The 1990s got kind of a raw deal in the big budget movie realm. OncePulp Fictionhit in the indie world and then the world at large, the movie business became all about finding the next “indie film that could.” Which is why we are left with a bevy of1990s moviesthat really need a sequels to continue their extraordinary tales.
Sure,Titanicwas a box office colossus that reaped tons of Oscars. However if you ask anybody what the most memorable Oscar moments were from 1998, it was Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s speech for a Best Screenwriting award, James Cameron’s bragging, but not really anything that happened with the filmTitanic. Which could explain why that box office behemoth is one of the films on this list that needs to be to be continued.
Sequels can be risky business. If they come out too quickly audiences seem to smell a rat. They can be loathe to throw their support behind something they perceive as a cash grab. By the same token, if you wait too long to make a sequel, which happened with a lot of80s movies that never got sequels, you risk losing the audience that might care about the film. Then, as in the case ofOffice Space, you have a film that died at the box office, but has been resurrected on home video. How would a film like this do if a sequel were to hit theaters?
All of these questions are what make lists like this so much fun. We just don’t know what’s going to happen next in this story we’ve been living with forever, yet, we’d all like to see where the films on this list might go. Most of these movies came out 20 years ago. The world has changed a lot since then. It seems the biggest question is can these films that existed so long ago exist today? Check out this “90s Movies That Need a Sequel” list to find out…
11Office Space
Alright, Mike Judge’s much ignored cinematic treasure has become a true triumph of home video. So the thought of continuing something so sacrosanct after all these years might appear to be blasphemous.Office Space, that tale of lowly workers hating their jobs and the awful, middle management people who oversee them, is a true cultural touchstone. That said with all the streaming platforms (Netflix, Hulu, et al), why not make a a sequel to this comedy that keeps on giving? It could have the same cast because none of them got so big they would be too expensive to do it. And, Mike Judge could turn his lens on the myriad of ways that the workplace has changed over the years.
10The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowskiis another one of those films that really came alive when viewers could find it on their own. Making less than $20 million in the US it did about $47 million worldwide. Not terrible numbers. Most likely had this tale of a stoner named The Dude (Jeff Bridges) trying to get satisfaction over his ruined rug, just done that and nothing else people wouldn’t have complained. However,The Big Lebowskicouldn’t do that. Not when it had characters like Walter (John Goodman), Donny (Steve Buscemi), and Jesus (John Turturro) just to name a few. This film is STILL huge on home video. People dress as the characters for Halloween. They have parties around it. Now, getting Joel and Ethan Coen to do a sequel would be hard. They seem to just follow their bliss but that doesn’t mean that a sequel, maybe set around an international bowling tournament of some sort, couldn’t be just what is needed to score a cinematic strike.
9The Dark Half
Timothy Hutton gives a career best performance inThe Dark Halfand it barely seems to register with people today. Directed by the late, great George A. Romero, this film (based on a book by Stephen King) features Hutton as writer in a Jekyll and Hyde situation. Making less than $11 million this film really didn’t burn up the box office when it came out in 1993. That doesn’t mean that a sequel with say Ryan Gosling or Chris Pratt couldn’t be just what the doctor ordered. Sure, it would be a David vs. Goliath situation because there isn’t a book sequel so you’d be creating one from scratch. This would certainly put you in the crosshairs of the great Stephen King who may or not appreciate the gesture. That doesn’t mean a sequel shouldn’t happen, though!
8Space Jam
This may not beThe Godfather: Part IIbutSpace Jamis the kind of film that you may’t just do a remake of. That said this tale of the Looney Tunes re-enlisting a retired Michael Jordan to win an intergalactic basketball game needs to continue. The best part? You could update it with the likes of Steph Curry and Lebron James (Space James, anyone?) and suddenly you have one of the biggest movies (and sequels) ever. In fact, in this nostalgic time, you could most likely follow the same story, employ much of the same cast (Larry Bird, Bill Murray, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, etc.), and the game would be on!
7The Iron Giant
This classic tale of a friendship between a young boy, a giant robot, and the forces that try and come between them has been told in various forms throughout history.Iron Gianthad Brad Bird at the helm and that probably explains why it had the heart and soul that it did. So why not do a sequel that captures the magic all over again? Perhaps, given how special fx have improved since 1996 this could be a live action version alaReady Player One? Before you scoff at this idea, remember thatThe BFGwas pretty much the same movie and Steven Spielberg pulled that off, right? If they did go the animated route, how hard would it be to dial up much of the old cast? Again, as nostalgic as this time has become, doesn’t it seem fitting to continue this wave of nostalgia with anIron Giantsequel?
