Ewan McGregor—despite having stared in three of the most horrendous sequel/ prequels of all time (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith)—is taking a stand against “poor sequels,” stating that there are too many bad or unnecessary follow-ups to great films.
Well, yeah.
Typically, summer is the season when Hollywood pulls from their inexhaustible well of sequels and franchise continuations, with fall being reserved for awards-worthy fare. While there’s no shortage of Oscar bait this year, films like Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Little Fockers, as well as new entries in the Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia franchises, indicate that the sequel trend may become a year-long phenomenon.
To some, that may be another nail in the coffin of quality cinema, but let’s not forget that another installment to a film series isn’t always a bad thing. Few movie buffs will argue that The Godfather Part II was unnecessary, and with Aliens, James Cameron added depth to the character of Ellen Ripley, making a picture that is as much a classic as its predecessor.
The truth is, some sequels really are worthy companion pieces to the original, and with that in mind, here’s a look at some films that could use a “Part II.”
Yesterday during an interview with Ewan McGregor for Roman Polanski‘s (whose name has been mysteriously missing from the synopsis, press notes and other promotional pieces – more on that later) The Ghost Writer, he briefly spoke about the rumor about Danny Boyle tackling a Trainspotting sequel. Although it might be fun to get the gang back together in their 40′s to see where they’re at, McGregor said he wasn’t interested for one very good reason….
