I wonder at what point movie makers captured the idea
that they could capitalize off of our need for “more”
and devised “The Movie Sequel”. Although 2006 is still
a couple of years off, with it comes Pirates of the Caribbean 2 .
I haven’t been in this much anticipation since as a wee lad
I awaited the further adventures of Luke and Leia as they battled
the Dark Lord Vader. What amazes me the most is the sheer number of
sequels being generated. Granted, over the years there have been many
enjoyable follow-ups. The Matrix 2, Desperado, T2, Empire Strikes
Back, and of course The Godfather 2 to name a few. These were all
films that could easily stand on their own and not only continued
a story line but made for a great theater experience. Additional installments
are oft times needed to keep the original film from being 24 hours
long, Lord of The Rings, while others serve to show the entire life
of a character, Rocky I - V. Still I think the key to the whole thing
and what has gotten out of hand is the wisdom to know when to make
a continuance and when to say enough is enough. Seriously, did we
need Speed 2, Weekend at Bernies 2, Home Alone 2, Revenge of the Nerds
2-4 or Three men and a little Lady? In the words of Dr. Evil, “How
‘bout NO!”. And speaking of the doc-ter’, this brings
me to the sequel character. Individuals that are so notable that not
to have more movies devoted to them would be a shame. Would we be
content with only one dose of Austin Powers, James Bond, Jason Bourne,
Indiana Jones, Dirty Harry, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Riggs and Murtaugh
or Captain Jack Sparrow? Probably not. But these are well written
characters with interesting lives. My question, well one of many,
is, who goes and sees the awful installments so much that they keep
coming out? Did so many people go see Police Academy 2-6 that they
had to do a part 7? Did fans flood Bill Duke with letters begging
him to direct Sister Act 2? It’s truly mind boggling. I have
noticed that the horror genre seems to have the most sequels? Halloween
with 8, Friday the 13th with 10, Nightmare on Elm Street with 5. Between
Michael, Jason and Freddie, is there anyone left to kill? Again it
comes back to moderation. Like El Mariachi with Desperado, if it is
an amazing movie stop while you are ahead. Too bad Robert Rodriguez
thought we needed more. But in a few cases part two was so bad they
had to do a third installment just to try and save face. Jurassic
Park 3 succeeded. Back to the Future 3 just got worse. But in the
end Hollywood knows that if they make it someone will come. I am just
thankful that many studios know when to leave left well enough alone
or else we would have had to deal with Driving Miss Daisy’s
Hearse. With a Spin on entertainment, I’m Matt Mungle.