16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes

Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2015.Star Wars: The Force Awakens.This film served as a reset for the franchise, specifically for the Skywalker saga. The Force Awakens changes things in many ways.The Force Awakens.The Force Awakens uses what made the original trilogy great. A group of heroes, unprepared, gets caught in a fight between the dark side (First Order/Empire) and the light side (Resistance/Rebellion).The Force Awakens.Many people compare The Force Awakens to Star Wars: A New Hope.Star Wars: A New Hope..

Like.Episode IV., Episode VII.The Force Awakens centers on a Force-sensitive "Chosen One" type from a planet covered in sand who finds a droid with a message or map. It also brings back the franchise's main mythology. Han Solo takes the role Obi-Wan held in the original film, even dying onscreen by the main villain just before a big space fight.The Force Awakens.Many viewed The Force Awakens as a Star Wars film because it used the story of A New Hope as its base.Star Wars.The Force Awakens used A New Hope’s story as its base.A New Hope.its narrative as its foundation.

National Lampoon’s Vacation.This film is one of the most quotable screwball comedies from the '80s. The film made Chevy Chase a superstar and caused two sequels driven by Clark Griswold. People remember his family trip to Walley World in 2015.Vacation.Vacation follows Ed Helms as an adult Rusty Griswold who tries to copy that first trip with his wife and two sons.

This next-generation misadventure is exactly that, just without the original’s charm and heart.Vacation.Vacation is the perfect example of a lazy remake pretending it relates to National Lampoon’s Vacation.National Lampoon’s Vacation.beyond its name and story.

Being a werewolf runs in the family for Michael J. Fox’s Scott Howard in 1985’s Teen Wolf.Teen Wolf.and for Jason Bateman’s Todd Howard in Teen Wolf Too.Teen Wolf Too.In the first film, Scott uses his mutation to become the star of his high school basketball team and wins the girl he wants. Like all coming-of-age stories, Scott accepts who he is beyond his new fame.

In.Teen Wolf Too., the same happens. Todd uses his werewolf powers to be good at sports and become popular, but he finds out those things matter less. Unfortunately, Bateman did not perfect his comedy timing, and the writing lacks punch, making the sequel juvenile, uninspired, and a remake as one can guess.

The Blair Witch Project.The Blair Witch Project opened the door for "found-footage" horror. People have copied and parodied its style and structure many times since then. Unfortunately, 2016’s Blair Witch does this too, following the same story beats: a group of 20-somethings enter the same woods with cameras and creepy actions.Blair Witch.Blair Witch does this too, following the same story beats: a group of 20-somethings enter the same woods with cameras and creepy antics.

The sequel happens years after the original. It focuses on Heather's younger brother, one of the characters from the 1999 film. James tries to find answers about his sister's missing person and brings three friends with him. Besides some heightened horror, Blair Witch imitatesBlair Witch.imitates.The Blair Witch ProjectSome think it needs a higher budget remake. This might attract new fans and build tension. But fans of the 1999 version find it contrived and less real; the real-events marketing surrounding it is a problem.The Blair Witch ProjectToday, you cannot pull off The Blair Witch Project. Many things make that impossible.Blair WitchBlair Witch is a lazy remake dressed up as a sequel.

When Steven Spielberg adapted Michael Crichton’s novel, he did something.Jurassic ParkJurassic Park changed summer blockbusters. It did so in the same way Jaws did in 1975. The CGI made viewers think dinosaurs returned, even briefly. The film gave a fun, scary, and smart thrill.JawsJaws hit in 1975. The film offered CGI that made viewers think dinosaurs returned. It provided a fun, scary, and smart thrill ride. Colin Trevorrow relied on that award-winning formula to bring back a stale franchise.

LikeJurassic ParkJurassic ParkJurassic WorldJurassic World follows two young siblings visiting the park. The main difference is that the first film was a work in progress they abandoned. The latter is open to the public. Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard play roles like Sam Neill and Laura Dern. The park’s safety, and the children's, gets compromised by evolution—life finding a way. They should have stopped playing God with T-rexes by now.

Christopher Reeve’s first outing as the Man of Steel in Richard Donner’s 1978 film modernized Superman, giving the character and mythology blockbuster status.Superman IISuperman II did well, but it had flaws.Superman IIISuperman III andSuperman IV: The Quest for PeaceSuperman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace were huge letdowns. Nineteen years after the fourth film, the franchise seemed over.The fourth film seemingly ended the franchise. Bryan Singer directed it.Bryan Singer directed the fourth film.Bryan Singer directed Superman Returns.Superman Returns featured Brandon Routh in the cape and tights. The sequel shared the continuity of the original films. Calling it not worth the wait is an understatement. It paid homage to Donner’s tone and look, including the suit.Superman ReturnsSuperman Returns did not update the character. It repeated too many style choices.

On top of the film's look and feel, Superman Returns lacked depth.ReturnsReturns did not show a Metropolis that cared much about Superman. They admit his absence. But considering his first film actions, people expect more fans. Clark Kent returns and takes the spot he held at the Daily Planet.Daily PlanetLois Lane does not know Clark is Superman. Is this supposed to be a sequel? The plot and action feel like attempts to remake Donner's Superman.Superman, and Kevin Spacey’s Lex Luthor feels like a Gene Hackman imitation executing a dumber plan. Everyone from Routh to Kate Bosworth’s Lane looks like a lazy copy of the main film’s performances.

Itself based on an existing film from 1951, John Carpenter’sThe ThingThe Thing describes a research camp or crew in Antarctica fighting the shape-shifting "thing." This makes for a terrifying sci-fi thriller. People still call its ending one of the best cliffhangers and unsolved mysteries in cinema. The 2011 "prequel," following Norwegian researchers, shares much with Carpenter's classic films.

The prequel shows paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) finding an organism (the thing) frozen in the Arctic. It crashed there eons ago. The organism wakes up and starts attacking the crew, taking over their identities one by one. Horror movies have done this before.The Thing is in the list of 16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes.The 2011 version fits the B-movie minimum. It uses jump scares that fit Carpenter’s superior plot beats.

John Singleton made the 2000 version of The Thing.Shaft plays off the original 1971 version.Shaft plays off the original 1971 version.Shaft is in the list of 16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes.However, the newer film still reintroduces detective John Shaft. Samuel L. Jackson takes Richard Roundtree’s legendary role. Jackson brings his swagger to the suave detective as he fights corruption and criminals seeking him.

The 21st-century follow-up keeps the original's charisma, laughs, and action. It adapts to a modern feeling but still feels like a repeat of the 1971 version.

David Twohy's Riddick is in the list of 16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes.Pitch Black is in the list of 16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes.is a mix ofAlien is in the list of 16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes.and a Vin Diesel film. A deep-space cruiser crashes on a planet with nocturnal monsters. Richard B. Riddick, a convicted criminal whose modified eyes see in the dark, helps the crew survive.

The more focused character study blew up into a messy space opera in the sequel.The Chronicles of Riddick is in the list of 16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes.(2004). The sequel did not gain traction. Thus, the 2013 filmRiddick is in the list of 16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes.took the franchise back to its start. It puts the main character on another desolate planet with predators. Other humans—mercenaries—join the plot, but the basic story remains the same.Pitch Black is in the list of 16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes.Riddick all over again is in the list of 16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes.

John Carpenter's Escape from L.A. is in the list of 16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes.Escape from New York is in the list of 16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes.The film follows Kurt Russell's Snake Plissken. Government forces him into New York (a futuristic supermax prison) to save the president from local gangs. Russell's performance and the '80s action, plus the one-liners, make it a classic.

In the mid-'90s, Carpenter returned to this dystopian world with Escape from L.A.Escape from L.A. is in the list of 16 Lazy Sequels That Were Just Remakes.The film's title, structure, and style repeat the predecessor. Plissken enters quarantined Los Angeles to get another important figure instead of New York. That is the plot. Carpenter faces a problem: in the 15 years apart, cinema shifted from the early '80s. Audiences did not want more of the same.

Emily Blunt played the magical Mary Poppins in 2018’s installment.Mary Poppins Returns. Made 55 years after the original, Rob Marshall’s sequel is a love letter to Robert Stevenson’s original. Blunt’s performance helps.Mary Poppins ReturnsThe film uses a classic to give the audience a similar enchantment.

The sequel brings back Michael Banks and Jane Banks as adults. Their house, the same place he grew up and where the original is set, is about to be repossessed. As hope seems lost, Mary Poppins, the nanny from their childhood, returns to bring back the sunny view she gave their lives in the first movie. This addresses the disillusionment adults often face.Mary Poppins ReturnsThe film repeats the original's adventure formula scene by scene.

Fede Alvarez madeThe Girl in the Spider’s WebThis is a soft reboot and/or sequel to David Fincher’sThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The film does not use its source material (unlike its predecessor).Spider’s WebThe film takes many liberties telling its story.

If Fincher made a sequel, things would look different. Claire Foy played Lisbeth Salander instead of Rooney Mara. Lisbeth swipes FireWall, a program accessing nuclear weapons. Russians grab Lisbeth’s laptop and plan to use FireWall to cause harm. The film uses Fincher’s action and mystery elements but skips the complications.The Girl in the Spider’s WebThis is not the sequel everyone wanted—or still wants—Fincher to make. The studio simply tried to continue or reboot the franchise for money. The new version completely failed, pulling in only $14.8 million at the domestic box office.The film pulled in $14.8 millionat the domestic box office.

J.J. Abrams deferred to his success by revitalizingStar Trekwhen he directedThe Force Awakens. The latter used the franchise's prior films as a model, just as 2009’sStar Trek. By introducing the Kelvin Timeline, an alternate reality where James T. Kirk’s father dies and his wife gives birth to the protagonist (through interference from the original timeline), the film charts its own course withoutreallydeviating from the continuity it claims to abandon.

Despite a rebellious upbringing and backstory, Chris Pine’s Kirk finds himself aboard the USSEnterpriseThe crew stays together, sharing similar ties to the characters supporting William Shatner’s Kirk. Abrams does not need to call this a remake.Star TrekStar Trek is lazy, but it is a clever remake and reboot disguised as a sequel.

Robert Rodriguez's Desperado features a guitar case, guns, a property owner, and a revenge quest.DesperadoDesperado looks strikingly like its Spanish-language first.El Mariachi(1992). This film follows the title character. (Carlos Gallardo) travels to a small town. He meets a beautiful bar owner before getting involved in a gangsters' plot to kill a hitman they mistook him for.

DesperadoDesperado follows the same character, played by Antonio Banderas. He seeks revenge against the drug lord who killed the bar owner. Again, he meets a beautiful woman.a beautiful woman(this time a bookstore owner played by Salma Hayek). The action, humor, and romance result in a more expensive version of the original film. Unfortunately, none of El Mariachi’s originality feels fresh.El Mariachiits originality does not feel fresh.

Tron: Legacy mirrors the 1982 cult-classic video-game movie.Tron, 2010'sTron: LegacyTron: Legacy is vain, focusing on its looks. Following Kevin Flynn’s 1989 disappearance, the film focuses on Sam Flynn’s journey into the digital world to find his father.Tron: LegacyTron: Legacy focuses on Sam Flynn’s trip into the digital world to find his father. Sam finds the world his father built has gained a life.

Tron: LegacyTron: Legacy’s plot focuses on disc battles and light cycles, mirroring its predecessor's obsession. The film offers pop culture references. Tron: LegacyTron: LegacyTron: Legacy starts to feel like a cash grab. It defaults on its visuals and the users-versus-corrupt programs story. Instead of Sark, the antagonist is Jeff Bridges's wax figure.

1995’sJumanji, shows a magical, harsh board game that trapped Alan Parrish (Robin Williams) in its jungle for decades. The kids who free him is one of the 1990s' most memorable family films. The 2017 follow-up, JumanjiJumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, turns the board game into a video game. This game moves unsuspecting players into its inner jungle as avatars. Equipped with a charming cast, Jumanji: Welcome to the JungleJumanji: Welcome to the Junglebuilds on everything the original created.

This update references Alan Parrish and events from 20 years prior, making it a remake. Teenagers find another soul trapped in the game for years, played by Nick Jonas, and they free him (sending him back to when he started playing, like the original). Aside from the humorous twist, the less-serious Jumanji: Welcome to the JungleJumanji: Welcome to the Junglefollows the same basic plot as JumanjiJumanji, even though it takes place inside the game.