Sequels have long played an important role in cinema’s history. From early examples likeBride of Frankensteinto modern classics likeTerminator 2: Judgment Day,many sequels have gone down assome of the best films of all time, pleasing fans of their franchises by following up on beloved characters and expanding upon their stories.
However, not every sequel seeks to satisfy established fans.Some, likeThe Jungle Book 2,are low-effort attempts at capitalizing on the popularity of beloved classics,while others, likeGremlins 2: The New Batch,provide unique twists to their franchise’s core concepts,subverting their audiences' expectations, and sometimes disappointing them as a result. The following are10 examples of movie sequels that seem to hate fans of their respective franchises.
10’The Return of Jafar' (1994)
The Return of Jafar, a follow-up to 1992’sAladdin, was the first of many direct-to-video sequels that Disney produced to their beloved animated output in the ’90s and early 2000s.Most of these sequels are known for being low-quality cash-grabs that lack the broad appeal of their predecessors, andReturn of Jafaris no different. The film, which follows Aladdin (Scott WeingerandBrad Kane), Jasmine (Linda LarkinandLiz Callaway) and Genie (Dan Castellaneta) as they are once again confronted by Jafar (Jonathan Freeman), isa terrible sequel to one ofDisney’s most well-respected animated films.
Many ofReturn of Jafar’s issues boil down to the fact that it is, essentially,nothing more than an extended episode of the Saturday-morning cartoon based on the original film. The animation is a significant downgrade from its predecessor,the songs are simplistic and ear-grating, and, while Castellaneta’s performance is fine,Robin Williams' presence is sorely missed. Simply said,The Return of Jafarlacks the care and heart found in the original, making it a complete slap in the face to any adult fans ofAladdin.
The Return of Jafar
9’Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate' (2024)
Directed by Eric Fogel
Throughout the past 15 years,Megamindhas gained a reputation asan underrated DreamWorks gemthat hilariously lampooned the superhero genre years before it would reach its commercial peak. As such, there had been a growing demand for a sequel to theWill Ferrellcomedy, especially as the Marvel Cinematic Universe dominated the box office throughout the 2010s. Unfortunately, in 2024, fans' wishes were finally answered whenMegamind vs. the Doom Syndicatewas quietly released on Peacock.
While a sequel toMegamindcould have worked,Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicateis so astoundingly low-effort that it completely squanders its potential. Rather than being a proper follow-up to its 14-year-old predecessor,Doom Syndicateserves as an extended pilot to a television show directed solely at children, released the same exact day as the film. As a result, the film featuresincredibly weak dialogue, with jokes that will fail to get a laugh from anyone over the age of 10, and even that’s being generous. While other animated franchises likeToy StoryandHow to Train Your Dragoncontinue to appeal to those who originally grew up with them,Doom Syndicateis only bound to disappoint those who enjoyed the original film in theaters as children, because of its poor script, and disappointing new cast.
Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate
8’Home Alone 4' (2002)
Directed by Rod Daniel
In 1990, families around the world were introduced toHome Alone,the classic holiday filmstarringMacaulay Culkinas Kevin McCallister, a young boy who is forgotten by his family when they go on vacation to Paris, leaving him to find ways to provide for himself, and even defend his home when the Wet Bandits (Joe PesciandDaniel Stern) attempt to break in. The film was a hit, leading to the release ofHome Alone 2: Lost in New York, also starring Culkin, in 1992. In the years since,four subparHome Alonefilms have been released, but onlyHome Alone 4is offensively bad.
WhileHome Alone 3wisely moved away from the McCallister family following Culkin’s departure from the franchise, the series' fourth entry chose to return to them, now entirely recast, to tell a story focusing on Kevin (Mike Weinberg) as he grapples with his parents' (Jason BegheandClare Carey) divorce while spending some of his holiday season without adult supervision.The traps lack the fun and creativitypresent in the previous films, and the story, while potentially interesting in theory, is simplistic and predictable, likely owing to the fact that it was a made-for-TV production. Simply said,fans of the first two, and even those who like the third, are incredibly unlikely to like anything aboutHome Alone 4.
