10 Movie Trends That Have Been Killing Cinema For Longer That You Think

7. Dumb Sequel Names

The 'Modern' Problem: Studios are desperate to avoid sequels from looking like cynical cash-ins (which they often are), so attempt to create the illusion their latest different. Hence why there's now a multitude of ways to give a sequel an interesting title; got to keep the thin veil of originality. Subtitles have been all the rage for over a decade, with potential franchise starters now having them so it stands out less on later installments, but isn't all getting a little episodic? What's wrong with the good old 2 (or II if you're feeling classy) slapped on at the end of the title? But Actually: Well that 2 used to be as new and radical as the colon subtitles are now. It was first used in the fifties for Quatermass 2, but was only popularised decades later with The Godfather Part II. Before that sequels used to have much more mumbly titles, throwing Son Of, Bride Of, Extension Of etc. in front of the original title. People mocked Dawn Of The Sequel Of The Reboot Of The Planet Of The Apes for its silly title representing how silly our franchise culture had gotten, but it was really a throwback to a time before the usual 2.