Sequels often get a bad rap for being unoriginal, riding on the success of the first movie just to make more money. Sometimes, though, it’s like the filmmakers just hit copy-paste. They might change a few names or make the special effects bigger, but the story feels way too familiar. These kinds of sequels usually don’t do as well and make it clear that the creative spark is missing. While a few might still be enjoyable, they often don’t measure up to the originals. It’s just disappointing when filmmakers don’t even try to come up with something new.
Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)
Many fans feel the Die Hard movies went downhill because John McClane, played by Bruce Willis, changed from a regular guy to an over-the-top action hero. In the first movie from 1988, McClane is visiting his wife for Christmas when terrorists take over the building. He has to sneak around, battling injuries, to stop them and save the hostages. But this scenario kept happening to him.
Die Hard 2 also happens during Christmas. McClane is at the airport to pick up his wife when another group of bad guys takes over. He fights them off using his smarts, just like before. While this cemented the series’ reputation for Christmas action, it also made McClane less believable. [1]
The Hangover Part II (2011)
What made The Hangover (2009) so good was how unexpected it was, but that surprise wore off quickly. The movie is about three friends who are together for a wedding. After partying too hard, they wake up with no memory of the night before and the groom is missing. They have to piece together what happened to find him, realizing how crazy they were while drunk. You’d think they’d learn, but they didn’t.
The Hangover Part II takes the same guys to another wild bachelor party. They black out again and wake up in Bangkok. They have to figure out what happened to find their missing friend and get to the wedding. The movie either repeats the same jokes or tries to be even more outrageous. This series definitely needed to sober up. [2]
Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992)
Christmas seems to be a common theme in sequels that repeat the first movie. Home Alone (1990) is about Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin). He gets mad at his big family and wishes they would disappear. By accident they leave him behind when they go on vacation. He has the house to himself, which is fun at first, but he starts missing his family. He also has to stop two goofy burglars from robbing his house. It’s a mix of fun and slapstick violence. The sequel is pretty much the same.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York looks different, but it’s just a rehash. The family goes on a Christmas vacation, but Kevin gets on the wrong plane and ends up in New York City. He uses his dad’s credit card to have fun at a fancy hotel, but he still feels lonely. The same two crooks are back, and Kevin has to outsmart them with another bunch of pranks. After all this, his parents really need to keep a closer eye on him. [3]
The Incredibles 2 (2018)
The Incredibles (2004) is praised for its fresh take on superheroes. The movie is set in a world where superheroes are banned because of the damage they cause. Mr. Incredible, now a family man, gets a chance to relive his glory days when a mysterious group asks for his help. He goes on secret missions, not knowing that they plan to get rid of all superheroes.
The Incredibles 2 starts with the superhero ban still in place, leaving the family without a purpose. A company offers them a solution: send one of them out as a hero to change public opinion. This time it’s Elastigirl, Mr. Incredible’s wife. But her fun is cut short when the company’s true intentions are revealed. The CEO’s sister wants to ruin superheroes’ image so they’ll be banned forever. It’s basically the same plot as the first movie, just with the genders switched. [4]
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Mary Poppins (1964) introduces a magical nanny who takes care of two neglected children. With a chimney sweep, she takes them on a fun journey. They explore London and a cartoon wonderland, with plenty of songs. Mary (Julie Andrews) helps the children reconnect with their parents.
Mary Poppins Returns makes her miracles a regular thing. The kids from the first movie now have children of their own. The magical nanny returns to solve their problems with songs. They explore the setting through dance numbers and animated adventures. They even have a cockney guide, but this time it’s a lamplighter instead of a chimney sweep. It follows all the same steps, musically and otherwise. It’s like a cover song that doesn’t quite measure up. [5]
Escape from L.A. (1996)
What a waste of a good idea! Escape from New York (1981) is about a city that has been abandoned and turned into a prison for criminals. The U.S. president gets stuck there after being kidnapped. A soldier named Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) is sent to rescue him. If he saves the president, he gets a pardon. It’s a great opportunity, but the sequel ruins it.
Escape from L.A. turns Los Angeles into an island. After the president makes some unfair laws, the city becomes a place to send criminals and anyone who disagrees with him. Snake Plissken is back in trouble, but he gets another chance at freedom if he goes into the city and finds a stolen piece of technology. The tech is in the hands of the president’s daughter. Both the mission and the reward are the same as before. [6]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
To bring back Star Wars, Disney copied what fans loved. The 1977 classic, Star Wars: A New Hope, introduces a galaxy controlled by an evil Empire. Luke Skywalker gets involved when he finds a droid with plans for the villains’ new weapon. Luke has to get the droid to the Rebels so they can destroy the weapon. He also learns about his background as a Jedi. It’s a classic hero story and it’s a little too close to what Disney did in the new movie.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens moves the story forward. The Empire is back, thanks to a weapon that can destroy entire solar systems. A scavenger named Rey becomes the heroes’ best hope when she rescues the droid with the weapon’s plans. The Rebels can now destroy the bad guys’ new weapon. Rey also gets a mentor who teaches her about the Jedi and the Force. The filmmakers clearly respect the original, but maybe too much. [7]
Desperado (1995)
A small movie leads to a bigger sequel. El Mariachi (1992) is about a guitar player who gets mistaken for a drug dealer. He has a guitar case full of guns and has to learn to kill to survive. He finds love, but she and his music are taken from him. The movie ends with a shootout at the villains’ villa. Writer-director Robert Rodriguez made a great action movie with very little money, and it made him famous.
He used that fame to make Desperado. The sequel continues the guitarist’s story as he goes after the head of the criminal group. He kills many of the crooks. His private war helps him find love again, easing his pain. And yet, that doesn’t stop him to go back to confront his quarry at another high-end villa. The scenario is familiar but fresh, thanks to Rodriguez improving his skills. [8]
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
It’s funny that a time-travel series repeats its stories. James Cameron’s The Terminator (1984) is about Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). Her son, John, will lead humanity to victory in a war against machines. The machines send a cyborg back in time to kill Sarah. A human soldier is sent to protect her. It’s an action movie where the humans try to outrun an unstoppable enemy. Good ideas get copied, even within the same series.
Most of the Terminator sequels reuse the first movie’s plot. Cameron remade his classic with Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The killer is a more advanced machine, and the protector is a reprogrammed robot. The plot is the same, and both futuristic visitors die at the end. The other sequels also follow this pattern, changing some things but keeping the main story. The only exceptions are Terminator Salvation and The Sarah Connor Chronicles. The rest feel like a time loop. [9]
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Avatar (2009) is a story about aliens with earthly themes. Humans are looking for resources and find Pandora, a planet with valuable minerals. The natives don’t want their home destroyed. Jake Sully is sent to convince them to leave but he starts to feel more at home with them, especially those extraterrestrial felines, and helps defend them against the humans. The sequel is even more obvious with its copying.
Avatar: The Way of Water changes the setting but keeps the plot. The humans return to Pandora to exploit its resources. They try to undermine the natives through infiltrators. However, Jake and his family stop them again, leading to another battle between nature and the colonizers. The main difference is the focus on underwater natives instead of forest dwellers. James Cameron loves to reuse his work in sequels. [10]
So, there you have it – a list of sequels that didn’t stray too far (or at all) from their source material. While imitation might be flattery, in the world of cinema, it often leaves audiences wanting something more original. Did we miss any sequels that you felt were too similar to the first film? Jump down and let us know, and don’t forget to share this with your film-loving friends!
