10 Horrible Motion Sequels That Have been Completely Pointless

From the likes of The Nice Practice Theft (1903) and The Masks of Zorro (1920) to current-day blockbusters, motion films have at all times been a giant draw for moviegoers worldwide, and a profitable franchise can imply large bucks for a studio. Quick & Livid, Mission: Not possible, and Transformers are some well-known motion franchises set to launch new installments within the close to future.

Sadly, recognizing the potential to make a fast buck, studios have usually centered on amount over high quality, dashing sequels, spin-offs, and reboots to market with out paying any thoughts to script high quality. For each Terminator 2, Temple of Doom, and Mad Max: Fury Highway, there are a dozen Highlander IIs and RoboCop 3s.

Right here, we’ve scoured the murky world of dodgy motion sequels and compiled a listing of the final word worst—movies that had no enterprise being made. Many of those are blatant money grabs that attempted to resurrect franchises that had already reached neat, logical conclusions, whereas others simply missed the mark and failed to acknowledge what made the originals so pleasurable.

With this in thoughts, listed here are the ten worst motion film sequels that had been completely pointless.

10

‘xXx: State of the Union’ (2005)

Whereas the unique xXx could not have been groundbreaking, Vin Diesel’s badass Xander Cage character, mixed with the completely outrageous, over-the-top motion sequences, had a sure edgy appeal that completely captured the early ‘00s zeitgeist—an period dominated by the likes of Jackass, nu-metal music, and Tony Hawk’s Professional Skater video video games. The film scored large on the field workplace and inevitably led to a sequel.

‘xXx: State of the Union’ Felt Irrelevant and Out of Place

The sequel tried to copy the unique’s rebellious, punk-rock angle, however by the point it hit theaters, the second had handed—dishevelled skate pants had been changed with skinny denims, and the film felt irrelevant. Authentic director Rob Cohen and Vin Diesel had been each slated to return however finally dropped out as a consequence of points with the script. Ice Dice changed Diesel however sadly didn’t recapture the previous’s pure swagger and depth. What we received was an outdated, messy, and poorly written sequel that relied far too closely on ridiculous, over-the-top motion and never sufficient on a compelling plot or characters.

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9

‘Taken 3’ (2015)

Taken 3

Launch Date

January 9, 2015

Runtime

109minutes

Liam Neeson is a extremely revered actor who was identified for his dramatic performances in movies like Schindler’s Checklist and Michael Collins. Nevertheless, the sudden success of 2008’s Taken catapulted him into a brand new realm of stardom and reworked his profession trajectory. In Taken, Neeson portrayed Bryan Mills, a former CIA operative on a relentless quest to avoid wasting his daughter from human traffickers, showcasing his commanding presence and intense motion sequences. The movie’s sudden field workplace triumph sparked renewed curiosity in Neeson as an motion star, and he quickly grew to become synonymous with the “growing old badass” style.

‘Taken 3’ Added Nothing New to the Franchise

The success of Taken spawned two sequels. Taken 2 was primarily a rehash of the unique which, whereas nonetheless a reasonable success, failed to please followers in the identical sudden means Taken did. Loads was driving on the third film, with many hoping it might take the franchise in a distinct route to maintain it contemporary. Sadly, what audiences received was the identical drained, recycled formulation, leaving followers and critics dissatisfied with its lack of originality—finally touchdown it an terrible 13% on Rotten Tomatoes.

8

‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor’ (2008)

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Launch Date

August 1, 2008

Runtime

112 minutes

1999’s The Mummy was a contemporary tackle the traditional mummy story. Brendan Fraser was a revelation because the lovable rogue Rick O’Connell, and the film was maybe the best action-adventure movie because the unique Indiana Jones trilogy. The sequel, The Mummy Returns, retread a lot of the identical floor however offered sufficient motion and humor to maintain most viewers happy.

