10 Movie Sequels That Had Absolutely No Reason To Exist

Sequels are an inherently risky prospect, as they can easily tarnish the reputation of the original. ThatŌĆÖs not to say that there is never a good reason to make a sequel; many are masterpieces, and there are franchises that managed to survive a few bad installments and are still beloved. However, it can get frustrating to look at what sequels are greenlit, given how many possibilities there are for what studios can spend their time on. The most exasperating sequels are those that no one asked for and never had any passion behind them. They exist purely to make profits, and they often donŌĆÖt end up being a successful enterprise for those involved. One thing Hollywood has never learned how to do is to simply let something rest; sometimes, making one film is enough, and there is no sequel needed to complicate it. 10 ‘Wrath of the Titans’ (2012) Wrath of the Titans is a baffling sequel because it was a follow-up to the 2009 remake of Clash of the Titans, which already hadnŌĆÖt been well-received. Despite the fact that Greek mythology is responsible for inspiring a vast majority of the genre stories that are popular in cinema, Hollywood has never managed to figure out how to make compelling stories about Greek myths, and Wrath of the Titans was no exception. Wrath of the Titans is a disappointing sequel because it is not even enjoyable in a ŌĆ£so bad itŌĆÖs goodŌĆØ sense like its predecessor was; while the ridiculous CGI Kraken and Liam NeesonŌĆÖs performance as Zeus made Clash of the Titans watchable as a guilty pleasure, Wrath of the Titans is a slog to get through that never gives Sam Worthington much to do in his role as the Greek hero Perseus. 9 ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War’ (2016) The Huntsman: WinterŌĆÖs War is a ridiculous concept for a sequel because it had to get over the issue that Kristen Stewart, the star of Snow White and the Huntsman, wasnŌĆÖt interested in reprising her role as the titular princess. The first film had essentially sold itself on being a subversive take on the classic fairy tale, but the sequel tried to spin off Chris HemsworthŌĆÖs Huntsman character into the protagonist, making it feel like just another generic fantasy adventure. The Huntsman: WinterŌĆÖs War is a particularly insulting sequel because of how much talent was wasted. The fact that Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, and Charlize Theron all appeared and werenŌĆÖt enough to make The Huntsman: WinterŌĆÖs War even watchable in the slightest is the perfect embodiment on what an ill-conceived idea it was to make a sequel in the first place. 8 ‘Zoolander 2’ (2016) Zoolander 2 is a sequel that came over a decade too late, as comedy follow-ups tend to work best when the iron is still hot. The original Zoolander was a product of its time that worked perfectly for a very specific era in fashion and celebrity media, but its premise felt completely outdated and obnoxious when the sequel was released 15 years later. Zoolander 2 feels very tired because of how little enthusiasm there was from the cast; Ben Stiller seemingly did not have a strong idea of what to do with the sequel, and it felt like Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, and Kristen Wiig were all there out of obligation. Zoolander 2 wasnŌĆÖt just a bad comedy sequel, but a film so wildly out-of-touch and bland that it actually may have harmed the legacy of the original film from 2001. 7 ‘Cars 2’ (2011) Cars 2 is a film that didnŌĆÖt need to be made considering that it was the first time Pixar made a sequel outside of the Toy Story franchise. Although fans had begged for years for sequels to The Incredibles and Finding Nemo, John Lassetter moved forward on a sequel to Cars, one of the few films made by Pixar that had received a more mixed response. Cars 2 does everything that it can to suck all the energy out of the first film, which at least had a nice story and some fun characters. Cars 2 tries to be an international spy film, feeling closer to the style of a Dreamworks of Illumination production, and makes the disastrous choice to turn the obnoxious supporting character Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) into the protagonist, sidelining Lighting McQueen (Owen Wilson) to the background. 6 ‘Friday the 13th: A New Beginning’ (1985) Friday the 13th: A New Beginning was a creative failure for the Friday the 13th franchise that proved that going away from the series formula was a mistake. The fourth film in the series, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, had realized the full potential of what a Friday the 13th sequel could be by taking the horror to the suburbs and introducing the best cast of characters yet, including Crispin Glover and Cory Feldman. Since the death of Jason Voorhees had seemed definitive, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning introduced a new killer who was masquerading as the hockey mask-wearing slasher. