In an era where every great movie seems to act as the launching point to a never-ending franchise, I’m thankful for films that tell an effective story with no sequel, spin-off, or extended universe to keep up with. While this has become increasingly rare, several iconic films’ legacies have been untarnished by the whims of studios hoping to cash in on recognizable intellectual properties. Although it would be easy for writers, directors, and actors to produce a box office hit with sequels to these beloved movies, these films can still be enjoyed on their own merits alone.
While there have been plenty ofgreat movie sequelsover the years, in some cases,continuing the story for a second outing can actually negatively affect the perception of the first film. While it’s true a movie likeThe Hangoveris still a comedy classic, I think if its two sequels were never made, then it would have gone down in history as one of the best comedies of all time. These are all films that I’m delighted were never given unnecessary sequels and have been allowed to remain a singular, fantastic viewing experience.
8Inception (2010)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan has always been a director of incredible artistic vision whose movies are packed with unique ideas, impressive visuals, and truly original scripts. One thing I have always loved about Nolan is that he’s a real auteur who focuses on singular movie experiences, and excludingThe Dark Knighttrilogy, he always moves on to an entirely new project. However, following the success of the dream-based sci-fi action filmInception, if Nolan chose to, he could have continued exploring the richly developed world he created and led his own sci-fi franchise.
I’m thankful Nolan didn’t go down the franchise route because, althoughinteresting unanswered questions are left followingInception’scryptic ending, the audience’s personal interpretation of its conclusion is essential to the film. If Nolan chose to continue telling stories in this dream world, it would provide definitive answers to these questions and take away from its themes of the realities we embrace and those we bury.Inceptionworked well as a self-contained story, and even if a sequel would be an almost certain blockbuster smash, sometimes it’s better to leave us wanting more.
Inception
Cast
Inception, directed by Christopher Nolan, features a skilled thief who uses dream-sharing technology to steal corporate secrets. He is tasked with planting an idea into a CEO’s mind, while confronting his troubled past, which threatens the mission and his team.
7Pulp Fiction (1994)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Pulp Fictionwas one of the most influential movies of the 1990s and cemented Quentin Taratino’s reputation as one of the most exciting up-and-coming directors around. While Tarantino had previously teased the possibility of aPulp Fictionspin-off that focused on the brother characters of John Travolta’s Vincent Vega and Michael Madsen’s Vic Vega fromReservoir Dogs(viaSlash Film), it never materialized. In my opinion, this was for the best because whileTarantino’s shared movie universeis a fun Easter egg, I’m glad he didn’t allow his entire career to be taken over by his earliest characters.
Tarantino had such huge success early in his careerthat he could have endlessly milkedPulp Fictionfor all it was worth, which, although it likely would have been entertaining, would have deprived the world of his later works. While aPulp Fictionsequel sounds great on paper, I enjoyed seeing Tarantino tackle Kung Fu cinema withKill Billand give us an excellent alternative WWII withInglourious Basterds. Tarantino’s insightful imagination was exciting enough that he didn’t have to rehash the same iconic characters for endless sequels and spin-offs.
Pulp Fiction
Quentin Tarantino’s classic tale of violence and redemption follows the intertwining tales of three protagonists: hitman Vincent Vega, prizefighter Butch Coolidge, and Vincent’s business partner Jules Winnfield.
6Good Will Hunting (1997)
Directed by Gus Van Sant
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon took Hollywood by storm with their Academy Award-winning screenplay forGood Will Hunting. With Damon in the lead role as a genius janitor at MIT, Robin Williams as the psychologist helping him find direction in life, and Affleck as the underachieving best friend, this Gus Van Sant film was an insightful drama that explored the extraordinary potential of seemingly ordinary people. As such an incredible Hollywood success story, I’m glad Affleck and Damon didn’t go back to the well for a sequel and instead focused on carving out acclaimed careers both together and as individuals.
Good Will Huntingwas a fantastic launching pad for the duo’s career, but it was best left that way, as a sequel would be unnecessary. The ridiculousness ofa follow-up toGood Will Huntingwas even parodied in the Kevin Smith movieJay and Silent Bob Strike Back,where the pair reprised their roles for the spoof sequelGood Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season. This satirical imagining of a cash-grab sequel highlighted exactly why a follow-up to Affleck and Damon’s breakout success would have been a bad idea.
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting centers around a gifted janitor, Will Hunting, whose mathematical genius is recognized by professors. As he navigates his complex personal life and inner struggles, he is guided by a therapist who helps him confront his past and realize his potential.
5The Breakfast Club (1985)
Directed by John Hughes
As the story of five diametrically opposed teenagers forced to spend Saturday in detention,The Breakfast Clubwas a beloved classic representing the verybest of the Brat Pack’s movies. From writer and director John Hughes, this iconic film was the quintessential teen movie where every actor was perfectly cast for their role. Although the idea of seeing what happened after an athlete, a brain, a criminal, a princess, and a basket case all bonded with one another may sound interesting,I’m glad they never made a sequel toThe Breakfast Club.
The message at the heart ofThe Breakfast Clubwas that although these teens felt they couldn’t be more different, at their core, they all just wanted to be accepted for who they were. To see what happened after that fateful Saturday together would defeat the purpose of the movie, as it was just one brief moment where they all connected under common circumstances. Although Hughes himself considered the idea of a sequel where the characters reunited in their 30s (viaSlash Film), it would take away from the magic of the original, and I’m glad it was not made.
