My Moviegoer Perspective on Movies That Never Needed Sequels or Prequels (But Got Them, Anyway)
Were any of these sequels truly necessary?
"I tire of franchises, remakes, and endless sequels." - Edgar Wright
Today, I'd like to explore a few movies I personally feel never needed sequels despite getting them, anyway. This isn't meant to put down sequels, but to simply express why, in my opinion, such films were better off as one-and-done affairs. So, without further ado...
An American Tail, 1986
Don Bluth's 1986 animated period drama provides an unwavering view of the many hardships immigrants face; fleeing violence or oppression in their homelands, beginning their lives anew in unfamiliar terrain, being subjected to discrimination on a daily basis, etc. Set in late 19th century New York City, An American Tail follows young Russian-Jewish immigrant, Fievel Mousekewitz, on the little mouse's quest to find his family after being swept overboard from the ship ferrying them to America. Floating the rest of the way in a bottle, Fievel hits the ground running, looking for his family on the mean streets of 1885 New York City, which he learns are neither paved with cheese nor free from cats (Shhh! They might hear you!).
However, Fievel also learns that not all cats are bad, befriending Tiger, a fluffy feline who shares his love of Swiss cheese ice cream and Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. While Fievel's grieving parents believe him drowned, his sister, Tanya, sixth senses her brother's survival, with the two seemingly sharing a sort of telepathic connection, believing that they'll find each other in that big somewhere out there. In the end, love sees the siblings through, as Fievel finally reunites with his family in time to witness the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty, a heart-warming conclusion to a gut-wrenching tale (or, tail). What more needs to be said?
Now, the sequels...
How about the Mousekewitzes growing weary of the rat race in New York City, boarding a train bound for the American Old West, and then losing Fievel along the way, yet again? Or, how about revealing their migration out West was nothing more than a crazy dream Fievel experienced one night?
Also, why does Tanya go from being a little kid roughly Fievel's age in the original, to a teenager clearly older than him in the sequel? I think I'll stick with the Bluth original, thanks.
The Terminator, 1984
The entire premise of James Cameron's 1984 sci-fi thriller, The Terminator, hinges on an unbreakable time loop, in which John Connor sends his father, Kyle Reese, back in time, from A.D. 2029 to 1984, to fall in love with his mother, Sarah, so the couple can conceive him, thus ensuring he grows up to lead humanity to victory in the war against Skynet. Connor already knows that his father will die protecting his mother, and that she will in turn terminate the Terminator, vanquishing Skynet once and for all. Connor also knows that the Terminator's scrap metal will be used by scientists to create Skynet years later. Connor knows everything that has happened and will happen, as Sarah would narrate everything to him, ensuring he possesses the knowledge to maintain the time loop.
Now, the sequels...
The initial sequel, while action-packed and entertaining, breaks the time loop rule by allowing Sarah, a reprogrammed Terminator, and the teenaged Connor, to acquire and destroy the original Terminator's scrap metal, thus ensuring Skynet never exists, which means everything that has or will happen is nullified. Ditto with the further sequels, which undo Skynet's destruction and alternate between killing off either Connor or his mother.
However, the most recent sequel really takes the cake by killing off the teenaged Connor shortly after the events of the second film. How can Connor grow up to lead the resistance, send Reese back in time to father him, and ensure Sarah terminates the Terminator, if he dies before reaching adulthood? Shouldn't the entire universe implode upon itself the moment teenaged Connor gets terminated on that beach? No, thanks. I'll stick with the original flick and consider it a one-and-done affair.
Alien, 1979
What I love about Ridley Scott's 1979 space horror, Alien, is that it's riddled with mysteries I feel were never meant to be solved, which further contributes to the film's sense of eeriness and unease. The fossilized elephantine Space Jockey resting in the cockpit of the ancient, derelict wrecked ship. The chamber of eggs veiled in an unsettling, ethereal mist. The hideous Alien itself. The ultimate fate of Ripley after surviving the Alien's wrath. All these elements are enhanced by the mysteries surrounding them.
Now, the prequels...
I never needed a prequel explaining to me that the Space Jockey belonged to an ancient race of humanoid beings who possessed the power to create life.
Now, the sequels...
Unlike The Terminator, however, there's no in-universe barrier preventing a sequel, and the initial follow-up, Aliens, is a great flick in its own right. I love the action-packed finale of Ripley kicking the Alien Queen's ass in that giant mech suit. I'm also pleased that Ripley, Hicks, Newt, and Bishop all survive their ordeal. As such, I don't get why the third film felt the need to strip this ending of its happiness by stripping the four survivors of their lives. That bleak shift in tone really makes everything that happened in the second film feel rather pointless, if you ask me.
Goin' Down the Road, 1970
Donald Shebib's blue collar Canadian drama, Goin' Down the Road, offers an unfiltered glimpse of the struggles many people face when attempting to start a new life in the Big City. The plot centres on Pete and Joey, a pair of twenty-something blue collar Nova Scotians, who pursue the Canadian Dream in Toronto, believing that jobs are in abundance there. Unfortunately, the duo lacks the university degrees required for the jobs they seek, forcing them to bounce around from one minimum wage odd job to the next, struggling to eke out a living, which is particularly hard on Joey, who must provide for his pregnant bride.
The film concludes on an ambiguous note, with Pete and Joey hitting the road for Vancouver, abandoning Joey's pregnant wife in the process. The reason for their impromptu retreat? The pair accidentally kill a teenaged grocery store cashier while attempting to shoplift groceries and now wish to get out of Dodge. While rather depressing, this film provides a great historical lens of what pre-gentrified Toronto was like back in 1970, a time before the CN Tower dominated the skyline.
Now, the sequel...
The ambiguity of this ending was shattered four decades later, when Down the Road Again was released in 2011. The sequel reveals that Pete and Joey both went on to live successful, productive lives in Vancouver, never having been caught or arrested for their act of manslaughter. Shortly after retiring from his long career as a postal worker, Pete learns of Joey's recent passing and sets off on a road trip to honour his late friend's dying wish of checking up on the family he abandoned in Toronto and then bringing his ashes back home to Nova Scotia to scatter them at sea.
While there's technically nothing wrong with this premise, it has little to do with the plot of the original. I also don't think it was necessary to show audiences how Pete and Joey's lives turned out in Vancouver, as I feel their fates were better left unknown. I can only imagine the pain and anguish felt by the murdered grocery store clerk's family, as the teenager's homicide will forever remain unsolved, as highlighted in the follow-up. Without the sequel's interference, the audience is left to decide for themselves whether Pete and Joey got away with murder or were eventually brought to justice.
That's all for now, but I'll definitely be back with more entries later! Do you have any thoughts on this post? If so, feel free to reach out by leaving a comment, dropping me a line, or signing my guestbook to share your opinions on this or any other topic. Also, feel free to press the "like" button if you enjoyed this post, as "likes" help me gauge audience interest in the content I post. After all, I don't want to bore anyone, ha-ha. Until next time, love, peace, and chicken grease!
Posted in "Nerd Alert" on Thursday, February 6, 2025.