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning is deathly boring and filled with completely unlikeable characters, and was such a disaster that it took the next film, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, to redeem the franchise by taking it in a meta direction. 5 ‘Little Fockers’ (2010) Little Fockers was a sequel that came far too late after Meet the Fockers, which already had diminishing returns when compared to the original Meet the Parents. Everything that was done in the first two films to establish a burgeoning respect between the two protagonists is completely erased by Little Fockers, which turns Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro into enemies again for no reason. Even adding Dustin Hoffman in a series of reshoots wasnŌĆÖt enough to save the sequel. Few things are worse than bad comedy, and Little Fockers features all sorts of awkward gross out gags, unfunny oneliners, and uncomfortable moments that make it a pain to sit through. While the first two films succeeded thanks to their cringe humor, Little Fockers is mean-spirited in a way that is just nasty, as it turns every character into an unlikeable jerk. 4 ‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians: Sea of Monsters’ (2013) Percy Jackson & The Olympians: Sea of Monsters is a sequel that was doomed to fail because its predecessor, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, was universally despised by both fans of the book and their author, Rick Riordan. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: Sea of Monsters somehow managed to get even worse because it lacked the creative spark of Chris Columbus and tried to tie in closer to the novels, even though the actors were already far too old to play the characters. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: Sea of Monsters couldnŌĆÖt work because it didnŌĆÖt have a strong foundation for what a modern take on Greek mythology looked like. It was such a catastrophe that the planned adaptations of the sequel novels were scrapped, allowing Disney+ to move forward with a much better received television reboot that Riordan was actually creatively involved with. 3 ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back’ (2016) Jack Reacher: Never Go Back was a very disappointing sequel because the first Jack Reacher was a very solid Tom Cruise action film, despite the fact that it wasnŌĆÖt at all like the books. The first Jack Reacher worked because of the collaboration between Cruise and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie, who would go on to direct four installments in the Mission: Impossible franchise; without McQuarrie, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back was a generic action sequel that didnŌĆÖt understand what was so compelling about CruiseŌĆÖs star power. The grittiness of the first Jack Reacher is completely lost in a sequel that saddles the protagonist with an unnecessary child storyline and doesnŌĆÖt wrestle with his darkness. There was an opportunity for Cruise to have another ongoing franchise to make in-between Mission: Impossible sequels, but Jack Reacher: Never Go Back destroyed the potential of him ever reprising his role. 2 ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ (2025) I Know What You Did Last Summer is a sequel that no one was asking for when considering that all of the other follow-ups to the 1997 original were considered failures. Unlike Scream, another ŌĆś90s horror franchise, I Know What You Did Last Summer did not linger around within popular culture, and none of its characters went on to be icons. I Know What You Did Last Summer is a lazy retread of the original film that inserts ridiculous Easter Eggs, despite the fact that it is clearly aimed at teenagers who were born after the first installment was released. WhatŌĆÖs even more insulting is that it betrays the legacy of the first film by compromising one of the original characters, resulting in a twist so laughably inane that it turns a generic horror reboot into an offensively awful one. 1 ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ (2016) Independence Day: Resurgence is the type of disaster that happens only once in a generation, as Roland Emmerich seemingly forgot everything that had made the original film good with a sequel that was downright miserable to watch. While the fact that Will Smith didnŌĆÖt want to star in Independence Day: Resurgence should have been reason enough to cancel the production, the film manages to waste the talents of all the cast members that did return, such as Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman. Independence Day: Resurgence is an oddly joyless film that doesnŌĆÖt have the humor, heart, and humanity that had made the original one of the best blockbusters of the ŌĆś90s. While Emmerich had been trying to recapture the magic of Independence Day with several other disaster films in the years since, Independence Day: Resurgence isnŌĆÖt even worth watching as a guilty pleasure. Independence Day: Resurgence - Release Date - June 22, 2016 - Runtime - 120 minutes Cast - David Levinson - Jake Morrison