Contested Sequel: Difference between revisions

 

== Comic Books ==

* ''[[The Dark Knight Strikes Again]]'', Frank Miller's sequel to the seminal ''[[The Dark Knight Returns]]''. Many dislike it for being an ugly self-parody of the original work. Some like it for exactly that reason.

 

** ''[[Terminator Salvation]]'' is either a good blockbuster with slick visuals that finally explored the [[Robot War]], or a boring departure from the formula of the first three movies. There is a particular rift over whether it or ''T3'' is better, and with ''Terminator: [[The Sarah Connor Chronicles]]'' regarding the very different styles and competing claims to be the "legitimate" representative of the franchise at the same time.

** While ''[[Terminator Genisys]]'' is mostly derided for using [[Timey-Wimey Ball|confusing time travel mechanics]] to both continue and reboot in a way that [[They Changed It, Now It Sucks|changed too much]] (throws the mythology out the window and has old characters portrayed in a way different manner) and\or [[It's the Same, Now It Sucks|yet was too familiar]] (has many a [[Continuity Nod]] and enough familiar elements to feel like a retread), there are defenders who liked seeing something different and overall fun.

* The sequels in the ''[[Scary Movie]]'' series of comedies are very contested. You can hear nearly every type of opinion on the sequels, as well as on the original movie. Some say that the first two installments in the series directed by the Wayans brothers are leagues better than the latter 2 sequels while others like the Zucker-style sequels better.

* ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'' was already a love it-or-hate it movie, and the two sides mostly switched for the sequel, ''Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2''.

* While ''[[Batman Returns]]'' did better ''critically'' than the first [[Tim Burton]] ''[[Batman (film)|Batman]]'' movie, it is often disliked among comic book fans for making the Penguin [[The Grotesque]] instead of a [[Gentleman Thief]]. Of course, the same people may or may not have a bigger problem with Batman actually killing someone in the first movie, but that's just because they forget him using the bomb on the Circus Gang's strongman in ''Returns''.

** ''[[Batman Forever]]'' is either a fun if inferior (mainly for being [[Lighter and Softer]]) follow-up to ''Returns'' or as bad as the [[Franchise Killer|franchise-killing]] [[Batman and Robin (film)|travesty that followed.]]

** ''[[Batman: The Movie|"Some days, you just can't get rid of a bomb!"]]''

* ''[[X-Men: The Last Stand]]'' is either a '''''horrid''''' representation of the [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity|Phoenix Saga]] and a total [[Dropped a Bridge on Him|cop-out as far as the role of Cyclops goes]], not to mention being "The Wolverine and Jean Show" and devoid of all other character development... or it is an adequate adaptation of the Phoenix Saga that does away with plot elements that would have been out of place in the established movie canon, not to mention a ''sweet'' action movie in which basically all hell breaks loose and [[Badass|Wolverine]] owns the show. Take your pick.

* ''[[Highlander]]'' has this in spades. Any film after the first is contested, with many recognizing only the first and the TV series.

* The [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] has offered many. ''[[Iron Man 3]]'' is either a [[Surprisingly Improved Sequel]] or an inconsequential follow-up with a controversial approach to portray Iron Man's [[Arch Enemy]] on screen. ''[[Avengers: Age of Ultron]]'' was a worthy successor or [[It's the Same, Now It Sucks|a retread]] that lost its way with excessive characters and subplots. ''[[Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]]'' is a fun flick with the strong [[Creator Thumbprint]] of [[Sam Raimi]]], or a weak follow-up that barely does anything with the concepts it raises. Is ''[[Thor: Love and Thunder]]'' good on its own right even if inferior to ''[[Thor: Ragnarok]]'', or it just re-does the predecessor wrong?

 

== Literature ==

** ''[[Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door]]''. The fanbase always fights over whether this one was superior to the original, or inferior.

* ''[[Duke Nukem Forever]]'' is considered this for several factors, such as not living up to the previous game, playing like the old game it was based on, [[Follow the Leader]], and several controversial issues [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment|that we don't need to go into here.]]

* While many fans of the ''[[Heroes of Might and Magic]]'' series despise the fourth installment due to turning the heroes into regular units (and allowing you to have your entire army composed of 7 uber-powerful heroes) and other gameplay changes, as well as (literally) destroying the old world developed in the first three games as well as ''Heroes Chronicles''. Others actually enjoy finally taking their heroes into the thick of battle and like exploring the new world. Then comes the fifth game, developed by a completely different company (in Russia), creates ''yet another'' world, this time completely unrelated to the rest of the franchise, changes the game mechanics (the heroes are once again merely generals, but still get their turn, during which they can attack or cast), and adds 3D graphics. But wait, there's more. The sixth game is made by a ''third'' developer. The fans are probably confused by this point.

* By the same token, ''[[Disciples]] III'' features a significant departure from the previous two games in terms of graphics, storyline, battle mechanics (units can now move ''Heroes''-style), changes in types of leaders, resource management, etc. Once again, the fan base is split.

* Oh dear lord, ''[[Diablo III]]''...[[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgment|No more needs to be mentioned beyond the title.]]

* ''[[Homeworld]]:'' Both the sequels released to date have been quite polarising within the fandom. ''[[Mission Pack Sequel|Cataclysm]]'' (later re-released as ''Emergence'') replaced the original game's [[Arbitrary Headcount Limit]] with a "[[Construct Additional Pylons|Support Unit]]" mechanic and significantly nerfed the player's ability to capture enemy ships, and took the storyline in [[Cosmic Horror|a very different direction]]. ''Homeworld 2'' almost completely ignored ''Cata''{{'}}s plot and stuck to the original's [[Space Opera]] roots, but went through a long and troubled development process that led to a lot of content being cut or scaled back and some noticeable issues with game balance, and had a storyline that introduced some controversial retcons and was widely seen as being a lot weaker than the original.

 

== Western Animation ==

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Internet Backdraft]]

[[Category:Audience Reactions]]

[[Category:Sequel]]