Sequels: Often regarded as a follow-up or continuation of another movie, sequels have received mixed views from audiences who were both excited as well as disappointed by how well the film was produced. There has been a plethora of viewers claiming originals are always better than the sequel, even though more often than not, this statement has been proven false. Great examples of this are; Dark Knight and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Many sequels are able to surpass the first film in the franchise due to having a pre-existing figure and story which provides them with opportunity to create a new chapter in the series. In the process, much of a character's history or origins can be expanded upon which can add more depth to the narrative as well as the film series in general. Sequels also work as a catalyst for providing characters with growth in a similar fashion to people maturing from past events. However, sequels are far from being perfect. Many of them have continuity issues, often contradicting source material introduced by previous films and some have absolutely no link to the original movie at all except for the name being used in it's title.
Another problem with sequels can arrive whenever a franchise expands beyond the second movie. The main factors contributing to a sequel's failure after the second film usually depends on whether or not the following films are nothing more than a half baked attempt to re-create their original one. Once a franchise begins working from that angle, much of it's series turns out to be repetitive.
As we move forward, current times have shown us just how well a sequel can be if enough care is given to a story's narrative, development of characters, in addition to great dialogue. When it comes to films continuing where their first left off, there will always be a bunch that misses their intended mark, but for each miss, we can be sure to find one winner that is capable of hitting a homerun.
Reboots: Many of the reasons people love reboots generally come from the nostalgic feeling they have obtained after watching the original, wanting to re-live that exhilarating experience, but in a new way. For this reason people have grown to despise their existence. Reboots are amazing for breathing life into a dying or already dead franchise, re-imagining a story, filling it with a brand new twist. Because of this, a large portion of the original film's fan-base becomes a hard bunch to please since their nostalgia goggles are always present, scanning for any changes that seem too much of a drastic departure from how the message was presented. In truth, reboots are necessary for reviving any franchise for another generation to experience their own piece of cinematic gold, so it's not just about pleasing the generation who is familiar with it's source material. Several have failed to capture the original's essence simply because what was achieved in the past had become known as the first of it's kind. It held an advantage since it was original and different from what audiences were expecting; becoming a host for their own nostalgic fantasy, but does this mean reboots are worthless?
Despite the shortcomings of what any Reboot attempts to regain and bombs in the process, when the script is able to recapture what the original content had aimed to create, with actors who understand their character well, and a director who respects source material and finds an incredible way to enhance or put an intriguing spin on it, it becomes something even greater than the original, improving anything the first of the franchise may not have been able to present because of limitations found in the era it was created. In a sense reboots are worth seeing, but you must be willing to look beyond nostalgia to embrace it's potential of creating a home in your hearts and fondest memories. Of course there will always be many installments that will not live up to it's hype, but even if only a handful are capable of delivering on their claims; a few gems will always be better than none at all.
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