6Pulp Fiction
Filled questions, an odd storyline, and incredible performances,Pulp Fictionis still a tale from the 90s that we’re trying to wrap our heads around. To try and distill the film’s plot down into one sentence would be impossible. So, if you haven’t seenPulp Fiction, know that it involves a boxer, a hit man, a mob boss, some interesting owners of a pawn shop, and a host of other interesting characters. These characters are all intermingled and while we resolve their stories, the fact that they aren’t told from beginning to end is what madePulp Fictionso incredible. That it has pulled in over $200 million worldwide shows that audiences don’t always need cookie cutter films. Most of the time. Where would aPulp Fictionsequel go? Some people might want answers to where the characters have ended up? Others might want an explanation of what was in the briefcase? Chances arePulp Fictiondirector Quentin Tarantino will touch on some of these questions, yet make a wholly new (and brilliant) story.
Was there a funner movie in the 1990s thanClueless? This story of high school, popularity, friendships, and how to manage all of that in the days when a phone (not texting or even social media) was the biggest distraction, is ripe for a 2018 sequel of the highest order. Heck, you could bring back Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer and whoever else, and from there the story could follow their kids? Or, it could follow them showing where they are since we last saw them in 1995. Considering how much the world has changed technologically, and how much these characters would be tied to that, could truly create a story with very interesting social ramifications. And, if done right, they could pay homage to the late Brittany Murphy in a way that was respectful and also in keeping with the spirit of her special character.
4Event Horizon
Considering that space exploration has gotten a boost with Space X, Virgin Galactic and all this interest in Mars, isn’t it high time that we continue the story ofEvent Horizon? For my money the best sci-fi stories are the ones where our main characters are traveling in a space vessel and someone or something effects them. One need look no further than2001: A Space OdysseyorAliento see how strong those stories are. And while I’m not saying thatEvent Horizonis on that level, it certainly is in that family, and for that reason this tale of a spaceship that enters a blackhole, only to return extremely effected by that experience, needs to go on. With a solid cast that included Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill, Kathleen Quinlan and Joely Richardson, the new film could feature all new characters while having the old characters play important supporting roles. Space travel to planets seems within our grasp. It may be a long time before this comes to fruition, but a sequel toEvent Horizoncould certainly ride this newfound wave of interest in space travel all the way to the box office.
3Jacob’s Ladder
If you liked the movieThe Sixth Senseand marveled at its twist ending, then you need to know thatJacob’s Ladderhas the same ending and it came out 9 years before M. Night Shyamalan’s opus! This tale of a Vietnam veteran (Tim Robbins) struggling with reality, PTSD, his dreams and just about everything else, is a slow burn of the highest order. Yet, all of that builds up into a fascinating reveal that ultimately makesJacob’s Laddernot only one of the best movies of the 1990s, but a film that might be greatly helped out by a sequel. Imagine, if M. Night Shymalan, rather than make a sequel toThe Sixth SensetookJacob’s Ladderunder his creative wing for second go round? It needn’t be a reboot either. Tim Robbins could return but in a different, almost otherworldly, capacity. Honestly, I am not too sure where a sequel toJacob’s Laddergoes from there. The first film was so interesting, unique, and special. If done correctly, a sequel toJacob’s Laddercould potentially establish it as a franchise.
2The Fifth Element
The reality ofThe Fifth Elementis that it was too ahead of its time. Yes, Luc Besson’s visually splendid film about the future just showed people a world that they were not ready to accept. That our society is slowly mirroring this in 2018 makes the idea of a sequel even more necessary. To try and describe the plot of this insanely colorful actioner would be a lesson in futility. Lets just say thatThe Fifth Elementsees a cab driver (Bruce Willis) trying to preserve a weapon and a genetically created being named Leeloo (Milla Jovovich), all in a bid to preserve society. Okay, I will just say it, in many ways the actors are playing second fiddle to the effects in this film. What would the story be? I am all for bringing back the original cast. Well, all of the original cast that survived the first film. My main feeling is that a sequel, not a redo or a reboot, could really make the lore behindThe Fifth Elementthat much stronger. Heck, look at what a sequel did forBlade Runner?
