11/17/2006
Here, There, and Everywhere
Ever notice how some sequels are really remakes in a new setting?
Speed was on a bus. Speed 2 was on a boat.
Gremlins was in a small town. Gremlins 2 was in a skyscraper.
Die Hard was in a skyscraper. Die Hard 2 was in an airport.
Predator was in the jungle. Predator 2 was in the city.
Homeward Bound was in the country. Homeward Bound II was in the city.
Notice a pattern? Everybody goes to the city. Jurassic Park went to the city. Poltergeist went to the city, too. Shanghai Noon went to London. The Muppets took Manhattan. Home Alone went in, only to come back out. Even the Beastmaster found his way to L.A. Rare is the that series goes the other way, though Shaft did go on safari, and the Thin Man went home.
You’re also allowed to leave the city for the American West. Fievel went west, Back to the Future went back, and Once Upon a Time In China left China.
Speaking of cities, some series just take world tours. Herbie went to Monte Carlo before he went bananas. Crocodile Dundee went from New York to Los Angeles. The Fast and the Furious went from Los Angeles to Tokyo. An American Werewolf In…well, you get the idea.
Outer space is the ultimate destination for any series that lasts long enough. Whether you’re Muppets, James Bond, or Jason Voorhees, sooner or later you wind up in space.
wintermute (157) said,
November 17, 2006 at 12:37 pm
Babe went to the city, too, and Agent Cody Banks went to London. The Killer Tomatoes ate France; Riddick went from an abandoned planet to a major metropolis; and the Three Ninjas went to Mega Mountain.
Interestingly, the last of those is the only one I’ve actually seen.
ThePhan (128) said,
November 17, 2006 at 1:10 pm
I saw a disturbing ad for Little Mermaid 3 the other day. My family and I had a conversation about it. Little Mermaid was about a mermaid wanting to live on land. Little Mermaid 2 was about a human who wanted to live in the ocean. We’ve decided the next two movies probably involve someone who lives in the air (Scuttle perhaps…) and someone who lives in outer space (thus following the “sequels in space!” rule), and THEY exchange places.
ThePhan (128) said,
November 17, 2006 at 1:11 pm
By the way, as a clarification… the ad itself wasn’t disturbing. The fact that LM3 is going to exist is disturbing.
Aaron (35) said,
November 17, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Whether you’re Muppets, James Bond, or Jason Voorhees, sooner or later you wind up in space.
I think that’s going to be my new life motto.
Nyperold (116) said,
November 17, 2006 at 10:48 pm
Heh. Yeah. I find in my research that Abbot and Costello went to Mars, and I’m told that The Road to Hong Kong took a rocket to space.
Darien (88) said,
November 20, 2006 at 1:00 am
I understand Everybody Comes to Rick’s. Though maybe that’s because it’s in space; I’m not sure.