The Year of the Second Coming: A Guide to 2013’s Sequels

We all know that Hollywood loves sequels, and every year we always have a fair amount, especially summer blockbusters. Back in 2007, a noticeable movie trend occurred whereby the sequel number happened to be three. Dubbed the year of the three-quel, there were no less than seven films forming its trilogy; from the let-downs (Spider-man 3, Ocean’s 13 and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End) to the pointless (Rush Hour 3, Resident Evil: Extinction, Shrek the Third). You could argue the only decent one was The Bourne Ultimatum. 2013 is no different, except this time the magic number is two. No less than ten second parts are being released this calendar year.

The twos in a series/franchise/saga are normally the most contentious, whether it be for matching or bettering its predecessor (The Godfather Part II, Aliens, Spider-man 2) or just being downright awful and even killing a franchise (Speed 2, any sequel to a Jim Carrey film without him). Some dubious second outings go on to create never ending follow-ups, such as Die Hard and The Fast and the Furious (both of which have numbers 5 and 6 coming out this year respectively), making us wonder whether we even care about such franchises any more.

So without further ado, we give the lowdown on the most anticipated number twos of the year:

7. Thor: The Dark World

Hot on the heels of Avengers Assemble and bringing back all of the its predecessor’s cast, the God of thunder will be one of two Marvel blockbusters this year. It appears with audiences potentially tiring of Tony Stark, the big man is ready to take up the mantle. The only downside is Kenneth Branagh will not be at the helm.

6. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

The sure-fire hit of the year, the second part of Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy is expected to do well because of the book’s massive fan base as well as the success of its predecessor The Hunger Games in 2012. Jennifer Lawrence will also continue to prove she’s the next big star. The first one was no Battle Royale, but let’s hope this one’s better than Battle Royale 2.

5. Sin City: A Dame to Kill for

Coming slightly under the radar but with most of the surviving characters and respective cast on board (bar the late Brittany Murphy and Michael Clarke Duncan), the long-awaited follow-up to the stylish 2005 graphic novel adaption is finally being released. Robert Rodriguez has also resumed co-directing duties with Frank Miller, so the only question remains is, has the gap between one and two been too long?

4. Kick-Ass 2

Kick-Ass was an unexpected joy when it came out in 2010, not least because Nicholas Cage actually acted in something worthwhile. With him rumoured to be coming back as Big Daddy and Jim Carrey also being involved, this sharp-tongued action comedy should live up to the first. The story revolves around Kick-Ass joining up with other normal citizens fighting crime in costume. It won’t be Avengers Assemble, but it will be a fun ride.

3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Just fitting into 2013 and technically a part 5 (although chronologically a 2), Middle Earth fans and critics are hoping for another spectacle… but what of your average film-goer? If The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is anything to go by, the long run-time certainly is daunting and there were slight grumbles of (dare we say it) boredom. Nevertheless, you can’t keep a good hobbit down for long…

2. Monsters University

A prequel to the much-loved Monsters, Inc. Pixar will hope to get back to the top after the lacklustre Brave and Cars 2. The word is that it should be very much on par with Toy Story 2. Showing how the double-act of monsters Mike and Sully got together at university should appeal to both adults and children.

1. Star Trek: Into Darkness

The trailer has already got the fans talking about how big this is going to be (watch it here). J J Abrams knows he has his work cut out to follow 2009’s critically-acclaimed origins of the Enterprise. The only blip was Eric Bana’s scare-free Nero. But joining the rest of the returning crew is Sherlock Holmes’s Benedict Cumberbatch, looking every bit of a memorable Star Trek baddie. This should be one hell of second outing for Captain Kirk and co.

… and the least anticpated?

G I Joe: Retaliation

Re-shoots, release date delays, numerous different trailers; this has the probability of being the biggest flop of the year. After negative reviews of the first one and discarding most of the original cast except for Channing Tatum’s Duke (who was meant to die in the first 10 minutes before the studio saw how his star power had risen), this is a reboot of a continuing story. Yes, that makes no sense.

And the rest of the twos:

• The Smurfs 2
• Despicable Me 2
• Insidious 2
• Red 2
• Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Which sequel are you most looking forward to? Let us know below!