Sequels: The Negative Effect?

[Charlie Brigden 7]

This was mentioned by Quint in the ESB thread about the OT being ruined by the prequels to the point of not being able to watch them, and it's an interesting topic. I know plenty of people who feel the same as Quint, but does this go farther than Star Wars? Are you unable to enjoy the delights of Friday The 13th Part III or A Nightmare On Elm Street because of Freddy Vs. Jason? Is it now harder to watch the journey of Michael Corleone knowing that it all ends with Godfather III? Does Police Academy now leave a bitter taste in your mouth due to the poor antics of Assignment Miami Beach?

Obviously, Star Wars is the big one (although I wanted to open it up so it wasn't just about SW). I've (thankfully) managed to not let the prequels' incompetence affect my enjoyment of the OT, and I can happily watch them on their own merits without my mind wandering to think about Darth Vader really coming from Jake Lloyd.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

No, I love Freddy vs. Jason.

[Quintus 5,399]

I can still watch and enjoy the original Star Wars trilogy, but my love affair with the saga is finished. I no longer regard the trilogy as something I can put on at any time and watch in sheer admiration, as I really did at one time. I actually now regard Star Wars as a fluke. So yeah, it's fair to say that for me the prequels ruined the originals and I very rarely watch them anymore.

To a far, far lesser extent, Indy 4 had a similar effect, but thankfully each Indy movie is it's own story, so the originals are only very slightly tainted, in my opinion. I think part of the problem for me stems from my rather fanciful desire for beloved movies to remain as 'perfect' as I remember them, forever. It's the fan in me. Having said that, I don't watch Indy movies as much as I used too; methinks I'll watch Raiders this weekend, after all, it is my [joint] favourite film ever.

Jaws, Aliens and whatever else remain completely untainted by subsequent sequels, I don't know why.

[MissPadmé 17]

Star Wars doesn't get ruined by the Prequels..

and I can tell you why - The Prequels fail to connect to the original three films - I simply don't vbuy that that's Hayden Christensen in the Vader Suite, nor do I get distracted by Yoda - now if it would be the exact! same puppet as ROTJ and ESB it would feel like the same "actor" but it doesn't

[Jay 37,364]

All throughout middle school and high school I could watch the original trilogy over and over again and never get sick of them one iota. Now, I just... can't.

Is it because of the prequels? Because I'm all Star Wars'd-out? Because I'm older? Because the un-altered versions are unavailable on anamorphic DVD? Well probably a combination of all 3.

However, I don't think the prequels have really ruined them for me. Sometimes when the OT is airing on Spike I'll watch some of them for a little while and I never think about the PT at all. If they came out with the OT in their original forms on blu ray, I'd probably have a viewing party and enjoy them just fine

[Jonesy 55]

Prequel trilogy it isn't perfect, but it isn't like Superman sequels or Jaws sequels, two bad sagas. Other sequels are better like The Dark Knight, The Temple Of Doom or Superman II The Richard Donner Cut. Finally are sequels that shouldn't it exist like Jurassic Park III or last Harry Potter movie.

[Ollie 1,059]

No sequels don't ruin the original because I don't have to watch them nor do I have to buy the DVDs.

I my world there is only Jaws & Jaws 2, only Smokey & The Bandit etc etc etc.

[Datameister 2,042]

Well, the prequels definitely didn't ruin Star Wars for me. They're such completely different entities in my brain that there's no cross-contamination...I think I store them in very different corners of my mental refrigerator.

However, the Pirates movies do come to mind. The first one was one of the most enjoyable moviegoing experiences I've ever had. It made perfect use of elements from the Disneyland attraction, it was genuinely funny, it was quirky, it was intelligent, it was exciting, it was creepy...there was something magnetic about it. So it was all more painful when the sequels were so awful. I honestly don't even know what happened to make them so much worse. And although I still love the first film, I view the franchise as a whole very differently, and there is some cross-contamination because unlike the PT and OT, these do have very strong superficial similarities.

