Monday Sequel Spotlight: Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Directed by George Lucas
Released May 16, 2002

For the first time in this series, I’m returning to a franchise I’ve already featured. I think this will also be my most controversial choice thus far, since most will tell you that the prequels are useless pieces of garbage, with the possible exception of the third, which offers a semi-satisfying conclusion to the saga. I’d posit that the third film is hardly as competent as the first and the second. Many despised “The Phantom Menace” because it didn’t spend much time in space, featured Jar Jar Binks, and was too hokey an update of the original films. Putting that film aside, since it’s one that I greatly enjoyed when I first saw it in theaters at age eleven, the second film is a different beast. What the first film lacked in continuous action, it made up for in spectacular fashion with a handful of memorable fight scenes, most notably the circle of Jedi Council members all brandishing their lightsabers and the epic fight between Yoda and Count Dooku. There’s no excusing Hayden Christensen’s miserable performance as Anakin Skywalker, but Star Wars was never about acting, Oscar nominee Alec Guinness aside. It may not boast terrific dialogue either, but it’s hard to argue with the magnificent visuals and the impressive effects. The introduction of Jango Fett and the charting of Palpatine’s rise to power make for compelling story arcs, and this action-packed sci-fi adventure doesn’t reserve the bad rap it gets.

Monday Sequel Spotlight: The Matrix Reloaded

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

The Matrix Reloaded
Directed by the Wachowski Brothers
Released May 15, 2003

Expectations were insanely high for the follow-up to the gravity-defying, world-bending, visually mesmerizing “The Matrix.” Four years later, the Wachowski Brothers delivered not one but two films, released in May and November of 2003. The second film didn’t go over so well since it lacked the originality of the first film’s action, and instead went full-on into extravagant fight scenes that made even less sense than the first film’s. Keanu Reeves’ Neo was much more aware of his powers and now traveled around garbed in all black with Laurence Fishburne’s Morpheus and Carrie-Anne Moss’ Trinity, rather than be led around with pills and phone calls, unaware of the ride for which he was in. That said, the fight scenes were pretty terrific, and some (this reviewer included) were still wowed. Ending the second film on an explicit cliffhanger was an intriguing strategy not done often at that time (now, Marvel films almost require a game-changing post-end credits scene) that probably frustrated more than it engaged. The third film looked completely different, and felt very much like a last-ditch effort to save humanity, with all characters going for broke in their attempts to die heroically and go down fighting. The Agent Smith scenes and attacks on Zion are most memorable from both films, but I think that the majority of fans of the first film would prefer to think of it as a one-shot story without any sequels.

Monday Sequel Spotlight: Bad Boys II

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Bad Boys II
Directed by Michael Bay
Released July 18, 2003

It’s not likely most would consider this as a good film, but as action movies go, it’s pretty satisfying. The first film, in 1995, brought together two occasionally over-the-top comedians and gave them badges. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence actually worked well together, and it was enjoyable to see them take down the bad guys with Tea Leoni at their side. Eight years later, the franchise was back with Gabrielle Union as the new female lead. Much more so than the first film, this one focused on big explosions and all-out action. The plot is not nearly as strong as that of the first film, but it’s still fun, and presented more opportunity for car chases and excessive action sequences. Michael Bay’s reputation back then wasn’t all that much better than it is now since this came after the ill-fated (but not actually so terrible) “Pearl Harbor.” Still, he’s good at blowing stuff up, and there’s a whole lot of that in this film. The action and the comedy balance each other out very well, and this film’s worth a mindless viewing. “We ride together, we die together. Bad boys for life!” Enjoy the trailer above; it’s a perfect snapshot of the film.

Monday Sequel Spotlight: Fast Five

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Fast Five
Directed by Justin Lin
Released April 29, 2011

The “Fast and the Furious” franchise is a particularly interesting one because it doesn’t follow the logical progression of most series with such a staggering number of installments. The first film, released in 2001, was an adrenaline-fueled hit. “2 Fast 2 Furious” swapped out tough guy Vin Diesel, who opted to make a sequel to “Pitch Black” instead, for funny guy Tyrese, and it served as little more than a guilty pleasure. This reviewer skipped the third film, which was subtitled “Tokyo Drift” and was missing both Diesel and Paul Walker. The fourth entry, which boasted the same title as the first without the definite articles, reunited the entire cast for a fun thrill ride, and then came the fifth film. Its title presumed intimate knowledge of the franchise, and not only were Diesel and Walker still on board, but members of the ensembles from all of the previous films were also on hand. This fifth installment demonstrated that this franchise has grown rather than withered with age, understanding full well how to tell an occasionally over-the-top, action-driven story with superb albeit ridiculous characters. Adding The Rock to the cast as the new lawman was an excellent choice, and having him go head-to-head with Diesel’s character an even better one. The action scenes and twists in this film are magnificent, and it makes the wait for the forthcoming sixth film, slated for release in May 2013, all the more unbearable.

