11 Movie Sequels That Were An Insult to the Original

There is nothing wrong with sequels to popular films, as many franchises benefit from getting to revisit certain stories, characters, and universes. Although there are certainly some sequels that are made purely to generate profits for the studios, there are also many that attained a high level of critical acclaim; The Godfather: Part II and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King are two notable masterpieces that succeeded in being the best entries in their respective franchises, and both walked away with the Academy Award for Best Picture.

There are unfortunately many terrible sequels that erode any goodwill that their franchises had in the first place. Beyond simply being disappointing, these films may dissuade non-fans from checking out the original installment because of how they messed up the core qualities. Here are ten movie sequels that were an insult to the original.

11 ‘Exorcist II: The Heretic’ (1977)

Directed by John Boorman

Exorcist II: The Heretic is one of the most baffling horror sequels of all-time, and couldn’t have been a bigger let down after William Friedkin’s The Exorcist suggested a new era for the genre in which it could be taken seriously. Although the original The Exorcist is a fairly small-scale story that focuses on just one family and their dealings with a Satanic presence, Exorcist II: Heretic is a globe-trotting adventure that has no narrative cohesion.

John Boorman was ultimately not the right director for Exorcist II: Heretic, as despite the good work that he had done on films like Deliverance and Excalibur, there was no way that it would have ever lived up to the precedent that Friedkin set with the 1973 classic. Although it was instantly criticized as a major let down, it doesn’t seem like there was anyone that hated Exorcist II: Heretic more than Friedkin.

Rent on Amazon

10 ‘Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’ (2009)

Directed by Michael Bay

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen indulged in all the worst tendencies that Michael Bay has as a filmmaker and ended up eroding any interest in the Transformers franchise moving forward. The film was a particularly contentious one to make, as the feud between Bay and actress Megan Fox got so nasty that she ended up not reprising her role in the subsequent film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen was far too mean-spirited, as the sheer amount of sexist and racist jokes was far too distracting, especially for a film that is inspired by a series of toys that are aimed at children. Bay also made the mistake of not shooting the action in a way that was coherent, as it becomes increasingly challenging to differentiate one Transformer from the other during the confusing setpiece scenes.

Watch on Paramount Plus

9 ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’ (2019)

Directed by J.J. Abrams

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was a cowardly attempt to “fix” the issues with Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a film that had been widely praised by critics and fans, and only provoked extreme negative reactions from a select group of toxic detractors. In addition to changing the major twist in the previous film by revealing that Rey (Daisy Ridley) was actually the granddaughter of Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dramatically reduced the screen time for Rose Tico (Kelly Marie Tran).

The return of Palpatine made no sense, and effectively ruined the sacrifice that Darth Vader (David Prowse) made at the end of Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi that had been so powerful. Although the “Skywalker Saga” has already had its highs and lows, it is hard to think of a more disappointing way to end this era of the franchise.

Watch on Disney+

8 ‘Star Trek V: The Final Frontier’ (1989)

Directed by William Shatner

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is a very strange, oddly conceived sequel to one of the greatest science fiction franchises of all-time, proving once and for all that William Shatner has no business trying to be a director. The Star Trek franchise had been on a run of creative success, as the last two installments directed by Leonard Nimoy had put the characters in interesting situations, and reminded fans what made them fall in love with the original series in the first place.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier suffered from an underdeveloped villain, as well as attempts at religious commentary that were completely shallow at best, and slightly offensive at worst. The film made the franchise itself feel out of date, which made it a borderline miracle that the subsequent film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was able to wrap up the first iteration of the saga in an emotionally satisfying way.

Watch on Prime Video

7 ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ (2022)

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Jurassic World Dominion doesn’t seem to have any affinity for the original Jurassic Park, which makes it all the more shocking that it somehow managed to cross $1 billion at the global box office. The previous two installments in the series certainly had not been great, but on a basic level they seemed to understand that audiences were interested in seeing new Jurassic Park movies because of the promise that they would get a lot of exciting dinosaur action.

Jurassic World Dominion features surprisingly few dinosaurs, as a majority of the storyline focuses on locusts and a governmental conspiracy. To make things even worse than they already had become, the original Jurassic Park cast members Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern were given thankless roles that amounted to little more than cameos that attempted to add some nostalgic value to a film with no other merits.

