Meg Corcoran |
To everything there is a season, a beginning and an end. At least in the real world.
In the world of movies, seasons neither begin nor end. Instead, they merely continue on, offering teasers of what is still to come.
This is the land of the never-ending story, where characters walk off into the sunset, safe in the knowledge that the sun never truly passes below their horizon.
Beyond that setting Hollywood sun, "the story of later events" is stirring. Here, "Leave 'um wanting more" is the mantra of studio executives (often referred to as "suits") with mansions all the way from Beverly Hills to Bermuda. Knowing that said mansions must somehow be paid for, some savvy "suit" in Hollywood history had an epiphany.
Sitting in his studio office sans panoramic
ocean view (he did have those mansions to pay for), struggling
to make his
mark, he thought, Hey, why come up with an entirely
new concept? Why not just add to a successful film
already in the can? Bull's-eye.
Moviemaking is a high-risk venture that often claims
creativity as its collateral. When millions of dollars
are involved, the inventive ideas are often given a
shove off a steel pier to make room for the proven
commodity. The true Hollywood players know how to
gamble, often going with the Even Better Than the
Original odds. Consequently, studio executives sleep
more soundly under their million dollar roofs when
backing an "account of later events" from a film that
has worked in the past. Besides, who doesn't love a
repeat performance?
In the sequel, we see familiar characters often
dealing with the repercussions from the first act's
events. While there is some character evolution, often
there is not a whole lot of resolution (remember,
leave 'um wanting more). In the high stakes game of
moviemaking, the "what happens next" movie often
trumps the "original idea." While innovative ideas
still have a home in Hollywood, their neighborhood is
not decorated in as many diamonds. There's no telling
how an audience is going to respond to a first-time
film. Picking up where an already successful film (or
in some cases an unsuccessful film with potential)
left off is a much safer choice. Hey, if it ain't
broke, why fix it? What worked once can work twice (or
thriceÖArnold Schwarzenegger may be wearing Depends
before we've seen the last of The Terminator).
Still, creative souls attempt to break new ground and
become the voice of a new generation, often scorning
the re-producers (read: wealthy) whose idea of
creation lies in imitation. They take no part in
Neo's (Keanu Reeves) latest (not last) fight for
independence from the crazy, mixed up machine-ruling
world in The Matrix Reloaded (opening May 15th and
predicted by Yahoo's UpcomingMovies.com producer Greg
Dean Schmitz as the number one summer movie). Yet, a
journey of a thousand (or millions), apparently,
begins with a single step toward what's happening down
the familiar road from where X-Men once did battle.
The aforementioned mansions are purchased on the
belief that X2: X-Men United will not only prevail
over the villains, but will also triumph over the $157
million domestically garnered from the original (with
$85.6 million its opening weekend, realtors are
rejoicing).
With a record-breaking 16 sequels due to arrive in the
coming months, it looks as if the summer of 2003 will
be producing more sequels than solar rays, giving
moviegoers a chance to see first hand how well the
if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it theory works. Expect a
sequel to be riding in on nearly every weekend wave
this summer, ready to take on the new contenders. Will
Finding Nemo (opening May 30th) get lost in the Sequel
Sea? Do the Angels overrule the Almighty (Charlie's
Angels: Full Throttle, opening June 27th, versus Bruce
Almighty, opening May 23rd)? Time will tell who will
rise to the heights of imagination and who will crash
beneath the lifeless rocks.
Despite the much-anticipated sequels, you can't
please all of the people all of the time. Beneath the
sequel highs rests the sequel horrors. After 10 Star
Trek movies, is there anyone out there still
interested in boldly going where no man has gone
before (except Trekkies, of course)? There is such a
thing as quitting before the box office window slams
shut. With that in mind, the artist within the
executive vow never to subject their audience to the
likes of Rocky X or Batman and Robin: Back in
Business. As God as their witness, they shall never
take part in a Look Who's (Still) Talking And Talking.
Yet, recycling can be good (i.e. profitable) for the
entertainment environment. Even the cynics can't deny
the significance of sequels. Without them, there would
never have been a Godfather Part 2. Crime and
corruption in just one shot? Without the installment
plan, there would never have been a Toy Story 2.
Moviegoers would have been the worse if not for the
continuing antics of the little computer animated toy
people. Austin Powers would be forever stuck in one
decade, a scary notion for many. For that matter,
Abbott and Costello never would have had as many
scares had they not crossed paths with Frankenstein,
or the Mummy, or even Jack & the Beanstalk.
In the land of movies, we must take the good
with the bad (and the ugly). In the end, it is the
audience that gets the last word. If box office
numbers speak for the audience, then perhaps X-2: X
Men United earning $149 million dollars by its second
weekend in the movie race shouts that what moviegoers
want from the movie experience is a stroll down memory
lane, a sense of the path they will be taking. In
troubling times, moviegoers gravitate toward what is
familiar. With a sequel, the audience has already had
a taste of what lies ahead. Because of this, they
feel more at home, safe in the knowledge that the
sequel gods will once again deliver the goods and
well-known characters will get their happy endings (at
least until the next go around). In the real world,
happy endings are hard to come by and knowing what's
coming around that next corner is impossible. In the
land of movies, there is no harsh reality, only pure
fantasy, often told in installments. Reality dictates
that seasons change and all things must end. Movies,
however, suggest that there's never really an end, only a to be
continued.
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