Not all films are meant to have a sequel, but Hollywood, being Hollywood, oftentimes tries to expand the world for its rich IP and potential storylines to explore.
However, if there's one thing the industry has learned (or still learning), sequels rarely beat the originals. Here are the 10 worst movie sequels that shouldn't have happened.
Son of the Mask (2005)
The next generation of mischief isn't always something to look forward to. Take Son of the Mask, for example. This sequel is exactly the kind of movie that warns audiences about what happens when powers fall into the wrong hands, and in this case, the mask did. For fans, nothing could beat Jim Carrey's performance in the original.
Streaming Platforms: HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
TRON: Legacy (2010)
The TRON: Legacy cast may have popped off with a great punk soundtrack, but the visually stunning sequel was not enough to top the original hit.
The first Tron movie had more interesting characters, and Legacy had a paradoxical script that had little to everything, from being too thin to becoming overstuffed with endless flashbacks and unfleshed out concepts.
Streaming Platforms: Disney+
Grease 2 (1982)
If there's one thing that fans of the original movie want to see in a sequel, it's the original cast, and Grease 2, unfortunately, didn't deliver.
Instead, the sequel served as a poor rehash of the original; the songs were not as catchy, and the nonsensical plot took the magic out of beloved 1950s-set musical high school life and romance.
Streaming Platforms: Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Lucasfilm may be thriving off of making original Star Wars stories and TV shows, but they still suffered from their attempt at expanding their cinematic franchise. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker became a testament to that.
Apart from the sequel trying to retcon The Last Jedi (Episode VIII), the rushed, messy, and no sense of direction sequel only led to more plot holes and unearned character developments (if there were any).
Streaming Platforms: Disney+
Grown Ups 2 (2013)
Adam Sandler and his amazing cast of buddies made Grown Ups the comfort movie that fans know today, and Grown Ups 2 essentially butchered what the original film built.
Instead of adding more comedy gold to the roster, the sequel offered only crude sexual and physical humor that didn't make as much sense in the story it's trying to tell as the original did. And it all started when Adam Sandler woke up to a stray deer peeing on him in his sleep.
Streaming Platforms: Paramount+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Raiders of the Lost Ark was the perfect introduction to Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford). The iconic visuals of the whip, the fedora, plus Steven Spielberg's masterful direction of the archaeologist constantly running away from peril, worked wonders in building its franchise.
The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, however, somehow lost sight of it. While it's not the first sequel in the original trilogy, it counts as a bad sequel to The Last Crusade.
Indiana Jones is one of the best examples of how middle-aged men could still take risks and apply their experience as expertise, and when his first three adventures are compared to the Crystal Skull, the fourth film lags behind the trilogy.
Streaming Platforms: Paramount+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu
Evan Almighty (2007)
Listen—Steve Carell is a gem of a comedian, but Evan Almighty did not do him justice. Apart from the weaker comedy punches and the poor reception, who could've matched up to Jim Carrey's Bruce Almighty, really?
On a whopping budget of $175-$250 million, Evan Almighty only brought home $100M, which speaks massively over how Bruce Almighty's $81 million budget grossed over $484 million.
Streaming Platforms: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
A Nightmare on Elm Street is the kind of fantasy horror that should've stayed a standalone movie. With no Wes Craven to direct and a confusing plot about Freddy's abilities and the lower stakes, the Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge didn't live up to the title it wanted fans to anticipate.
Purchase or Rent: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is widely criticized for plot holes, oversexualized jokes, shallow characters, and a plot narrative that doesn't seem to be as substantial as the first Transformers movie was.
However, the film's rushed production, specifically losing writers during the Writers Guild of America strike (2007-2008), proved a powerful lesson: creativity and quality cinema require a commitment to fair treatment and justice for the entire crew.
Streaming Platforms: Paramount+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video
A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
Similar to how the rest of the movie sequels on this list performed, A Good Day to Die Hard lacked John McClane's relatable vulnerability scenes. Somehow, sequels almost always lose the vision that the cinema crew established from the original movie.
Sequels are supposed to expand or be a good movie, even if it were a standalone watch, and A Good Day to Die Hard was not, by fans' and good movie standards.
Purchase or Rent: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
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