In an era where every great movie seems to act as the launching point to a never-ending franchise, I’m grateful for films that tell an effective story without sequels, spin-offs or extended universes to keep up with. Although this has become increasingly rare, some iconic legacy films have been annihilated by the whims of studios hoping to cash in on recognizable intellectual properties. While it would be easy for writers, directors, and actors to produce a box office hit with sequels to beloved movies, these films can still be enjoyed on their own merits alone.
Although there have been many great movie sequels over the years, in some cases, Continuing the story for a second outing can actually negatively affect the perception of the first film. While it’s true a movie like The hangover Is still a comedy classic, I think if the two sequels had never been made, it would have gone down in history as one of the best comedies of all time. These are all films that I am delighted that they have never been given unnecessary sequels and have been allowed to remain a unique, fantastic viewing experience.
8
Inception (2010)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan has always been a director of incredible artistic vision whose movies are packed with unique ideas, impressive visuals and truly original scripts. One thing I’ve always loved about Nolan is that he’s a real auteur who focuses on unique movie experiences, and excluding The Dark Knight trilogy, he always moves on to a completely new project. However, after the success of the dream-based sci-fi action film InceptionIf Nolan chose to, he could have continued to explore the rich developed world he created and run his own sci-fi franchise.
I’m thankful Nolan didn’t go down the franchise route because, though Interesting unanswered questions are still left Inception Cryptic endingThe audience’s personal interpretation of its conclusion is essential to the film. If Nolan chose to continue telling stories in the dream world, it would provide definitive answers to these questions and take away from the themes of the realities that we embrace and those that we bury. Inception Worked well as a self-contained story, and even if a sequel would be an almost certain blockbuster smash, sometimes it’s better to leave us wanting more.
7
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Pulp fiction was one of the most influential movies of the 1990s and cemented Quentin Taratino’s reputation as one of the most exciting up-and-coming directors around. While Tarantino has previously teased the possibility of a Pulp fiction Spin-off that focused on the brother characters of John Travolta’s Vincent Vega and Michael Madsen’s Vic Vega of Reservoir Dogs (via Cut film), it never materialized. In my opinion, this was for the best, because even though Tarantino’s shared movie universe is a fun Easter egg, I’m glad he didn’t allow his entire career to be taken over by his earliest characters.
Tarantino had such huge success early in his career That he could milk endlessly Pulp fiction For all it was worth it, which, although it would probably have been entertaining, would have deprived the world of his later works. While a Pulp fiction Sequel sounds great on paper, I enjoyed seeing Tarantino tackle kung fu cinema with Kill Bill And give us an excellent alternative WWII with Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino’s insightful imagination was exciting enough that he didn’t have to rehash the same iconic characters for endless sequels and spin-offs.
6
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon took Hollywood by storm with their Academy Award-winning screenplay for Good luck hunting. Starring Damon as a genius janitor at MIT, Robin Williams as the psychologist helping him find direction in life, and Affleck as the underdog best friend, this Gus Van Sant film was an insightful drama that explored the extraordinary potential of a Seemingly ordinary. People. As such an incredible Hollywood success story, I’m glad Affleck and Damon didn’t return to health for a sequel and instead focused on carving acclaimed careers both together and as individuals.
Good luck hunting Was a fantastic launching pad for the duo’s career, but it’s best to leave it at that, as a sequel would be unnecessary. The ridiculousness of A follow-up to Good luck hunting Was even parodied in the Kevin Smith movie Jay and Silent Bob strike back, where the pair reprized their roles for the spoof sequel Goodwill Hunting 2: Hunting Season. The satirical imagining of a money-grabbing sequel highlighted exactly why a follow-up to Affleck and Damon’s breakout success would have been a bad idea.
5
The Breakfast Club (1985)
Directed by John Hughes
Like the story of five diametrically opposed teenagers forced to spend Saturday in detention, The Breakfast Club was a beloved classic representing the best of the brat pack’s movies. From writer and director John Hughes, this iconic film was the quintessential teen movie where every actor was perfectly cast for their role. Although the idea of ​​seeing what happened after an athlete, a brain, a criminal, a princess, and a basket case all tied up with one another may sound interesting, I’m glad they never made a sequel too The Breakfast Club.
