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From horror to sci-fi, action to musical, these follow-ups dared to be different! Join us as we explore the most dramatic genre shifts in movie history. Our list features beloved franchises that took bold creative risks, transforming familiar stories into something completely unexpected.
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00:00Hey! Hey! We know each other. He's a friend from work.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're counting down our picks for the most notable examples of direct movie sequels
00:12that took a completely different turn in genre from their predecessors.
00:16But he's only funny by mistake.
00:23Number 10. Happy Death Day to You.
00:26The 2017 horror comedy Happy Death Day put a time-loop twist on the slasher genre,
00:31following Tree Gelbman as she relives the day of her murder.
00:35Tree, what's wrong? Say something.
00:40What? I feel like I'm losing my mind. I don't know what's happening to me.
00:46This clever blend of Groundhog Day and Scream intrigued audiences and helped the film become a box office hit.
00:53But audiences who were expecting something similar in the 2019 sequel got an interesting surprise.
00:59Rather than focusing on traditional horror elements,
01:02Happy Death Day to You shifted towards science fiction,
01:05offering a technical explanation for the time loop.
01:08One variant closes the loop in this dimension,
01:10and the other one sends you back to your original dimension and closes that loop.
01:14It's final decision time. Stay here or go back.
01:17While it retained some suspense and jump scares,
01:20the sequel reimagined the story as a sci-fi adventure.
01:23This tonal shift may not have been successful in every regard,
01:27but it earned the film praise for its willingness to take risks.
01:30Ryan, just turn it off, man.
01:32Hey, what are you doing?
01:33Guys, take the wrench from him. He's a college student.
01:38It's just a wrench. Don't be scared of him.
01:40Number 9. Cars 2.
01:42Mater.
01:43I didn't taste it.
01:44How'd you like to come and see the world with me?
01:47You mean it?
01:48Yeah, you got me into this thing. You're coming along.
01:51All right.
01:52Pulling in five years after the release of its predecessor,
01:55Cars 2 presented audiences with a dramatic genre shift.
01:59The first Cars film was a grounded sports comedy centered around
02:03race car lightning McQueen's journey of personal growth
02:06in the small town of Radiator Springs.
02:08Where are you? I can't even find you on my GPS.
02:11I'm in this little town called Radiator Springs.
02:13You know Route 66? It's still here.
02:15Yeah, that's great, kid. Playtime is over, pal.
02:18The sequel, however, abandons that quiet charm
02:21in favor of fast-paced international espionage.
02:24This time, McQueen teams up with his tow truck friend Mater
02:27on a global racing tour,
02:29which unexpectedly entangles them in a high-stakes spy mission
02:32and a plot to sabotage alternative fuel.
02:35Our investigation proved that all in all was actually gasoline.
02:39And Axelrod engineered it so that when it got hit by the beam,
02:41it would explode.
02:42Wait a second, Fillmore.
02:44While visually impressive and ambitious in scope,
02:49Cars 2 received mixed reviews,
02:51with critics noting that the tonal shift sacrificed the emotional depth
02:55and simplicity that defined the original.
02:58Nevertheless, it was a commercial success.
03:01Number 8. Fast Five
03:03Before the release of Fast Five,
03:06the Fast and Furious franchise mostly focused on illegal street racing
03:10and local conflicts.
03:12At least we know you can't beat me straight up.
03:14I didn't know there were any rules.
03:16Tremendo jefe, asà me gusta.
03:18Now that's what I call a real driver.
03:20Hoping to reach a broader audience,
03:22Universal Pictures decided to shift the series
03:24into the realm of high-octane heist action.
03:28Set in Rio de Janeiro,
03:29the film follows Dominic Toretto,
03:31Brian O'Connor, and their crew
03:33as they plot to steal $100 million
03:35from a corrupt businessman
03:37while trying to evade the feds.
03:40There's still another problem.
03:43Palm scanner.
03:44And without Rayaz's handprint,
03:46Houdini himself couldn't open this.
03:48Fast Five not only steered away
03:50from the street racing roots of its predecessors,
03:53it also birthed the franchise's new identity,
03:56a mix of heist thrills,
03:57family loyalty,
03:58and international espionage.
04:00What do you say, Dom?
04:02We're talking or we're racing?
04:03Just don't cheat this time.
04:06Gotta let that go.
04:08The success of this film,
04:10both critically and commercially,
04:12reinvigorated the franchise
04:13and paved the way
04:14for the increasingly ambitious installments
04:17that followed.
04:18Number seven, Megan 2.0.
04:212022's Megan was an unexpected hit
04:23with both critics and audiences,
04:26earning praise for its ability
04:27to blend campy humor and horror
04:29without compromising either edge.
04:31Megan, turn off.
04:33Are you sure?
04:35Download in progress.
04:42So when a sequel was announced,
04:45pretty much everyone was thrilled.
04:46Arriving in 2025,
04:48Megan 2.0 presents an update
04:50not just in storyline,
04:52but also in genre,
04:53as it shifts from horror comedy
04:55to sci-fi action.