Monday Sequel Spotlight: The Empire Strikes Back

Welcome to a weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

The Empire Strikes Back
Directed by Irvin Kershner
Released May 21, 1980

Here’s a sequel that almost everyone likes. Objectively, this was quite the feat, since the first “Star Wars” film in 1977 was immensely popular. After a failed TV “Star Wars Holiday Special” the year after, the franchise returned to the big screen with a new director, Irvin Kershner, and an exciting premise. The major new characters were Yoda, Boba Fett, and Lando Calrissian, and the film was full of memorable scenes, including the big reveal at the end about the truth identity of Luke Skywalker’s father. Most actually consider this to be the best film in the series, since it’s not quite as campy as the first and doesn’t feature the Ewoks that many didn’t love in the third film. Its opening on the ice planet of Hoth with the giant AT-AT walkers scouring the place was formidable, and Luke’s training on Dagobah was rather legendary. Han Solo being frozen in carbonite and that final sequence with the Millennium Falcon rescuing a now-handless Luke Skywalker were both classic as well. The third film provided a fitting conclusion to the saga, but as everyone knows, that wasn’t the end of this particular universe. Unadvisedly, George Lucas returned to direct the prequels himself, and while I’m of the opinion that Episode I and Episode II are decent films, I know I’m in the minority. Rebooting a franchise two decades later with entirely new characters isn’t a smart move, and I imagine that at least ninety-nine percent of avid fans will tell you things would have been better off without Jar Jar Binks. Enjoy the fan-made trailer for this one above.

Monday Sequel Spotlight: Die Hard 2

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Die Hard 2
Directed by Renny Harlin
Released July 4, 1990

On Memorial Day, it seems fitting to feature an all-American hero, John McClane, who has no patience for terrorists and won’t sit back and let them ruin his Christmas. The first film, released in 1988, was a huge success, and paved the way for many other action movies over the past twenty years. The second film doesn’t necessarily get as much credit, but, objectively, it’s a fantastic follow-up. A new director didn’t change the excitement and the thrills as John’s wife was on a plane home and John, waiting for her in the airport, discovered a terrorist operation underway and wouldn’t let it take place on his watch. The humor of the first film is present again, and John embraces the “wrong place, wrong time” adage by stepping in to help when only airport police are present to help him take down the bad guys. In between Alan Rickman and Jeremy Irons, William Sadler, who appeared in “The Shawshank Redemption” and also recently guest-starred on “Hawaii Five-0,” is a fitting substitute, equally committed to destruction, no matter what the cost. Dennis Franz, pre-“NYPD Blue,” is also present to butt heads with McClane. This is the kind of role that Bruce Willis became famous for playing, and there’s a reason why that is. Watch the trailer above to travel back and experience the nostalgia. The follow-up films, “Die Hard: With a Vengeance” and “Die Hard: Live Free or Die Hard,” are actually pretty good as well, but neither of them does as a good a job of replicating the feel of the first film.

Monday Sequel Spotlight: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Released May 24, 1989

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” remains easily one of the best action-adventure films ever made. The plot of its sequel, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” wasn’t nearly as strong, and so it’s better to forget that installment. The third film, however, did a magnificent job doing exactly what a sequel is supposed to do: capture the excitement of the original film and amplify it. Bringing in Sean Connery as Professor Henry Jones Sr., the father of Harrison Ford’s professor and world traveler, was the best decision that Steven Spielberg and company could have made. His demeanor and humor were perfect for the film’s tone and atmosphere, and his familial chemistry with Ford worked excellently. I still remember the fantastic scene in which one villain tells another that “Jones is getting away,” only to be told “I think not,” to which the first responds, “Not that Jones, the other Jones!” The magic was still all there – somewhat literally – as father and son pursued the Holy Grail and once again had to thwart its evil influences. It’s hard to find a sequel as capable – or as beloved – as this one. Made only eight years after the first film, it served as a great cap to a fun and memorable trilogy. For some reason, Spielberg and George Lucas thought it worthwhile to add another film to the franchise in 2008, and it was hardly a welcome addition. Scenes were almost exactly replayed from the previous films in an effort to recall the excitement, and the plot was rather miserable. Sometimes a trilogy should just stay a trilogy, and this third installment is probably the best argument for that.