Home Alone 4
7’The Hangover Part III' (2013)
Directed by Todd Phillips
DirectorTodd Phillipshelmed two disappointing sequelsto his classic 2009 comedyThe Hangover. However, whileThe Hangover Part IIwas a lazy retread of its predecessor, it at least seemed interested in giving fans what they wanted.The Hangover Part III, on the other hand, isa deeply unpleasant viewing experience, especially for those who enjoyed the first two films, because of just how mean-spirited it is as a whole.
The thirdHangover’s fatal flaw is that it just isn’t funny. It follows Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) as they attempt to find gangster Leslie Chow (Ken Jeong), throwing them into horrible and terrifying situations throughout. The issue is that, unlike the past two films,there’s never any real humor present in those moments. It seems as if Phillips believes that simply putting his comedic characters into awful scenarios is enough to get a laugh, but more often than not, it just makesThe Hangover Part IIIan awkward watch that feels openly disdainful towards its protagonists.
The Hangover Part III
6’Jurassic World Dominion' (2022)
Directed by Colin Trevorrow
NoJurassic Parksequel has lived up tothe lofty legacy of the 1993 original, butthe most recent, 2023’sJurassic World Dominion, missed the mark by the widest margin. The film brought back prominent members of the original cast, includingSam Neill,Laura DernandJeff Goldblum, butit completely squanders their presence with weak dialogue, and a plot that is sure to disappoint even the most die-hard fans of the franchise.
Rather than focusing on a world overrun by dinosaurs, asJurassic World: Fallen Kingdomhad set up,Dominioncenters on its protagonists' attempts to stop a dangerous swarm of giant, genetically modified locustsdesigned to eat most of the world’s crop supply. Most of the dinosaurs in the film are contained within a sanctuary which also happens to host the lab where the locusts are created, but they get shockingly little screen time. The fact thatJurassic World Dominionfails to justify the fact that it brought back most of the original cast, while also lacking much of the series' signature dinosaur action, made it exceedingly disappointing to fans of the series.
Jurassic World Dominion
5’Halloween Ends' (2022)
Directed by David Gordon Green
Throughout the 2000s, theHalloweenfranchise struggled to please its fans. 2002 saw the release ofHalloween: Resurrection, a terrible film that quickly disappointed fans by killing offJamie Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode, whileRob Zombie’s poorly received duology was released later in the same decade.By the 2010s, enthusiasm for the series had dwindled, but this changed with the release of 2018’sHalloween, a film that ignored the rest ofthe franchise’s various timelinesto follow-up directly on the 1978 original. The film brought back Curtis, and was a hit with fans for returning the series to its roots.
Unfortunately, this critical rebound didn’t last long. 2021’sHalloween Killswas an underwhelming sequel that did little to move the plot forward while featuring far less interesting thematic material, but2022’sHalloween Endsiswidely viewed as a low pointby fans of the series. Rather than building upon the ending of the previous film, which seemed to be hinting at Laurie actively trying to hunt down Michael Myers (James Jude CourtneyandNick Castle),Endspicks up four years later, primarily following Corey Cunningham (Rohan Campbell), a new character who becomes Michael’s murderous protégé when he discovers the masked killer living in the sewers. It was a bizarre left turn for the franchise, which ultimately spent little time developing the story between Michael and Laurie, making ita disappointing and baffling conclusion to an underwhelming trilogy.
Halloween Ends
4’Jaws 3-D' (1983)
Directed by Joe Alves
TheJawsseries is notorious for goingincreasingly off the rails with each entry.Jaws 2was a disappointing follow-up to the 1975 original, but the filmmakers behind it made a genuine effort, bringing backRoy Scheideras protagonist Martin Brody and attempting to explore some of the psychological effects that the events of the first film may have had on him. In stark contrast,Jaws 3-Dis a low-effort attempt at cashing in on the wildly successful franchise.
