On sequels that aren't sequels.

[theweaselking]

Thinking: Movies that are sequels, but where you are not told they are sequels, and previous events are explained as backstory in such a way that a viewer would not necessarily be aware that those are EVENTS IN A PREVIOUS MOVIE, merely events happening before the start of the current film. Or even just "backstory, possibly flashback".

For example: Desperado, to El Mariachi. The events of El Mariachi happened and are canon, but Desperado is not El Mariachi 2: Mariachi More Furiously. It's a standalone movie about what happens when the protagonist of El Mariachi goes into the revenge business, and you're not told and don't ever need to know that there IS a previous movie.

What are other examples of this?

Being named "X Movie 2" does not inherently disqualify you, to my thinking. There, the TITLE tells you it's a sequel but the content might work as a standalone movie. But reboots *are* disqualified: The fact that Casino Royale and The Sum Of All Fears are standalone movies that do not give any indication of the previous movies is damaged by the fact that they're explicitly contradicting and disavowing the existing canon. NuTrek 1 is a funny case, because it relies on and refers to the previous canon *while* contradicting and disavowing it, using time travel and bad writing; I still think it doesn't count.

Related, because I'm watching Desperado: "Movies that are made worse when Salma Hayek is onscreen: All Salma Hayek movies, or only the ones I've seen?"

(I feel slightly bad about that cheap shot because I have never heard anything bad about Salma Hayek as a person. I just find her grating in a way I have trouble explaining, to the point where I mostly avoid movies that star her because she makes me ITCH and I don't like it. It's like how Gwen Stefani makes me sneeze and how I automatically hate all Powers Boothe characters.[1])


[1]:Well, for that last one at least, I know why: because Powers Boothe is the devil.[2]

[2]:It's the only logical explanation.

Comments

[awesomelies.livejournal.com]

Aliens? "Last survivor of a mysterious disaster found floating in space; no-one believes her dire warnings" works perfectly well as a setup whether or not the audience know her story is true. Maybe Mad Max II; IIRC mostly what the first film gives you is why he's an embittered loner, which isn't backstory that Every Other Wild West Film Ever feels the need to expand on.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

torrain pegged Aliens as well, which makes me think that without a rewatch it must qualify. And IIRC Mad Max 2 is also a perfectly cromulent choice that we hadn't found!

Wild West Movies: I'm pretty sure Clint Eastwood is playing The Man With No Name in every one of his movies ever, even the three where he's The Man With No Name. So those might qualify, or at least only the three.

[vertigoranger.livejournal.com]

Predator 2 possibly, though the trick there is that it doesn't share any major characters. Serves as a prequel to Aliens too, because of the skull in the Predator's trophy case.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I don't think random references, even if later confirmed as canon, count - otherwise, you're left with King Kong as a sequel to Braindead/Dead Alive.

[tisiphone.livejournal.com]

Whisper of the Heart and The Cat Returns. There's a hint in the title of the second movie, but that's all you ever get - there's literally no reference at all to the previous film, even though there's a shared character and universe.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

But yeah, Predator 2 I think does count WRT Predator, if not Alien. Watching Predator 2, there's no indication that the first movie happened or mattered. Good catch!

[vertigoranger.livejournal.com]

Ha, Highlander 2.

[vertigoranger.livejournal.com]

Wait no, that's exempt because of the contradiction thing. The Wolverine?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Don't be silly, nobody would ever be dumb enough to make a sequel to Highlander.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I have never heard of either! Are they good?

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

Also my headcanon has Weirdsville as a sequel to Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil.

[tisiphone.livejournal.com]

They're Studio Ghibli animated films about teenage girls and magical cats, so if that's your thing, definitely. I like The Cat Returns somewhat better than Whisper of the Heart, but that's personal taste.

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

What about Skyfall for the Bond discussion, given how it weaves in and out of canon but never explicitly contradicts anything? (Bond in general is a special caese here.)

And for that matter Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger.

[rimrunner.livejournal.com]

I saw Aliens before I saw Alien; at the time I was only vaguely aware that some other movie preceded it (I was pretty young).

[jasmine-koran.livejournal.com]

"Machete" is, quite technically, a sequel to "Spy Kids", since Danny Trejo has confirmed he plays the same character in both.

[herewiss13.livejournal.com]

Chronicles of Riddick? I haven't seen the first one, but I understand 'Pitch Black' is a very different movie and has very little to do with 'Chronicles' (except for two characters who Riddick visits).

[thornae.livejournal.com]

In my headcanon, Election is a sequel to Ferris Bueller's Day Off.


Can't offhand think of anything to add to the list, since the two that sprang to mind (Alien & Predator 2) were already mentioned.
... although, how strict are you going to be with your criteria? Does, for example, Jaws 3-D count? What about Blues Brothers 2000? The Chronicles of Riddick?

... wait, actually, I think that last one is a pretty strong contender.

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I thought Skyfall clearly invoked the earlier CraigBond, but I would have to rewatch to be sure.

The Baldwin/Ford Jack Ryan movies... maybe. I haven't seen them recently enough to tell, beyond that the AflleckRyan movie doesn't count.

[mckenzee.livejournal.com]

I was about the mention this.

[mckenzee.livejournal.com]

Fish called Wanda/Fierce Creatures? John Cleese's characters from each movie are twin brothers, other characters/actors/jokes overlap.

[scifantasy.livejournal.com]

Not by my read. In Skyfall Bond is much more established and not the "new guy" he was in the earlier. Sam Mendez apparently said he was taking only what he liked/needed from those and not mentioning the rest, and all of that was more thematic.

[jsbowden.livejournal.com]

Mad Max 2 would definitely qualify as it was named "The Road Warrior" and if you had never heard a little independent Aussie flick called Mad Max (which I didn't till long after I'd seen it), it didn't matter.

[jsbowden.livejournal.com]

Army of Darkness (if you've never seen Evil Dead [2], it completely doesn't matter, except you're missing out on some awesomely so bad it's good camp).

[falconwarrior.livejournal.com]

After all,

there can be only one.

[mckenzee.livejournal.com]

I still, and always will, be convinced that the Tremors films are prequels to Dune.