Part 2: Movie sequels that disappointed

After walkouts during screenings of 'Joker 2' in 2024, we take a look at sequels that disappointed us. Some were so bad they almost ruined the franchise.

We get it, it’s often much easier to market a familiar story than it is to introduce something new, but this practice can also do more harm than good.

Many films have damaged their franchises' reputations - think of 'Godfather 3', 'Superman 4', 'Jaws The Revenge', 'Terminator' (most of them), and more than one 'Die Hard' - but in this gallery, we are only looking at the 'part two's' that let us down.

'Joker' broke box office records and earned Joaquin Phoenix an Oscar. However, 'Joker 2' has managed to offend many people, with complaints ranging from the glorification of violence to ‘I didn’t know it was a musical’.

Photo: Warner Bros

The original was so good, even if the overall message was a little immoral. We had the incredible Danny and Sandy and 'Greased Lightening'. But then came 'Grease 2' which just wasn't great in every aspect. Not even the amazing Michelle Pfeiffer could save this musical mess.

Image: Paramount Pictures

Jim Carrey IS the mask. Nobody can imitate his natural intense comedy genius. So, without the star, it was never going to work, no matter how hard they tried.

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures

The attraction of 'Speed', other than the two leads' natural chemistry, was the originality of the idea. So when they made a sequel, it wasn’t original anymore. Add to that the fact that only Sandra Bullock returned for part two and sadly, she didn’t have the same spark with a different leading man. 

Photo: 20th Century Studios

There is so much that’s just not right with this film... Perhaps it is best to simply erase it from memory and pretend that the only 'Highlander' film was the magnificent 1986 movie with one of the most awesome soundtracks ever. There can be only one.

Photo: Republic Pictures

'Saturday Night Fever' captured the '70s in all its guts and glory with a spectacular soundtrack by the Bee Gees to accompany it. 'Staying Alive' followed the lead from the original as the protagonist followed his Broadway dream. However, without the '70s, the disco ball, and the struggle to 'Stay Alive', this sequel was a big letdown for fans of the original.

The original trilogy was superb. it was story-telling at its greatest by a revolutionary director. Yet, the other trilogies were mixed at best (the recent Disney one) or just bad (the prequel).

The 'Parts 1, 2, and 3' had the opportunity to tell one the greatest stories ever - how one of the best on-screen baddies in the world grew from a child to a galactic dictator - and they ruined it with bad casting and overuse of CGI (Computer-generated Imagery). 

Photo: Walt Disney Studios

The clue is in the misleading name. If one of the brothers is dead, it’s just the Blues 2000. Here we had clear proof, if needed, that John Belushi was irreplaceable.

Photo: Universal Pictures

Gal Gadot is brilliant and so is the rest of the cast, but the film is completely without depth. The first film was profound and had passion and meaning. The second film had none of those qualities.

Photo: Warner Bros.

A wafer-thin story whose only redeeming feature is the return of great characters, this installment gives us nothing new. The jokes and the characters seem a bit old and tired in this version.

Photo: Amazon MGM Studios

Without the original writers and the deadpan wit of Leslie Neilson, the film was always going to struggle. And struggle it did… certainly for laughs.

Image: Paramount Pictures

Without Michael J Fox this film laboured. The script was poor, the jokes were bad and it even made you question the quality of the first film. Not an original idea in sight.

Photo: MGM Studios

The 1990s hit 'Mean Girls' was funny - seriously funny. There were a few shocking bits in it, but when they brought those back, they gave us deeper psychological issues as the reason for the bullying. The second installment just wasn't funny, it was tragic.

Image: Prime Video

The original 'Legally Blonde' brought one of the best stories of the 20th century. Reese Witherspoon was at her best. In the second film, she also did well but the writing just wasn't up to par. It wasn't a crash and made a decent profit - just under the first at the box office - but it just wasn't as good as the first film.

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