10 Reboots And Sequels Of Classic Films That Ruined Their Franchises
10 Reboots And Sequels Of Classic Films That Ruined Their Franchises
In an era where pre-existing properties are so important, sometimes a misstep can severely impact the future of a franchise.
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Reboots and sequels are the language of Hollywood right now. Nostalgia sells, and when a property builds up traction, it makes sense to revisit it for more storytelling potential. But even some of the greatest continuations end up damaging the future of a franchise in some way though.
Whether it’s because the film was poorly made, performed terribly at the box office, or simply didn’t inspire the audience to engage quite like the original hit, these movies have had short-term and long-term effects on their respective film series. That isn’t to say that none of them are being continued in some form, but each has a niche story of failure to explore.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Blader Runner 2049 is a visually gorgeous film. It also boasts a compelling plot that both introduces new leads and brings back a fan-favorite character. It does all of this while also staying true to the components of the original Blade Runner that made the film so unique to begin with.
However, 2049 was a financial flop, despite deserving a second chance. It might spin off into animated series, but ultimately Blade Runner appears to have no future on the big screen for the time being. Poor marketing, a long running time, and the fact that the original was always a cult classic may have hampered its performance.
Total Recall (2012)
Total Recall might not be quite as bad as the reviews claimed it to be but it’s still far from a perfect production. The original is a sci-fi classic that has gone on to influence the genre as a whole. The remake somehow took the most unoriginal aspects of the first installment and married them to a dull script.
The performances in the film are certainly commendable, and there’s some interesting production design happening throughout the piece. Yet there’s also a level of blandness permeating through what should be an exciting action-romp with the satirical elements stripped back in favor of further blockbuster beats. Ultimately, Total Recall as a property didn’t draw audiences in.
Robocop (2014)
The original Robocop is a fan favorite partly because of the cheesiness of the production. It’s a nostalgic classic that feels incredibly retro, even for the period. The future that the film imagined was an interesting look at society’s perception of technology during the era of release.
The charming elements of Robocop, from the wacky suit to the one-liners, are all removed for the remake. The irony associated with the franchise has gone, replaced with shinier robotics and a narrative that tries to line up with some of the technological issues facing humanity today. Both critically and commercially this message fell flat, and the new series of Robocop has been abandoned.
Ghostbusters (2016)
Several defensive arguments could be made that the Ghostbusters reboot is actually underrated in many ways. The film certainly caused a lot of controversy at the time of its release, though, with a debate raging about the prospect of rebooting a classic with a female-centric cast.
In actuality, the cast might have been the perfect people for the job, with the performance of the actors getting undermined by both the flaws of the script as well as the perception of the audience. The Ghostbusters franchise might live on in its original incarnation thanks to the upcoming sequel, but the world of the reboot was unfortunately destroyed upon the feature’s release.
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Terminator, and T2: Judgement Day to an even greater extent, are cultural touchpoints for cinema fans. These icons of pop culture led to diminishing returns with each passing attempt to produce either a sequel or a soft reboot. Terminator: Dark Fate has unfairly garnered the reputation of ending the franchise.
The film itself is perhaps one of the best since those original two releases. Yet the coverage of the franchise has shifted to such a negative light that it simply didn’t perform at the box office. Dark Fate is a worthy sequel, but one that garnered disinterest thanks to audience fatigue.
Hellboy (2019)
What was achieved through the original Hellboy adaptations of the graphic novels was truly phenomenal. Although a mainstream audience might not have connected with the character, the first two installments of the franchise managed to set themselves apart from the rest of the superhero genre.
This mythical, sci-fi, and fantasy production garnered its own reboot with a brilliant lead and strong visuals. It was held back by strange editing and a poor marketing campaign though. Some negative reviews only propelled the production further into obscurity despite the potential this iteration of the property actually had.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
The Spider-Man series might have been rebooted far too many times, but Disney has seemingly landed on a perfect formula. The original trilogy might have been concluded with the sub-par Spider-Man 3 but The Amazing Spider-Man universe was annihilated by its sequel.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 combined poor storytelling with an uninspired attempt to create a shared universe with the Sinister Six. Rushed narrative beats and strange interpretations of the comic book characters led to Sony having to go back to the drawing board once more. Hopefully, this portrayal will get some kind of redemption in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The Mummy (2017)
No amount of star power could aid The Mummy in its box-office struggle. Universal has tried to launch the Dark Universe time and time again to very little success. This latest Mummy reboot was an attempt to include the world-famous property in the lineup of other Universal monsters reboots.
Although the original sold the idea of adventure, inspired by heroes such as Indiana Jones, the remake combined the concept with a mythology that never seemed to integrate. Some bad performances and wonky visuals held it back further, but ultimately the pacing and perception of the piece ended the whole of the Dark Universe once more.
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl continues to be the height of the franchise. It launched a seemingly endless line of sequels which finally reached their limit, with Dead Men Tell No Tales a picture that appeared to be the antithesis of everything the first installment stood for.
With characterizations that appeared to be distant from their original incarnation to action beats copied from the past and a soft reboot approach that introduced audiences to a range of bland characters, the internationally titled Salazar’s Revenge killed any of the interest audiences had left.
Men In Black: International (2019)
Men In Black made a surprisingly successful comeback with Men In Black 3 which managed to show what the franchise could really achieve with the right storytelling. Unfortunately, the reboot-esque International iteration killed the momentum that had been built up.
The charm of the leads certainly wasn’t the issue, but overall Men In Black: International was basic in every sense. Audiences no longer react to average movies and unfortunately, this middle-of-the-road spectacle failed to create much excitement. Impressive visuals and fast-paced action weren’t enough to fund another production in the series.
Link Source : https://screenrant.com/classic-movie-reboots-sequels-ruined-franchises/
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