Sequels are a tricky subject, often they divide fans of franchises and can even taint the legacy of a particular movie series, so should Hollywood even bother making them?

It might seem obvious, though many in the movie industry seem to miss it, but sequels should never be made unless there is still a story to tell. That could be the continuing saga of a franchise like Star Wars, or simply the fact that there is more to be got from a character like Indiana Jones. Whether there is or not can really only be decided by the franchise’s creators and by the fans.

So why do so many fail? Well, simply it’s because they are made for money. If you don’t go making a sequel purely because there’s more to say then you’re probably doomed before you’ve even started. So many great movies have their legacies ruined by people who try to make a second, third, fourth, etc., movie to make a quick profit on the reputation of a popular movie.

It’s not always the case that cynicism ruins sequels, quite often it can be the opposite, and people set out to give the fans one last movie featuring their favourite hero, and this can backfire on them quite fiercely. Fans are protective of their fandoms and the movies they are devoted too, even if the movie is made with good intent by the creator of the originals (think Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy). It’s not necessarily the problem of the writers and director, just that movie tastes change over time, just as the way movies are made changes, so if there’s a significant delay between the original movie and the sequel, then trying to make a movie that will have wide appeal can provoke the ire of hardcore fans.

When it comes to prequels, filmmakers are on even more dangerous ground. Sequels have to be sure to get every little detail right so that it ties in with the original movie as some fans are sure to spot any holes, and anything too obvious will absolutely destroy the movie before it has a chance to get off the ground. The converse of this is trying to add too much detail and try to answer the questions that didn’t need answering, filling in the gaps that the fans already had their own theories about; if the filmmakers provide a disappointing answer then fans will be understandably annoyed.

It’s not all bad, though, as some franchises manage to continue bringing out good content after three or four sequels with no sign that any barrel scraping’s going on. That’s usually because the first movie ended with potential to continue developing the story and characters further, all that the filmmakers need to do is keep thinking up fresh ideas to keep the series moving. Sometimes, of course, the sequels are really just episodes in a continuing story, like Harry Potter, so are they really sequels at all?

Love them or hate them, sequels are an essential part of the movie industry and it doesn’t look like Hollywood is going to find a way to get them right every time anytime soon.