5 Awesome Film Franchises That Never Got a Third Movie.
The trilogy is the absolute mark of a great franchise. All of the best franchises were at one point, just 3 awesome Movies. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, Men in Black (debatable) and Toy Story. But what of the poor franchises cut down in their prime? The ones that are just two awesome movies, and then everyone resoundingly said, ‘Yeah, that’s enough of that!’ Here are five that I love both entries for, that probably deserved a third outing.
- Wayne’s World
Anyone who knows me knows how much I straight up love the Wayne's World movies. I saw them as a kid, and they showed me that hey, you don’t have to grow up to be a lame dildo in a suit, it’s within your reach to grow up to be a long haired fun loving penniless doofus, who hangs around with his best friend all day and mucks about for a living. So, that’s exactly what I did. If I were to do a top 10 movies of all time, these films take up two spots, or the top spot if edited together into one 3 hour supercut. The films are hilarious, heart warming, infinitely quotable and have that old school comedy movie feel you just never see anymore. Cheeky rather than cynical with dad jokes galore, they are as delightful to me as a 35 year old as they were when I was 14.
So, Why no 3rd entry?
I think they had just exhausted the protagonists. Anything else they did would seem a pale imitation and a re-hash (See Austin Powers 3), and quite Franky, I think they just aged out of the characters. Instead of a 3rd Wayne's World, we got the first, and still brilliantly funny, Austin Powers movie. A good choice financially, but it would’ve been nice to get a 3rd film completing a trilogy if the setting and timing was right.
2. The Addams Family
These two movies, Like Wayne’s World, sit on equal footing in terms of quality. Another fantastic pair of old school action adventure comedies that are a joy to watch. Big, broad humour, amazing set and costume design, and a full set of memorable, funny performances. The child actors holding their own against such a strong adult cast is well worth mentioning, and in many cases Wednesday steals the show. There’s romance, action set pieces, funny dialogue and a sort of high camp that’s lacking from modern comedy sensibilities. Everyone gets enough screen time to develop the character and makes a great impression throughout, plus the weirdly 50s aesthetic makes it seem pretty timeless. I think a kid today would still get a lot out of watching these! Extra points are awarded for not one, but BOTH of these movies having hilariously bad tie in pop songs.
So, Why no 3rd entry?
I has to be the early passing of one of the main stars, our favourite horney Gomez, Raul Julia. This cast come as a tight knit group, and to see it done again without the core performers is just a recipe for disaster, as so often seen whenever they’ve tried a reboot in the past 20 years. This is one, I think, best left as a great piece of cinema history.
3. Gremlins
I have a very controversial Gremlins opinion, and it is that the sequel is in all ways better than the original. I Know this is an unpopular notion, but when I watched them as a youth the first one just never grabbed me, and I thought the puppets looked an awful lot worse. The second movie is a perfect mix of big set pieces, adventure, cool visual effects and great sight gags. The absurdly loud, over the top action is just non stop fun. The original just feels dull in comparison, and is not quite scary enough to succeed as a horror movie, and not funny enough to succeed as a comedy. For a fun time plus a monster for every occasion, gimme Gremlins 2 any day of the week.
So, Why no 3rd entry?
Because the rest of the world disagrees with me! Gremlins 2 was a massive financial failure when compared to the first one, as it seems a darker aesthetic would have been better for the chance at a third movie. They took a lot of big, silly risks for the sequel, and according to the general public, it was a miss. I however, wouldn’t change a thing. How many movies break the forth wall so Hulk Hogan can tell off some naughty projector destroying antagonists? Not many!
4. Ghostbusters.
Another pair of classic movies, although I’m pretty much sure we can all agree the original is the best of the two. An absolute dream cast put together in a film no one ever thought would get made, let alone become the global phenomena it is today. The original script by Dan Aykroyd is bonkers, and it’s one of the few films ever to really benefit from extensive rewrites and studio interference (to see what un-edited Aykroyd look like, watch the only film he directed, ‘Risky Business’. Pure madness!)
The reason the first one is the best is that at its core, it’s about a group of con-men trying to open a business in NYC. The film would’ve worked just as well if they had opened a plumbing firm, but the paranormal edge really makes it something special. All of the cast and supporting characters are straight up genius, and making it without them just doesn’t give the same return (see the terrible re-boot). the sequel delivers on some really great stuff, with the evil dude in the painting being a real highlight. This, of all the films on this list, seemed most set to do a final film to make it a holy trinity. so..
Why no 3rd entry?
I think the cartoon had taken over in popularity after the second movie’s release. as a kid, I remember thinking this was a live action version of the cartoon, not the other way around. Imagine, if you will, a world where you earn as much money selling your likeness to a children’s cartoon as you would making a gruelling, physically demanding movie where you are constantly covered in slime in a franchise with downward trending reviews? I don’t think I’d have made it, either!
5. Hellboy
as this list illustrates, I’ve a massive thing for old school action adventure and comedy movies. This, on paper seems like it wouldn’t work as a mainstream movie, but ticks all the boxes. Great physical effects, Nazi baddies, Rasputin and a whole X-Men style team of lovable misfits. An ugly, scowling old man teenage curmudgeon as a main protagonist, and a load of Celtic based occultism tying the whole thing together. Throw in a visionary director with a great eye for physical realisation and you are on to a winner! Both films are awesome, and the second one is a big step up in scope, tone and design. The characters are very likable, the action is fast paced, and the look of the thing really matches the feel of the source material. Plus, Ron Pearlman is about as close to perfect superhero casting as you get, after Kelsey Grammer as Beast.
So, Why no 3rd entry?
Bloody studio interference! All the key players have stated interest in returning, but the studio just wouldn’t wait for their diaries to line up, so instead of an amazing conclusion to the best trilogy never made we have…. Whoever this is?
just 10 years after the amazing sequel we got this bland offering. A soft reboot that commits the cardinal sin of being… Just average. It got terrible reviews at the time of release, and is not as awful as some say (it is coherent, fast paced and the effects are OK, although mostly CGI), but compared to the two Del Toro movies it’s pretty rubbish. the characters really lack the chemistry of the original, and this movie’s existence pretty much guarantees we will never see Hellboy 3. God Damn you, Hollywood producers!
What else?
I’m still holding out hope for a third Anchorman movie! There was talk a few years back of retooling the original idea for the first film, of the News team being stranded on an ice mountain after a plane crash and having to eat each other to stay alive, but I think all involved are now far to famous for this ever to happen. In my dream version, all of the news teams from the first street brawl are on the plane together on the way to a news convention… it’ll never happen. but…
