Originals versus Sequels

Dumb and Dumber, Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Terminator, Jurassic Park, and Shrek all have one thing in common: they all have sequels. Whether they are book or movie sequels, there are some that suggest the original is better than the sequel.

“I usually tend to like the originals better because the sequels always bring in new characters and to me, that changes everything.” said Junior Grace Krust.

Many of these “franchises” can appear to be endless (seven Saw movies, 23 Bond films, even five Pokemon movies), and those that do not go on forever may increasingly end only because they are being “rebooted” (Spider-Man, Superman).

According to research done by Box Office Mojo, “Hollywood has been adapting books to the big screen, and the practice is prevalent today. In fact, nearly one in every four movies still originates in a book, story, or article.”

MetaCritic.com stated that only 43% of motion pictures are original ideas and 57% are sequels, remakes, and adaptions.

“If they ever made a second White Chicks, I would protest the company because the second movie could never be as hilariously amazing as the first one.” said senior Johnny Seal.

Many of these “original” movies may simply rehash tired genre tropes that audiences have already seen countless times in prior films. A possible reasons a movie like Inception resonated with audiences is that not only was it the rare big-budget event film not to be based on another, but it also incorporated a storyline and visual style that were relatively unique.

“Inception was probably Leonardo diCaprio’s best movie.” said sophomore Briana Roberts.

Derivative films collect more money at the box office than original ideas, according to Proto-Knowledge.com

According to IMDB,  not only is it easier to sell an existing concept to an audience than a completely new story, but studios also are more willing to spend money on derivative works in the first place, both on the production side and the marketing side.

“The Harry Potter series is the only series that I have actually loved. The movies were just like the books and the movies had the same effect on me as the books had.” said senior Clarissa Wild.

Whether it be a book or a movie, depending on the person, sequels could be considered good or bad from a viewers standpoint.