was actually a pretty faithful adaptation to the book. I mean sure, both films involved aliens, but otherwise there doesn't seem to be a link.

Yeah I would more think Falling Skies, which he has a hand in

Riskymove

Scared Hitless wrote: »

Titanic

Not as obvious as you might think given "Return to the Poseidon Adventure"

Riskymove

Riskymove wrote: »

Not as obvious as you might think given "Return to the Poseidon Adventure"

Or

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081400/
Raise the Titanic

Harry Palmr

Riskymove wrote: »

Not as obvious as you might think given "Return to the Poseidon Adventure"

Beyond the Poseiden Adventure

Battleship Potemkin

OldeCinemaSoz

Riskymove wrote: »

Not as obvious as you might think given "Return to the Poseidon Adventure"

"Beyond the..." Telly Savalas as the baddie and Sally Field's bum
on display yet again...

OldeCinemaSoz

Without sounding a downer but couldn't CHINATOWN and GERGORYS GIRL
have done without those truly terrible sequels?

Wedwood

pixelburp wrote: »

I don't follow this: War of the Worlds was a deliberate, if somewhat loose, adaptation of the HG Wells novel, I don't see how it could have started as a sort-of sequel to Close Encounters. It took some liberties, but it was actually a pretty faithful adaptation to the book. I mean sure, both films involved aliens, but otherwise there doesn't seem to be a link.

Spielberg had thought out a kind of 'Alien Trilogy' to be released in the late 70's early '80's. Close Encounters and ET were the first two, with 'Dark Skies' mooted to be the third as well as a direct sequel of sorts to CEOT3K where the next bunch of visitors to Earth were the nasty kind. For whatever reason, Spielberg never made that movie, by the time he decided to make his third alien movie, it instead became War of the Worlds. Hope that clarifies !!

BTW, look out for a cameo from original WOTW actor Gene Barry, which is a nice nod to the '50's classic.

Skerries

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Beyond the Poseiden Adventure

Battleship Potemkin

you are all missing the most obvious one!

Titanic II

Dempsey

The Matrix was a film that didnt need sequels and especially didnt need the tripe sequels it did get.

Not even Monica Bellucci with her tits half hanging out could save them

JaseBelleVie

Remember "Con Air"? Well, how's about this for a sequel (robbed from a post on IMDB and I think it's hilarious).

quote:

"In his new identity as a Vegas tourist, Garland Greene (Steve Buscemi) is relatively happy. He has the luxury of anonymity as well as the anonymity of those he kills. It's a luxury life for a serial killer. In a town that's accustomed to hearing hooker screams from the rooms next door, he's been quite busy for the past fifteen years. The police are mystified, thinking there's a Garland Greene copycat running loose in the casinos of the city that never sleeps

But the LVPD isn't the only one chasing demons. Garland Greene has a demon of his own. Recently, he wakes up every night in his motel room in a cold sweat to the nightmarish sound of a little girl singing "He's Got the Whole World (in His Hands)". It's the voice of a girl he inexplicably allowed to live, 15 years ago.

He can't quiet the voice. He can't sleep. So he kills again and again to satisfy his voices. He soon realizes the only way to silence his demon is to hunt her down and do what he should have done fifteen years ago.

Debbie is no longer a little girl. She's grown to be a beautiful 21 year old author of cold case mystery books who is on a hunt of her own. Fifteen years ago, she survived a strange encounter with serial killer Garland Greene and needs to find closure to that chapter in her life and a closing chapter to her latest book.

Will Greene risk his freedom to find his lost prey? Will Debbie risk her life to find her lost killer? And who will come out on top when they finally meet face to face?

It's a tea party neither one of them will forget.

Make your reservations now for "The Greene Party" (Rated R)"




Sounds like a sequel I'd definitely watch!

Bipolar Joe

Now that I'd watch over and over.

unjedilike

Fargo.
Shawshank Redemption.
Rushmore.
Contact.

Chip Whitley

I loved Get Shorty. Be Cool was needlessly poor to the point where characters were unrecognisable from Get Shorty. On it's own Be Cool is 'fine' I suppose, but as a sequel to an amazing film... :eek::eek::p