8 Sequels that Forgot the Premise/Events of the Original Film

Sequels are always a dodgy concept. There have been amazing sequels, there have been lousy sequels, and there have been sequels that don’t seem to want to let the franchise die (how many Saw movies are we up to by now? Isn’t calling a film franchise Final Destination kind of redundant if you never end it?). But many times there are sequels that decide to look at the preceding film and just chuck out everything that film established about its world and the purpose of its characters. It is probably no coincidence that many of the films on this list are also on critics’ lists of some of the worst sequels of all time.

1.)           Freeing Minds is no longer the mission (The Matrix and its sequels)

The first Matrix film showed the hero, Neo, discovering the horrible truth that what he thought was the real world was just a gigantic computer simulation. All the people saw and interacted with in that world were really in giant pods stacked on top of each other, supplying power to the machines who have taken over the planet. And it is Neo’s destiny to one day free all the humans and defeat the machines once and for all.

Except it’s not. It turns out that Neo is a creation of the machines who every couple of decades allow a bunch of humans to go free and then wipe them all out, restarting the whole “The One” myth over and over again. The Machines know that no matter how well they make their fantasy computer program, some small percentage of the population will always reject it. So they just let those people go and kill them later (why they don’t just kill them as soon as they reject the program, no one knows). So Neo is not meant to save anyone. He’s just supposed to keep the cycle going.

2.)           They’re not immortals, they’re aliens (Highlander II: The Quickening)

"We're also porcupines apparently."

It’s not shocking that Highlander II completely forgot the events of the previous film. If you look at a list of the worst sequels of all time, heck even a list of the worst films of all time, Highlander II tends to show up a lot. And that is for the simple purpose is that they took a very simple premise (immortals fighting each other through time) and tried to add a bunch of confusing new elements. The “immortals” are really alien refuges from a planet called Zeist. For rebelling against the ruling class of their planet, MacLeod and his companion Ramirez (who died in the first movie) are sent to earth to be immortals.

Now according to the first movie, Ramirez has been alive for thousands of years. It’s suggested he was born in ancient Egypt. MacLeod has been alive for several centuries. So if they were sent to earth at the same time that makes no sense. Also, if people from Zeist are immortal on Earth why doesn’t everyone from Zeist go to earth? Why stay on a (what can only be assumed from limited scenes filmed) desert and war torn planet? Most of these bizarre story points seem to only exist to undo some of the events of the first movie. Bringing back Ramirez, making MacLeod immortal again (he was mortal at the end of the first movie) and bringing in new immortals for them to fight (again, at the end of the last movie all the other immortals are dead, the whole “There can be only one” thing), it’s all done so we can have one more adventure between MacLeod and Ramirez.

3.)           They don’t just talk, they have super powers (Baby Geniuses 2: Superbabies)

This made it to the big screen before The Justice League.
Not Kidding.

The less said about the Baby Geniuses film franchise, the better. How the first movie got made is a mystery, how the second one got green lit just baffles the mind. Essentially the premise behind the first movie was the exploiting of genius children before their minds become atrophied from age. One of the babies has a twin brother that he switches places with in an attempt to escape the rigorous program he is slaved to (yes, this is a kids movie) and then has to break back in to the corporation not only to free his brother, but the other children locked up. The sequel takes the even more ridiculous leap and has a group of babies with super powers.  Why? Not because giving babies super powers is the next logical step from exploiting babies with super intelligence, but because super hero movies are popular.

4.)           You can’t stop the future (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines)

In the first Terminator film, Kyle Reese flat out says that there are many different possible future timelines. The idea that the future can be stopped is presented to the audience from the very beginning. In the sequel, Sarah Connor, her son John and a reprogrammed good Terminator actually destroy the chips that would lead to the creation of Skynet and the Terminators. A deleted scene from Terminator 2 actually shows an elderly Sarah Connor watching her son play with her grandchildren and how talking about how she got drunk on the day the world was supposed to end. The Terminator future is supposed to be preventable.

Not so according to Terminator 3. In Terminator 3, everything that those first two movies suggested about stopping the future, wasn’t true. In fact the end of the movie ends with Judgment day starting. John Connor is left in a bunker broadcasting a message of hope to the few surviving humans. Essentially fulfilling the destiny that he worked so hard to prevent. While yes, it is important for John Connor to fulfill his role as savior of humanity, the idea was that he should have been able to prevent Judgment day from happening at all. If the second movie is to be followed, Skynet should have never come on line. Miles Dyson died to save the future. But according to Terminator 3, Miles Dyson died for nothing.