By the Third Film, It Was Time for a Change

When approaching the third film, these concerned knew that one thing needed to change to maintain the sequence contemporary and keep away from franchise fatigue. The situation was shifted from the Center East to the Far East, and the mother was modified from the traditional undead sort to a resurrected Chinese language emperor. Sadly, it didn’t reignite the sequence in the best way the filmmakers had hoped and was let down by poor CGI, a lackluster script, and a scarcity of the attention-grabbing aspect characters that made the unique such a delight to observe.

7

‘Velocity 2: Cruise Management’ (1997)

The easy but efficient premise of a bus fitted with a bomb that may detonate if its pace dropped beneath 50 mph captured the creativeness of tens of millions in 1994 with the discharge of Velocity. It cemented Keanu Reeves as a real motion celebrity and was a smash hit on the field workplace.

‘Velocity 2’ Missed the Level of What Made the Authentic So Good

Velocity 2 changed the high-stakes runaway bus situation with a slow-moving cruise ship, utterly killing the strain that made the unique so thrilling. The shortage of chemistry between Sandra Bullock and Jason Patric was additionally evident, particularly in comparison with her dynamic with Keanu Reeves. The tone was extremely inconsistent, starting from melodramatic to campy, with Willem Dafoe’s over-the-top, scenery-chewing efficiency because the villain feeling significantly misplaced.

6

‘A Good Day to Die Laborious’ (2013)

A Good Day to Die Laborious

Launch Date

February 14, 2013

Runtime

98 Minutes

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The primary Die Laborious film is sort of presumably probably the most beloved motion film of all time and was adopted by two strong sequels. Quick ahead 12 years, and the franchise was resurrected as soon as once more. In opposition to all odds (contemplating the time that had handed), one other respectable film made its means into the sequence with Dwell Free or Die Laborious, that includes intense motion sequences and a formidable efficiency by Bruce Willis.

‘A Good Day to Die Laborious’ Has Endlessly Left a Stain on One in all Cinema’s Finest-Liked Motion Franchises and Is Finest Left Ignored

A Good Day to Die Laborious failed in each side. A past-his-prime Willis struggled to recapture the wit, grit, and vulnerability that made John McClane such an iconic motion hero. Moreover, it relied an excessive amount of on outrageous motion sequences and particular results whereas missing any sort of cohesive narrative or character growth, without end leaving a stain on the legacy of one in all historical past’s biggest motion franchises.

5

‘RoboCop 3’ (1993)

RoboCop was a crucial hit and is now thought-about an iconic entry within the motion style. The violence is gratuitous, and the motion is relentless. It revels in over-the-top carnage, carried by an undercurrent of pitch-black humor. This hyper-stylized orchestra of motion and violence actually helped cement its standing as a cult traditional amongst style followers. To at the present time, RoboCop stays a major instance of peak ’80s motion cinema. Sadly, the identical can’t be mentioned in regards to the sequels.

‘RoboCop 3’ Eliminated The whole lot That Made the Authentic So Entertaining

RoboCop 2 was nonetheless an pleasurable expertise however suffered from its option to shift a lot of the main target away from the eponymous RoboCop. RoboCop 3, nevertheless, was simply an unneeded, watered-down retread of the unique that completely nobody requested for. Firming down the violence and darkish humor in RoboCop is like eradicating the distorted guitars from a Metallica album or telling Ricky Gervais he must be politically right—nevertheless it’s precisely what occurred. The filmmakers’ choice to try to make it attraction to a broader viewers utterly backfired, resulting in probably the most misjudged motion sequels of all time.

4

‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Cranium’ (2008)

The unique three Indiana Jones films stand among the many biggest action-adventure movies of all time, filled with unique places, heart-pounding motion sequences, and carried by the humorous, tough, and rugged charisma of Harrison Ford.

The Close to-Good Authentic Trilogy Wanted to Stay Untouched

When watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Cranium, it is laborious not to consider the enduring scene in Raiders of the Misplaced Ark the place Indy swaps a priceless golden idol with a nugatory bag of sand. The brilliance of the unique three has been changed with a poor imitation within the hopes that nobody would discover.

