Hollywood’s Obsession with Sequels: A Look at Repetitive Film Follow-ups

Many sequels fail to innovate, offering little beyond a rehash of their predecessors. While filmmakers rarely set out to create subpar films, it can be disheartening for movie lovers when it appears that studios prioritize profit over creativity. The following list highlights ten sequels that merely imitated the original films without adding anything fresh or exciting.

10 Relive the Action with ‘Die Hard 2: Die Harder’ (1990)

Dive into the Action Directed by Renny Harlin

Die Hard 2: Die Harder faced immense pressure to match the iconic status of the original Die Hard, which is revered as one of the greatest action films ever produced. Fans were eager to see Bruce Willis reprise his role as John McClane, yet Die Hard 2: Die Harder simply transplanted the initial film’s formula to a plane during the holiday season, lacking original flair.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder struggled to stand out, falling short against other films with a similar premise, such as Air Force One and Con Air, which executed the concept with greater panache. Although it wasn’t the weakest link in the franchise, 20th Century Fox smartly pivoted with the third film, Die Hard With a Vengeance, which introduced a buddy cop dynamic featuring Samuel L. Jackson alongside Willis.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder

John McClane attempts to avert disaster as rogue military operatives seize control of Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.

Release Date

July 2, 1990

Director

Renny Harlin

Runtime

124

Writers

Walter Wager , Steven E. de Souza , Doug Richardson

Tagline

Die Harder.

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9 Experience the Magic Again in ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ (2018)

Directed by Rob Marshall

Mary Poppins Returns aimed to breathe new life into one of Disney’s most cherished live-action classics, with Emily Blunt stepping into the iconic role that earned Julie Andrews an Academy Award for Best Actress. Although marketed as a sequel, the narrative closely mirrors the original film, with Mary Poppins returning to assist the now-adult Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw).

Blunt delivers a commendable performance with some impressive stunts, yet there’s nothing in Mary Poppins Returns that outshines the original film. The animated segments, while ambitious, seemed outdated and out of touch, lacking the groundbreaking feel of the original’s live-action and animation fusion. Even a nostalgic cameo by Dick Van Dyke couldn’t make Mary Poppins Returns feel like a standalone masterpiece.

Mary Poppins Returns

Release Date

December 13, 2018

Director

Rob Marshall

Runtime

131

Writers

David Magee , Rob Marshall , John DeLuca , P.L. Travers

Tagline

In a place we hold dear, where wonder once lived… but soon from above, a new story begins.

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8 Discover the Dinosaurs in ‘Jurassic World’ (2015)

Directed by Colin Trevorrow

Jurassic World marks the fourth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise, bringing audiences back to a fully operational park setting. While the idea of a functional dinosaur park is intriguing, Jurassic World falls short by ignoring the lessons learned from the previous films, making the characters’ decisions feel painfully naïve.

The film’s writing reveals significant flaws, as it attempts to replicate iconic moments from the original film, such as the T-Rex reveal, without the necessary buildup to create genuine suspense. The character dynamics are another point of contention; unlike the captivating chemistry between Sam Neill and Laura Dern in the original 1993 film, Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard lack the same spark. While the nostalgic John Williams score makes a return, it fails to evoke the same emotional resonance.