Rant by Aeon 999
Not many decades ago, it was common to hear gleefully vicious scorn directed at movie sequels for being wildly inferior to the original films. These days, however, it seems that most fans and media outlets just can't wait for the next installment of their favorite franchises. And this malady appears to be getting worse, with studios recklessly planning more of them, for years to come.
What's different now is that sequels are the fall-back, the default position of Hollywood. Some time ago, Tinseltown crossed over to the dark side of the farce, and fully embraced retreads as their new normal. When in doubt, they routinely churn out another version of the last big hit, in a desperate attempt to exploit the tried-and-true. And despite what some cultural observers think, much of the film-going public apparently really likes it this way. So the question urgently needs to be asked: Why on earth do so many people want to keep seeing different versions of the same old same old same old?
Like hopeless gambling addicts, Hollywood CEOs squander insanely large fortunes on what they hope will be more blockbuster series, instead of cultivating and encouraging new ideas. It's an exceedingly negative trend being propagated by gutless greedheads, and I find it discouraging that too many film-goers have accepted this state of affairs as the norm. Many fans bitch about the resulting films, but they still keep going to see them.
Remember the feeding frenzy of virulent fanboy hatred directed at The Phantom Menace? Contrast this with the rampant gushing over The Force Awakens, the upcoming Star Wars reboot – much of it presumably coming from fans of the first three George Lucas films. Considering how much so many of them loathed his prequels, it's hard to fathom why they are now so keenly looking forward to more films that may very well not live up to their expectations.
One key factor is that myriad slavish entertainment websites are incessantly cheerleading every new installment of the most high profile franchises. To paraphrase the old saying, those who do not remember the future are condemned to repeat it – and revive, rethink, repurpose, refurbish, remodel, rehash, remake, rebrand, retread, relive, regurgitate, and reboot it. Gadzooks! Is there no end to this errant madness??!!
Unfortunately, the glut of stale franchises has been crowding out fresh and imaginative new works such as John Carter, Jupiter Ascending and Tomorrowland. These excellent films have all been dismissed as "failures" because of bad box office – and often by unperceptive reviewers who are happy to keep giving the seal of approval to sequels.
Of all the major studios, Marvel is by far the worst offender. Their much-vaunted “Cinematic Universe” is carrying the franchise concept to a ridiculous extreme, using dubious minor subplots and post-credit teasers to link all their movies together. In the process, they risk seriously damaging some of their better series ideas. For example, the first two Captain America movies were fine action films. But the upcoming Civil War will add both the Avengers and Spiderman to the mix, which could ruin the perfectly good storyline that was left hanging in The Winter Soldier.
And while I hope they do a good job on my all-time favorite Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, I worry that Disney and Marvel might pair the redoubtable Master Of The Mystic Arts with Groot and the other Guardians of the Galaxy, in a battle to the death against the Ewoks. Egad! By the power of the Vishanti, the beard of the Ancient One, and the eternal Eye of Agamotto, this abomination verily must never come to pass!
Disney has not yet even released Star Wars 7, but is already planning and promoting Star Wars 9. Marvel has mapped out a ludicrously ambitious schedule of superhero films to be unveiled between now and 2020. Not to be outdone, Warners has at least 10 DC Comics movies slated for release during the same time period. And Warners' upcoming Kong: Skull Island is being described as the first entry of their "Monster Movie Universe". Oh fie! saith I – fie upon it all, for pestilential roguery and skullduggery!
As for the upcoming Star Wars films, none of the proposed storylines I've read provides any sensible rationale for a sufficiently interesting or remotely fresh continuation of the venerable saga. Maybe Chewbacca and Jar Jar Binks leading a lesbian Jedi revolt against a cross-dressing clone of Darth Vader might justify it. But otherwise, let's face it: they're obviously just looking for an excuse to milk film history's biggest cash cow.
While many fans rejoice over this epidemic of retreads, it has sinister implications. It indicates that these mercenary studios are confident they have enough customers comfortably locked into this creepy business model – i.e. people who have been suckered into actually looking forward to even more retreads. Meanwhile, the widespread acceptance of the franchise mentality is utterly devastating creativity and originality, and boring some of us to death. No wonder the film industry is so stagnant.
I say people ought to know better than to fork over good money for these rehashes – especially considering the added visual blight of murky 3D presentations, and the fact that theatres run myriad commercials before the films. I can't understand why so many people continually put up with this bullshit just to see repackaged versions of the same old stories.
Film franchises are nothing new, of course. They have been around since the early days of film, ranging from Fantomas, Tarzan, Dracula, Flash Gordon, and Frankenstein, to the Hope/Crosby Road movies, Godzilla, the Carry On Gang, and the James Bond series. Once in a rare while, a franchise has even attracted a gifted director – witness Fritz Lang’s three Dr. Mabuse films. But refreshingly, some of the more talented ones have resisted the siren's lure – most memorably David Lynch, who turned down George Lucas' invitation to direct Return Of The Jedi.