04:56The sequel takes place
04:57two years after the original
04:59and sees the titular AI doll
05:01being resurrected
05:02to face a new threat,
05:03Amelia,
05:04a military-grade android
05:06created using stolen Megan technology.
05:08I know how to stop Amelia.
05:11She's getting more powerful.
05:13Soon she'll be the most dangerous weapon
05:15on the planet.
05:16By transforming its once-lethal villain
05:18into a reluctant hero,
05:19the series has drawn comparisons
05:21to the Terminator franchise.
05:22Whether it will leave
05:24a similarly lasting mark
05:25remains to be seen.
05:27Well, look who came out to play.
05:30I was programmed to protect Katie.
05:32The only question is,
05:33are you going to stand in my way?
05:34Number 6.
05:3610 Cloverfield Lane.
05:38Unlike many sequels
05:39that tend to go bigger
05:40and flashier,
05:4110 Cloverfield Lane
05:42took a strikingly different approach.
05:44The second installment
05:45in the Cloverfield franchise,
05:47this film traded
05:48the found footage monster horror
05:49of its predecessor
05:50for a smaller,
05:52more intimate sci-fi thriller.
05:54You still filming?
05:55Yeah.
05:55People are going to want to know
05:57how it all went down.
05:59It follows a young woman
06:01named Michelle
06:01who wakes up
06:02in an underground bunker
06:03after a car accident
06:05and is told
06:06that the outside world
06:07has been devastated
06:08by a chemical attack.
06:09An attack.
06:11A big one.
06:13I'm not sure yet
06:13if it's chemical or nuclear,
06:15but down here we're safe.
06:18Without the large-scale
06:19destruction of the original,
06:20the film builds tension
06:21through its claustrophobic setting
06:23and tense character dynamics.
06:25This dramatic genre shift
06:27likely stems from the fact
06:28that the initial script
06:29had nothing to do
06:30with the franchise,
06:31but ultimately,
06:32it works strongly
06:33in the film's favor.
06:34After I saved you
06:36and kept you safe,
06:38this is how you repay me.
06:41No.
06:44This is?
06:45Number 5.
06:47Rambo, First Blood, Part 2.
06:49Rambo, you can feel
06:50totally safe
06:50because we have
06:51the most advanced weapons
06:52in the world available to us.
06:55I've always believed
06:56that the mind
06:56is the best weapon.
06:58Today, the Rambo series
06:59is widely recognized
07:00as one of Hollywood's
07:01most iconic action franchises.
07:03But watching the first film alone,
07:05you might come away
07:06with a different picture in mind.
07:08That's because 1982's First Blood
07:10was a gritty,
07:11character-driven drama
07:12that explored
07:13the psychological toll
07:14of war
07:15on a Vietnam veteran.
07:16Take this match.
07:20Come on!
07:21Don't move.
07:24I don't want you
07:24to catch your own throat.
07:25With this sequel, however,
07:27the franchise did a hard pivot
07:28into pure action,
07:30transforming John Rambo
07:31into a near-invincible hero
07:33on a mission
07:34to rescue American POWs
07:36in Vietnam.
07:36The film simplified
07:38complex themes
07:39into a straightforward
07:40good-versus-evil storyline,
07:42which appealed to audiences
07:43craving heroism
07:44after the war.
07:45Here you are a piece of me,
07:47it's a laboratory experiment,
07:48but to me,
07:49you are a comrade,
07:51similar to myself,
07:53just opposed
07:54by an act of fate.
07:56So while critics
07:57largely saw
07:57Rambo First Blood Part 2
07:59as a regression,
08:00it resonated strongly
08:02with viewers
08:02and became
08:03a massive box office success.
08:05Number 4.
08:07Joker Foliadur
08:08Following the success
08:10of 2019's Joker,
08:11a sequel was inevitable.
08:13Well, there's something
08:14special about you, Arthur,
08:15I could tell.
08:16Where are you from?
08:17I live right here
08:18in the city
08:18with my mother.
08:20But while fans expected
08:21a natural progression
08:22of that film's tone,
08:24what they got
08:24was anything but.
08:26Joker Foliadur
08:27takes a dramatically
08:28different turn
08:29from the slow-burning
08:30psychological thriller
08:31of the original.
08:32Instead,
08:33it delivers a jukebox musical,
08:34incorporating song
08:36and dance numbers
08:37into the plot
08:38as Fleck stands trial
08:39for his crimes.
08:40There was always a joker.
08:43That's the rule!
08:45The fate is a hand
08:47and I see
08:48the joker is me.
08:53While the announcement
08:53of this bold genre shift
08:55raised eyebrows,
08:56that anticipation
08:57quickly turned
08:58to disappointment
08:58when the film premiered
09:00in October 2024.
09:01Both fans and critics
09:03condemned it
09:04for the lack
09:04of a coherent story,
09:06tonal inconsistencies,
09:07and lackluster
09:08musical numbers.
09:09Not even the star power
09:10of Lady Gaga
09:11was enough
09:12to make the gamble
09:13worthwhile.
09:14We're not going away, Arthur.
09:18All we had
09:19was the fantasy
09:20and you gave up.
09:21Number 3.
09:22Thor Ragnarok.
