Between Jurassic Park & RoboCop, What Great Sci-Fi Movie Needed Sequels the Least? I Know the Answer

Two of the most iconic movies that millennials grew up with are Jurassic Park and RoboCop. The former, released in 1993, is a groundbreaking film that is still considered one of the greatest cinematic achievements in history. The latter, released in 1987, is also a hit movie that combined action with social satire in a way that almost no other project from the time can match. On paper, these movies are very different, with Jurassic Park being a big-budget story about dinosaurs in the modern day, and RoboCop following a police officer who is murdered and revived as a cyborg.

The main things the two films share in common are that they’re iconic staples of their eras and that they sit comfortably in the sci-fi genre. There is one other key connection, though, which is that both movies got a handful of sequels and none of them managed to live up to the originals. In fact, there are clear arguments that neither film ever needed any kind of sequel, yet we still got plenty of them. The tougher question is figuring out whether Jurassic Park or RoboCop needed those sequels less and if they would have been better served without them.

RoboCop Would Be Better Off As A Standalone Film

The reason this is even a discussion is that the sequels to these legendary films have been rather forgettable. RoboCop 2 was disappointing, providing audiences with impressive special effects but lacking when it came to the story focusing on RoboCop and his partner Lewis. The third installment featured no Peter Weller in the lead role and was crushed by critics to the tune of an 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. No other sequel to either of these franchises scored that low with critics. The 2014 reboot was also a mixed bag that couldn’t live up to the original.

While the Jurassic Park sequels also suffer from similar reviews, RoboCop is a case where the sequels weren’t needed at all. Paul Verhoeven’s movie tells a perfect standalone story that has a clear beginning, middle, and end. When the credits roll, you aren’t really wondering what else could happen to these characters and in this world. The fast pace, the satirical bite, and the over-the-top action all work well here. The sequels don’t do any of it as well and the choice to even release them was always going to lead to diminishing returns.

While sequels are often made so the studio can make more money, that didn’t even work out with RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3. The original grossed just over $53 million, while the sequels brought in around $45 million and $47 million. Clearly, there wasn’t a huge audience clamoring for more and a major reason is that the original is at its best when it stands on its own. Even if you’re looking at this from just a profits standpoint, RoboCop sequels weren’t worth it. More adventures with the titular character came at the expense of the arc and story from the first film.

Jurassic Park Sequels Are Disappointing But Made Sense To Try

Jurassic Park sequels are certainly more disappointing than RoboCop. As noted, RoboCop didn’t need sequels and while there’s an argument against doing them for Jurassic Park, the premise lends itself to more stories. There are just so many possible stories that you can tell in a world where dinosaurs are alive in the modern day. The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which is actually a solid sequel, takes the story to a different location and feels different enough from the original. Jurassic World experimented with the idea of hybrid dinosaurs, while Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom saw dinosaurs being auctioned off.

Jurassic World: Dominion takes things even further by focusing on a world where dinosaurs ended up roaming urban areas and everyday streets. Even if these sequels weren’t considered good by longtime fans, these are ideas that are at least worth exploring. Fans who loved the original Jurassic Park likely wondered what would happen if the dinosaurs got out into everyday life or if they could create entirely new dinosaur species. The end result of these films might not have been anything you’d consider great, but the attempts at them were understandable.

It’s also important to consider how high the demand continues to be for more Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park III brought in around $368 million and that’s easily the lowest of the series. The Jurassic World trilogy each grossed more than $1 billion, and the newest entry, Jurassic World: Rebirth, raked in over $800 million. Even if these sequels have missed the mark, people are still flocking to theaters to see more. That certainly makes the sequels feel like they’re worth it for the studios. It’s yet another reason why RoboCop clearly needed sequels less than Jurassic Park did.

Which classic sci-fi film do you think needed sequels less? Let us know in the comments.

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