Worst Sequels Ever

Sometimes there are movies that come out that make people laugh or cry.  The movie does really well financially at the theatres and gets nominated for Awards.  Instantly, the movie becomes a classic.

Undoubtedly, if a movie does well at the box office they will make a sequel.  A few sequels have been as good, if not better, than the original.  However, most of the time the sequels don't live up to the hype and ruin the legacy of the great movies.  The following is a short list of the worst sequels ever made. 

National Lampoon's Vacation was released in 1983 and became an instant classic. Vacation starred Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo as the parents of two teenage kids. The family decides to drive across the country the visit California's Walley World, a fictional theme park that resembles Disneyland. The clan faces many obstacles along the way including the death of a family member, the killing of a dog and the purchase of a car that can only be classified as a lemon. The movie also features Anthony Michael Hall, John Candy and Eugene Levy.

Vacation was an instant hit. It earned over 61 million at the box office and was ranked as the 46th best comedy by Total Film in 2000. After the success of the original Vacation, National Lampoon's European Vacation was released in 1985. European Vacation still featured Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo but the two children were replaced with new actors. This movie featured the Griswold family winning a vacation around Europe from a television game show.

What this movie lacked however, was the same humor and timing as the first. The jokes are strained and the children are whiny. Further, the characters the family meet throughout the vacation are not as likeable as the roles played by Randy Quaid or John Candy in the original. The movie also tries to add adventure by having the family taken hostage by jewel thieves. It simply does not work. This movie was so bad I left before it was finished.

National Lampoon's, however, made up for this mistake by releasing two more Vacation movies, Christmas Vacation and Vegas Vacation. While neither lives up to the original, they are both funny in their own ways and are able to make fun of their past mistakes.

Legally Blonde was released in 2001 and starred Reese Witherspoon as the the lovable Elle Woods. The movie tells the story of a bubbly sorority girl who goes to Harvard Law School to chase after her college boyfriend to only find who she is and what she can offer the world. While not the greatest movie ever made, Legally Blond is a funny movie with a good message.

Legally Blonde was an instant hit. It grossed over twenty million in its first weekend, ninety six million in the United States and over 140 million worldwide. It was nominated for three Golden Globes and was ranked 29th in Bravo's list of 100 funniest movies.

Because of the success of Legally Blonde, Witherspoon starred in the sequel Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde in 2003. The movie was a disaster and went straight to DVD. It tried the same jokes as the first and because they were no longer fresh, they were no longer funny. They story evolved around Elle's attempt to change Washington D.C. and save her dog's mother. With a story line like that, how could it miss?

Speed was released in 1994 and starred Keanu Reeves as Officer Jack Traven, an LAPD Bomb expert. The story begins when Traven and his partner save a group of people in an elevator being held hostage by the bad guy, wonderfully played by Dennis Hopper. After this incident, Hopper's character then holds a bus hostage and warns it will blow up if the bus reduces speed under 50 miles per hour. The story then shows how the bus and its driver, played by Sandra Bullock, traverse through Los Angeles.

Speed was also an instant hit. The movie was filled with action and some decent jokes. Hopper was amazing as the crazy bomber and Reeves and Bullock had good chemistry. It grossed over fourteen million its first weekend and over three hundred million in total. Speed received two Oscars for sound and was a critical success.

So of course they made a sequel. Speed 2: Cruise Control was released in 1997 with Sandra Bullock the only star from the original to appear. This time the scene was set on a cruise ship. The reason the original was a hit was it was fresh and new. The sequel tried to use the same unbelievable gimmicks and stunts only to have the audience claim it has all been done before.

The Godfather Part I and Part II were released in 1972 and and 1974 respectively. Each is considered one of the best movies of all time (at least by me) and Part II is considered one of the best sequels ever made and many believe it is better than the original. The Godfather movies tell the story of the Corleone Family, a powerful New York Mob family. Part I and Part II track the rise of the patriarch of the family through the reign of his youngest son. The movies are well written, directed and acted. They are classics.

The Godfather Part III was released in 1990 and finishes the story of Michael Corleone's attempts to make the family legitimate. Al Pacino, Talia Shire and Diane Keaton reprise their roles. However, Part III adds Andy Garcia as the Don in waiting and Sofia Coppola, the director's daughter, as Michael Corleone's daughter.

For many, Sofia Coppola ruins the legacy of this trilogy. She is a horrible actress who lacks timing and sincerity. However, she is not the only problem with the movie. The plot revolves around the Church and business and for the first time feeds into the stereotype of mafia. The characters are no longer likable but run of the mill gangsters and thieves. For this, the movie lacked the charm of the originals. While not the worst movie ever made, it falls so short in comparison with its predecessors that it is one of the worst sequels ever..