There was a time, a long time ago, when films were made to be their own entities. They existed as they were without prequels or sequels. So what happened? Let’s face it, for the past thirty years we have been visually assaulted by the term “franchise.” Every studio wants one,every movie seems to be part of one. Netflix does not purchase the rights to books, they purchase the rights to series.
Even when movies are greenlit as a one-shot, the odds are that if it’s successful there will be some type of sequel. The entire reason for entertainmenthas been to utilize characters and conceptsthat can be used in sequels, prequels, and all other forms of media.
Blame Back to the Future
It wasn’t the first, butBack to the Futureis the modern starting point for the preplanned franchise model. The first film was a sensation, gave Michael J. Fox even more visibility, and changed the way people created time travel movies. It also spawned two sequels.
However, the main difference was that bothBack to the Future Part IIandPart IIIwere greenlit simultaneously with the knowledge that they would be made at the same time. This meant Amblin Entertainment knew they had two hits already in the bag and that they could maximize their PR campaigns by telling people that not only would it be continued, but that director Robert Zemeckis could add a cliffhanger.
Related:How the Back to the Future Franchise Could Continue
Everyone, Zemeckis, Amblin, and the theaters, were all assured that people would come to see both knowing that the story wasn’t done. Since that time, we have seen studios use this same technique in cases suchasThe Lord of the Ringsfilms,The Hobbit, andThe Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions. All were successful, but in two of those cases, the end result was not quite well-received by fans.
Splitting the Difference
Of course, the latest trend is not just making movies back-to-back, but rather taking an existing movie and simply chopping it in two. This happened withHarry Potter, Twilight,andThe Hunger Games. It seems to havebecome a bit of a YA phenomenon.
This technique has been seen as a cash grab even as studios describe them as sequels. Yet they are still a way of elongating preexisting franchises. The problem is that when studios go by this method they are creating hype simply by forcing people to come see the end of the story.
We, as audience members, have been trained to know that we should only expect some insight into a character because any true depth will be explored in the second or third film. It has become so rampant that there are even movies that end with a title screen saying, “This character may return.” May. May return. It is as if they are saying, “If you like the character enough, clap your hands real hard, and they will return!” But they have left audiences with so many questions that they are clamoring not for more movies, just more explanation.
Why the Standalone Is So Important
We see standalones here and there, but often because writers and directors do not wish to continue adding anything to their creations. Either that, or the studios do not see a viable hit on their hands and, regardless of small and vocal fans, they do not wish to spend the money on it.
Standalone films are important to the industry because they create an environment of continuous creativity. Make a film, make it the best it can be, and move on to new and exciting projects that people want to watch. There is noE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 2because the money wasn’t in it. There is noE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 2because Steven Spielberg decided he’d said all there was to say about that character.
In some cases, the standalones leave hanging threads because that is how far into a character the writers and directors wanted to go. The idea that every character needs to be fleshed out to the point of no more surprises is a very rare thing.
Take the filmArrival,a drama about alien encounters that was released in 2016 and starred Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. It was a fascinating look at what has become a typical meet-the-aliens movie trope. The alien crafts arrive at Earth in certain countries and the military brings in scientists to attempt communication.
Related:The Best Standalone Young Adult Book-to-Movie Adaptations, Ranked
Over the course of the film, Amy Adams is able to discern their language and find out why they have come. The movie ends(spoiler alert)with the aliens telling her that they are there to give information to humans because they will be needed in the future to help with an imminent threat.
But guess what they didn’t do? They did not sign everyone up for a sequel that takes place hundreds of years later to show what happens when the time actually comes to help the aliens. They leave it with the knowledge that this will happen and that now humanity must come together if they want things to work. It was self-contained and the satisfaction of the ending was that we knew the universe would continue well after the credits rolled.
The Future of Cinema Is to Be Continued
We may be seeing studios move away from the standalone film as much as possible by creating franchises. However,standalones do remain relevantand should continue to be celebrated. For every director that finds themselves mired in a franchise, there are just as many that wish they were able to concentrate on something new. Hollywood needs to learn when to keep things going and when to call it a day.
