Genre switching sequels?

[Nerys Myk]

I only know of it as a punchline.

 

[Starkers]

Ah, but TOS tended to switch genres at will: cerebral sf ("City on the Edge of Forever"), war movie ("Balance of Terror"), pulp action-adventure ("Gamesters of Triskelion"), courtroom drama ("Court-Martial), heavy-handed political allegory ("And Let That Be Your Last Battlefield), morality plays ("Conscience of the King") and even the occasional farce: "Trouble with Tribbles," "I, Mudd," "A Piece of the Action," etc.

So, arguably, all the TOS movies resemble the show, depending on which episodes you're talking about!

True to an extent (Wrath of Khan is pretty similar to Balance of Terror, really) but ST V is easily the film that most resembles TOS which is why it's a shame fans hate it.

I feel the same about the much maligned Insurrection in relation to TNG.

Neither will ever be in my top five of Trek films (you didn't ask but; TWOF, FC, TUC, Abrahms Trek and probably TVH orTMP depending how I'm feeling!) but both are unfairly treated, and I'd say in both cases what I like about them is that arguably the characters seem closer to how they were in their respective shows than in any other films.

^I was trying to forget Highlander: The Quickening. I imagine everyone who ever saw the movie has tried to forget it.

Well I had forgotten it, thank you all so much for reminding me

a film so terrible that, as I recall, McCleod magically changes coats and swords in the middle of a duel!

 

[NightJim]

Highlander 2- A film so terrible even the franchise disowned it.

 

[lurok]

The Evil Dead series. The first installment was a straight up horror movie...

Am I the only one who found it as funny as second? I thought it was hilarious. Though I believe the remake is much more straight horror.

Speaking of horror/sequel-switching, doesn't Hallowe'en undergo a tone shift between 2 & 3? Feels a bit more sci-fi-ey.

 

[Tiberius]

Kill Bill.

While they are both action movies, the second one builds up the plot a lot more and has a very different feel to it. Not that I don't like it, they're both good movies. But they have very different feels.

But isn't that one story in two parts? They are called "Part 1" and "Part 2," right?

Yeah, but the two movies have very different feels. That's what I meant.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Am I the only one who found it as funny as second? I thought it was hilarious.

Laughing at horror movies is like being afraid of comedies, i.e. you're not doing it right.

 

[Starkers]

That's not strictly speaking true, very often a darn good scare will prompt some nervous laughter afterwards!

and I've seen some terrifying comedies...

 

[lurok]

and I've seen some terrifying comedies...

ditto

 

[stj]

Another textbook example: "Cat People" is a moody supernatural horror movie. The sequel, "Curse of the Cat People" is a poetic fantasy about a child's vivid imagination. The movies share a few cast members and supporting characters, but there aren't even any cat people in "Curse," which isn't remotely a horror movie!

As I understand it, the studio demanded a sequel to "Cat People," which had been a big commercial success, but the producer, Val Lewton, wasn't interested in repeating himself, so he made this delicate, somewhat arty movie instead--under the studio-mandated title, "Curse of the Cat People."

(Both films are very good, btw, but completely different in tone and subject matter.)

Oh, a bit of trivia: "Curse" was, I believe, the directorial debut of Robert Wise, who went on to direct "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "The Haunting," "The Andromeda Strain," "The Sound of Music," "West Side Story," and, of course, the first "Star Trek" movie.

Beat me to the punch.

^No, they're definitely right about the Alien and Terminator franchises. I've seen those examples suggested on every other thread I've come across in searching for other suggestions. Yes, in both cases the original and its sequel were both science fiction, but they were in very different subgenres and styles.

Ah, but TOS tended to switch genres at will: cerebral sf ("City on the Edge of Forever"), war movie ("Balance of Terror"), pulp action-adventure ("Gamesters of Triskelion"), courtroom drama ("Court-Martial), heavy-handed political allegory ("And Let That Be Your Last Battlefield), morality plays ("Conscience of the King") and even the occasional farce: "Trouble with Tribbles," "I, Mudd," "A Piece of the Action," etc.

