Sequels can offer us more of what we want and take franchises in new and exciting directions. However, they can sometimes take us in ridiculous directions that nobody asked for. Here are several of the most absurd sequels that did a lot of damage to their franchises.
- Home Alone 3
Seeing a kid foil the schemes some dim-witted burglars in the first two “Home Alone” films was at least vaguely plausible. However, in “Home Alone 3”, Alex (Alex D. Linz “Max Keeble’s Big Move”) is only 8 yet he defeats a group of international spies. It’s like seeing James Bond get bested by a kid.
- Batman & Robin
While “Batman Forever” undeniably had a more light-hearted tone than the previous entries, “Batman & Robin” was completely absurd. Several scenes and countless lines of dialog feel like they are from a parody of “Batman” rather than a legitimate entry in the franchise. Arnold Schwarzenegger (“Predator”) dishing out endless ice puns is just ridiculous.
- Superman III
Well, if you thought Batman had it bad, the Man of Steel got just as ridiculous with the later instalments. “Superman III” makes the odd decision of focusing on a computer hacker played by Richard Pryor (“Silver Streak”). It also sees Superman get drunk and he even has sex with the bad guy’s girl after exposure to some synthetic kryptonite.
- Terminator: Genisys
Everything from the weird spelling in the title to the awkward lines of dialog in “Terminator: Genisys” just smelled of desperation. This movie throws everything at you with even more time travel, more killer robots and John Connor (Jason Clarke “Zero Dark Thirty”) is now the bad guy.
- Die Hard 4.0
The first “Die Hard” movie was a classic and the action sequences felt somewhat plausible. As the franchise continued, it got more and more ridiculous. By the time “Die Hard 4.0” came out, it felt really cartoonish. John McClane (Bruce Willis “Unbreakable”) felt less like a cop and more like a superhero.
Dishonourable mentions:
The NeverEnding Story III: Return To Fantasia and The Bourne Legacy