Sequels And Expectations
John Ink2Quill August 2022 Editorial
www.ink2quill.com

It is an acknowledged fact that Hollywood, the entertainment industry in the US and probably the world, is great at distributing movies and shows and less gifted at creating quality entertainment. This is true of Bollywood, Nigerwood and even the Chinese Entertainment Industry (of which they all produce stellar content every so often.) So much of the creation process, (Notice that I use the word “creation” and not the word “creativity”.), is so formulaic, censured and rushed that it is hard, under such circumstances, to create good, organic content. Part of that creation process involves the disregard for quality when making sequels to great films. I’ve heard it said that a sequel will, in most cases, automatically generate 50% of what the first film made regardless of how good or bad it is.

Therein lies the rub. The huge machine that is the entertainment industry has decided that in the case of sequels quality and time is not a necessary investment because people will come anyway. This supposed fact about sequels has been in the air for a long time, decades even. And we, the audience and consumer, have tolerated it. Sequel after sequel, like loyal dogs who eat whatever their caregivers feed them, we see a good film and automatically go to see the sequel no matter what our trusted friends say. After all, what would any of the critics or trusted friends know?

When will Hollywood toss out that formula for sequels? When will they say that such and such a film was a masterpiece and deserves a sequel just as good? After all, these large entertainment industries have to worry about budgets and release dates. They have accountability to worry about like paying the people they hire on time, the story weavers who are often in a struggle for artistic control and any shareholders, if there are any. But why does every sequel feel like a hustle? Why does going to the sequel of a great film feel like you’ve been fleeced? Seldom are sequels any good and when they are good they really stand out.

Take “The Godfather” films for example. The first and second films were fantastic and the second film was said by many to be the best sequel in Hollywood history. I have to agree but there is another film that sits right next to it at the top. A good sequel does not have to be, and should not be, a rehash of the original story. It should not be the same thing repeated as in the case of “The Godfather” films. I heard that nobody, at the time, expected “The Godfather” films to be any good but the success of the first film brought fans to see the sequel and they were not disappointed. The films were taken after a novel written by Mario Puzo which was called campy and sensationalistic by readers. I haven’t read it so I cannot say but what they did with the films was magic. The film takes us into a dangerous world of organized crime, violence, betrayal and greed and we, the audience, continue to be balled over to this day. Those films will never age. “The Godfather” films I and II are proof that Hollywood can make good sequels if it puts its mind to it. If you assemble the right talent with the will to produce good sequels that is what you will do.

So, what is this sequel that could sit beside “The Godfather” as a great film with a great sequel? I’ll give a clue. It was also taken after a book. A very, very good book. A classic in its genre. A whirlwind of the imagination dealing with betrayal, greed and power like “The Godfather”. Before 2021 people thought that bringing this book to the silver screen was an impossibility. They said the book was too rich and the story too complicated for the big screen, especially for those that did not read the book and who dislike the scifi genre. But in 2021 that impossibility became a reality and a masterpiece was created. Yes, that movie is “Dune”. This movie has been split up into two parts with the first part being phenomenal and I expect the second half to be just as good.

So, that is the second example of a successful sequel. I hope this becomes a trend.

John Ink2Quill

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