5.)           It’s not about the guy being chased, it’s about the chasers (US Marshals)

The movie was called The Fugitive. Tommy Lee Jones’ character was really just something to keep the character going on his race to freedom. The entire film is about Richard Kimble trying to prove his innocence in the death of his wife. But as far as US Marshals is concerned, Richard Kimble was just another case and it’s all about Sam Gerard and his team.

6.)           The vampire was stolen by medical students instead of locked up back in Carfax Abbey (Dracula II)

At the end of Dracula 2000, Simon and Mary have succeeded in locking up the burnt remains of Dracula back in the vault in Carfax abbey (with Mary dealing with the fact that she has Dracula’s blood in her veins and whatever possible ramifications may come from that). Dracula II however, completely ignores that ending and has a medical doctor stealing the corpse of Dracula from the medical examiners’ office and a secret order of priests that hunt vampires. Essentially they should have just made a brand new movie series since the only thing that carries over from the first movie is the name Dracula (not even the same actor is playing the character). They could have just made a movie about vampires as so many others have done. So many new facts have to be introduced in this film, it is almost a waste of time to even mention the previous film’s events.

7.)           It was never supposed to be just about Michael Myers (Halloween II and IV)

A long time ago there was a movie about a serial killer hunting down babysitters on Halloween night. Then they decided to make another movie about that same serial killer. And then when a third movie with the title Halloween came out, that serial killer was nowhere to be seen. Instead the third movie was about poisoned Halloween masks that would kill the people who wore them. And then the next several sequels went back to telling stories about the serial killer. Now people might think that this third film was some sort of aberration but they would in fact be wrong. The other movies featuring Michael Myers were the aberration. The Halloween franchise was always meant to be about different terrifying stories all revolving around the holiday of Halloween. The reason why the movies went back to featuring Michael Myers is because Halloween III is considered by many to be terrible. So Hollywood, as is normal, decided to go with what had worked before and feature the killer who had been so popular in the first two films.

8.)           The worst thing that could happen is if the aliens got to earth, oops they were here the whole time (Alien vs. Predator)

While each of the four Alien films are cinematically different in tone and style, one important thread managed to exist in each of them; if the Xenomorphs (the proper name for the aliens) ever got to earth they would run wild and literally destroy the planet. Each film has Ripley pleading with a different person not to bring the Aliens or eggs or facehuggers to earth. Each plea of course falling on deaf ears which is what drives the plot of the film. Except, it turns out Ripley and the Company never needed to go through all the trouble they do to get an Alien to earth. They’ve been on earth the whole time according to the events of Alien vs. Predator. Ancient Mayans used to sacrifice themselves to the aliens so the Predators would have something to hunt.

Comic Books and Pornography

While it is fairly obvious to any one that I am a fan of comic books, I must also admit to being a fan of pornography. I know it is normally taboo to admit that but it seems such a taboo is becoming less and less prominent in our society as porn becomes more mainstream. More former adult entertainers are making the transition into legitimate TV and film. Serious documentaries and college courses are based upon the subject of study. Even the award shows for porn are broadcast on actual cable channels and treated like a real media event. 

But while porn is becoming a bigger part of the recognized media, I specifically want to look at the relationship between comic books and pornography. Certainly comparisons between the two have been made in the past, but usually with a negative connotation. Usually the comparison between porn and comics is that they both corrupt the minds of innocent youth, and tend to be demonized by the same groups when searching for a witch to burn. An idea I consider to be complete rubbish, and will not give any credence to here. No, I want to compare comic books and porn in a positive and nurturing way. There is a clear relationship between these two forms of entertainment and I am curious as to why.

The initial inspiration for this essay is Twitter. I follow a lot of pornstars on Twitter. As such, I feel I get a unique bit of an insight into the day to day lives of pornstars. Not what (or who) they do on the set, but what they do when they are in their civilian lives (similar to the dual identities of most super heroes). And I was both surprised and delighted to see how many of my favorite stars love graphic novels. Not just the simplistic super hero worship which has become chic in our current society, but really deep and complex comics that you need to be a true fan of the art form to really seek out and enjoy.

