Pending Sequels…

By Radical Rhymes

I remember taking seminars on the McDonaldization thesis of George Ritzer. Students used to love it as much as they resisted it. Part of that thesis was a warning about the dangers of sequels in entertainment. He argued that the growing temptation amongst the funders of movies and books, for example, would be to sanction more sequels.

That, in itself, need not be a bad thing, but if the tendency grows too far it leads to the suppression of originality and creativity.

Why would that be the case?

Because creators find it easier to write about existing worlds and characters than summon them anew. Viewers also like to observe or read about the familiar, rather than take a chance on something unknown. Why invest in a risk? Why not just follow well-trodden paths? And of course, paymasters always prefer to back a winning formula.

And so we have seen an increase in movies that have no real ending. Always left open for the potential sequel. When I first encountered the ‘it isn’t really over’ ending it was a shock – a good one. How brilliant that the vanquished evil remained as a living threat.

But these days this kind of ending is not a novelty it’s become the rule. Film after film ends in the same way. The glint in the eye, the subtle movement, or the unexplained event. Once this would elicit a shiver of excitement, now, it simply draws a weary sigh.

Perhaps the saddest part is that these decisions are not taken for creative reasons, they are all about the finances. If a movie does well it will get the sequel, if it doesn’t, it won’t. This means that poor films sometimes get follow ups, while good ones are left hanging, unfinished, incomplete.

Finances squash brilliance and furnish mediocrity and sometimes worse.

This is why I am starting to tire of the superhero movie. It appears that they offer endless reboots, endless timelines and endless series. I watched one last night that really made me feel that my love affair with the genre has severely cooled.

For me, it’s time to seek out the unknown in entertainment terms, time to shun the familiar, it’s time to take a risk. Familiarity really can breed contempt.

Radical Rhymes is a professional artist working with a range of media – predominantly animal/human portraits and landscapes – including, most recently, hand painted furniture. You can see his work on Instagram Radicalrhymes1969 or on Twitter @RhymesRadical.

For commissions, please contact him on Twitter via Direct Message or by email at: radicalrhymes@outlook.com His work is also available to buy on Etsy

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