As more and more movies have been released throughout the years. This year studios have been releasing movie sequels more frequently than we have seen in many years. These sequels are supposed to continue franchises that we either grew up watching or had interest in, hoping that these sequels will strengthen their series. Some upcoming movies include “Inside Out 2,” “Venom 3,” “Sonic Hedgehog 3,” “Deadpool 3,” “Planet of Apes 4,” “Despicable Me 4,” and (possibly) many other sequels.

As much as I love to see sequels to my favorite movies, I always wonder if they could ruin the flow of the entire franchise.  Usually, the third or fourth movie is mediocre compared to the others. The producers of the original films often leave around the third or fourth installment. It’s a bad sign. I have neutral feelings about these sequels, and I wonder if sequels this year will hurt franchises.

Past sequels such as “Toy Story 4” and “Fast and Furious” (Don’t even get me started on “Fast and Furious 11”) have been iffy. Most of these follow-ups are films that could make characters start to act really out of character. Sometimes, the humor would be dumbed down.

I’ve watched “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” It’s something alright, but it’s not nearly as good as “Ghostbusters: Afterlife.” Overall, it’s about what you would expect from a follow- up. The new ghosts and elements added to the lore are very cool and some of the visuals are very nice. Some jokes are funny, and some aren’t. Some sequels try to recapture the “feel” of the original films, while others try to be too smart and adds unnecessary plot buildups to the audience when it could have just given us more of what we love but with updated humor and special effects. Movies like Kung fu Panda 4 has similar flaws.

However, there ARE some sequels that I actually loved and stood by. This includes “Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse.” This movie has been a huge improvement from “Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse” and introduced unique characters with unique animations. We get to learn more about Miles Morales and what makes him human. I forgot that he was still a simple high schooler while also having the responsibility to save people. The plot twist of this movie was phenomenal too.

The show, “Megamind vs. Doom Syndicate” is supposed to be a sequel to the legendary “Megamind” movies. Gosh, it looks awful.

Overall, I don’t mind sequels coming out. However, sequels this year have been so weak. It makes it feel like these producers are still on writers’ strike. Still, I’ve been excited for a “Rush Hour 4,” Even though “Rush Hour 3” was not as good as the two other movies. I am still expecting “Rush Hour 4” to have the same humor from where it left off in the trilogy that starred Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker.