TGWTG User Blogs

In a time when most people desire to write lists, I've decided to throw my own into the fray with a short list of movies that never needed a sequel, but still have one on account of Hollywood being loaded with greedy douchebags who don't know what is truely satisfying to the fan.

1.  The Matrix - This one seems a little obvious to most people, since hindsight is 20/20 and we've already seen the aftermath of muddy, stereotypical writing for sci-fi movies attempting to be deep. Yet I feel that the falling point for the film wasn't just the action sequences or the plot; it was the motivation behind the movie. The whole of the first film was a philosophical representation of one man's search for purpose in a world that no longer makes any sense. "What is real?" As the Wachoski brothers delved deeper into the philosophical specifics of Neo's dilemma, they started to take on the aire of a student who started talking about the subject, got lost in the verbiage, then began rambling on similar tangents hoping it would connect and make sense at some point.
   Bottom line: Don't suffer from the "Lost" complex, where you start plotting something without knowing where you're going.
   
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle - I loved this movie as a kid, no doubt, though looking back reveals it's an hour and a half PSA against thievery and joining gangs. The need to continue was probably a must, considering the 80's brought forth a firestorm of cartoons and movies worthy of our adoration. But why do you decide to bring back our beloved cartoon-turned-movie sequel, only to spit in our face with cliches and nothing what we expected? The Nostalgia Critic was right; parents did change the atmosphere of the movie. I think that's because our parents didn't want us thinking like kids and thinking more like the little happy-go-lucky tykes they demanded us to be. Thus, the swearing and violence were removed at the expense of making the movie dumber. This kinda reminds me of why I liked "The Goonies." There were kids saying "shit" and being downright mean to each other...kind of like actual kids in the 80s.
   Bottom line: Cater to your actual target audience, and not the people who write in.
   
3. Ghostbusters - I'm not saying that "Ghostbusters 2" sucked. I just think that it can't hold a candle to the original movie. First off, the villain is a completely different ball game: we went from Gozer the Gozerian, a self-proclaimed god, to Vigo the Carpathian, a psychotic sorcerer. Gozer could eat Vigo and his like for lunch. I'm guessing it's canon to have something huge waltz through New York City in each movie. In "Ghostbusters," it was hilarious when Ray transformed the evil destructor into the most lovable puffball you could ever see. The next time around, it's just a cheesy victory to have a semi-rocking tune transform the Statue of Liberty into a mech-warrior controlled by an NES Advantage. Most offensive, however, is the obligatory return of the beauracratic douchebag. But the mayor's personal assistant is a pale mockery of "Dickless" Walter Peck, EPA afficionado.
   Yet those are only minor defects compared to the missing element in "Ghostbusters 2". When the Ghostbusters were first starting out, they were merely college professors with a wild idea and the possiblity of making it rich with their ideas. As the ghastly activity increased, so did their determination, and their willingness to keep on fighting for their goals and their business kept them afloat amidst wild allegations and rumors. Finally, they take everything that they had ever learned, and turn it upside down by doing the one thing they were not supposed to do in hope that with the end of their lives would be the salvation of their city and world...
   That's a difficult act to top.
   Bottom line: Sometimes, you need to sit down and contemplate your next show instead of providing an encore.