Sequels. Put a “2”, a “3”, or most definitely a “5” at the end of a movie’s title and it almost immediately loses the attention of many a movie goer. With the vast amount of part two’s out there being made as a cash grab riding on the name recognition of a movie that enough people spent their hard earned cash on already. Every now and then, though, a sequel comes along that warrants some genuine excitement. Here are the ten part x-ers in 2013 that I’m most looking forward to watching, in order of their release dates.
A Good Day to Die Hard 2/14
Why I’m looking forward to it
Bruce Willis. In another Die Hard movie. As a fan of action, you can’t go wrong with some good old fashioned John McClane. After Live Free or Die Hard landed in theaters, a lot of people felt like the franchise had gone soft. I happened to like movie, but I agree that it wasn’t quite a Die Hard film. This fifth installment goes back to garnering an R rating which, in the very least, will allow for the trademarked yippee ki-yay to not be censored.
Why it could be a letdown
Even the best things can start to lose their luster after five rounds, and in addition to going international in scope, this movie throws the curve ball that was part of Indiana Jones’ demise – McClane has a son, and they are going to have to help each other in a life or death adventure!
G.I. Joe: Retaliation 3/29
Why I’m looking forward to it
Despite the fact that the first one was so incredibly mediocre at best, there’s something about this new G.I. Joe movie that looks like tons of fun. They’ve scrapped all but the necessary back story from the previous installment and built this one nearly from scratch. This may be the movie that everyone who played with action figures as a kid has been waiting for. Oh, and Bruce Willis.
Why it could be a letdown
Watch the first movie and you’ll see exactly why this could be a disaster.
Iron Man 3 5/3
Why I’m looking forward to it
Marvel, seemingly, can do no wrong. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect as Iron Man and he is more or less their flagship superhero at the moment. This will be the first Marvel film following the massive success that was The Avengers and this will be the movie that sets the pace for phase 2 of the Marvel cinematic universe.
Why it could be a letdown
While the first Iron Man film is arguably the best Marvel film outside of The Avengers, Iron Man 2 is easily one of the weakest. Hopefully the third installment doesn’t follow that trend.
Star Trek Into Darkness 5/17
Why I’m looking forward to it
I’m a Trekkie, plain and simple. While there are some things about J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the franchise that bother me, I still thought it was something that satisfied Star Trek fans and appealed to mainstream audiences at the same time, while maintaining a quality above the average blockbuster. This next film seems to be following in those same footsteps and I like what I’ve seen so far.
Why it could be a letdown
Abrams has a habit of not quite delivering on some really promising premises. See Lost. The first film was a great setup, but this is where things could get muddled if there isn’t a clear direction. Also, there’s still that fine line to walk between making the Trekkies happy and not alienating the rest of the movie-going audience.
Monsters University 6/21
Why I’m looking forward to it
Pixar has never made a bad movie. Admittedly, their last few outings have not been as stellar as the rest of their repertoire. Mosters Inc. is, though, one of their strongest films and this one – a prequel rather than a sequel – is shaping up to be an entertaining ride more in line with that than Brave or Cars.
Why it could be a letdown
Other than the Toy Story films, the heart and soul of Pixar in a way, the only sequel they have made is Cars 2 – the only Pixar film to end up with a Rotten rating.
Kick-Ass 2 6/28
Why I’m looking forward to it
I absolutely loved the first one and this looks to be shaping up to be more of the same, but better. The central cast is back, with the additions of Donald Faison (Scrubs) as someone named Dr. Gravity, and Jim Carrey as an evangelical Christian ex-criminal soldier turned super hero vigilante. Sounds crazy.
Why it could be a letdown
Really, the only reason I can think of that this could be a letdown is just the fact that it is a sequel and could fall victim to the many crimes of a second act – being too much like the first, being too different, trying to cram too much in, etc. I’ve also heard that the graphic novel is not as good as the one the first movie was based off of, so there is that.
The Wolverine 7/26
Why I’m looking forward to it
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine is pretty much the best thing to come out of the X-Men film franchise, other than Alan Cummings as Nightcrawler in that opening scene of X-2. The lackluster X-Men Origins: Wolverine is being thrown to the wayside and this movie should appear as pretty much a standalone tale. Wolverine is in Japan. With samurai. This could literally be one of the greatest super hero films of all time.
