My Issues with Sequels

I held my tongue on my last post, and now think I can talk about this now without getting all impassioned about it. Time has that effect on me. There may have been a hint or two that I have a passionate anti-sequel opinion about sequels, particularly concerning movies. Now, I must point out here that I'm not an avid movie attender. I don't go to the movies often. In fact, I'm lucky if I go once a year. It takes a lot of enticement to draw me to the movie theater, so perhaps that might be why no one really listens to me on this point. The fact is that I have to have something appeal to my imagination quite strongly to entice me. I'm rather picky about the stories being presented to me. I think the last one that personally drew me in to the theaters was way back when the original FROZEN came out. I didn't go to the second, partly because it was a sequel, and I didn't know whether or not it would ruin it for me. I have seen movies since, but only because my brother wanted me to see them, not because I wanted to, and I didn't particularly enjoy those movies (which, may I point out, were all sequels or sequels times twenty). I do have some sequels that I have enjoyed, but they are rare and few in between. So what is it that bothers me about sequels?

1. Poor Plots: I feel a little bit like a loner on this particular aspect. It seems like most people don't mind that there's nothing to the story as long as it has action. I'm not a fan of action movies (and a main reason why, as I've mentioned in the past, I'm not into Marvel). When a movie's story can be told in half-an-hour (or less) when the action's taken out, it's a no from me. There's no depth, and a lot of time with these sequels, the plots are exactly the same as the original, only put in different settings. The best way for me to enjoy a sequel is if the sequel was already intended to continue from the start; In other words, part of the plans from the beginning. A good plot would win me over big time. I'm a bit high maintenance concerning this; I'll take depth over action any day.
2. Lack of Character Development: As the favorite characters of the audience, a lot of sequels keep the same jokes, the same humor, and the characters are always doing the same mistakes and terrible actions or decisions. It's like they're stuck in a rut, and never seem to learn from it. No or little progress comes from it, and at the end of the movie, the character hasn't changed that much from when it all began.
3. Repetition: With the same jokes being told and the same plot being told, everything starts to repeat over and over again. For example, in some of the newer Star Wars films, there were a few scenes that were so much a repeat of scenes in the original Star Wars movies, even to almost the exact lines being spoken. Needless to say, I never found interest in watching those movies again.
4. Imagination Limitations: I've spoken out about this already on one social media, but I may be able to go into further details here. There are certain things about the stories that spark my imagination, whether it's a situation or a character (to me, it's usually mostly concerning a character). There's something appealing in the mystery revolving around it, and carries me off to my own world about the possibilities. My objection to watching sequels is that sometimes the characters are presented in different ways that seem to cut off some of those possibilities, and I hate feeling like I've been limited to what I can imagine. Some sequels totally ruin the magic that was in the original. They ruin what I liked about the characters. They ruin the stories that I came up with on my own. All ruined.
5. A Sense of Desperation: A lot of times, it feels to me that a sequel is written out of desperation and as a part of that a careless presentation, like someone rushed things. Perhaps it's just my perception, but a sequel always appears to me like something that was thrown out there, so that it was out, being more concerned about the quantity than the quality. Seriously, the majority of sequels are not as good as the originals.

So know you know. I must say that the main reasons I was sad about hearing some new sequels were coming up was because it involved stories I already liked (and didn't want ruined), and also because I feel a little bit lonely. Everyone else is all talking excitedly about it, and here I am in the shadows feeling gravely disappointed, and no one cares. I must end this now, and focus on something else, because when I start talking like that, it can take me down quickly, so let's stop right there.

I'll manage whatever goes on, and as I said before, I have plenty of other creative projects that I could work on, and as it has been said before that if I don't like the stories I'm being told, then I need to go and tell (a.k.a. write) those stories on my own.

Have a good day.