Jaws 3-Dfocuses on Mike Brody (Dennis Quaid), the now adult son of Martin from the previous films, as the SeaWorld he works at is invaded by two great white sharks. It isa completely absurd film with laughably bad special effects that lacks any of the fun or tension present in the original. Granted, the animatronic shark in the firstJawsisn’t exactly convincing, butdirectorSteven Spielbergbrilliantly shot around itto ensure that its implied presence was powerful enough to invoke fear, even if its physical appearance wasn’t terrifying.Jaws: The Revengewould continue to take the series into more absurd territory, missing the point even more, butJaws 3-Dis notable for being the first film in the franchise to completely ignore fans' expectations for aJawsmovie.
3’Thor: Ragnarok' (2017)
Directed by Taika Waititi
Back in 2017, the superheroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe were dominating the box office. However, while Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) became quick fan favorites through their solo projects, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) took a little longer to become as beloved. At the time, his two films,ThorandThor: The Dark World, were viewed by many as some ofthe MCU’s weakest releases. As a result of this,the character was completely reinvented for his third solo outing,Thor: Ragnarok.
Directed byTaika Waititi, best known for his work onWhat We Do in the ShadowsandHunt for the Wilderpeople,Ragnarokadopted a far more comedic tone than its predecessors, allowing Hemsworth to show more of his range, and making Thor a far more likable character in the process. This new approach was appreciated by most, butto fans who enjoyed the moremelodramatic tone of the first twoThorfilms, it was viewed as an unfortunate downgrade that made Thor a less unique character. The series' next entry,Thor: Love and Thunder, would intensify the debate even more, withmany feeling that the constant use of humor made Thor more of a joke than a legitimate character.
Thor: Ragnarok
2’Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi' (2017)
Directed by Rian Johnson
2015 saw the release of the first live-actionStar Warsfilm in a decade with the premiere ofStar Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens. The film, while very similar toStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, was largely viewed as a success within the fan base for effectively reintroducing Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) while simultaneously setting up a number of compelling mysteries to be answered later in the trilogy. Unfortunately, the next entry in the Skywalker Saga, 2017’sStar Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi, proved to be the most divisive entry in the series, with some fans being incredibly disappointed by the direction that the plot was taken.
Much ofThe Force Awakens’s story revolves around the quest to find Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the iconic hero from the original trilogy, but he only shows up for a short scene at the end of the film, during which he doesn’t have a single line of dialogue. As such,fans were eagerly anticipating finally getting to see Luke take center stage inThe Last Jedi, but the most polarizing aspect of the film ended up being its approach to the beloved character. In the movie, it is revealed that Luke has isolated himself and severed his connection with the Force because he believes he is responsible for the rise of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver). Whilesome fans loved the extra depth added to Lukethrough his arc, others felt as if this new interpretation ofLuke no longer felt like the same character. Some fans were also disappointed by the fact that Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) parents were revealed to be insignificant,feeling that the film actively punished them for getting invested in the mysteries presented inThe Force Awakens.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
1’Joker: Folie à Deux' (2024)
After finishing theHangovertrilogy, Todd Phillips directed 2019’sJoker, a dark twist on typical comic book films that, while divisive, ultimately earned a number of Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture.Jokercenters onJoaquin Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck, a man with psychiatric illnesses who slowly grows violent, eventually becoming a version of the titularBatmanvillain and inspiring a massive riot to break out across Gotham City, leading to his incarceration in Arkham Asylum. To many, this ending seemed to be a definitive conclusion to Arthur’s story, butsome fans wanted a sequel in the hopes that it would fully commit to making Arthur the Joker.
Unfortunately, in 2024,Jokerreceived a sequel that only managed to disappoint fans and critics alike.Joker: Folie à Deuxfeatures a number of truly baffling creative decisions that make it a frustrating viewing experience. Firstly,it never gives fans what they want with regard to Arthur’s arc; he is hardly ever empowered throughout the movie, and he certainly never becomes anything close to the Clown Prince of Crime. Secondly,it isa musical with truly terrible musical numbers, completely wastingLady Gaga, who stars alongside Phoenix as a version of Harley Quinn. The film wound up beinga box office flopthat many view asa stain on the legacy of the original.
