The death of originality in Hollywood is upon us, and the result is a major turn towards the lowest common denominator in the film industry — the movie sequel.  As creativity and innovation take a back seat to the latest lazy trend of dusting off old ideas and breathing new life into them, a flood of movie sequels we didn’t ask for are coming our way. Seeing a  sequel to a beloved movie from the past is much like seeing an ex-girlfriend — risky and rewarding, but in most cases it’s a horrific accident waiting to happen — though it’s one we can’t resist.
The prospect of becoming reacquainted with zany characters such as Ron Burgundy (played by Will Ferrell) from “Anchorman” or Lloyd Christmas (played by Jim Carrey) from “Dumb and Dumber” is extremely appealing as well as a compelling reason for studios to bank on the sequels to both of these movies more than a decade after their release. The idea of reconnecting with an old flame can be as irresistible as the draw of seeing Burgundy with his signature pork chop mustache and smirk once again telling the people of San Diego what to do with themselves, but as history has shown, it’s accompanied by risk.
It’s natural to have a desire to see the ex, but far too often the excitement and anticipation is what inevitably sets us up for disappointment. Legions of die-hard “Indiana Jones” fans waited almost 20 years to see Dr. Jones ride again and were bitterly disappointed by the atrocity that resulted. It was one thing to see a visibly aged and tired Harrison Ford, but no one wanted to see his son swinging through the jungle with monkeys and fencing in a leather jacket.  That kind of disappointment can be can be hard to come back from.
In the case of movie sequels, the anticipation and excitement leading up to the movie’s release can make the inevitable disappointment worthwhile. While the most recent “Indiana Jones” movie was an incredible flop, the excitement of being able to see Indy on yet another adventure far outweighed the fact that aliens have no place in a Indiana Jones movie and that refrigerators do not actually provide adequate protection against nuclear blasts. So despite the letdown, the movie was worth the wait. After all, as the saying goes, it is better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all.
Despite the fact that many sequels disappoint, there are still some that not only meet expectations but surpass them. For example when John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) was resurrected for another “Die Hard” film in “Live Free or Die Hard” 12 years after the last film, it turned out to be arguably one of the best in the series. Of course, the success of that film quickly spawned yet another “Die Hard” movie, which turned out to be the worst of the series, but for “Die Hard” fans, it was an unexpected chance to spend some time with their favorite quick-quipping action hero.
This is why sequels such as “Anchorman 2” and “Dumb and Dumber To” are creating such excitement among fans of those films. The anticipation of watching Ron Burgundy once again read anything that is put on the teleprompter, or watch Lloyd and Harry sword fight with canes in orange and blue tuxedos is worth the disappointment. The chance to revisit a happy place of the past and try to recapture the magic that once was, is always an opportunity worth taking. There is no reason to think the risk won’t be worth the reward, because as Burgundy would say, “I don’t know how to put this, but I’m kind of a big deal.” So with a little luck and a dab of some “Sex Panther” cologne, perhaps Mr. Burgundy will take us to “Pleasure Town” one more time.