So, arguably, all the TOS movies resemble the show, depending on which episodes you're talking about!

Science fictiion isn't a genre in the sense that a romantic comedy or a spy thriller is. It's a "genre" in the same sense as poetry or nonfiction. That is, the term tells us something about how the story is written, not about it's narrative goal. You can say a horror story wants to scare you or a romance wants to satisfy you with achievement of true love. Or you can say that a story is a Regency novel a la Georgette Heyer or a war novel or a Western.

But the bare term "science fiction" only says there is something fantastic (i.e., doesn't exist now) that is noentheless supposed to be natural. If you insist on calling this information a definition of the genre, but dubbing the narrative genre "subgenre" just sows confusion I think.

 

[Christopher]

Laughing at horror movies is like being afraid of comedies, i.e. you're not doing it right.

Obviously you haven't seen The Cabin in the Woods. Or Shaun of the Dead. Or Army of Darkness. Or about a thousand others.

Besides, since when was it forbidden to mix emotions? There's plenty of worthwhile humor in the best movies in many genres -- horror, action, romance, drama, you name it. And the best comedies have moments of seriousness. Really good stories run us through a gamut of emotions.

 

[Greg Cox]

Besides, since when was it forbidden to mix emotions? There's plenty of worthwhile humor in the best movies in many genres -- horror, action, romance, drama, you name it. And the best comedies have moments of seriousness. Really good stories run us through a gamut of emotions.

Exactly. Some of my favorite movies don't just work the same emotional nerve over and over again, but embrace several different modes and tones--all at the same time.

WITNESS is a crime thriller, love story, culture-clash story, with plenty of humor, suspense, action, and romance.

THE WICKER MAN is a paranoid thriller, horror film, black comedy, and musical.

THE STUNT MAN is a twisty psychological suspense piece, a slapstick action-comedy, a mystery, a love story, a backstage drama, a playful examination of illusion versus reality, a political allegory, etc.

 

[Silvercrest]

Ohmigod, how have we forgotten this one?

HIGHLANDER was a basically a sword-and-sorcery adventure set in modern times and ancient Scotland. The sequel, HIGHLANDER: THE QUICKENING, was this weird, futuristic, scifi thing that insanely retconned the Highlander into an alien from another planet!

Ahem.

Highlander should qualify.

 

[Greg Cox]

Ohmigod, how have we forgotten this one?

HIGHLANDER was a basically a sword-and-sorcery adventure set in modern times and ancient Scotland. The sequel, HIGHLANDER: THE QUICKENING, was this weird, futuristic, scifi thing that insanely retconned the Highlander into an alien from another planet!

Ahem.

Highlander should qualify.

Oops. You know, I knew that I should have probably gone back and reviewed the whole thread, but . . . well, the cat was demanding attention . . . .

 

[Silvercrest]

Meow. Hisss!

 

[Redfern]

I keep misreading this thread title as...

"Gender switching sequels"! Honestly!

Sincerely,

Bill

 

[Silvercrest]

New topic!!!!

 

[NightJim]

Voyager?

Highlander: The Raven?

Comic Relief Doctor Who Special with Joanna Lumley as The Doctor?

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Laughing at horror movies is like being afraid of comedies, i.e. you're not doing it right.

Obviously you haven't seen The Cabin in the Woods. Or Shaun of the Dead. Or Army of Darkness. Or about a thousand others.

Besides, since when was it forbidden to mix emotions? There's plenty of worthwhile humor in the best movies in many genres -- horror, action, romance, drama, you name it. And the best comedies have moments of seriousness. Really good stories run us through a gamut of emotions.

And while we're talking about comedy, Christopher, not everything needs to be taken at face value. Sometimes we're just making little jokes.

 

[Silvercrest]

Ha!!! You want a follow-up to an existing movie, same cast, but new genre and tone?

The Star Wars Holiday Special.

 

[Christopher]

And while we're talking about comedy, Christopher, not everything needs to be taken at face value. Sometimes we're just making little jokes.

"Extremely little, Ensign."