[Quintus 5,399]

The Matrix is another one. The original was brilliant, but I haven't even bothered to watch Revolutions.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I liked Reloaded for what it was, but yeah, don't see Revolutions. I still don't know whether I should get the Ultimate Collection or just the first film on Blu.

[Red 75]

I don't think any bad sequel has ever ruined the experience of the first for me, even the Prequels. The original movie will always be there relatively untainted, the connections you make between it and the sequel/prequel/remake can only be mental or emotional. The only instance where I think it could be ruined is in the case of the "remastered" Original Trilogy, because there the original films were literally taken and altered for the worse.

[Hlao-roo 389]

The Star Wars prequels ruined movies for me, so I don't watch them anymore.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

I liked Reloaded for what it was, but yeah, don't see Revolutions. I still don't know whether I should get the Ultimate Collection or just the first film on Blu.

No you should get the awesome book packaging version of the first movie. Very cheap now and all you need from The Matrix.

[Trent B 337]

I'm probably the only person on this board who really liked The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions.

[Charlie Brigden 7]

I didn't even like The Matrix.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

I'm probably the only person on this board who really liked The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions.

I loved (it's been a few years since I last saw it) Reloaded and thought Revolutions was utter crap when I saw it theatrically, which is why I never picked up the third one on DVD. I recently got the box set of all three on Blu though, so Revolutions will get one more (probably futile) chance in the near future.

[Quintus 5,399]

The Star Wars prequels ruined movies for me, so I don't watch them anymore.

And Coronation Street. I can't watch that anymore either.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

no sequel has ever ruined the originals for m

[Uni 306]

Nope. I don't see how a new turd can undermine past success. If anything, it can enhance one's appreciation for the earlier iteration.

There's also the fact that we often tend to associate films from our past--especially those from our childhood--with a happier, more innocent time. In a sense, saying that the PT could somehow ruin the OT is like allowing a bad car accident I've just been in to spoil the my memories of riding my Big Wheel around all afternoon with my friends. I remember seeing all three of the original trilogy films in the theaters (in the case of Star Wars, many times). I may have a more mature understanding of the films' flaws now that I'm older and wiser, but the cinematic experience of the movies will never be tarnished. I also remember seeing the prequels in the theater. I doubt very much that anything could be done to improve that cinematic experience. . . .

The Matrix is another one. The original was brilliant, but I haven't even bothered to watch Revolutions.

Me too. Same thing goes, though. The Matrix is, and always will be, a work of profound brilliance. I'm not afraid that watching Revolutions will somehow ruin my love of the first film; I simply have a limited amount of time to idle away and space to fill between my ears. I don't need to clutter either up with useless, self-important garbage.

- Uni

[soundwave 0]

Never has a bad sequal ruined an original for me and if anyone lets a sequal ruin a movie, the first movie must not have been that good to begin with. Even with the OT SE. If something like Greedo shooting first, or the Jedi Rocks band...if those things have ruined the OT for anyone or "raped your childhood", you didn't like the OT for the real reason because the stories haven't changed. The PT's also didn't change the stories of the OT, but did create some inconsistancies for the PT.

[Ollie 1,059]

I didn't even like The Matrix.

Me too.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,528]

The Star Wars prequels ruined movies for me, so I don't watch them anymore.

You don't watch any movies any more, or just the "Star Wars" movies?

I'm probably the only person on this board who really liked The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions.

Re: "The Matrix: Reloaded"-two words, man: Monica Belluci...

Never has a bad sequal ruined an original for me and if anyone lets a sequal ruin a movie, the first movie must not have been that good to begin with. Even with the OT SE. If something like Greedo shooting first, or the Jedi Rocks band...if those things have ruined the OT for anyone or "raped your childhood", you didn't like the OT for the real reason because the stories haven't changed. The PT's also didn't change the stories of the OT, but did create some inconsistancies for the PT.

