3 Sci-Fi Sequels So Bad They Almost Ruined The Originals

Science fiction has enjoyed a place in our collective pop culture consciousness ever since it was first conceived, and its stories have continued to grip audiences for generations. Characterized by speculative and pseudo-scientific narrative traits, the sci-fi genre has earned considerable box office success and has proven a consistent draw for audiences around the world. The best sci-fi movies of recent years are often subjected to the franchise treatment, where studios and filmmakers seek to expand upon a movie’s story or continue its narrative with new releases, satisfying audiences while also capitalizing on the success of the original movie. However, not all sci-fi follow-ups are as good as their predecessors.

There are many great sci-fi sequels, but not all sci-fi sequels are great. Where some perfectly understand what made the original movie so successful and enjoyable, others seem to focus on all the wrong elements, delivering a movie far inferior to that which came before. In fact, some sci-fi sequels are so bad that they actually seem to retroactively hurt the original movie, no matter how good it may have been. Sometimes, just being associated with a movie as bad as their sequels is enough to cause real damage to the originals’ respective legacies.

3) Starship Troopers 2: Hero Of The Federation (2004)

The first Starship Troopers movie was released in 1997, and despite initially being relatively polarizing, it has since come to be recognized as one of the best sci-fi movies of the 1990s. Its delicate satire of colonialism and US foreign policy was lost on some, but it now enjoys a far better reputation as it has since been more favorably reappraised. However, its 2004 sequel, Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation, was so bad that it almost ruined the original before it could even be properly appreciated.

The sequel took the sci-fi action premise of the original and replaced the action with more horror elements. This, combined with the lack of returning cast from the first movie, was a major issue cited with the film. Additionally, the sequel lacked the subtle yet cutting satire that the first movie executed so well, perfectly demonstrating how even a moderate tweak of the formula can take a great movie and make its follow-up into a truly terrible sequel.

2) S. Darko (2009)

Donnie Darko is one of those incredibly rare, perfect sci-fi movies that nobody really understands. The 2001 movie’s perplexing story and mind-bending final scenes impressed audiences and critics upon its release, and it has continued to enjoy popularity ever since. This led to a sequel, S. Darko, in 2009, following Donnie’s sister Samantha seven years after his death at the end of the first movie. It’s not a well-known sci-fi sequel, and for good reason: it’s absolutely abysmal.

S. Darko is the worst type of sci-fi sequel. It took the original movie’s carefully written, thought-provoking ideas and regurgitated them in an almost nonsensical fashion, delivering a story that was borderline incoherent and that borrowed only surface elements from its predecessor. In truth, the notion of making a Donnie Darko sequel at all is pretty baffling, as the original movie works perfectly on its own, and attempting to cash in by continuing the story and switching protagonists was misguided and horribly executed.

1) Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)

Highlander II: The Quickening is a curious film. As well as being remembered as one of the worst movies ever made, it is a rare sequel that completely switched genres from the original movie. Highlander was more of an action-fantasy movie than anything else, whereas Highlander II instead opted to make itself more of a sci-fi action movie that borrowed a little from the original’s premise. The sequel further explores the stories of the characters introduced in the first movie, examining their past and revealing more about the immortals.

It’s a movie known for being completely terrible and borderline incomprehensible. What’s more, it retcons much of the initial movie’s story in mere minutes, rendering the entire sequel fairly redundant in the process. It’s remembered as one of the worst sci-fi films of all time, as well as a sequel that no one wanted or needed. It takes the first film’s more charming elements and twists them out of all proportion, basically ruining Highlander‘s appeal by retroactively tampering with its story.

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