Meatballs Part II was released on July 27, 1984, by TriStar Pictures. Unlike its predecessor, the film received harshly negative reviews and a paltry return at the box office. The New York Times said the sequel suffered from “Pallid writing, awkward acting, familiar situations and tired jokes.” The original Meatballs gave Bill Murray his first leading role … Read more
How many times has this happened to you? You’ve paid for a ticket to see a sequel to one of your favorite movies. You settle into your seat in the theater. The lights go down and the movie begins. Within a few minutes, you realize something feels … off. Maybe the violence has been toned down significantly. … Read more
Right off the bat: We don’t need more movie sequels in this world. We’ve got enough. We’ve got more than enough. We’re good. If Hollywood made less sequels, I would be fine with it. If they made half as many sequels, I would be delighted. BUT. IF we were to get more sequels — and given the state … Read more
In the world of movies, the smart money is always on sequels failing to live up to the film that inspired them. Decades of cinema history offer pretty concrete evidence that the odds are always against sequels. In fact, some of the very best movies ever made have led to some of the worst sequels ever made, something … Read more
No one expects Shakespeare from a Transformers movie. We all innately understand that a sequel to an already mediocre film will probably be bad; it will certainly not be a candidate for cinematic immortality. (At least not the good kind.) As the lights go down and the credits start to roll, we set our expectations accordingly. As bad as … Read more
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be movies: and there were movies. And then God said, Hey, y’know, we … Read more
It took 17 years to get Bad Boys For Life after Bad Boys II. Even with a pandemic it only took four years to get the next Bad Boys — which is officially titled Bad Boys: Ride or Die, and is coming to theaters this summer. The film once again stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the roles of rule-breaking Miami … Read more
Every sequel is a risky creative proposition. But there are two words that always make me nervous when I see them in a sequel’s title: Part Two. That’s because when you call something a part two, you’re telling the audience that you’re doing more than simply continuing the story of a movie people loved. A “Part 2” announces that … Read more
Legacy Sequels have sucked for a while and its time for Hollywood to move on from bringing back old characters for no reason. What exactly is a legacy sequel? According to the internet, it is “a work that follows the continuity of the original work(s), but takes place further along the timeline, often focusing on … Read more
Those fast-moving zombies sure took their sweet time coming back. But now they are here. Confirming recent rumors that sequels to the modern zombie classic 28 Days Later were being shopped around Hollywood, The Hollywood Reporter says the projects have landed at Sony, where two new sequels are being developed by original 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle and writer … Read more