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Why can’t we just leave well enough alone? Oh yeah, Hollywood capitalism. If a movie makes money, we’re going to get another installment of the IP. Maybe not within a year or two, but at some point. And that’s fully logical, just as it’s fully logical to expand narratives that were clearly leading somewhere interesting. But it’s the “How” of it all that is so crucial. Sometimes, if a narrative with a particularly impactful conclusion is followed up, that conclusion loses some of its luster, even some of its significance. The films that follow all had fantastic finales, but future movies only served to diminish such an accomplishment.
While the follow up movies aren’t necessarily poor in overall quality (well, they mostly are), they did reverse a course of action established in act three of their predecessor. And it was a mistake.
8) Avengers: Endgame
We haven’t seen it yet, but Avengers: Doomsday is now a confirmed follow-up to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame with the first trailer announcing the return of Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers. While that’s exciting, the whole point of Endgame‘s ending for Steve was allowing him to retire and get the happy ending he was robbed of in The First Avenger. The other point was that, as Old Man Steve confirmed after his return with the Shield, we weren’t ever supposed to know what happened to him during that time.
If, as rumors suggest, Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom is cleaning up the timeline to avoid incursions, and Steve caused a wrinkle with his time skipping in Endgame, then it’s inevitable that that happy ending can’t last. Time will tell, of course, but the very fact that Steve is back undoes the reason his ending was perfect in the first place.
7) Kingsman: The Secret Service
image courtesy of 20th century studios
While Matthew Vaughn’s stylish, breezy Kingsman: The Secret Service seemed like just the beginning of something that would remain solid but gradually expand its universe, it didn’t really turn out that way. Well, the universe was expanded, but Kingsman: The Golden Circle isn’t nearly as enjoyable and The King’s Man is an outright slog (and with Ralph Fiennes on the cast list, much less!).
The third act of The Secret Service has Colin Firth’s Galahad get shot in the head by Samuel L. Jackson’s Richmond Valentine. It’s a shocking moment. But it leads somewhere, because we then see Taron Eggerton’s Eggsy become the new Galahad, thus stepping into the shoes of his mentor/friend. But then The Golden Circle brought Firth back, and it made his death in the previous film seem like just a turn of events, not a necessary step for the main character. Granted, Firth and Eggerton’s chemistry was razor sharp in the first movie, so one understands why those behind the film would be interested in repeating that. But he was shot point blank, it was no graze. Worse yet, the movie spends so much time rationalizing Harry Hart’s return that it thinks of Roxy Morton, another one of The Secret Service‘s better characters, like a disposable afterthought. Priorities were not where they should have been in this sequel.
Stream Kingsman: The Secret Service on Hulu.
6) Logan
image courtesy of walt disney studios motion pictures
There really was no better way to send Hugh Jackman’s take on the Wolverine off than with Logan. He’s lost all love for life, has never felt lower, is at the bottom of a bottle more often than not, and needs a redemption.
Then he gets said redemption and dies in the process. It felt like a very natural conclusion after 17 years of playing the same character. But this is the forgivable entry on this list. Does Deadpool & Wolverine undo the moving nature of that sacrifice? Yes and no. It brings Wolverine back, yes, but it gets it out of the way pretty quickly that the Logan who died in Logan is still a very much dead Logan. Plus, this multiverse Logan gets to bond with the individual who got him out of his slump: “his” daughter, X-23.
Stream Logan on Disney+.
5) Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
image courtesy of walt disney studios motion pictures
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is a mixed bag. It never quite settles on a consistent tone throughout. However, Ian McDiarmid really is note-perfect as the cackling Emperor Palpatine. Throughout the first two movies, he is only either mentioned or given hologram cameos. In Return of the Jedi we come to understand why Darth Vader would find himself so intimidated by this man.
It made sense to bring McDiarmid back in the prequel trilogy, and once more he elevates those three solid-in-hindsight movies. But bringing him back in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was so out of left field. And it clearly wasn’t the plan from the beginning. It became the plan when people were (justifiably) peeved by the big swings Star Wars: The Last Jedi took with its narrative. All Rise of Skywalker ended up doing was making Vader’s big decision less impactful and stretch logic to its breaking point. Let’s face it, the Emperor died when he was thrown down that reactor shaft, he didn’t have his consciousness move over into a clone body he just so happened to have sitting ready.
Stream Star Wars: Return of the Jedi on Disney+.
4) Toy Story 3
image courtesy of walt disney studios motion pictures
Toy Story 4 is fun enough, but it feels like it doesn’t really need to exist. After all, Toy Story 3 may very well have the best ending in movie history. It’s so complete, so final, and so beautiful.
Even if the toys were the movies’ focus, there’s an argument to be made that this was Andy’s story all along. It concluded when he gave all of his toys, including Woody, his favorite, to little Bonnie. That’s where the franchise should have ended. Andy is saying goodbye to Woody, to Buzz, to his youth, and the toys are sad but also understanding of that development.
Stream Toy Story 3 on Disney+.
3) Halloween H20: 20 Years Later
image courtesy of dimension films
One of the better meta horrors to come out in the wake of Scream‘s immense success, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later was the true finale of Michael Myers. Laurie Strode can finally feel safe because she pinned Michael and, instead of touching his hand, swung and axe at his neck. His head’s lopped off…you can’t survive that unless you’re Freddy.
But then Halloween: Resurrection, the worst installment of the 13-film franchise (which is an almost impressive title) destroyed that, and in an incredibly silly way. The thought that Michael Myers would have the forethought to crush a paramedic’s larynx, put his mask on said paramedic, and leave him in the exact spot where Laurie left him is ludicrous. Then Resurrection twists the knife and kills off Laurie. There’s a reason why this thing is skipped when even die-hard fans of the franchise rewatch the series.
Stream Halloween H20: 20 Years Later on HBO Max.
2) Men in Black
image courtesy of columbia pictures
Men in Black is reportedly on its way to being rebooted, again, but none of its three follow-ups have come remotely close to capturing the magic of the 1997 original. And, really, there never should have been a follow-up movie at all. At least not one that included Tommy Lee Jones.
In the first film, we focus pretty equally on Will Smith’s Agent J and Jones’ Agent K, but it’s really the latter’s story. We open on him busting an alien in a human disguise, feeling too tired to continue the job, and then we move on to him searching for a predecessor (even if neither we nor the predecessor fully know that’s the case while it’s happening). Then, to wrap things up, K retires. Men in Black II‘s bringing K back (and giving him a pretty lame plotline) only spits in the face of that conclusion. Not to mention, if you’re going to do that, make it in a remotely good movie, which Men in Black II is not.
Stream Men in Black on Starz.
1) Alien 3
image courtesy of 20th century studios
While Alien 3 was once a big disappointment, worse films that have followed it have allowed it to be seen in a higher light these days. But even at the time, Ripley’s final moments were seen as a highpoint. Not just for the third movie, but for the franchise as a whole.
She’s now gone through three rounds with these drooling beasts. So when she learns one is inside her, she knows precisely what will follow and what the corporation she once worked for wants to do with them. She won’t let that happen, and throws herself into immolation. It’s great, and then Alien: Resurrection brought Sigourney Weaver back for more. Not really Ripley, but Weaver. Sure, she was the one and only lead of the franchise up to that point, but it’s even worse to bring her back and have her play a knock-off Ripley than it would be to bring Ripley herself back (which, don’t get us wrong, would also be terrible). Weaver tries, but the truth of the matter is that Resurrection should never have existed.
Stream Alien 3 on Hulu.