We will droop our disbelief {that a} 65-year-old Harrison Ford is ready to do even half the stunts he’s seen performing within the film, however the true insult got here from the appalling CGI results—and sadly, they had been in every single place. The 12 months was 2008, and audiences had already witnessed the sinking of the Titanic, full-scale live-action Transformers battles, and armies of undead Pirates of the Caribbean.

However only one 12 months earlier than the groundbreaking Avatar, we had been subjected to Shia LaBeouf swinging by way of a CGI jungle alongside cartoonish-looking monkeys, full-sized adults being devoured by ultra-unrealistic swarms of large ants, and aliens that seemed much less convincing than these utilized by Ridley Scott almost 30 years earlier.

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3

‘Escape Plan 2: Hades’ (2018)

Escape Plan wasn’t an amazing film, to be honest, nevertheless it did precisely what it got down to do—ship an entertaining, no-frills motion flick centered round a jail escape, starring two of the world’s largest motion stars, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

There Was No Logical Purpose for a Sequel

Escape Plan wrapped up its story neatly and served as a reasonably entertaining, self-contained movie with a logical conclusion. The concept of increasing on it with a sequel felt completely pressured and pointless. Nevertheless, Stallone—who isn’t any stranger to pointless sequels—couldn’t resist returning for an additional spherical.

The sequel is actually the identical film, besides this time, Stallone should break his staff out of a distinct jail. Solely now, the script is worse, the motion is much more uninspired, the villains are generic, and the finances was noticeably decrease.

Unsurprisingly, the film was torn aside by critics, scoring simply 7% on Rotten Tomatoes. But, towards all odds (and logic), Stallone agreed to return for yet one more sequel—Escape Plan: The Extractors.

2

‘Highlander II: The Quickening’ (1991)

Highlander II: The Quickening

Launch Date

November 1, 1991

Runtime

91 Minutes

Highlander is a sci-fi fantasy motion flick that performs out like a cross between The Terminator and Blade Runner, solely set within the Scottish Highlands with a barely surrealist twist. Over time, it has developed a robust cult following and is extensively considered a major instance of ’80s sci-fi motion.

‘Highlander II’ Was a Drastic Departure from the Authentic

The primary Highlander launched a captivating premise: a world the place immortals dwell amongst common people, battling one another for supremacy. Highlander II, nevertheless, deserted this straightforward but compelling idea in favor of a plot so convoluted it’s almost unattainable to observe.

Inexplicably, the sequel resurrects beforehand useless characters and introduces the baffling concept that the immortals are literally aliens. On prime of that, it carelessly disregards a lot of the established lore, rewriting the foundations of the universe for no logical motive.

This made it a irritating expertise for followers of the unique and an outright incomprehensible one for newcomers. To make issues worse, the movie is riddled with shoddy particular results, underdeveloped characters, and lackluster performances—sealing its destiny as probably the most misguided sequels of all time.

1

‘The Crow: Metropolis of Angels’ (1996)

A darkish, brooding, visually gorgeous motion film, The Crow was an enormous hit with critics and has garnered a robust cult following. The sequel, nevertheless, appears like a soulless rehash that fails to seize the magic and emotional depth of the unique.

‘The Crow: Metropolis of Angels’ Lacks Coronary heart

The Crow stood out from different superhero films as a result of complexity of its lead character and his story of vengeance, love, and loss. Following Brandon Lee’s tragic dying on the set of The Crow, Vincent Perez steps in because the lead, however sadly lacks the depth and charisma of Lee. Admittedly, it is not fully his fault, as he’s given little to work with and his character is much extra one-dimensional. The story focuses on typical comedian tropes and clichés and lacks the gravitas discovered within the unique’s poetic narrative. Right here we’re given a fundamental revenge story with no emotional depth, that by no means wanted to be made.