Sequels don’t always work out, but when they do, you know that your film has gone from movie to franchise. Not every instalment works out well, especially if it’s an adaptation and the source material is thin. But good movie makers will know how to retain the elements that worked well, while still injecting freshness into the film. So here’s the 8 best instalments of existing series in 2015. Movies are fast becoming like jumbo episodes of television series, aren’t they?
1)The Maze Runner 2: The Scorch Trials
It helps that of the current crop of teen movies bombarding us, “The Maze Runner” has a male protagonist that’s more inclined to action (and hence, focuses more on running and fighting than emoting). The sequel kept what was interesting (running from random horrors) while still doling out new information about the world. And of course, the twist ending created a villain that we now love to hate.
2)The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2
There was a time when I thought “The Hunger Games” would never die, especially when I found out they would be breaking the last part of the trilogy into two movies. It hurt the “Mockingjay, Part 1” so badly that it qualifies as one of the worst movies of 2014. Fortunately, all the good stuff went into the finale, giving us closure to the entire saga. It’s such a pity that the second movie was terrible too, which means that only the first and last entries in the series were worth watching.
It was a story about the relationship between a father and daughter, and it was amusing to see how the Terminator had to acknowledge his increasing obsolescence the way old men have to (but frequently don’t). In the end, it was all about the characters and how much the T-800 loved Sarah Connor, and how this love was what saved the world. In a film about killer robots, no less!
It may be formulaic to the point of portraying humanity as a race of complete idiots (building a theme park full of deadly dinosaurs in a world where this has failed spectacularly thrice?!), but there’s just so much fun to be had in seeing dinosaurs rampage across a theme park. There wasn’t a very strong story to this, but the action and set pieces more than made up for it. And the film knew its protagonists – the final battle had you rooting for the dinosaurs to win!
The reason why this was such an excellent instalment was really because of the villain, since he hearkened back to the golden age of Dragon Ball when it was all about Goku and Frieza. We just wanted to see the two archfoes duke it out once more, and that final battle didn’t disappoint.
“Fast and Furious” is a franchise that knows what its audience wants, and delivers it to them in spades. It featured even crazier stunts, like the one where they drive from building to building, and managed to juggle an ever expanding cast. It was also Paul Walker’s final appearance in the series, and it was a good send off for him. RIP, Paul Walker.
What this Daniel Craig James Bond instalment finally gave us was a powerful, formidable villain (and not some soft wuss complaining about his disfigurement and mummy issues all the time). It showcased Bond as a capable spy who could cut through each web of spies and save the day, rather than angsting over how damaged he is or how his personal life was under assault. It was James Bond action at its finest, and I for one hope that the next instalment will feature just as much action.
8)Star Wars: The Force Awakens
And of course, the movie that broke all records and flooded cinemas ever since it opened. It paid homage to a whole generation of fans, while building the base for a new legion of Star Wars lovers. With so much speculation and theorising going on, it promises to be a strong franchise that’ll keep people coming back to learn more about Rey’s identity, Snoke’s intentions and the fate of Luke Skywalker. Let’s just hope there’s no ridiculous Yuuzhan Vong, ever.
So for all filmmakers out there – the aim isn’t just to create a great movie anymore, but to create a long lasting franchise that’s ripe with opportunities for sequels. Just don’t come up with drivel like “Daddy’s Home,” where it ends with clear sequel bait.
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