In many fields of creativity such as films and music, there's often a struggle with creating a sequel to the original production and making It better or as good. Whether it's an album following a successful debut or trying to re-create the magic of your previous film. Many struggle with sequels, but why?
There are so many films that fail to be as good as their original, especially big blockbusters. This is mainly because a lot of the time if a film is successful, a sequel will be made to capitalise on the initial success and make as much money as possible. Generally they are rushed and treated without care, which is normally why they fail in quality. Although there are several writers/directors that typically refuse to do sequels out of respect for the art. Something that can be greatly respected.
Often with films we have a set of characters that go through the story in their own way and there's a happy ending with a satisfying arc. The sequel then tries to repeat the same story in a different way and achieve the same satisfying arc. The problem there is that nobody wants to see the same story done slightly differently, the emotional investment you had in the original is no longer there. Too many sequels concentrate on carrying on plot threads or superficial visual elements without considering why they were in the script in the first place, and what they were in support of. For example: Robocop is a film about right-wing politics, violence, and media manipulation Robocop 2 is mainly about a fight between two robotic cops. Lazy writing and money grabbing companies are the major downfalls of modern films.
Additionally, the weight of expectation is a heavy burden to bare. A successful first album or film is then followed by critics and in particular fans wanting more and quickly. So after the first product was treated with care and patience the second is often rushed because of the pressure to release it quickly. As well as this after lots of praise from media, critics and fans the people behind the film or album would then be much more confident. Believing they can produce something just as good easily, which no matter how talented you are is generally not going to happen. With the fame and expectations from fans and critics also comes the same pressures from record labels who possibly put time restraints on the artists and filmmakers respectively. As well as this, especially with musicians, when the second album is released there's less hype around it as it's a sound we've already heard before and the same applies to films.
However, that's not to say that sequels that improve upon their original film. Generally these films are viewed as better than the original:The Godfather 2, Captain America: The Winter Solider and The Dark Knight. Albums generally conceived as better than the first are seemingly even rarer however; The Beatles, Nirvana, and Black Sabbath are all exceptions. So I'm certainly not saying it's never been done.
But how do you create a successful sequel? The Lord Of The Rings trilogy are three films that many fans struggle to pic a favourite from, myself included, they all have their differences but they're also all of a very high quality. One of the main reason this was achieved was that the films were filmed back-to-back, with only a short break in between. So the films feel like they continue right from where they left of. Another reason for the success is Peter Jackson's(the writer and director of the films) love and care for the original book series. His dedication to all the details really showed and made the trilogy one of the best film series ever made. This is just one example of a rare case in which Jackson's passion for the project greatly outdid any desire to make money.
Other great sequels expand on the already created story and characters, they further build the world and put the characters we already know and love into brand new situations to further develop them and their relationships with each other.
Even if you can't you can't follow up with a sequel as successful. Many artists have peaked at their first album, this doesn't necessarily mean the band is bad or that their following albums are either, but instead it usually shows that they cant hit the heights you may of originally hoped for. Bands like The Killers, Courteeners, and The Stone Roses peaked with their debut albums, or so most would say, but this doesn't mean they haven't done anything good since as they've all shown great success. This is the same case with films, just because it's not as good it doesn't mean you can't enjoy or love it.
Sequels show the quality of musician and the care of filmmakers. Everybody wants to make money but some become greedy for it which has spoilt the quality of modern cinema for a short while now. Modern music is different and it's ever evolving with different sounds being tested and different genre's being popular at different times. New directors and music artists will always keep coming and bringing their new ideas to the table for us to love, hate and debate.
Written By Alfie Hoy
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