Monday Sequel Spotlight: Rush Hour 2

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Rush Hour 2
Directed by Brett Ratner
Released August 3, 2001

I just had to feature this film since I mentioned it in my post about “X-Men: The Last Stand,” which was also directed by Brett Ratner, last week. This is one sequel that represents a fine-tuning of the themes and jokes presented in the first film, proving that some films do deserve a sequel since they can make an equally good, if not better, film. This is almost inarguably Chris Tucker’s best performance (I say that since he’s appeared in fewer than a dozen films and I’ve seen only a few of them), and his mispronunciation of gefilte fish in the bloopers reel at the end of the film still makes me laugh. Jackie Chan was also at his best trying hard to speak English and showing that he’s enormously capable of excellent martial arts. The Triad gang plotline worked well, but this is really about the comedy and the action, two things that blend incredibly well in this terrific film. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the final film in the series produced. The third installment, released in 2007, didn’t have the same spark, and it seems like a five-year recess resulted in the lost of the chemistry between its leads and its effectiveness as both a comedy and an action film. That doesn’t diminish the strength of the second film, definitely one of the funniest comedies of 2001.

Monday Sequel Spotlight: X-Men: The Last Stand

X-Men: The Last Stand
Directed by Brett Ratner
Released May 26, 2006

For some reason, the third installment of a trilogy always seems to be either the best or the worst of the bunch. In the most ideal scenario, the third film amplifies what worked about the first two and utilizes it to deliver a strong finish, and in the least ideal, it manages to lose sight of what was so great about the first two and produce an underwhelming, disappointing experience. After the terrific “X2: X-Men United” followed up “X-Men,” this franchise lost director Bryan Singer, who coincidentally went over to helm a lackluster Superman sequel, and replaced him with Brett Ratner, who, despite success like the first two “Rush Hour” films and the fantastic “Red Dragon,” wasn’t nearly as capable. Something about it just didn’t click, and its events were rather tiring instead of exciting, as had been the case with the first two films. None of the new characters were terribly worthwhile, and the film wasn’t nearly as effective. Portraying a mutant-on-mutant battle and Dark Phoenix should have been much cooler. It’s not a good sign if it takes just five years for the franchise to be rebooted, though I have many more problems with that remake since it is much less faithful to the original comic book series. Simply put, if you want to see the X-Men on film, watch the 2000 and 2002 films and then stop. This third film and its successive remake aren’t bad films by any means; they’re just nowhere near as good.

Monday Sequel Spotlight: Mission Impossible II

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Mission Impossible II
Directed by John Woo
Released May 24, 2000



Over a decade before “Ghost Protocol,” a sequel was made to the remake of the 1960s television series, which was released in 1996. That first film may have included its share of improbabilities, but the second took it much, much further. The most memorable element of “Mission Impossible II” is the face mask that nearly every character seems to wear, an asset repeated in successive films but emphasized incredibly in a way that just didn’t seem authentic anymore in this second installment. The film was all about action, featuring Tom Cruise with long hair, a seductive Thandie Newton by his side, and Dougray Scott, once in line to play Wolverine in “X-Men,” which was released the same year, as the villain. The plot wasn’t nearly as strong as the first (or third) film, and though it was indisputably an exciting film, it wasn’t as all-around competent as the others in the series. It definitely looked good, though, and Ethan Hunt is a pretty damn cool spy, no matter how you spin it.

