Weekly Written Analysis 42

Weekly Written Analysis #4
When I first started thinking of a popular culture topic I thought of the movie series Harry Potter. I can’t speak to that, though, because I have never seen it. I thought of numerous movies with similar passion from its audiences and then it occurred to me…….sequels. I found sequels all the way back to the 1930s and as new as this year with Saw VI.
As a viewer, I can say for myself that sequels appeal to me because there is some familiarity and not as much uncertainty. I know the characters and the general story line. I also think that, for the most part, if a viewer enjoyed the first movie then sequel(s) usually contains a similar level of satisfaction for the viewer. These are just generalities though. For some, the familiarity may be just plain boring if new characters are not introduced and the sequel isn’t always as good as the first time around.
For writers, producers and the like, it is most likely easier to go with something that they know works; hence, making a killing on the profits…..again. Consider using the same cast, similar storylines and ideas and they have pretty small task at hand. It’s also likely that they may get bored and become uncreative as a result.
None of these downfalls to sequels seem to stop them from filling the theaters year after year. There are five each of Rocky and Jaws movies; six Saw thrillers; three The Lord of the Rings; and a whopping seven Harry Potter movies. (Wikipedia, 2009) This is just a minute list of recent sequels. The idea of a sequel is something that excites audiences as though they are a part of something. They will continue to define our culture as people hang onto the edge of their seats and await the next in the line of sequels.
References:
Sequel. (2009) Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequels on January 31, 2009.