Watch on Starz

6 ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ (2024)

Directed by Todd Phillips

It’s hard to remember the last time so many audience members united so completely over something, good or bad. A half-decade after Todd Phillips‘ dark DC Comics-inspired psychological thriller Joker touched a raw nerve in the zeitgeist, grossing over $1 billion and netting 10 Academy Award nominations, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix)’s second big-screen outing, a hybrid of musical and courtroom drama set after the murder and mayhem of the original, is almost universall loathed.

It’s important to note the original film was divisive, hardly universally loved in spite of box-office and Oscar gold, but fans and many critics alike have harmoniously lambasted Joker: Folie á Deux, for, among other reasons, slapdash and half-hearted commitment to the musical elements, a waste of Lady Gaga (who’s generally been terrific in acting roles), and an overall baffling approach to following up the iconic original film.

5 ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back’ (2016)

Directed by Edward Zwick

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is a baffling continuation of the Jack Reacher franchise that instantly killed what could have been a cool new character for Tom Cruise to play in between making additional installments in the Mission: Impossible franchise. While Christopher McQuarrie had given a sense of gravitas to the first Jack Reacher that centered it on an intriguing mystery, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back felt like just another action movie thanks to the lifeless direction from Edward Zwick.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back made the cardinal mistake of any sequel, as it attempted to turn the titular character into a parent in an attempt to earn emotional gravitas. Considering that Cruise is one of the best Hollywood actors who very rarely makes any bad movies, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back was a glaring failure that put his entire legacy in question.

Watch on Netflix

4 ‘Mission: Impossible II’ (2000)

Directed by John Woo

Mission: Impossible II completely transformed the Mission: Impossible franchise, and not in a good way. The first film from Brian De Palma had been a clever neo-noir thriller that actually forced the viewers to think about the problem solving that went into every Impossible Mission Force adventure. Sadly, Mission: Impossible II was a generic action movie that ranked as easily one of the worst American films that John Woo has ever made.

Mission: Impossible II did irrevocable harm to the character of Ethan Hunt, as Cruise was forced to turn the intelligent, clever spy from the first film into a reckless action star who was trying too hard to be James Bond. It took six years and a wildly different story direction from J.J. Abrams for Mission: Impossible III to put the franchise on even footing once more, and essentially ignore the fact that Mission: Impossible II had ever happened.

Watch on Paramount Plus

3 ‘Shrek Forever After’ (2010)

Directed by Mike Mitchell

Shrek Forever After was proof that the Shrek franchise had overstayed its welcome, and easily became the worst installment in the entire shared universe. The previous Shrek films had worked very hard to establish the fact that the titular ogre had become a caring family man who would do anything to protect his wife, Fiona, and their three children.

The decision to have Shrek go back in time to live a different life made no sense, as the introduction of time travel was a major stretch, even for a series that had always played fairly fast and loose with its fairy tale influences. However, the cardinal sin of Shrek Forever After is the fact that it is not any fun, and didn’t contain any of the snarky humor that had made the first three installments in the series so groundbreaking in terms of animation.

Watch on Max

2 ‘Cars 2’ (2011)

Directed by John Lasseter

Cars 2 may have taken major risks, but it may be the single worst film that Pixar has ever released. Although the original Cars had a somewhat mixed reaction from longtime fans of the studio, it at least created a compelling lead character in Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson), a racer who is forced to ground himself after being stuck in a small town.

Cars 2 made the strange decision to almost sideline McQueen entirely so that it could focus on Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), an obnoxious side character that should have never been boosted to being the lead protagonist. It was also a very strange decision to essentially turn Cars 2 into an action spy film, as it seemed unlikely that the kids in the audience would recognize any of the niche references to the Roger Moore 007 movies.

Watch on Disney+

1 ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ (2016)

Directed by Roland Emmerich

Independence Day: Resurgence was a long anticipated sequel that seemingly did everything in its power to ruin the legacy of the original, as all plans to create a third installment in the Indepence Day franchise evaporated when Roland Emmerich released his highly disappointing sequel almost twenty years later.

Independence Day: Resurgence is a joyless slog that takes no enjoyment in seeing giant monuments destroyed, as it tries to take a slightly more realistic look at how the world’s governments would respond to an alien invasion. While Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman at least deserve credit for trying their best with the material that they were given, the new cast members Jessie T. Usher, Liam Hemsworth, and Maika Monroe failed to bring any charisma to the sequel. Although fans were disappointed that Will Smith chose not to return, in retrospect he probably made the right decision.

Watch on Max

KEEP READING: The 10 Most Thrilling Clint Eastwood Movies, Ranked