While I am not shocked to find pornstars who enjoy comic books, I am a bit surprised to find such a high number of them. I would easily say nine out of ten of the porn stars I consider myself to be a fan of are also fans of comics. What sort of correlation does comics have with the porn profession? Would I find the same number of comic book fans if I were to poll any other profession? Are there as many comic book fans among dental hygienists as there are among porn stars? These are the questions I ask whenever I see a porn star posting about what their plans are for Comic Con, or how much they are looking forward to the next Marvel movie, or how much they enjoyed the latest work from Mr. Garth Ennis. In many ways I find such talk far more of a turn on than the anatomical acts of erotica for which these women are famous for.

One could perhaps believe that I have simply lucked out and followed the small percentage of porn performers that like comic books. That in reality most individuals in the porn industry view comic books with the same disdain as the general public. I find this rather unlikely. If you look at most porn films that are distributed in America you will see that just like Hollywood, there is a trend towards making films based on super heroes. In the porn industry these films are labeled as “Parodies” which allows them to use the images of licensed characters. Of course where Hollywood’s motivation for making such films is monetary, I suspect the porn industry is a bit more innocent in its choice to make such films. They are parodying these properties not solely to cash in on a popular title, but because they have a genuine love of the property.

Comic books, like porn, are a form of fantasy. And fantasy is a form of wish fulfillment. While comic book heroes show us a vision of idealized morals and noble heroes, porn shows us an idealized sexual world. Every one is good looking and endowed and always succeeds in their romantic endeavors with little to no effort. Certainly the viewing audience who seeks out both comics and porn is doing so for some form of wish fulfillment.

There is also the simple truth that both comic books and porn revolve around sex. Certainly the bizarre anatomy of most women drawn in comics can only be duplicated by porn stars with both the massive breasts and accentuated hips. Primarily due to the fact that the main audiences for both porn and comics are young men, though both comics and porn have been attempting over the past several years to reach past their core audiences to a wider clientele. In essence the two entertainment mediums are reaching out past their hardcore fanbase, to the more casual and pedestrian audience.

The past few decades have seen a rapid evolution of entertainment. Huge leaps in technology have caused those in the media to rethink not just the distribution methods of their products but the way those products are produced.  While comics have changed little in their production methods, with the idea of online comics only recently become popular in the past few years, pornography has always been on the forefront of technological advancement in entertainment, many times shaping the direction of such advancement. And while comics may not have influenced the entertainment industry technologically, it certainly has influenced how stories are told the past few years. Nearly every studio in Hollywood is developing some cinematic offering based on either a graphic novel or an ongoing comic book series.

In truth, comic books and pornography both have their origins in the earliest pictographic languages of man. Cave paintings are themselves the first sequential pictorial storytelling and it was not long until eroticism would be added to the mix. Certainly in the hieroglyphics of Ancient Egypt or the painted vases of Ancient Greece one can find images that could be both attributed to sequential storytelling and/or pornography. The two mediums were birthed together, and yet would not truly gain a place in mainstream society until modern times as the ability to distribute both became commonplace in our society.

What should link comic books and porn together is that both mediums have been strong battlegrounds for the right of free speech. The Comics Code Authority nearly stamped out any sense of expression in comics in the 1950s. Likewise one could say that the MPAA gave birth to the porn industry by regulating sex out of mainstream films and forcing a separate industry to develop to produce such content. They are both constantly under fire from censorship even today. Despite the fact neither porn, nor even comics, are aimed at a young audience, the constant rally cry against them is that they must be eliminated in order to protect the children.

I’m sure some people read that last sentence and thought I was out right wrong for making that statement. “Of course comic books are for children” those people are saying to themselves. Well the sad truth is that they are not. Most comic book readers are young adult males. In fact the comic book industry has been struggling for years to rope in new and young readers. The films and product tie-ins certainly make children aware of many of the characters, but actually buying comics? Sadly they are not showing much interest. Most of the most popular characters have been around since the sixties (some even from the forties) and thus have a long a varied history that is tough for new readers to absorb.

And the argument to censor porn to protect children is simply ridiculous. Children are not being constantly exposed to porn, despite what members of the Christian Right may claim. People who view and enjoy pornographic videos have sought that material out. Porn is not market to children. It was NEVER marketed to children. Despite all the violent and crude entertainment that IS targeted to kids, people choose to single out and attack porn.

