Sequels You Like That No One Else Really Does

[Alex]

So a film comes out that people love. They decide to make a sequel. It doesn't get the love of the original and is seen as inferior, but you like it.

So yeah I'm just wondering what sequels you like that aren't reall loved by the majority. You can think it's better than the original or just fun taken on it's own merits.

For me I've got a few but one of them is Predator 2. I still don't get the hate this movie has. Sure it doesn't have Arnold Schwarzenegger in it but it's still an enjoyable film on it's own merits and Danny Glover is a decent lead. I liked the urban jungle aspect and I liked the incorporation of new Predator weapons (the spear, circular blade and metal net) I also liked how it shows the Predators hunt all over the universe with skulls of other aliens in the ship (including the Xenomorph skull).

I do remember on here Jake mentioned how he didn't like how in the first one a special ops team got obliterated by a Predator and it took skill and luck for Schwarzenegger to beat it whereas Danny Glover's cop was able to beat it relatively easily in comparison. I get that but at the same time I think it's a moot point.

I also like Alien Resurrection. Yeah I know it's seen as the worst Alien movie but at the same time it's fun and silly. I know some people don't like that idea but Aliens had a sense of silliness in it as well (admittedly not as on the nose as Resurrection). Still if you look at Alien Resurrection as something separate to the other Alien movies it's enjoyable.

 

[enviousdominous]

When I saw the title of this thread, I automatically thought of Predator 2. I loved that movie, and Friday the 13th part 8 because they mixed a sadistic super-villain with the hustle and bustle of a city. Good choice.

Very often I'll refer to Rotten Tomatoes to get a sense of how likely a movie is to please me, but Rotten Tomatoes has failed me on many occasions as have esteemed film critics. Case in point; Rotten Tomatoes has consistently slammed the Saw movies.

I absolutely love the Saw movies, I don't think I'm being an outcast when I say that the motivations of Jigsaw easily earn my sympathy. He's afflicted with a terminal illness, and he's using his expertise in mechanics to force hedonists to confront their desire to survive vs their desire to maintain their vices.

Critics by and large hate the Saw movies, their principle criticism being that Jigsaw is too sadistic to be a believable character. While only 48% of critics listed on Rotten Tomatoes have approved of the original Saw, every sequel ranges from 9% to I think a high of 36%. While they weren't that thrilled with the original, they absolutely despise every sequel.

I've watched every Saw movie, and I loved every one of them. While the devices weren't always indicative of a mechanical genius' design -- and at times the devices didn't make any sense (the unexplained device on the back of the lawyer's neck in Saw 4) -- every movie still depicted extremely poignant examples of choice that were applicable to the main villain's morally skewed dispositions.

Saw is my favorite horror movie franchise, and each Saw film is an example of a rare film that can actually make you think.

 

[@smarkmouth]

Wait a second, wait a second... there are people who don't like Predator 2? Hogwash! These are the people I'm glad I don't know.

My own pick is Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day. I admit, there's a degree of Rose tinted glasses when I first saw the movie, because I expected a rehash of the original. It wasn't. It evolved the story from where we were in the first movie. Also, brilliantly sets up a third film. My only issue with it is Julie Benz' atrocious southern dialect.

All in all, I get the dislike, but I hope there's still enough support for a third.

 

[SSJPhenom]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.

It was the best live action TMNT ever. It was funny, had drama, and c'mon Vanilla Ice and Kevin Nash. I mean seriously. So much better than the first one. "Ninja ninja rap, ninja ninja rap, go go go go go ninja go ninja go....go ninja go ninja go. It was the shit.

Love that movie.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

The Elm Street series follows a familiar pattern for streaky quality in horror franchises with too many sequels. A truly memorable original film, a terrible follow up film (Freddy's Revenge), the rare good or great sequel (Dream Warriors), another solid sequel (The Dream Master), the predictable mediocre or so-so sequel (Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare), and it's more of a standalone film, or a direct sequel to the first film, but Wes Craven's New Nightmare is definitely a top three pick in the series. And of course, you have the atrocious 2010 remake.

The Dream Child has a handful of hokey and over the top corny scenes (Super Freddy VS Mark, or The Phantom Prowler, Greta's death, Jacob transforming into a Freddy look-alike during the finale, the birth of baby Freddy, etc.), but for the most part, The Dream Child is a darker film.

After four films, I know it's hard to catch people off guard or surprise anyone, when Freddy is resurrected or when he returns (again), but Freddy's sinister plan for Alice's unborn child and Freddy using Amanda (his mother) are two of the more diabolical schemes for a Freddy return in the series. That, and The Dream Child reveals the gruesome details behind the rape leading to Freddy's birth, and the asylum employees accidentally forgetting about and locking Amanda in a room with the inmates.

Unfortunately, The Dream Child was released during the downward spiral days of The Elm Street franchise, so the movie is mixed in with the "enough is enough" or "too many sequels" stages in the series. Still, Lisa Wilcox's performance is an upgrade over her performance in The Dream Master (not trying to say she was terrible in The Dream Master, but The Dream Child features the stronger performance, when you compare both films), and Dan's death is one of Freddy's more inventive and brutal kills in the series.

Also, The Dream Child features one of my favorite endings in the series. Alice, her father Dennis, Yvonee, and the newborn baby named after Jacob and Dan are sitting around at a park, and as the movie ends, the camera slowly zooms out to show the ghostly children watching the group, while they're jumping rope and humming Freddy's theme song, and the credits roll. It's an eerie series of events, when you hear the children humming, while the jump rope is swinging through the air and smacking the pavement, because you know Freddy is not done yet.

 

[Alex]

Terminator Salvation

Yeah. I like it. It's different.

Let's be honest Terminator 2 follows the same formula as number one but just makes the bad guy Terminator the good guy this time round and everything is bigger and grander. I'm not saying that's bad but it's essentially the same plot. That's why I don't really care for 3. It's the same plot AGAIN but not as good. Sure the T-X was interesting and the idea of others being important to the resistance. But they pulled an excuse out their ass to have Judgement Day happen.

Yes Salvation has a lot of flaws but it's different and actually is set during the machine war (something the other 3 only had one or two scenes showing). Yeah there's some plot holes (Skynet somehow knowing the importance of Kyle Reece etc) and some pointless choices (Sam Worthington's character/Sam Worthington) but with a few tweaks it would've been great. As it is, it's a decent post apocalyptic movie about humans vs robots

 

[akathelaw]

Open Water 2 was really enjoyable for me. I had no expectations, just threw it on Netflix one night because I somewhat enjoyed the original movie. OW2 was actually not intended to be a sequel, it was a movie about similar events to Open Water that got greenlit and repackaged as a sequel because it involved a very similar true story. The ending is pretty dark, some viewers didn't like it but I found it to be thought provoking.

 

[harrythem]

The Star Wars Prequels...Dare I say it I even prefer them to the original trilogy. Yeah there's some shite acting but, dammit, I could quite happily sit through Phantom Menace ten times before I bore myself with New Hope.

Also Cars 2, my son likes it, I get to have a nap while he watches it, thus I like it.