“Joker: Folie a Deux” made headlines this week for all the wrong reasons: The follow-up to 2019’s blockbuster “Joker” about the demented comic-book villain bombed with both critics and audiences despite the return of Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix and the star power of Lady Gaga.
The film has become the latest member of an exclusive club that no movie wants to be a part of: failed sequels to blockbuster films. The list is littered with dozens of head-scratching misfires that somehow missed out on the creative and unique elements that made the original so successful.
Although these “second time around” offerings are undeniably losers, many have also attracted cult followings who adore their “so bad it’s good” charms. The following are essential “bad sequels” available for streaming. Watch at your own peril.
“The Exorcist II: The Heretic” (VOD, multiple platforms): Satan probably nodded off during this scare-free 1977 sequel to “The Exorcist,” widely considered the scariest movie ever made. Linda Blair reprised her role as Regan McNeil, who was possessed by the Devil as a child, but creative differences and the absence of “The Exorcist” director William Friedkin, writer William Peter Blatty and original star Ellen Burstyn were a bad omen for “The Heretic,” which arrived four years after the original.
Signature line: Regan, when asked about her problems: “I was possessed by a demon. Oh, it’s OK. He’s gone.”
“Jaws 2” (Netflix): Talk about Jumping the shark! This 1978 sequel to Steven Spielberg’s terrifying classic about a murderous great white shark was basically a waterlogged remake of the original, with a group of obnoxious teens winding up as shark bait for a new predator. “Jaws” star Roy Scheider saved most of the kids but couldn’t save the sequel from sinking at the box office. However, “Jaws 2” is a masterpiece when compared to the stream of bigscreen chum that followed, mercifully ending with 1987’s “Jaws: The Revenge.”
Signature line: Terrorized teen Tina Wilcox: “Sh-sh-sh-SHAAAAARRRRRRK!”
“Grease 2” (Paramount+): John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John and most of the cast of Randal Kleiser’s phenomenally successful musical “Grease” decided that “Grease” followed by “2” was not the word, so they took a pass on the 1982 continuation of the hormone-driven shenanigans at Rydell High. “Grease” choreographer Pat Birch took the director’s chair, juicing up the shaky story and strained humor with numerous energetic dance sequences, including the perky sex education class number “Reproduction.” It’s not a total loss —the film marked Michelle Pfeiffer’s first lead role, and the acting debut of writer-director Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”) playing the mascot of the Pink Ladies.
Signature line: The “Cool Rider” lyric, “If he’s cool enough, he can burn me through and through, whoa, whoa, whoa.”
“Staying Alive” (Hoopla, Pluto TV): Travolta did return — pumped up and oiled up — in this clumsy 1983 sequel to “Saturday Night Fever,” which earned him an Oscar nomination as disco king Tony Manero. Tony has hung up his platform shoes to audition for Broadway musicals, scoring a role in a bombastic dance extravaganza. Writer-director Sylvester Stallone’s attempt to merge a musical with a “Rocky”-like” plot is ham-fisted, ripping off “A Chorus Line” and “All That Jazz,” stripping Tony of his charm and vulnerability and converting him into a self-absorbed jerk. Even the few Bee Gees songs sprinkled on the soundtrack are a drag. Yo, Adrian indeed!
Signature line: Stage director on the big dance show: “The name of the show is ‘Satan’s Alley.’ It’s a journey though hell, which ends with an ascent into heaven.”
“Speed 2: Cruise Control” (Starz): The American Cinematheque this month is celebrating the 30th anniversary of “Speed,” the breathless Keanu Reeves-Sandra Bullock thriller about a young police officer who must prevent a bomb planted by a terrorist on a bus from exploding by keeping the vehicle’s speed above 50 mph. Its low-tide sequel is unlikely to receive a similar tribute. “Speed” director Jan de Bont came back on board, but Reeves took a knee while Bullock took a huge paycheck — reportedly around $12 million — to return as Annie. Her new boyfriend is daredevil LAPD cop Alex Shaw (Jason Patric). They go on a cruise where wacko villian John Geiger (Willem Dafoe) has planted a bomb. The result was a cinematic speed bump.
Signature line: Geiger calling out, “Annie, come back! You’re my hostage!”
