Summary

• Movie sequels often struggle to recapture the magic of the original, either by playing it too safe or changing too much.
• Fans want to see characters they love develop within the story, not just rehashed versions of them.
• Some sequels lose charm by diverging from what made the original great, leading to disappointing results.

Movie sequels always have to bring something new to the table, but sometimes they change so much that they forget what made the original so great in the first place. There are countless disappointing movie sequels, showing that it isn't always easy to recapture the intangible magic that contributes to a beloved movie. A lot of bad sequels play things too safely in an attempt to rehash the original. This is a common misstep, but going too far in the opposite direction is equally ill-fated. Fans who are eagerly awaiting a sequel want to see something familiar.

Movie sequels can have all the ingredients which seem important, including the same actors, the same setting, and an exciting new story to tell, but they can still fall flat if they don't truly understand the appeal of the first movie. These sequels can seem like hollow imitations of great movies, with all the frills but none of the heart. Even if filmmakers and studios think that fans want to see the same actors playing the same characters again, the important thing is how these characters develop within the context of the story. If this is misjudged, it can lead to some puzzling movie sequels.

10 Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

Eggsy's character growth suddenly means a lot less

The second Kingsman movie builds on the high-octane action of the first, and it helps expand the world of private espionage to a global scale. However, The Golden Circle betrays the emotional arc of the first movie, The Secret Service. Harry's death is a major turning point in Eggsy's path toward becoming a self-sufficient Kingsman agent. Bringing him back to life using absurd sci-fi undoes this journey, and it also means that the personal stakes are considerably lower. When characters can survive gunshots to the head, the fights don't feel as intense. Kingsman: The Blue Blood could also suffer from the shockwaves of this decision.

9 Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

The sequel trilogy presents two conflicting philosophies concerning Rey's origins

The Last Jedi suggested that Rey's heritage was unimportant because anyone could be special. The Rise of Skywalker rejects this idea entirely.

After Rian Johnson's controversial The Last Jedi, The Rise of Skywalker was even more divisive, but for completely different reasons. The mystery of Rey's parentage was key to the sequel trilogy from the beginning. The Last Jedi suggested that her heritage was unimportant because anyone could be special. The Rise of Skywalker rejects this idea entirely, revealing that she is related to Emperor Palpatine, who has also returned from the dead somehow. The franchise is still trying to figure out the legacy of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, but it isn't easy with two dueling philosophies.

8 Home Alone 3 (1997)

More booby traps but a lot less fun

The Home Alone franchise probably should have ended when Macaulay Culkin outgrew the role of Kevin, but replacing Culkin is not the only problem with Home Alone 3. The sequel tries to recapture the magic of the first two movies by having slapstick booby traps and some incompetent robbers. This is a reductive approach to what makes Home Alone so great, however. In Home Alone 3, the child is only alone for the day. This means he doesn't get to explore the freedom and responsibilities of being away from his parents. Also, Home Alone 3 isn't even a Christmas movie.

7 Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)

Indy is the ultimate pulp hero, but now he has to deal with sci-fi mysteries

19 years after riding off into the sunset, Indiana Jones returned for a completely new type of adventure. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is unpopular among Indiana Jones fans for multiple reasons. The sub-par CGI and Shia LaBeouf's uninteresting sidekick character don't help, but the main issues are all about how the sequel ignores key aspects of the original trilogy. By taking Indy out of the 1940s, the character no longer makes sense as a tribute to action heroes of the period. Also, the interdimensional aliens are far more sci-fi than fantasy, which isn't what Indiana Jones is about.

6 Zoolander 2 (2016)

The Zoolander sequel lost all its cultural relevance

Despite having Ben Stiller as a writer and director, Zoolander 2 couldn't live up to the original. The main problem was that Zoolander 2 was released 15 years after the original, and the trends it was parodying had long since faded into the past. Derek Zoolander and Hansel aren't just vapid halfwits as the sequel depicts them. They are supposed to poke fun at a very specific type of vapid halfwit that was taking over mainstream culture when the first Zoolander came out. In the sequel, they are just really, really, ridiculously good-looking idiots who become involved in espionage.

5 Now You See Me 2 (2016)

The outlaw magicians lost their edge

Now You See Me is about a group of stage musicians who use their skills to pull off elaborate heists. The sequel takes this same idea and adds in some sci-fi computer wizardry and some more exotic locations. However, Now You See Me 2 misses the entire reason why the Horsemen were brought together in the first place. The rogue magicians weren't staging robberies for their own benefit. Their crimes had a revolutionary class-conscious streak, with each of their jobs exposing corrupt billionaires. Now You See Me 2 plays things safe by having the Horsemen react to an external motivator.

After eight years without any updates, Now You See Me 3 is reportedly set to begin filming within months.

4 The Hangover Part III (2013)

Alan should have remained as a total oddball

The Hangover Part III attributes much of Alan's erratic behavior to a previously unmentioned mental health issue. The most generous reading of this is that it's an unnecessary plot detail, but it could also be construed as offensive.

The Hangover Part III has a darker tone than the first two movies. Part of this tonal shift can be attributed to the fact that the third movie tries to explore the depths of Alan's character. Alan is the wildcard of the group. He's the kind of comedy character who would never exist in the real world, but that isn't the point. The Hangover Part III attributes much of his erratic behavior to a previously unmentioned mental health issue. The most generous reading of this is that it's an unnecessary plot detail, but it could also be construed as offensive.

3 Inspector Clouseau (1968)

Replacing Peter Sellers was always going to be a disaster

The Pink Panther, and the sequel focused on his character rather than the titular jewel thief. Sellers then declined to return for Inspector Clouseau, the movie named after his bumbling French detective, but the production went ahead anyway. Inspector Clouseau features Alan Arkin in the lead role, and the movie fails to recapture the magic of Sellers' iconic character. Even Steve Martin couldn't play Clouseau quite like Sellers. Some comedy characters are only funny because of the actors who play them. Replacing Sellers and hoping for a similar result was woefully misguided.

2 Live Free Or Die Hard (2007)

John McClane becomes an indestructible superhuman

One of the factors which makes Die Hard such a durable action classic is John McClane's status as an underdog. He's just a regular cop who finds himself thrust into a deadly hostage situation which he is totally unprepared for, but his courage and quick-thinking allow him to overcome the odds. The next two sequels tried to replicate this formula by placing him in similarly untenable scenarios. Live Free or Die Hard turns its back on this vital aspect of John McClane's character. He becomes almost superhuman, able to survive explosions and gunshots without breaking a sweat.

1 Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Too much Jack Sparrow and not enough romance

The events of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie introduce the stuffy British colonial powers to a world of obscure magic that they aren't equipped to understand. At the heart of the story are Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, two lovers across class boundaries who discover that life is too short and too dangerous to pay attention to convention. Dead Man's Chest somehow makes all the magic seem humdrum and dry. It also shifts focus to Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow, who works better as a secondary character. These two issues started the Pirates of the Caribbean.