10 Movie Sequels With The Most Shocking Drops In Quality
Those sequels that fell off a cliff compared to their predecessors.
Despite plenty of examples and warning signs to the contrary, the movie industry can't help itself from returning to a once-successful idea to milk that juicy cow dry. Heck, some ideas are revisited time and time again, receiving multiple sequels, prequels, remakes, reboots, reimaginings or whatever phrase is cool in Hollywood at the time.
The notion of a sequel is something that's felt throughout cinema, period, regardless of genre. Sure, horror and superheroes might be the corners of cinema that embrace these follow-ups the most - particularly due to the relatively low cost of making a horror film and being able to turn a notable profit - but no movie genre is sacred when it comes to returning to the well once again.
Of course, some sequels are obviously good, matching their predecessor or even bettering it, but there are those other sequels where the drop in quality is undeniable and a little jarring - and it's on those follow-ups that the focus is on here.
So, with that in mind, here are ten such movie sequels that fell off a cliff when compared to the standards set by what came before them.
10. Rocky V
Even the biggest of Rocky fans won't argue the franchise hasn't often been a little cheesy - in the best possible way - but Rocky V delivered an extra slice of cheddar in a film dragged down by a ropey story and some properly rough performances.
This time out, Rocky Balboa's fighting days were forcibly put behind him due to a brain injury. While that in itself is a fascinating concept given that spotlights a very real concern of the boxing world, this delicate subject matter is handled in an incredibly silly manner as Sylvester Stallone spends various moments of the film screaming in agony and having flashbacks of his career in a fashion that comes off as more comedic than anything else.
Elsewhere, Rocky looks to put food on the Balboa family table by training Tommy "The Machine" Gunn, an upcoming prodigy played by future WBO Heavyweight Champion Tommy Morrison. While Gunn is initially a willing, determined student, his success leads to an inflated ego and culminates in a street fight - "I didn't hear no bell" - between Rocky and his protege.
Rocky V was all of the franchise's worst instincts but without any of the heart, emotion, and fantastic performances that had previously balanced things out.