I agree that a few sequels have actually been better than the original films – such as The Godfather Part II, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Voyage Home. I also have no problem with good serial storytelling, such as the excellent Harry Potter series. I will even confess to liking a few other franchises, such as Indiana Jones; The Avengers; Christopher Nolan’s Batman; the Matrix Trilogy; the Chronicles of Narnia; Star Wars; and many of the Star Trek films.
But this trend has almost totally engulfed big budget filmmaking – and much like the mythical Hydra, it seems as though every hit film spawns at least two more attempts to replicate the last one’s profits. At this rate, the studios will increasingly play it safe by relying on franchises, and original films may very well disappear entirely from mainstream filmmaking. If that happens, then short-sighted critics and a large part of the mass audience can partially blame themselves.
What I still can't comprehend is why any halfway intelligent person finds most film franchises remotely interesting. With a few notable exceptions, all the studios have done is taken the sequel concept to its logical conclusion, with an endless round of familiar plot twists, clichéd action sequences, gratuitous love interests, phony suspense and tired gimmicks to justify the existence of these films.
I fondly recall those halcyon days of yore, when most sequels were rightly looked upon with contempt as cynical marketing ploys, produced to rigorous specifications based on research into the demographics of the audience. Unfortunately, this bare-faced recycling works like a charm nowadays.
Some fanboys will even pay to see a film they don't care about so they can brag about being the first to see the new trailer of their favorite franchise. Then they salivate over every detail, in lengthy YouTube reviews of the trailers. How can any thinking person possibly find this trend anything but annoying and dispiriting?
If the mass audience are such suckers, why should anyone be surprised if the film companies milk them for every last penny, using as many devious tricks as they can muster? It’s high time for people to wake up and realize how they are being manipulated, and start boycotting this foolishness. The fact that they don't tells me that Pavlov's dog is hooked on bogus Purina full of empty calories.
But there may be some hope on the horizon. Much was made of the recent box office disaster of the latest Fantastic Four movie. In fact, so many online pundits trashed it for weeks afterward that I started feeling a bit sorry for the actors and producers. But the backlash against it could mean we might dare to dream that a significant number of people are finally coming to their senses and getting sick to death of franchises.
Unfortunately, the studio hacks and money men basically have thinly-veiled contempt for their customers. They obviously think they will have a permanent license to print money if they keep rejigging well-worn formulas with hackneyed scripting, smartass pop culture references and hokey action, gussied up with mediocre CGI, bad 3D, and the latest hot young stars. And sadly, too many people have been gullible enough to prove them right. Wouldn’t it be great to see them proven wrong once and for all?
Below are links to lots of videos and articles demonstrating that many film lovers may be more than ready for the demise of this tiresome phenomenon.
FRANCHISE FEVER
Too Many Marvel Movies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAh0xyuW2Pg
Marvel Avenged
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-32379661
The Marvel Cinematic Universe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITeGUkPJFtw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Jybem_CR60
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXyGOecaaWg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbzN1zEcGxw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2bNw5Ye8Ek
Why The MCU Sucks
http://thedailyheckle.net/entertainment/movies/5-reasons-marvel-cinematic-universe-sucks-ass
Age Of Whedon
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/29/avengers-age-ultron-honest-trailer
Spinning Out Of Control
http://comicbook.com/2015/09/23/marvel-teases-captain-america-civil-war-spinning-out-of-age-of-u/
Over One Billion Served
http://www.scriptmag.com/features/meet-reader-film-franchise-one-billion-served
Movie Franchises Destroy The World
http://www.theasterisktoday.com/articles/movie-franchises-destroy-the-world-part-12/
The Reboot Craze
http://consequenceofsound.net/2015/09/refueled-thoughts-on-the-reboot-craze/
Robbing Hollywood Of Imagination
http://www.hngn.com/articles/75995/20150310/are-star-wars-the-avengers-other-film-franchises-robbing-hollywood-of-its-imagination.htm
Killing Originality
http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2015/03/25/film-franchises-killing-original-blockbusters-smaller-films
Still Popular With Moviegoers
http://www.mid-day.com/articles/hollywood-film-franchises-that-are-still-popular-with-moviegoers/16344163
Remakes & Reboots In The Works
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/remakes/36637/93-movie-remakes-and-reboots-currently-in-the-works
The Rise And Rise Of Franchises
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/192f583e-7fa7-11e4-adff-00144feabdc0.html
Monster Movie Universe
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/kong-skull-island-move-warner-821943
Merchandising To The Gullible
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11844113/Star-Wars-toys-represent-all-thats-wrong-with-film-franchises-and-gullible-infantile-men.html
How I Didn't Spend My Summer
http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/hammerandthump/%EF%BB%BFlost-in-movies-magical-moments-or-how-i-didnt-spend-my-summer/
Feeding the Franchise Beast
