8 Movie Sequels That Forgot What the First Movie Was About

1. Grease 2 (1982)

A classic example of sequel syndrome is Grease 2. The original Grease had it all: catchy tunes, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John's sizzling chemistry, and a storyline that was as slick as Danny Zuko's hair. Enter Grease 2 and it was like the movie caught amnesia. The plot? Well, it seemed like a high school-themed Mad Libs gone wrong. You still had Rydell High and the Pink Ladies and T-Birds, but with all the allure of a reheated burger. Michelle Pfeiffer's talent was wasted on Stephanie, a Pink Lady who doesn't date high school boys (a slight variation from Sandy's character arc, but without the greasy charm). Essentially, the plot was the original Grease with the genders flipped, but the magic was definitely not replicated.

2. Son of the Mask (2005)

Son of the Mask may have been a comedy sequel, but it felt more like a horror show to fans of the original The Mask (1994). The first movie featured Jim Carrey at his zany best, playing Stanley Ipkiss, a timid bank clerk who becomes a manic superhero when he wears a possessed mask. Son of the Mask rolled around, forgot the charm, the humor, the Carrey, and instead tried to woo audiences with a baby and a dog fighting over the mask. It turned into a bizarre mix of Looney Tunes slapstick and CGI-infused nightmares. The storyline had as much to do with the original as a kangaroo has to do with the Arctic.

3. Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)

Highlander (1986) was a cult classic about immortal warriors, featuring the iconic line There can be only one. A fantastic premise that could have spurred on a series of compelling sequels. However, Highlander II: The Quickening chose a different path – a path that made the original's plotline look like a straight line compared to its scatter plot. Suddenly, our immortal warriors were aliens from the planet Zeist, which was about as related to the first film as a platypus is to a pine tree. It was a twist that felt more like a hard yank in the wrong direction.

4. Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

Jaws terrified audiences in 1975, setting a new standard for thriller and horror films. Fast forward to Jaws: The Revenge, and it's evident that the shark must have eaten the original plotline. Ellen Brody, the widow of Chief Brody from the first film, is now convinced that a great white shark is seeking revenge on her family. Yes, revenge. This shark isn't just a mindless eating machine – it's out for familial vengeance. The storyline drifts so far from the original that you'd need a lifeboat to get back.

5. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

This might be a controversial pick, but let's be real, The Phantom Menace was not what we were expecting from a Star Wars sequel/prequel. George Lucas brought us into a world of intergalactic trade disputes and political bureaucracy. It felt more like a cosmic C-SPAN broadcast than the action-packed, Force-filled universe we fell in love with. Sure, we got Darth Maul, but he was as underused as a gym membership in December. And let's not forget the introduction of Midi-chlorians – tiny life forms that determine a being's potential to wield the Force, which seemed to take the mystique out of the Jedi's powers. The original trilogy never mentioned them, making The Phantom Menace feel disconnected and overly complicated.

6. The Hangover Part II (2011)

In the first Hangover movie, we watched a group of friends scramble to find their lost companion after a wild bachelor party in Las Vegas. It was hilarious, original, and completely unexpected. Then came The Hangover Part II, where it appeared the writers got a serious case of déjà vu. This time, the gang woke up in Bangkok, with another friend missing, and had to retrace their steps from a crazy night they couldn't remember. It's like the writers took the script of the first movie, replaced Vegas with Bangkok, added a monkey and a facial tattoo, and called it a sequel. The wild and inventive humor of the first film was replaced with recycled gags and predictable plot points, making the sequel feel more like a copycat than a continuation.

7. Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)

Speed had a unique, adrenaline-filled premise – a bomb on a bus that would detonate if the speed dropped below 50 mph. Then came Speed 2: Cruise Control, which took the same concept to the sea. Sandra Bullock reprised her role as Annie, this time with a new boyfriend, Alex (Jason Patric), taking over from Keanu Reeves. They find themselves on a cruise ship, controlled by a madman who's set the ship to crash into an oil tanker. The tense, claustrophobic energy of the bus was lost at sea, and the idea of a slow-moving cruise ship didn't quite create the same suspense. The plot felt forced, and it seemed like the creators forgot what made the first movie such a success.

8. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)

The original Blair Witch Project revolutionized horror movies with its found footage style. Then Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 decided to scrap the found footage concept and went for a traditional narrative style. It followed a group of tourists visiting the Black Hills where the original was supposedly filmed. Instead of the eerie, realistic terror of the first film, we got cheesy horror tropes and a plot that felt disjointed. The subtle, psychological horror was replaced with over-the-top gore and a convoluted storyline. The sequel seemed to forget the elements that made the original movie so groundbreaking.