Why it could be a letdown
Well, the Wolverine origin movie could have also been one of the greatest super hero movies of all time and we know how that turned out. (I enjoyed parts of it actually, but it tried to do too much and didn’t quite succeed with most of it).
Machete Kills 9/13
Why I’m looking forward to it
I admit – I thought the Danny Trejo vehicle by Robert Rodriguez was one of the most entertaining films I had seen in a long time. It is incredibly campy and over the top, but in just the right way. This one has an even more ridiculous cast, including Mel Gibson as the President of the United States.
Why it could be a letdown
Any action movie this campy faces the danger of falling from being inspired by genre B movies, to becoming one. The first one found the balance of taking itself seriously enough to be coherent enough, while being aware of just how ridiculous it really is. That’s a balance that the sequel will have to keep.
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For 10/4
Why I’m looking forward to it
We’ve been waiting for a sequel to Robert Rodriguez‘s unique tale of corruption since 2005 and it finally has a release date. Thought a few cast members have been replaced, such as the late Michael Clarke Duncan and Clive Owen, the lineup looks quite promising, adding the likes of Josh Brolin (replacing Owen), Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Christopher Meloni.
Why it could be a letdown
Not much is known about the plot(s) yet and the look that made the original so fascinating to watch has been overused in the past years.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 11/22
Why I’m looking forward to it
It’s no secret that I’m a big Hunger Games fan – the books first, and then the movie. I loved the first one, despite some flaws, and Catching Fire is my favorite of the series.
Why it could be a letdown
First, there’s a new director (Francis Lawrence) at the helm. There are already rumors, and some confirmations of some major changes and characters being cut. This can be expected with any film adaptation of a novel, and is often needed, but it’s still cause for concern. There may also be the fact that with the success of the first film, money, instead of innovation, gets thrown at this one, creating a film that looks better but feels worse. Here’s hoping that isn’t the case.
Also worth mentioning:
These are the sequels that didn’t quite make the cut, but will probably still be worth seeing.
Despicable Me 2 7/3
Why it didn’t make the list
While Despicable Me is one of the better animated films of the past few years, it just wasn’t one of my favorites, so the sequel isn’t that high on my must see list. The Minions are pretty great though and with the sequel focusing on them it’s a toss up of getting old and annoying, or being something really creative and funny.
300: Rise of An Empire 8/2
Why it didn’t make the list
300 is action packed with great visuals, the style of which have now been redone to death. I just don’t see it in need of a sequel – it will likely be a tired rehash, in my opinion. I would love to be proven wrong.
Red 2 8/2
Why it didn’t make the list
Red is a great action movie, but I think it was more interesting getting to know the eccentric characters than it will be to revisit them in what is sure to be an amped up, make it crazier, kind of sequel.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 9/27
Why it didn’t make the list
I’m looking forward to this one with cautious optimism. Cloud with a Chance of Meatballs is one of my all time favorites. It is hilarious, well written, entertaining, and gorgeously animated. Like the town of Chewandswallow, though, I’m afraid of getting inundated with too much of a good thing. This is also a movie that is losing the original directing team of Phil Lord and Frank Miller, whose genius made the first so great in the first place.
Thor: The Dark World 11/8
Why it didn’t make the list
Bottom line is that I’m not quite sure why this didn’t make the cut. For some reason, despite loving Thor, and the rest of the Marvel cinematic universe, this one is just not that big of a blip on my radar. That might change as we get closer to release and trailers start showing up.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 12/13
Why it didn’t make the list
I feel like it is sacrilegious to leave this off my top ten list, but sadly, The Hobbit has so far left me disappointed. It may very well be that I was too distracted by ultra high def and high frame rates to appreciate the movie for what it was, but that’s an article for a different time. In the end, I’m afraid of being let down again.
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Well, that’s my list. Let me know what I got right and what I got wrong, in your opinion! Also, yes, I do realize that there is a lot of Bruce Willis here. Do you have a problem with that?
Film Hamster 