When one considers the multitude of things out there that could be harmful to children, comic books and porn rank very low on the list. In fact I would argue that the main opponent of these two forms of entertainment has probably done far more harm to children. By that I am talking about religion. Religion has been used to justify and conceal pedophilia, to condone corporal punishment, to deny children access to proper education and medical care, and a myriad of other accusations. That first accusation I find rather ironic since Dr. Fredric Wertham’s book Seduction of the Innocent (the comic book hater’s how to guide) condemned the characters Batman and Robin of having an inappropriate pedophilic relationship.

Certainly comic books have never been used to justify any sort of horrific act. Despite all the people who wanted to link school shootings to violent video games and comic books, there just isn’t any evidence. And while there may be a connection between pornography and sexual predators, it is most likely a case of such individuals seeking pornography out, rather than such content influencing their actions and personalities.

The truth is, for every person who condemns comic books and/or pornography, there are far more people who celebrate these mediums. Nearly every major city around the world has annual conventions devoted to comic books and pornography (not together of course). Thousands of people attend these huge convention halls to meet their favorite stars and/or creators and also to connect with people with similar interests. Awards of various fashions are given to people in these particular fields to show appreciation for their work. Both comic books and porn have an equally devoted fanbase.

The problem with the shaming of both porn and comics is that both of these forms of entertainment seem to be mysterious to the outsider. Comic book shops are almost designed to keep people out, putting up large displays and posters to let everyone who enters know exactly what they are getting into. And porn has a taboo of being something enjoyed in private, never talked about in polite conversation. So both have a problem seeking opinions from the outside.

But while comics and porn are both vilified from outside forces, they also both find their strongest critics among their own ranks. There is no greater hater of comics than someone who is in fact a rabid comic book fan. It is because of their rabid fanaticism that they feel they are most worthy to comment on a particular subject. Their way is right and anyone else’s way is wrong. Similarly performers in the porn industry are the first to callout the negative attributes of their fellow performers. Perhaps simply because they are the ones who are most exposed to those negative attributes.

The real interesting thing to look at is the intersecting between these two worlds. The area where I have seen the most crosspollination between the worlds of comics and porn is the area of Cosplay. For the uninitiated, Cosplay is a combination of Costume and Play. Fans of comics, fantasy, sci-fi, etc. dress up as their favorite characters or sometimes as a creative reinterpretation of a popular character. Regardless of the type, this requires a particular comfort with one’s own body, as most comic book characters tend to have skin tight and scantily clad costumes. Since it requires a complete comfort with one’s body to be a porn star, this makes porn star’s perfect for Cosplay. Why feel self conscious in skintight spandex when you’ve made a living exposing yourself on video?

As I continue to mature, and my appreciation of both comic books and pornography matures with me, I am sure I will continue to note more and more similarities and symbiosis between these two forms of entertainment.  As the popularity of super hero films increases and the sexual taboos of our societies diminish we shall see comic books and pornography as more and more common place as forms of entertainment.

Racist Comic Book Fans Part 2

A while back (see here) I did a blog entry about some of the negative elements of the comic book fan community. Specifically the number of racists there seem to be part of this group to which I proudly consider myself a member (the fan community, not the racist community). With the recent announcement of changes being made to several Marvel characters, and the negative reactions to some existing characters, I decided it was time to revisit this sensitive topic and explain why the racist fans are not only wrong, but not even true fans.

If you haven’t been reading recent issues of Captain America, a lot has been going on with the character. First he got stranded in an alternate dimension for several decades where he faced off against old enemy Arnim Zola, adopted a son whom he later lost, lost the love of his life Sharon Carter, gained a new sidekick (who has a whole different controversy revolving around her that I might do a separate blog entry on) and lost all sense of purpose. While trying to find his new purpose in life he did battle against an ancient evil known as The Iron Nail. While Cap was able to defeat the Iron Nail, he did so at the cost of the super soldier serum that made Steve Rogers the Star Spangled Soldier that he is. So the big question became: Who will be the new Captain America?

It’s not the first time this question has been asked. A few years ago in the wake of the mega crossover Civil War (in which the super heroes took sides and fought each other) Captain America was killed (he got better). In the wake of that even there were several contenders to be the next Cap. Even the Punisher was briefly considered for the job. Ultimately the man who picked up the shield was Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers’ former sidekick and recently resurrected Winter Soldier. Fans were happy with BuckyCap, so much so that when it came time to make a sequel to the Captain America film they chose to adapt the storyline where Bucky comes back (Spoiler Alert: Bucky is the Winter Soldier).

