15 Laziest Movie Sequels Of All Time

11. Die Hard 2 (1990)

20th Century Fox

John McTiernan's classic instantly became one of the action genre's most influential titles, introducing the 'Die Hard on (insert mode of transport here)' sub-genre that populated 1990's action cinema. Even the sequel adhered to this formula and delivered 'Die Hard in an airport', hitting many of the same beats of the original but with a much bigger budget.

This 'more of the same' attitude is even verbalised by Bruce Willis' John McClane, who wonders 'how can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?'. The answer is simple; when making a sequel to a universally-loved action movie, stick to what you know. Dirty white vests, elevator shafts, basements and interchangeable henchman are all back for a second outing in a follow-up that sticks to the formula almost too rigidly, although the final act sequence with the Boeing 747 is an entertaining change of pace.

Over twice as expensive as the original with a budget of $70m, Die Hard 2 ended up making almost twice as much money at the box office with a worldwide total of $240m. As a sequel to one of the most iconic action movies ever made, Die Hard 2 played things safe and followed the template set by the first movie without offering much in the way of originality or ambition.

Contributor

I don't do social media, so like or follow me in person but please maintain a safe distance or the authorities will be notified. Don't snap me though, I'll probably break. I was once labelled a misogynist on this very site in a twenty paragraph-long rant for daring to speak ill of the Twilight franchise. I stand by what I said, it's crap.