09:24The first two Thor films
09:25carried a solemn,
09:27Shakespearean tone
09:28and depicted
09:29the titular character
09:30with a stiff,
09:31godlike demeanor.
09:32You alright?
09:33What just happened?
09:35Place your hands
09:35on your head,
09:36step back.
09:37This woman is unwell.
09:38She's dangerous.
09:40So am I.
09:41But the third installment,
09:432017's Thor Ragnarok,
09:44did a complete 180.
09:47Directed by Taika Waititi,
09:49the film took on
09:49a more colorful
09:50and irreverent style,
09:52injecting 1980s
09:53inspired visuals
09:54and laugh-out-loud comedy,
09:56while maintaining
09:57the high-stakes action
09:58fans expect
09:59from any superhero movie.
10:01You rode a hammer?
10:02No, I didn't ride the hammer.
10:04The hammer rode you
10:04on your back?
10:05No, no, no.
10:06I used to spin it
10:07really fast
10:07and it would pull me off.
10:09Oh my god.
10:10The hammer pulled you off?
10:11In doing so,
10:12Ragnarok infused
10:13the character of Thor
10:14with a more relatable
10:15and well-rounded personality
10:17and essentially
10:18revitalized the franchise.
10:20It's no surprise
10:21that it became
10:22one of the most
10:22acclaimed entries
10:23in the entire
10:24Marvel Cinematic Universe.
10:26You're in my seat.
10:29Your father once told me
10:31that a wise king
10:33never seeks out war.
10:34But must always
10:36be ready for it.
10:37However,
10:38Waititi may have pushed
10:39the comedic angle
10:40too far in the follow-up
10:41Thor Love and Thunder,
10:43which received
10:44lukewarm reviews.
10:46Number 2.
10:47Aliens.
10:48Ridley Scott's
10:491979 classic Alien
10:51followed a spaceship crew
10:52being hunted
10:53by a towering
10:54extraterrestrial.
10:55It was a straightforward
10:56horror experience
10:58only set in space.
10:59Ash, are you kidding?
11:00This thing bled acid.
11:02Who knows what it's
11:02going to do
11:03when it's dead?
11:04I think it's safe
11:05to assume it isn't a zombie.
11:07Nearly a decade later,
11:08James Cameron's sequel
11:09Aliens
11:10ditched the pure
11:11horror elements
11:12and pivoted toward
11:13an action-packed thriller.
11:15Set decades
11:16after the events
11:17of the first film,
11:18the sequel follows
11:19Ellen Ripley
11:19as she returns
11:20to the alien-infested planet
11:22alongside a squad
11:23of heavily-armed
11:24colonial marines.
11:25How long after
11:26we're declared overdue
11:27can we expect a rescue?
11:3217 days.
11:3517 days?
11:36Cameron infused
11:37the film with
11:38a militaristic edge,
11:39cranking up the pace
11:40and filling it
11:41with explosive
11:41combat sequences.
11:43Despite the heavy
11:44action themes,
11:45the film still retained
11:46Ripley's psychological depth,
11:49deepening her character
11:49with a powerful maternal arc
11:51through her bond
11:52with Newt,
11:53a lone child survivor.
11:55Hard to believe
11:56there's a little girl
11:57under all this.
12:00And a pretty one too.
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12:15Number one,
12:18Terminator 2,
12:20Judgment Day.
12:21Much like he did
12:22with Aliens,
12:23James Cameron approached
12:24the sequel
12:25to his 1984 hit
12:26The Terminator
12:27with the intent
12:28to completely reinvent it.
12:29The original
12:30was a gritty,
12:31dystopian sci-fi thriller
12:32focused on
12:33a cyborg assassin
12:34sent back in time
12:35to kill Sarah Connor.
12:37I'm a friend
12:37of Sarah Connor.
12:39I was told
12:39that she's here.
12:40Could I see her, please?
12:41No, you can't see her.
12:42She's making a statement.
12:43Where is she?
12:44Look, it may take a while.
12:46But with a significantly
12:47larger budget,
12:49Terminator 2,
12:49Judgment Day
12:50expands the story
12:51into a sprawling
12:52action blockbuster.
12:54In the sequel,
12:55Arnold Schwarzenegger's
12:56Terminator returns,
12:58not as a villain,
12:59but as a protector
13:00of young John Connor,
13:02the future leader
13:02of the human resistance.
13:04You're not here
13:05to kill me.
13:06I figured that part
13:07out for myself.
13:09So what's the deal?
13:11My mission is
13:11to protect you.
13:12With elevated
13:13emotional stakes,
13:14cutting-edge
13:15visual effects,
13:16and incredible
13:16action sequences
13:17that still hold up today,
13:19Terminator 2
13:20Judgment Day
13:20was an improvement
13:21in every possible way
13:23on its already
13:24excellent predecessor.
13:26answer.
13:29Hasta la vista,
13:30baby.
13:35Are there any movie sequels
13:37you think would have
13:38benefited from a genre shift?
13:39Let us know in the comments.
13:41Hey, so remember the time
13:42I strangled you
13:43and set the lab on fire?
13:44I want you to know
13:45that won't happen again.
13:48do I know?
Recommended
13:16
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