10 Movie Sequels That Failed To Recapture The Magic

Movie Sequels are a wonderful thing. They provide filmmakers an opportunity to expand on their creations, bringing them to new levels with bigger budgets, and allowing fans to see more of what the love.

When done well, sequels offer new ideas that keep franchises fresh, while also enriching what came before. Take The Godfather: Part II, for example. It's regarded as a cinematic masterpiece and often ranks above its predecessor. It's not the only sequel that does so either. The Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Knight, and Spider-Man 2 all serve as other notable examples that build upon what came first and exceed fans' high expectations.

Of course, this is not always the case. Sometimes sequels can be rushed through production in order to quickly capitalise on the first film's success. They could be shameless cash grabs made with no love for the source material. There's also the possibility that the original simply set the bar too high and nothing could ever quite reach those same heights.

Whatever the reason, it's always a shame to see a promising franchise stumble at the second step, failing to recapture the magic that drew so many eyes in the first place.

If you consider yourself a fan of cult classic American Psycho, don't feel too bad if you've never heard of its sequel. It's probably for the best you haven't.

American Psycho released in 2000, based on the 1991 novel by the same name. At the time of release, it was polarising, with many criticising its violent nature and glorification of the despicable acts, while others praised it and Christian Bale's performance. Now, it's a firm fan favourite, the flick seemingly ageing like fine wine.

The same can't be said for the sequel that released in 2002. The film was doomed from the start, largely because it wasn't even supposed to be a sequel. Lionsgate sought to capitalise on the success of the original and decided to resurrect an unused and unrelated script, and transform it in to a follow-up. The title was changed from The Girl Who Wouldn't Die to American Psycho 2, and references to Patrick Bateman were shoehorned in throughout. It's sloppy and feels brute-forced, while also flying in the face of the original.

It's revealed in the first film that Bateman's supposed murders were just his sick fantasies, but this film paints him as an actual killer, throwing continuity out the window. Not even the combined star power of Mila Kunis and William Shatner is enough to salvage this movie, and it's better viewing American Psycho as a standalone feature.