How to Make a Sequel

No one has to explain why there are sequels and I'm not here to say that sequels should or shouldn't be made. But if someone is trying to make a sequel, here are the best things to do and things to think about before you make one. First off, you should always always ask why. Why does there need to be a sequel and what does it offer? Do we need to see more robots blow up buildings or does the fifth installment tell a tale about an aspect the viewers have never seen. Does Optimus Prime fall in love with a human in Transformers 5? I would watch that. A film isn't interesting if you just slab the same plot with the same characters in it, no matter how interesting the characters. The key is to make a film feel new but by using character you love and a world you know.

So it's hard not to look at superhero films on this topic but it's the easiest to compare to sequels because as you know there's a lot of them. So let's look at a great example, earlier this year Marvel Studios released Captain America: Winter Solider the sequel to 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger. The film released to rave reviews and shows how to make a sequel. The film takes these characters people love from the first film but breaks deeper into their lives. Anthony and Joe Russo created a film in a completely different genre but with the same characters. Now a spy thriller the film feels fresh and explores themes that are exciting but continue the story from the original. All of this plus beautiful cinematography, it's well written and it's well acted. Basically, if you have two more hours of the same characters lets learn something new and explore new ideas in this world. 

Someone should never make a sequel because of money, but sorry folks that's just the way the world works. Obvious sequels are created to make more money but I believe Marvel is trying to prove that sequels aren't always a bad thing. And this could be for the good or the bad. I believe every film could have a sequel in some way or another but the question is not whether you can, but if you should. (Well that reminds me of the moral of Jurassic Park. *crossing my fingers for Jurassic World*

Evolution of Science Fiction Films

Since I was a kid (probably too young to have seen it) Alien was one of my favorite movie. This movie spawned my love for the science fiction genera. Since my viewing of that classic terrifying Sifi film I was introduced to Terminator, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, and the Matrix, to name a few, and I loved them all. Although in the past few years I’ve noticed a change in the stories and morals in Sifi films, so I did some research.  What I found was that the historical situations of the time affected the type of story told.

The first real trend I noticed in science fiction films started in the 50’s and 60’s. For the most part the Sifi movie coming out in this time period involved outer space or aliens, The Day the Earth Stood Still in 1951, Invasion of the Body Snatcher in 1956, and 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968 and even in television shows like Star Trek. These movies dealt with outer space because they all came out during or around the Space Race. The space race was between Russia and America to be the first nation to send man into the cosmoses.

The next trend I noticed started in the 80’s and continued through out the 90’s. During this time, technologies in computers and genetic alteration were advancing greatly and faster then ever before, and the Sifi genera took advantage of this. The movies shifted from space to the idea of “beware the machines” with movies like Blade Runner in 1982, The Terminator in 1984, Robocop in 1987, and the Matrix in 1999. The idea that playing god will backfire also emerged during this time with movies like Jurassic Park in 1993.

Toady however, the ideas of science being dangerous are on the decline, making it harder for the movie industry to make Sifi films like they used too. This can bee seen in the recent and generally underwhelming remakes of classic Science fiction movies.  Where will the genre go from here is hard to tell, we just have to wait and see.