Invasion of the Sequels: Or, What Will We Watch Next Summer?

By Breanne Boland May 31, 2007 Issue

We used to get sequels; now we have trilogies. Rather than suffer the eye rolling that once came when a successful movie announced one sequel, and then another, blockbusters now spawn twins. Blame Lord of the Rings, blame Star Wars, but it doesn’t really matter. It appears that we’re stuck with it, condemned to wordy marquises crowded with colon-resplendent film titles.

The last two weeks brought two such films: Shrek the Third and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. Both films were assured such success that nearly nothing opened to compete with them. It makes sense — each film aims for a wide audience, so there’s no room for easy counter-programming.

Shrek is the animated franchise that has most successfully aped the success of Pixar, the studio that created Toy Story and other films pleasing adults and kids alike. However, where Pixar accomplishes this with sly, clever humor working on multiple levels, the Shrek films are a little more scattershot, aiming both high and low by making scatological or slapstick jokes for the kids and quickly dated pop culture references for the adults. This installment does it more successfully than the last, which contained the much-maligned Pinocchio-in-thong scene.

Shrek the Third finds Shrek and Princess Fiona about to inherit the throne of Far Far Away. However, Shrek wants a life of simplicity: his swamp, his lady, and the sounds of silence. The fear of a life of responsibility and ritual sends him across the sea to find Arthur, the only other person in line for the crown. Yes, that Arthur. It’s a half-formed reference, and aside from throwaway mentions of characters named Lancelot and Guinevere and a visit to an aging-hippie version of Merlin, it doesn’t figure into the story at all. Meanwhile, the exiled and still inept Prince Charming takes advantage of the power vacuum and attempts to stage a coup.

The powers that be apparently learned some lessons from the last film. The humor and sight gags are as abundant as usual, but they’re less smug and self-referential. The voice casting is brilliant — Fiona’s princess friends are voiced by the likes of Amy Sedaris, Cheri Oteri, and Larry King. You can stay entertained enough just by playing Guess the Voice. Overall, both in terms of story and in terms of attracting an audience, it feels like there’s less at stake, which lets the story unfurl at a more relaxed pace. The Shrek films aren’t the hallmark of fairy tale subversion, but they’re one of the few animated films not pandering excessively to kids or adults.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, on the other hand, is occasionally guilty of not pandering enough. It’s rare that a giant summer action film requires homework on the part of the audience, but if you want to follow everything that’s happening — and there’s quite a lot — it’s a good idea to watch the second movie before you go.

At first, the surprise about this series was that a film based on a cheesy Disney World ride could be good; now, it’s that a series with such humble origins has such a complicated mythology. Pirates of the Caribbean has a significant cult following (my screening had no less than two men in full 18th-century British Navy regalia, and dozens of pirates), but generally, the rest of us don’t have pre-film study sessions. By the end, what’s happening, who did it, and why becomes clear, for the most part. Otherwise it so abruptly picks up where it left off that the audience can be left puzzled sometimes. I was, now and then — and I’m a nerd. What of everyone else?

The series closes with what drew people into it from the start — banter, myriad questionable alliances, and thrilling battles at sea. Confusion aside, it provides the reunions and resolutions that the audience wants, and it stays away from being too easy by having a surprisingly melancholy conclusion. And if you can go to a showing of it attended by uniformed sailors of the British Empire and pirates alike, all the better.

Bottom Line: On both of these films is do a good job of balancing expectations and quality, of bringing characters we know well to satisfactory ends. They’re not perfect — in both, the romantic relationships that once drove entire films now become B-stories, at best — but they’re fine accompaniment for eating popcorn. As it’s summer, that’s about as ringing an endorsement as you can get.

Also Showing: 28 Weeks Later

One of my favorite films of all time is 28 Days Later, so instead of greeting news of a sequel with happiness and high expectations, I expected the worst. I wasn’t encouraged when all the posters and ads seemed to work on a basic thesis of, “Remember that? Wasn’t it awesome?”

It turns out that 28 Weeks Later is really quite good. It’s different than its predecessor, but in a welcome way. None of the original characters return, and where the first film worked in eerie silence and anticipation, this film flexes the muscle the budget allows, with looming helicopters, panicked crowds, and tremendous explosions. Both films, however, feature an unnerving immediacy. Instead of frightening with spilled entrails and brain-craving automatons, they disturb with creepiness, surprise, and stealth. This is a bigger film, but it hasn’t forgotten the slow chills that made the first film work so well.

Coming Attractions
June 1
Knocked Up - A schlubby guy has a one-night stand with a beautiful woman. When she drops the news that their temporary liason has some more permanent consequences, his simple life changes dramatically. From the makers of The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Mr. Brooks - Demi Moore is a detective tracking a potential serial killer, played by Kevin Costner. However, Costner’s gentle character has a wild alter ego, portrayed (hopefully in a delightfully hammy way) by William Hurt.

June 8
Ocean’s Thirteen - I need to rope my friends into making something like this. George Clooney, Steven Soderbergh, and their buddies get together every year or two for a great long party, the result of which is another slick heist film that makes them all look like the coolest people on earth. I need to network more.

Surf’s Up - This animated film combines the mockumentary, penguins, and surfing — kind of like movie Mad Libs. A young penguin defies the expectations of his family to become the newest contender at the Penguin World Surfing Championships, a sport which will be featured this year on ESPN 5. .

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