The Breakfast Club
After receiving detention, a group of five high-school students bonds as they realize they have quite a bit in common despite being from different friend groups. Despite being over 35 years old, The Breakfast Club still stands as one of the quintessential movies of the ‘80s and one of director John Hughes standout films.
4E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Perhaps more so than any other movie,E.T. the Extra-Terrestrialencapsulated Steven Spielberg’s emotionally rich, visually spectacular, and nostalgia-inducing style. Through this story of a boy’s friendship with an alien creature, Spielberg captured the essence of childhood wonder and created an iconic movie that has truly stood the test of time. In many ways,E.T.was the perfect film, and I don’t think I’m alone when I say it does not need a sequel.
Imagine my surprise then when I learned that originally Spielberg did not feel the same way and actually planned to change the tone significantly for his proposed sequel. In fact,Spielberg and theE.T.writer Melissa Mathison actually went as far as to write a treatment for a follow-up titledE.T. II: Nocturnal Fears(viaBlastr) that would see Elliot and his friends getting kidnapped by evil aliens. Thankfully, Spielberg did not destroy my childhood by pursuing this movie, as he felt it would “do nothing but rob the original of its virginity.”
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, directed by Steven Spielberg, follows a young boy named Elliot who befriends an alien accidentally left on Earth. As the task force searches for the extraterrestrial, Elliot, his siblings, and their newfound friend form a deep connection while attempting to return the visitor home.
3Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
Ferris Bueller’s Day Offis the perfect teen movie, as it takes a kid’s imagined vision of a dream day playing hookie from school and kicks it into absolute hypergear. With Matthew Broderick as the titular teen,Ferris Buellerwas one of the defining movies of the 1980s and a career-best performance whose cool guy image was only rivaled in the decade by Michael J. Fox’s charismatic characterization of Marty McFly inBack to the Future. While it’s a nice thought experiment to envision what Ferris would have done next after the credits rolled, I’m happy a sequel was never made.
Director John Hughes said that Ferris would either “become President of the United States or go to prison” (viaDaily Beast) and that, at one point, there was talk of a potential sequel focusing on him at his first job or in college. I believe the magic ofFerris Buellerwas its depiction of one extraordinary day, and to push the story past this would stretch the limits of believability. AFerris Buellersequel would also take away fromthe fan theory that it was all a figment of Cameron’s troubled imagination, which makes for a more interesting viewing experience.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
John Hughes' comedy classic Ferris Bueler’s Day off follows the titular high schooler, a self-assured, charming young man who wants a day off. Going to unheard-of lengths to secure that day for himself, his girlfriend, and his best friend, he conjures up the ultimate scheme to get them out of school. However, his sister and principal are confident he’s up to no good, and his principal will embark on an equally overblown quest to expose Ferris' truancy.
2Taxi Driver (1976)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Travis Bickle is one of cinema’s most iconic anti-heroes, and Martin Scorsese’sTaxi Driverhas carved out a reputation as one of the grimmest and most accomplished movies of the 1970s New Hollywood era. Through its gritty realism and cynical depiction of New York City, this film made me fall in love with cinema as a young movie fan as it captured the darkest recesses of human psychology. With a dreamlike ending that’s open to interpretation, in my opinion,the idea of continuing Bickle’s story in a sequel is clearly a terrible idea.
However, this has not stopped sequel discussions from taking place, as Scorsese and Robert De Niro teased a follow-up focusing on an older Bickle in 2005 (viaGuardian.) Thankfully, this never got off the ground, as it’s best to let the classics remain just that, as the continued story of Bickle will always be more interesting in viewers’ heads than anything that can be depicted on screen. Rather, films should merely be influenced byTaxi Driver, as the success of recent copycat films likeJokershowcases that these types of dark character studies still resonate with viewers to this day.
Taxi Driver
Martin Scorsese’s classic 1976 film stars Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle, a Vietnam veteran turned New York City cab driver whose increasingly disturbed mental state due to his PTSD begins to drive him to more and more violent actions as he attempts to rid the city of what he sees as the “scum” on the streets. Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, Cybill Shepherd, and Albert Brooks also star in the film.
1The Truman Show (1998)
Directed by Peter Weir
As the story of a man who was unaware his entire life was a carefully fabricated reality TV show,The Truman Showwas a genre-blending movie that strangely predicted the all-consuming presence of social media and the popularity of reality TV in the 21st century. Looking back onThe Truman Showtoday, I can’t help but view it as a dark omen of modern existence where we all, in one way or another, resemble Jim Carrey’s Truman Burbank. Having witnessed Truman break out of his constructed prison, I’m glad a sequel focusing on his new life was never made.
Carrey gave a career-defining performanceas Truman, and although it’s interesting to think about what happened after he discovered the truth and broke free, I don’t believe it would do any good to literally tell that story.The Truman Showwas a deep and probing examination of simulated reality, existentialism, and surveillance, and the examination of his character past the movie’s conclusion feels wrong. I viewThe Truman Showas one of the most insightful films of the 20th century and think that once Truman made it to the other side, it’s only fair to leave him be.
The Truman Show
The Truman Show is a 1998 comedy-drama directed by Peter Weir. It follows the life of Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey), a man who discovers that his entire life has been a reality TV show with an audience in the millions. Laura Linney plays Truman’s wife Hannah Gill, Noah Emmerich plays his best friend Marlon, and Ed Harris portrays the series' director, Christof.