"Never has a bad sequel ruined an original"? You have never watched "Coccoon: The Return".

[Ollie 1,059]

I watched Cocoon 2, I even have the score, but it didn't ruin the first one for me.

[Diego 21]

Never has a bad sequal ruined an original for me and if anyone lets a sequal ruin a movie, the first movie must not have been that good to begin with. Even with the OT SE. If something like Greedo shooting first, or the Jedi Rocks band...if those things have ruined the OT for anyone or "raped your childhood", you didn't like the OT for the real reason because the stories haven't changed. The PT's also didn't change the stories of the OT, but did create some inconsistancies for the PT.

Greedo shooting first does alter the story, it may not be huge, but Han Solo's arc is changed by the fact that Greedo shoots.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

Never has a bad sequal ruined an original for me and if anyone lets a sequal ruin a movie, the first movie must not have been that good to begin with. Even with the OT SE. If something like Greedo shooting first, or the Jedi Rocks band...if those things have ruined the OT for anyone or "raped your childhood", you didn't like the OT for the real reason because the stories haven't changed. The PT's also didn't change the stories of the OT, but did create some inconsistancies for the PT.

Greedo shooting first does alter the story, it may not be huge, but Han Solo's arc is changed by the fact that Greedo shoots.

I disagree. Han Solo doesnt become a good guy just because Greedo shot first. He still wants money for rescuing the Princess and doesnt initially want to help the Rebels take on the Death Star. All Greedo shooting first does is turn what is a cool scene into a really awkward looking one.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,488]

The original scene was clearly an homage to the scene where Tuco shoots the guy from under the water in the bathtub in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.

"When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk."

Lucas is a fucking clown nowadays.

[Wojo 2,453]

Never has a bad sequal ruined an original for me and if anyone lets a sequal ruin a movie, the first movie must not have been that good to begin with. Even with the OT SE. If something like Greedo shooting first, or the Jedi Rocks band...if those things have ruined the OT for anyone or "raped your childhood", you didn't like the OT for the real reason because the stories haven't changed. The PT's also didn't change the stories of the OT, but did create some inconsistancies for the PT.

Greedo shooting first does alter the story, it may not be huge, but Han Solo's arc is changed by the fact that Greedo shoots.

I disagree. Han Solo doesnt become a good guy just because Greedo shot first. He still wants money for rescuing the Princess and doesnt initially want to help the Rebels take on the Death Star. All Greedo shooting first does is turn what is a cool scene into a really awkward looking one.

That scene's not about Han Solo becoming a "good guy" at that moment. It's about the difference between shooting somebody in self-defense -- which is permissible in westerns, a genre which also involves handguns, bars, and shootouts -- and shooting somebody in what appears to be in cold blood, just because the business transaction is going sour.

By shooting Greedo before the Rodian takes a shot, Solo demonstrates to the audience that he's not somebody that you want to tussle with, which gives his character a rougher edge. It makes us wonder what kind of character Luke and Ben have gotten themselves mixed up with, and gives Solo a deeper starting point from which to climb to become a hero.

But by shooting in response, we know he's still a good shot, but we're not as worried that he'll turn on our heroes if the deal goes south. And because Greedo's missed laser shot still looks so blatantly out of place (i.e. Han doesn't react other than being made to slide out of the way via CGI), we have to wonder if Han has Jedi reflexes. That would certainly hurt the story.

Han still becomes the "good guy" all the same by offering his services to rescue Leia and by bailing Luke out at the final battle.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,528]

I watched Cocoon 2, I even have the score, but it didn't ruin the first one for me.

Granted, no awful sequel will ever take away my viewing pleasure of "Cocoon", but bad sequels can leave a bad taste in the mmouth, somehow "de-valuing" the original. Of course, there are sequels that go way, way beyond the original in scope, vision, and often, in box office performance ("The Godfather Part II", "TESB", "Toy Story 2", to name but three).