Monday Sequel Spotlight: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Released July 7, 2006



Here we have a film follow-up that preserved almost all of the original’s stars and was helmed by the same director. Yet somehow something went wrong, and the first film’s cleverness was entirely lost for the duration of the second film, and its two sequels, which capitalized on Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow being an enormous buffoon. Any shred of intelligence was gone, and Bill Nighy’s tentacled Davy Jones couldn’t save the film either. I graded the F a D+ when it first was released, and I’m sad to say that the successive sequels, which need not earn their own posts, were even worse. What happened was that it was hard to follow up on the notion of this curse that allowed the pirates to be undead yet appear alive except for when standing in the moonlight, and each attempt was more irritating and unfortunate than the one before it, thanks also to a desperate need for mass appeal. The fourth film is the egregious sequel offender, mainly due to the fact that the trilogy was concluded, and after going to world’s end, a fourth entry – without series costars Keira Knightley and Orland o Bloom – was inexplicably necessitated. This is one example of a franchise that would have been much better off as a standalone film – and a cool ride in Disney World.

Monday Sequel Spotlight: Back to the Future Part II

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Back to the Future Part II
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Released November 22, 1989



Some film series don’t have a bad installment. And some don’t have an agreed-upon best film in the set. Many will argue that the purity of the first “Back to the Future” with its highly original, exciting, very 1980s feel is the greatest film in the trilogy. I would posit, however, that “Back to the Future Part II” takes it one step further, preserving the comic and sci-fi elements that worked from installment number one and transforming them for the three time periods that Marty visits. The future, with its hoverboards and 3-D glasses, is intriguing, while the alternate present is horrifying and the 1955 past is just as familiar, but more interesting this time around since we’ve already been there to see how things played out. Whereas Marty was on his own in the first film, it’s fun to have Doc with him this time around, explaining him to him how things work in the future and then nervously avoiding his younger self when they’re in 1955. Most prominent in my memory is Marty and his multiple wakeups, always being told that he’s safe and sound, be it in 2015 or on the 27th floor. This film is cleverest for its last few scenes, in which it gloriously closes out this installment and sets up number three, back in the wild, wild West. This trailer doesn't quite do the film justice, emphasizing its campy elements more than anything, but what a blast!

Monday Sequel Spotlight: Aliens

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Aliens
Directed by James Cameron
Released July 18, 1986



Rather than alternate between good and bad for my first two installments, it’s worthwhile to showcase two stellar sequels directed by James Cameron in a row (let’s hope “Avatar 2” makes it onto this list also). In this case, Ridley Scott directed the first film, released in 1979, which proved slightly underwhelming upon my first viewing after I had been told that it was the scariest movie ever. The tagline “In space no one can hear you scream” is eternally classic, and there’s nothing quite like watching an alien burst out of someone’s stomach for the first time. The sequel, however, added action to the experience, sending in a whole team fully aware of what threat the aliens posed and still no match for what they encounter. This full-on science fiction film earned Sigourney Weaver an Oscar nomination for Best Actress, which is no small feat. Her Ellen Ripley is unhinged and entirely protective of her people after her traumatizing experiences in the first film. Lance Henriksen, Jenette Goldstein, Bill Paxton, Paul Reiser, Michael Biehn, and a young Carrie Henn, in her only film role ever, round out a superb cast performing at an above average level for this kind of film. Its expert combination of action and suspense should be cited as one of the ultimate examples of how to make a superb film. I have plenty to say about the third film in a series, but I’ll save that for a future post. If you haven’t seen this film and even mildly like science fiction and action, see it now.

Monday Sequel Spotlight

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies With Abe. In this series, I’ll be taking a look at some famous (and infamous) sequels to see how they compare to the original. I'll do my best to alternate between the greats and the best forgotten. Leave your thoughts or a suggestion for a spotlight in the comments!

Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Directed by James Cameron
Released July 3, 1991



This is one of the few sequels that most can agree on is better than the original. The 1984 film “The Terminator” was a fun thriller with an intense villain, and the second film turned it all around by making Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator the good guy, reprogrammed and sent back from the future to save John Connor, the salvation of mankind. In his place, Robert Patrick took on the role of the T-1000, a super-awesome liquid metal Terminator, whose abilities far surpassed those of the original model. The film is most remembered for its groundbreaking visual effects, displayed most excellently with the visualization of the T-1000 and his transformation from liquid medal to solid human form. Linda Hamilton delivers a fierce lead performance, and Sarah Connor becomes a truly memorable character. This 137-minute film never drags for a moment, combining exciting action, fun humor, and a great update of the score for the first film. “Terminator 2” won four Oscars and, not adjusted for inflation, still holds the distinction of being the 10th highest-grossing R-rated movie ever. For action and sci-fi fans, this is a must-see. It was so good that the two follow-up films, released in 2003 and 2010, couldn't possibly hold a candle to it.