Sometimes a movie will come along that becomes an instant classic. And then, sometimes, that movie will get a sequel so bad that it almost ruins everything you loved about the first one.
So today, we’re covering the worst offenders, the sequels you should avoid at all cost! That’s right, we’re counting down the 10 Worst Sequels!
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Disclaimer time: There are WAY too many direct-to-video or Made-for-TV sequels to even keep track. That list would involve many movies you probably didn’t even know existed (like say, Mean Girls 2, which believe it or not, is a real thing.) The rules we implemented in choosing this list for worst sequels here is that they are all a “Part 2” and they all actually went to theaters.
To find out what made our list, simply watch the video at the top of the page. Or if you’re at work and can’t watch the video at the moment, we got ya covered! Simply scroll on down and read our article to see our choices.
10. Dumb and Dumber To
Starting off the list at No. 10. is Dumb and Dumber To. In the original film, there was a genuine innocence to Lloyd and Harry despite their idiocy. Both Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels offered an earnestness that helped get the jokes across. But the sequel plays more like a mean spirited parody of the original film while the actors seem a little more “wink, wink” about the whole thing.
9. Matrix Reloaded
If you loved The Matrix, then you’re best off pretending the sequels never happened. Seriously. Just enjoy the first one and leave well enough alone. Unless you love pretentiously bloated movies with bad CGI. Then by all means – treat yo’self. While the original was groundbreaking at the time, Matrix Reloaded feels overly long, pretentious, and made by two directors who got caught up in their own hype.
8. Robocop 2
The first Robocop is a satirical action packed masterpiece. The second one doesn’t understand whatsoever what made the first one so good and ends up just being vile. Let’s just use the very beginning as an example. Remember in the first one when Murphy remembers who he is and reclaims some semblance of his humanity? Fantastic character development, right? Well the producers didn’t think so since the the sequel starts with Robocop going right back to where he started – as a monotone voiced machine man with not even a hint of an explanation as to why.
7. The Exorcist 2: The Heretic
The Exorcist is one of the rare horror movies that was so good it actually won Academy Awards. Name one other horror movie that’s been nominated for a “Best Picture” award. Go on, we’ll wait.
Nothing? Exactly. The first one is a cinematic treasure. But the second one? Probably something Satan makes people watch on repeat in Hell. To be fair, Linda Blair is excellent once again as Regan, but it’s just a shame she didn’t have a better story to put up with the performance.
6. Basic Instinct 2
The first Basic Instinctwas a great movie, but no one was exactly clamoring for a sequel. So why would anyone make a Basic Instinct 2 like 15 years after the original? Unfortunately, we don’t have those answers. Someone thought it was a good idea and they were wrong, wrong, wrong. This wins the award for top sequel nobody wanted.
5. Jaws 2
What is there to say about Jaws 2 that hasn’t already been said? The sheer drop off in quality from Jaws to Jaws 2 is borderline impressive. It’s almost comparable to drinking Coca-Cola, and then switching over to drinking motor oil. If anything, it spoke volumes about how truly gifted Steven Spielberg is as a director.
4. The Crow: City of Angels
After the tragic death of Brandon Lee, one might consider this sequel to be in poor taste. Then you watch it and realize it’s so much worse than that. There’s a lot of scuttlebutt out there that suggests this was supposed to be an entirely different movie, but the studio wanted something similar to the original, and that’s what they got. A really bad sequel that’s practically just a rip-off of the first one.
3. Blues Brothers 2000
Attempting to make a Blues Brothers movie without John Belushi is pure sacrilege. It’s like trying to make a sequel to Speed without Keanu – oh wait…
2. Speed 2: Cruise Control
It’s pretty fitting that the sub-title is “Cruise Control” since that’s what this paint-by-the-numbers sequel feels like it’s on. Whenever producers dreamed up this ridiculous premise, it’s fun to pretend they called Keanu and said something like, “Okay, Keanu, hear us out? It’s just like the last one, but instead of a bus that can’t slow down – this time – are you ready? It’s on a boat that can’t –” at which point, Keanu abruptly hangs up on them.
1. Son of the Mask
And finally – the worst sequel of all time has to go to Son of the Mask. It’s pretty obvious that Jim Carrey was the driving force behind the success of 1994’s The Mask. So let’s lose him, and get Jamie Kennedy instead! Which might (scratch that, *will*) go down as one of Hollywood’s worst ideas ever. Everything about this sequel is beyond horrible and this world would be a better place if every parent out there purchased a copy and forced their children to watch it solely to replace spankings for punishment.