The message at the heart of The Breakfast Club Was that even though the teens felt that they couldn’t be more different, in their hearts, they all just wanted to be accepted for who they were. To see what happened after that fateful Saturday together would defeat the purpose of the movie, because there was only one brief moment where they all connected under common circumstances. Although Hughes himself considered the idea of ​​a sequel where the characters reunited in the 30s (by Cut film), it would take away from the magic of the original, and I’m glad it wasn’t made.
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Perhaps more than any other movie, et the extra-terrestrial Encapsulating Steven Spielberg’s emotionally rich, visually spectacular, and nostalgia-inducing style. Through the story of a boy’s friendship with an alien creature, Spielberg captured the essence of childhood wonder and created an iconic film that has truly stood the test of time. in many ways, et was the perfect film, and I don’t think I’m alone when I say it doesn’t need a sequel.
Imagine my surprise then when I learned that originally Spielberg did not feel the same way and actually planned to change the tone significantly for his proposed sequel. actually, Spielberg and the et Writer Melissa Mathison actually went as far as to write a treatment for a follow-up title Et II: Nocturnal Fears (via Blastr) which would see Elliot and his friends get kidnapped by evil aliens. Thankfully, Spielberg didn’t ruin my childhood by pursuing this movie, as he felt he would.”Do nothing but rob the original of its virginity.”
3
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Directed by John Hughes
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is the perfect teen movie, as it takes a kid’s imagined vision of a dream day playing school hockey and kicks it into absolute hypergear. With Matthew Broderick as the titular teen, Ferris Bueller was one of the defining movies of the 1980s and a career-best performance whose cool-guy image was rivaled in the decade by Michael J. Fox’s charismatic characterization of Marty McFly in Back to the future. While it’s a nice thought experiment to envision what Ferris would have done next after the credits rolled, I’m glad a sequel was never made.
Director John Hughes said that Ferris would either “Become President of the United States or go to jail“(by Daily Beast) and that, at one point, there was talk of a potential sequel focusing on him in his first job or in college. I believe the magic of Ferris Bueller was his picture of one extraordinary day, and to push the story past that would stretch the limits of believability. A Ferris Bueller Sequel would also take away from The fan theory that this was all a figment of Cameron’s restless imaginationWhich makes for a more interesting viewing experience.
2
Taxi Driver (1976)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Travis Bickle is one of the most iconic anti-heroes in cinema, and Martin Scorsese’s Taxi driver has carved a reputation as one of the greatest and most accomplished movies of the 1970s New Hollywood era. Through its gritty realism and cynical depiction of New York City, this film made me fall in love with cinema as a young movie fan as it captured the darkest recesses of human psychology. With a dreamlike ending that is open to interpretation, in my opinion, The idea of ​​continuing Bickles story in a sequel is clearly a terrible idea.
However, that hasn’t stopped sequel discussions from taking place, as Scorsese and Robert De Niro teased a follow-up focusing on an older Bickle in 2005 (via 2005) Guardian.) Thank goodness this never happened, because it is best to let the classics remain exactly as they are, because the remaining history of the Bible will always be more interesting in the minds of the viewers than anything that can be depicted on the screen. Rather, films should only be influenced by Taxi driverLike the success of recent copycat films like Joker Showcases that these types of dark character studies still resonate with viewers to this day.
1
The Truman Show (1998)
Directed by Peter Weir
As the story of a man who was unaware his whole life was a carefully fabricated reality TV show, The Truman Show was a genre-blending movie that strangely predicted the all-consuming presence of social media and the popularity of reality television in the 21st century. Looking back on The Truman Show Today, I can’t help but see it as a dark omen of modern existence, where we all, in one way or another, resemble Jim Carrey’s Truman Burbank. Having witnessed Truman break out of his constructed prison, I’m glad a sequel focusing on his new life was never made.
Carrey gave a career-defining performance as Truman, and while it’s interesting to think about what happened after he discovered the truth and freed himself, I don’t think it would be good to literally tell the story. The Truman Show was a deep and probing examination of simulated realityExistentialism, and surveillance, and the examination of his character after the conclusion of the movie feels wrong. I look The Truman Show As one of the most insightful films of the 20th century and think that once Truman made it to the other side, it was only fair to let him be.
Source: Cut film, Cut film, Blastr, Daily Beast, Guardian,