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/12/movies/review-in-jurassic-world-the-franchise-feeds-the-beast.html
Testament of Dr Mabuse
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-WnY_ZmT9E
Fantomas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aynvfGtJYHU
Flash Gordon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8BFrd1ckSw
Bride Of Frankenstein
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR2uBTMBKVg
Tarzan's New York Adventure
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbIYF6Xxr8M
Road To Morocco
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV4d0aLVFKc
Horror of Dracula
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTyBClMmoyQ
Carry On Doctor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjU12UD-grM
James Bond Top 10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzY3TXikWaE
Godzilla Recap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olX8_lJqO1A
David Lynch's Jedi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PALjbTo1D5U
The Farce Awakens
http://whatculture.com/film/star-wars-the-force-awakens-7-crazy-fan-theories-from-the-second-trailer.php
http://furiousfanboys.com/2015/06/why-the-force-awakens-could-be-hated-more-than-the-phantom-menace/
http://comicbook.com/2015/09/29/star-wars-the-force-awakens-will-be-best-star-wars-yet-according/
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/4-Big-Reasons-Star-Wars-Fans-Believe-Force-Awakens-Best-Movie-Yet-85317.html
Star Wars 8: The Ewok Rebellion
https://www.facebook.com/Aeon999/photos/a.163268977156717.38176.163265400490408/478415242308754/
Honest Trailer: Furious 7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sEN3hj4orE
Space Avengers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOyJqGtP-wU
Terminator Genisys Paradox Edition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oe2Agl3bJAc
Ridiculously Complicated Timelines
http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/articles/movie-franchises-ridiculously-complicated-timelines
Tarantino's Twilight Games
http://musemash.tumblr.com/post/48005780327/according-to-a-reliable-source-the-promoter-for
Prometheus: Franchise Wannabe 2
http://io9.com/prometheus-2-wont-connect-to-alien-but-prometheus-4-mi-1732597677
Friday The 13th: Monetizing Evil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vBNKbzftNs
The Art Of The Long Game
http://www.benzinga.com/general/topics/14/11/5011798/film-franchises-the-art-of-the-long-game
The Spreading Contagion
http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/movies-being-made-into-tv-shows/32522/updated-28-movies-currently-being-turned-into-tv-shows
http://www.indiewire.com/article/tv-shows-are-becoming-the-new-film-franchise-and-thats-a-very-very-bad-thing-20150411
http://comicbook.com/2015/09/30/marvel-movies-will-start-to-reference-the-tv-shows-as-some-time-/
http://collider.com/marvel-tv-show-crossovers-with-movies-inevitable-kevin-feige/
Gluttons For Punishment
http://www.rantlifestyle.com/2015/01/14/12-movie-franchises-begging-to-be-rebooted/
Best & Worst Reboots
http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2015/the-5-best-and-5-worst-movie-reboots/
Worst Franchises Of All Time
https://dennisearl.wordpress.com/2013/10/12/the-5-worst-film-franchises-of-all-time-part-one/
https://dennisearl.wordpress.com/2013/10/13/the-5-worst-film-franchises-of-all-time-part-two/
http://www.flickeringmyth.com/2015/06/the-five-worst-film-franchises.html
Failed Franchises
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaoAo6GShMA
http://entertainment.time.com/2013/11/07/failed-franchises-10-movie-series-that-werent/
http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-film-franchises-that-stopped-at-one-movie.php
http://www.hypable.com/7-movie-adaptation-franchises-that-never-took-off/
13 Horrible Sequels
http://www.salon.com/2015/09/09/13_horrible_movie_sequels_that_never_should_have_been_made/
Ignoring Awful Sequels
http://comicbook.com/2015/06/13/selective-memory-five-movie-franchises-that-ignored-awful-sequel/
Franchise Self Parodies
http://whatculture.com/film/10-movie-franchises-became-parodies.php
Films That Derailed Their Franchises
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhGnNQBmaSs
How To Fix A Failing Franchise
http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/movie-franchises/36082/how-to-fix-a-failing-movie-franchise
Saving A Doomed Franchise
http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2015/08/11/wolverine-and-the-fantastic-four-and-four-other-ways-to-save-a-doomed-franchise/
Franchises We Keep Forgiving
http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-beloved-movie-franchises-we-have-way-too-much-faith-in/
Some Franchises Not Meant To Be
http://www.salon.com/2015/09/08/trainspotting_2_is_a_terrible_idea_some_movies_arent_meant_to_become_franchises/
Films That Ruined Their Franchises
http://www.mandatory.com/2015/05/21/the-top-10-films-that-ruined-their-film-franchise/
Overstaying Their Welcome
http://watchmojo.com/video/id/12793/
Franchises That Need To Die
http://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/10-movie-franchises-die/
http://www.businessinsider.com/15-film-franchises-that-need-to-end-now-2012-3
Franchises That Won't Die
http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/films/8-film-franchises-that-wont-die
Die a Peaceful Death
http://www.hitfix.com/news/please-let-these-movie-franchises-die-a-peaceful-death-2
Not So Fantastic Four
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fantastic_four_2015/
Superhero Craze May Be Over
http://www.science20.com/the_conversation/the_superhero_craze_may_be_over-157011
Getting Played Out
http://io9.com/financial-analyst-says-hollywood-sequels-and-remakes-ar-1732872883
Heading For A Crash?
http://io9.com/zack-snyder-admits-superhero-movies-could-be-heading-fo-1729886315
Franchise Mashup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLHe0Ub6cew