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It's funny to consider that, for all the clamoring people do for sequels to popular movies, those follow-ups are usually disappointing, if not completely terrible. Of course, some of those sequels are, in some fashion, apt to be made; for example, as much as I and many others may dislike the new Star Wars trilogy, it's hard to argue that the movies were unnecessary, when the 1977 installment, the de facto first film, begins with the subtitle Episode IV: A New Hope. Still, that series is relatively unique in that respect; most sequels are unwarranted and, sometimes, unwelcome.

Two such sequels appear on the horizon this week, both horror films: The Final Destination, a truly brilliant bit of title craftsmanship, let me tell you; and Halloween II, the 1981 movie starring Jamie Lee Curtis...oh, whoops. Wrong movie. No, this Halloween II is directed by Rob Zombie, and features Malcolm McDowell, lots of creepy clowns, and a wrestler-cum-serial killer. Of course, I haven't seen either of these movies, so I shouldn't judge. But I will (it's just who I am); my guess is that both films will have excessive violence, heaving breasts, lowbrow characters, and even dumber dialogue. Moreover, neither film is necessary. The former features no characters from the original; the latter is just an unkillable villain killing people.

Sure, people will see the movies (though District 9 and Inglourious Basterds may draw some of the audience away), but probably only because they're there. Unnecessary movies, of course, are not uncommon in the multiplex, but that doesn't mean there are some films that are far greater offenders of being completely unnecessary, aside from the prospect of making a quick buck. One of the entries here won't be very specific, as the entire genre can go under the virtual magnifying glass (and you won't have to think hard to figure out what genre I'm referring to). Other than that, let's look at this week's A-List of unnecessary sequels.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

I know, it's a bit easy to pick on this movie, but...come on. This is a bad movie. It's a bad movie in comparison to the rest of the Indiana Jones series, and it's a bad movie in general. Moreover, it is completely unnecessary. The third film in the series, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, ends with a shot of the titular hero literally riding off into the sunset. How else should a movie series end than with our beloved star ending up as happily ever after as possible? Of course, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas couldn't ignore all the fervor from fans; to be fair, as a fan of the series, I wouldn't have been against a fourth film, if it were good. Is this as major a misfire as the new Star Wars films? No, thankfully; as bad as this new movie was, it was only one, not three. Sadly, though, as awesome as Harrison Ford is, and as good of an idea as the movie have been, the film was unfortunate and unnecessary.

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