I had a conversation a few weeks ago and it was mentioned that when it comes to sequels, the original is always better. The comment was made in referring to Hocus Pocus 2 and how it was a letdown compared to the original. I have not yet seen Hocus Pocus 2. It is on my very long to watch list. It got me thinking how true is this statement? This is not the first time I have heard this. I have seen reviews and comments on social media saying similar things when referring to any new movie in a respective franchise or a film that got a sequel. Currently there have not been any concrete plans for a Hocus Pocus 3. At this point it only stands as two films. We will see if there will be another one.

Is the original always the superior one? No, not always. It will always come down to taste. Some sequels are not as good as the original. Sometimes the sequels are better than the original. Sometimes the original was not that great to begin with and the sequel or sequels were far superior. I cannot comment specifically on Hocus Pocus 2 since I did not see it. There are plenty of others to look at.

There are two big components when it comes to this question. Studios tend to look at the financials of a project. If the sequel makes less than the predecessor, it is considered a failure or a disappointment. There is the audience reception. A sequel could be a smash hit financially but hated by the audience therefore making the sequel a disappointment. Sometimes they both go hand and hand where the sequel bombs and is hated by the audience. The same can be said for the opposite. A sequel could be loved by the audience and a smash hit.

This may be a bit divisive, but I was not the biggest fan of The Matrix. It was a smash hit and is beloved by the fans. I only saw the Matrix because I wanted to see The Matrix Reloaded. I watched the first movie before seeing the second one in theaters. I liked The Matrix Reloaded better than The Matrix. At the time I found The Matrix boring. I liked the second one and the third one better. Yes, I also liked The Matrix Revolutions. I have yet to see The Matrix Resurrections. I just found the second and third one better. I felt the same way about Charlie’s Angels. I saw the first movie because I wanted to see Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle in theaters. I did not like Charlie’s Angels, but I liked the second one. In those cases, I found the sequel better than the original. Mamma Mia! was a smash hit and ten years later got a sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. Was a sequel necessary? Probably not. Was it a good movie? I enjoyed it. I thought it was fun. It was just as fun as the original. Was it better than the original? I would say they are equal, but I would not say it was better than the original.

I would say Iron Man 3 is the best out of the Iron Man films. I know there will be plenty who don’t agree on that. I liked Iron Man 3 because it was different than other two. Pretty much the reasons I liked Iron Man 3 are the same reasons why a lot of people did not like Iron Man 3. I would say Thor: The Dark World was not better than Thor. I would say Thor: Ragnarok is the best out of the Thor films including Love and Thunder. Captain America: The Winter Soldier surpassed the first Captain America. Out of the three Captain America films, I feel Civil War is the best but it only inches The Winter Soldier out by an inch.

Animation is a genre that a lot feel sequels do not match the originals. Cars 2 was not better than Cars. However, Cars 3 was better than Cars 2. This is really the only franchise that falls in this category. Pixar’s franchises have typically exceeded the predecessors. Toy Story got better with each subsequent film. The same goes for Finding Dory and The Incredibles 2. Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is better than the original. I enjoyed the first Puss in Boots movie, but it was not some amazing film. I had low expectations before seeing The Last Wish and I was blown away by how great the film was. It also made me realize what was lacking in the first Puss in Boots movie. Out of the Shrek films, I would say Shrek 2 is probably the best one out of the core franchise. Despicable Me 2 is better than the first one but Despicable Me 3 falls short of both. This can go on and on.

To answer the question, are the originals always the best one? No. It varies. Some sequels are better, and others are not. It all comes down to taste. Even the great franchises can have a weaker entry. I love Marvel but at this point there are some films that would rank lower than others in the franchise. The difference is even the films that aren’t that great are usually pretty okay when it comes to Marvel. Some films are just inferior to their predecessors. The Hobbit trilogy is inferior to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Lord of the Rings trilogy was truly an epic whereas The Hobbit trilogy lost some if its heart that the original had. Also, the Hobbit trilogy was a bit unnecessary since they stretched out one book into three films. X-Men 2 is one of the greatest sequels ever made. I still stand by that today. X-Men 3 was a huge disappointment. The film itself is not terrible but it was not wonderful either. The films after that became hit and miss. Sequels like films in general are hit and miss. A lot either miss the mark entirely or are just okay and others hit the target which is always a nice surprise.