My thoughts on sequels

Usually whenever there is a popular movie released, there will almost always be a sequel at some point. Whether it be planned beforehand due to a scheduled trilogy or has simply arose due to the original being so sought after, sequels can either add hugely to a series or make the first seem less itself in quality. 

Some movies, such as Memento or Forrest Gump stand out to me as being perfect on their own, with no further storyline arcs or plot twists needed. Obviously for series such as The Hunger Games several films are needed to fully tell the story already set by the books, but it's not uncommon to see a sequel which is solely to milk a popular brand dry. Take the latest Fast And Furious for example. It is the sixth in the adrenaline-fuelling car/action series, which in my opinion is three too many. Unless a movie direly needs a fourth, I think leaving it at a trilogy is far more appealing. 

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy some film series' that have gone on for considerably longer than originally thought. The Saw movies, although not enjoyed by many, stand out for me as all entertaining films. I still believe however that the producers of those films could have very easily concluded the story after the third, instead of pushing on all the way up to seven. It became rather obvious that they were being made solely for money, as new twists were introduced almost as if it were just to keep the story going so another film could be made. 

Billy the puppet, Saw Movies

The problem really, is that these long-running series will continue to be made as people choose to pay for them. Fast and Furious is a million dollar brand, which is precisely why it has been allowed to continue to it's sixth sequel. Similarly to bad movies that have spanned many years, such as Scary Movie, anything will continue for as long as people allow it to.

I'm not saying go out and boycott against films which are beginning to get a little stale, I just think that movie producers need to sometimes consider the quality of their content over the monetary gain from it. That is why I respect directors such as Christopher Nolan, who has gone on the record saying he will not direct another Batman movie, even though I feel if he did it would yet again rake in millions upon millions of dollars. He chooses not to because he has wrapped up the story he wished to tell, I just hope that other members of the films industry will do the same.