This time around the powers that be at Marvel decided to choose a different person to take the mantle of Captain America. This time the role goes to Cap’s long time partner and friend, Sam Wilson aka The Falcon. While public reaction over BuckyCap seemed to be lukewarm to mildly amused (if you don’t read comics you probably didn’t even know he existed), the announcement of a Black Captain America seems to have inspired every one to give there two cents on the subject. And sadly most of it has been negative.

While everyone certainly is entitled to their opinion (no matter how negative or hateful it may be) on this subject I have to say the naysayers are just wrong. The whole reason why someone needs to step up and take on the mantle of Captain America is because Cap is more than just Steve Rogers. Cap is a symbol. Someone for heroes to rally behind and charge into the fire with. That is because they know they are being led by a man who is truly noble in his deeds and actions. Who better to emulate the behavior of Steve Rogers than his closest friend? His ally. Someone who has many times followed Cap into the fire. That is Sam Wilson. Captain America and The Falcon have been a crime fighting team since the Seventies.

Second only to Bucky Barnes, The Falcon is Captain America’s oldest ally. So associated with the character of Cap, he was even featured in the recent Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie (played by Anthony Mackie, who in my humble opinion stole the show). It seems like more of a controversy for him not to be the natural choice to pick up Cap’s shield. Beyond being just an ally to Captain America, he has proven himself to be a capable hero in his own right.

So I have to come to the conclusion that given the obvious qualifications of Sam Wilson to take on the role of Captain America, the people objecting to his taking up the mantle are doing so solely due to his race. In fact I have seen the more honest racists come right out and say so. For some reason they feel that Captain America must be a white male. Not Steve Rogers, but someone definitely of his race. Which is bullshit. America is not just white people. America is a nation made up of many races and cultures that have come together. Captain America is not Captain America because he has blonde hair and blue eyes. He is Captain America because he fights for the ideals that make this country great. Ideals that constantly evolve as the country continues to grow and prosper. In a world where we have a black President, it seems only right we have a black Captain America (and don’t get me started on how many comments there are online blaming Obama for this. He won. Get over it).

Though part of the negative comments being thrown about in the comic book fan community is due to the fact that the Captain America change was not the only major shake up happening at Marvel. The same week that Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Comics, announced that Cap was black, he also announced that Thor, another key member of The Avengers, was going to become a woman. For some reason sexism and racism tend to go hand in hand and the blood boiled in the fan community.

While the negative ire directed at Cap was ridiculous enough, I found the vitriol spewed at Thor to be downright ridiculous. Thor has undergone many incarnations throughout his (soon to be her) comic book career. This is a character who for one famous story actually became a frog. And the entire nature of the character allows for many versions. Thor’s power comes from his hammer, which bares the inscription “Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.” Now while the original quote does have a male pronoun, that can be chalked up to a wording issue and not a rule. There have been women who have possessed the hammer before. Storm of the X-Men even famously once held the hammer. And in a cute moment in the DC vs. Marvel crossover, Wonder Woman picked up the hammer and effortlessly handed it back to Thor (if you’re not worthy you’re not even supposed to be able to lift it).

And ignoring the history of the character himself (herself? I’ll probably get this blog up before the change so that’s why I’m using male pronouns) we have but to look at the supporting cast of the character. Specifically, Thor’s long time nemesis (and adopted brother) Loki. For nearly a year the character of Loki was portrayed by a woman. And while female Thor has received complaints and criticism, Lady Loki (as the version of the character is lovingly called) was embraced by fans. Still fondly there will be cosplayers who don the Lady Loki costume, keeping the character alive.

I have to admit I am giving too much blame to my fellow fans. I know that while there is a minority of fans that have problems with these changes, in truth most of the negative commentary is coming from outside the fan community. There seems to be an odd phenomenon where people are constantly hovering just outside the fan community looking for things about it to pick apart, but never becoming a part of the community themselves. I saw one blogger who admitted having not read a comic book since he was a young child and yet he wrote a long diatribe about how these changes were destroying comics. If you don’t read comics, why do you care? I do read them and am cool with it.