10 Worst Sequels in Film History: The Follow-Ups That Lost Their Way

How sequels became widespread

Film historians widely regard The Fall of a Nation, released in 1916, as the first true feature-length sequel. It followed D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation.

Sequels became a much more common commercial strategy around the 1970s, after the blockbuster era took off following Steven Spielberg’s Jaws in 1975. Some sequels have earned acclaim, but others have fallen far short of their predecessors.

Staying Alive loses the grit

Saturday Night Fever was a critical and commercial hit in 1977. Directed by John Badham, it helped popularize disco worldwide and made John Travolta an international star. Sylvester Stallone’s sequel, Staying Alive, took a very different approach. Critics gave it a 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and its sanitized tone, clichéd story and lack of good music were criticized for discarding the original’s social realism and darker mood.

Highlander II breaks the lore

Russell Mulcahy’s Highlander initially struggled commercially in 1986 and received mixed reviews. Its home-video release later helped it become a major cult film, prompting plans to expand its story world.

Highlander II: The Quickening drew criticism for contradicting and rewriting the original’s lore. Viewers also faulted its plot as nonsensical and its tone as uneven, with some describing the film as absurd and low-grade.

BloodRayne sequel goes west

Uwe Boll’s first BloodRayne adaptation was already regarded as a poor film, with Ben Kingsley’s performance singled out for criticism. The direct-to-DVD follow-up, BloodRayne 2: Deliverance, was described as worse.

The sequel blends vampires with a Western setting. Its recast lead, flimsy sets, lifeless fight scenes and disregard for the video games were among the complaints, with the film characterized as especially boring.

Home Alone loses its heart

After Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York succeeded, the third film disappointed. Home Alone 4, made for television, was described as a particularly bad family movie and the first in the series without input from creator John Hughes.

The fourth film brings back original characters without the original cast, warmth or logic, according to the criticism. Its version of Kevin McCallister was seen as an irritating brat rather than the mischievous, charismatic boy of the earlier films.