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the goofy premi5e of the Steve Coogan
comedy "Hamlet 2," opening Friday.
But as Hollywood has proven again
and again (and again and again), any
idea for a sequel, no matter how ridiculous, can
get made if it has a pre-sold concept with big-
name recognition.
Here are some of the dum[est sequels
ever made - probably by people who think a
serious sequel to "Hamlet" is a good idea.
FREDDYVS. JASON (2OO3)
fte concepfi Doesn't the title sound like one of
those stupid arguments kids would have about
who would win in a fight, like, say, lron Man vs.
the Hulk or Spider-Man vs. Wolverine?
fhe t efifict Apparently, fans love stupid
arguments. lt grossed $82 million, about the
same as the last five movies in the "Friday the
l3th" franchise combined. Yep, another Jason
pic is in the works.
JAWS: THE REVENGE (1987)
Tlrc onceph Freaked out by that persistent
Great White, Ellen Brody (Lorraine cary)
decides to leave Amity and vacation in ... the
desert? The mountains? Nope, the Bahamas!
The shark follows.
ffie verdct "Jaws 3-D" was probably the
nail in the coffin. This fourth']aws" flick
just sent it to Davy Jones' locker. lt's alsoW'ffi
notorious for keepinf on the set
and away from the Academy Awards the year
he won for "Hannah and Her Sisters."
HAVANA NIGHTS: DIRry
DANCfNG 2(2OO4)
fte conoept Make a flick about kids dancing
and romancing during the Cuban revolution. lt's
got absolutely nothing to do with the original
"Dirty Dancing," but maybe if we use the name,
people will come anyway.
The verdict The only person fooled was actor
Diego Luna, who made this turkey his high-
profile followup to the critical smash "Y Tustai cael Garcia Bernal, played Che cuevara
in "The Motorcycle Diaries."
STAYTNG ALTVE CI983)
The conepft The gritty, realistic "Saturday
Night Fevef' leads to Tony Manero becoming
a chorus boy in a Broadway musical called
"Satan's Alley"? Directed by Sylvester Stallone?
Ihenedict'Alive" made $63 million and was
one of the year's biggest hits. And every single
person who saw it absolutely hated it. Including,
we assume, John Travolta, who wouldn't regain
his cool until 1994's "Pulp Fiction."
ROCI(Y rV(198s)
Ihe concep& Rocky will win the Cold War by
going to the U.S.S.R. and battling Drago (Dolph
Lundgren), the evil Soviet boxer who shoots
steroids. A nice speech wondering why we can't
all just get along should be the perfect capper.flrc verdict Reagan-era fans lapped it up - this
remains the top-grossing "Rocky" movie ever.
BOOK OF SHADOWS:
BLAIRWITCH 2(2OOO)
Tfte concefi: Didn't everyone die in "The Blair
Witch Project"? So what! Let's make a sequel
about fans of that movie visiting the locations
where it was shot and getting possessed by
demons, or the Blair Witch, or a desire for a
sequel that will make them go crazy!
The vedicft lt made money, but no one was
happy. On the DVD, director Joe Berlinger (who
previously made acclaimed documentaries
like "Paradise Losf') dissed his own film and
criticized the changes made by the studio.
Michael.Giltz
il,:.S
iiiiNi
the goofy premi5e of the Steve Coogan
comedy "Hamlet 2," opening Friday.
But as Hollywood has proven again
and again (and again and again), any
idea for a sequel, no matter how ridiculous, can
get made if it has a pre-sold concept with big-
name recognition.
Here are some of the dum[est sequels
ever made - probably by people who think a
serious sequel to "Hamlet" is a good idea.
FREDDYVS. JASON (2OO3)
fte concepfi Doesn't the title sound like one of
those stupid arguments kids would have about
who would win in a fight, like, say, lron Man vs.
the Hulk or Spider-Man vs. Wolverine?
fhe t efifict Apparently, fans love stupid
arguments. lt grossed $82 million, about the
same as the last five movies in the "Friday the
l3th" franchise combined. Yep, another Jason
pic is in the works.
JAWS: THE REVENGE (1987)
Tlrc onceph Freaked out by that persistent
Great White, Ellen Brody (Lorraine cary)
decides to leave Amity and vacation in ... the
desert? The mountains? Nope, the Bahamas!
The shark follows.
ffie verdct "Jaws 3-D" was probably the
nail in the coffin. This fourth']aws" flick
just sent it to Davy Jones' locker. lt's alsoW'ffi
notorious for keepinf on the set
and away from the Academy Awards the year
he won for "Hannah and Her Sisters."
HAVANA NIGHTS: DIRry
DANCfNG 2(2OO4)
fte conoept Make a flick about kids dancing
and romancing during the Cuban revolution. lt's
got absolutely nothing to do with the original
"Dirty Dancing," but maybe if we use the name,
people will come anyway.
The verdict The only person fooled was actor
Diego Luna, who made this turkey his high-
profile followup to the critical smash "Y Tustai cael Garcia Bernal, played Che cuevara
in "The Motorcycle Diaries."
STAYTNG ALTVE CI983)
The conepft The gritty, realistic "Saturday
Night Fevef' leads to Tony Manero becoming
a chorus boy in a Broadway musical called
"Satan's Alley"? Directed by Sylvester Stallone?
Ihenedict'Alive" made $63 million and was
one of the year's biggest hits. And every single
person who saw it absolutely hated it. Including,
we assume, John Travolta, who wouldn't regain
his cool until 1994's "Pulp Fiction."
ROCI(Y rV(198s)
Ihe concep& Rocky will win the Cold War by
going to the U.S.S.R. and battling Drago (Dolph
Lundgren), the evil Soviet boxer who shoots
steroids. A nice speech wondering why we can't
all just get along should be the perfect capper.flrc verdict Reagan-era fans lapped it up - this
remains the top-grossing "Rocky" movie ever.
BOOK OF SHADOWS:
BLAIRWITCH 2(2OOO)
Tfte concefi: Didn't everyone die in "The Blair
Witch Project"? So what! Let's make a sequel
about fans of that movie visiting the locations
where it was shot and getting possessed by
demons, or the Blair Witch, or a desire for a
sequel that will make them go crazy!
The vedicft lt made money, but no one was
happy. On the DVD, director Joe Berlinger (who
previously made acclaimed documentaries
like "Paradise Losf') dissed his own film and
criticized the changes made by the studio.
Michael.Giltz