Direct to DVD Sequels: Are they any good?

[Peter Neal]

Disney was the first to start a trend ( Mulan 2, The Lion King 2, etc) that has now reached the normal adult oriented movie-world: Cheap direct-to-DVD sequels to decent Hollywood-fodder such as "Timecop", "Wild Things", etc...
Yes, the Darkman and From Dusk till Dawn sequels came almost a decade earlier, but they didn`t kickstart a wave like that.

I`ve only seen "The Hitcher 2: I have been waiting".
Being a huge fan of the original, I had no hopes whatsoever for this one, but I found it to be quite entertaining on a Big Mac kind of level.
Jake Busey is not Rutger Hauer, but his psycho is cartoonish fun.
This is a movie as needed as a hole in the forehead - but still not a total waste of time.

How about the rest? Has anybody seen the following films and could tell whether they are watchable or not?

"Wild Things 2", "Timecop 2", "Starship Troopers 2 :Hero of the Federation",
"Species 3"?

Apart from the "Skulls" and "Cruel Intentions" sequels - are there even more movies out there that have spawned direct to DVD successors?

[DAZEDANDCONFUSE]

Starship Troopers 2 is awful. Filmed on DV and looks like it was shot in someones back yard.

The best DTV sequels Ive seen have been the Ginger Snaps sequel and prequel.

[fredzilla]

Starship Troopers 2 is awful. Filmed on DV and looks like it was shot in someones back yard.

The best DTV sequels Ive seen have been the Ginger Snaps sequel and prequel.

No, it wasn't shot on dv. Such an absurd thing to say It was shot on HD, and 95 % of the movie looks great, but there's a couple of scenes that dosen't work that good. Great DTV sequel by the way.

[SicCoyote]

I don't think that disney hold the honor of being the 'first' to start the trend, there have been loads, although they were possibly shown on tv first in america rather than straight to video as they were here.

Class of 1999 II, any sequel by Charlie Band, Whatever happened to Rosemary's Baby etc etc.

Also yeah people now say somethings shot on DV for stuff shot using digital cameras, just as people used to say films such as Bad Taste shot on 16mm were shot on Video, no, that would be the Violent **** Trilogy.
Also don't think that Disney kickstarted a trend, the trends always been there since video came about.

Tremors 3 & 4 are great too btw, (Class of 1999 II, was crappy but with an interesting twist)

[the13thman]

Starship Troopers 2 at least was sufficiently gory and had good SFX, setting it primarily underground is what killed it for me, some bad acting too.

Species III (unrated) - like all good home video sequels should be - is surprisingly gory and packed with nudity, but it looks cheap and plays like any other straight-to-video sci-fi horror. Generally, I don't like 1.85:1 sequels to 2.35:1 originals.

Hitcher 2 I thought was a travesty, a waste of C Thomas Howell (very good in the recent Hillside Strangler movie) Kari Wurher and Jake Busey. Again, it would have been better in 2.35:1.

John Carpenter's Vampires Los Muertos was watchable for me only because it was in 2.35:1, can't remember anything else about it. Wouldn't recommend it.

I quite liked the Ginger Snaps, Tremors, Darkman and From Dusk Till Dawn sequels though. From Dusk Till Dawn 3 and Tremors 4 are actually pretty good Westerns for a large part of their running times.

And then we have Hellraiser. Hellraisers 5 and 6 are very similar and a bit of a waste of the francchise but still watchable. I see 7 and 8 (Deader and Hellworld) are finally scheduled for release this year, will see those out of interest. Doug Bradley also pops up in one of the two Prophecy sequels also out this year, but I will probably avoid those as there's no Walken. I liked Prophecy 2 but 3 was too much, can't see anything of likely interest in parts 4 or 5.

[Peter Neal]

Yes, I meant DTDVD Sequels to films that played in the cinemas, that`s why I didn`t mention the likes of "Violent S*** I-III".
I guess - if we forget the movies made for American pay-TV - the idea of Disney "spawning" the trend might be a bit exaggerated, but nethertheless we got first Lion King 2-no idea, Alladdin 2-no idea , then I spotted the likes of Starship Troopers 2 and so on.
I guess, it`s just the next consequent step for the recycling of movie ideas - and it`s probably more profitable (less costs = less risks involved).

I saw "Hellraiser-Inferno" and can`t really say it was bad - after "Bloodline" , but more similar movies with even less connection to the earlier films? I don`t think so...for me, at least.
Ginger Snaps on the other hand.. .I might check out prequel and sequel...

[the dude]

Well I just re-watched the American Pie films for some smutty fun and went on imdb to see what the cast have been up to recently (sad, I know).

Turns out that a DTV sequel is in production called American Pie: Band Camp. The only returning characters from the original 'trilogy' are Finch and The Sherminator - same actors too.

I have to ask: what's the point. These films are done.

There's also a Wild Things 3 on DVD now too, for those who are interested.

[SicCoyote]

Yes, I meant DTDVD Sequels to films that played in the cinemas, that`s why I didn`t mention the likes of "Violent S*** I-III".

Just have to clear up I think you got the context of VSI-III in my statement, I was using it as an example of something shot on VHS rather than of DTV sequels.