13 Movie Sequels That Shouldn't Have Been Made
3. Home Alone 3 (And 4)
There's no Macaulay Culkin, no Joe Pesci and no Daniel Stern. Rather than looking like a sequel, this feels more like a tepid remake with no taste, no direction and no highs. Also, the fact that Home Alone 3 was written by franchise creator John Hughes makes it all the more tragic that these two "sequels" even exist.
A complete change in family and setting make both films feel detached to the originality and genuine humour of the first two films. Watching Pesci and Stern hilarious chemistry is always brilliant; the villains in both Home Alone 3 and 4 (subtitled: Taking Back the House. Sigh) are not even close to emulating the brilliance of the Wet/Sticky Bandits.
But the big miscalculation is simple to pinpoint: the two films lack the heart of the originals. The family themes are left behind for a ridiculous plot about international thieves and a missile-cloaking computer chip. It's over the top and far too obscene to be a Home Alone film audiences are used to enjoying. Instead, both films are a weak attempt to keep a money-making franchise alive; a franchise which should have ended in New York.