Credit: The Equalizer
If something makes money, it’s an easy guess that whoever made that something is going to want to do it, again and again, to make sure that they don’t miss out on any money that might be left behind if they quit early. Some folks would take this success and enjoy it for what it is and think twice before pushing forward to see if they can milk as much as they can out of it. But here’s where the issue comes in with a movie like The Equalizer, because sequels are a tricky thing no matter how popular the story might be. Eventually, things will start to feel episodic, much as they have with many other series that have come along during the last several decades. One way or another, a sequel will rob the original movie of its initial force and either isolate the first movie as the best and the only one that deserves respect, or it will degrade the entire series and make it known to many people that the story had to rely on its ability to stick around, not the ability to actually come off as a great tale that people would be talking about with even a small amount of reverence for years to come. It remains to be seen what The Equalizer will be, but it’s easy to state that there are various scenes in the first two movies that people enjoy, while the rest is just so much exposition and backstory that folks might not care about. In other words, a third movie feels like something that might be seen to offer up a couple of interesting and intriguing fight scenes, but otherwise, it’s likely that it’s not the best idea.
Credit: The Equalizer
The hype that this movie is bound to be given doesn’t feel like it will make the movie worth it.
If it’s not given that much hype then it might be worth taking a look since to be fair, the first two movies weren’t given as much hype as many of Denzel Washington’s other movies over the years, but it remains to be seen what will be said and shown of this movie in the days to come. As of now, it sounds as though things are just getting started, meaning that it’s going to be quite a while until we get to see something on the big screen. But up until then, it’s fair to state that updates will be given, the status of the movie will be discussed, and the need for a third movie will cross the lips of one person after another as some praise the idea while others will question if it’s really necessary, especially with the idea that there are movies and now another show with Queen Latifah, making it hard to think that people would need both to really get into this story.
It’s fair to say that people are getting tired of sequels, but they’re still going to pay for them.
Many people have spoken up about sequels, reboots, and remakes, and have even gone out of their way to state that they’re getting tired of them, but admittedly, we still pay for them out of curiosity and because some of them are worth the effort of going to see. But when things begin to turn episodic it tends to make a person wonder if it’s still worth the effort when it might e better to see them on a streaming channel since, well, it’s easier and more people are bound to watch since it’s from the comfort of their own home. That might not be what directors and theater owners want to hear, but it’s the unvarnished truth that while many people enjoy going to the theater, a lot of folks would rather plop on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and turn on Netflix or some other streaming channel. At this point, it might even be more appreciated. But then again, Hollywood knows how to sucker people in and has for decades now.
Credit: The Equalizer
Even with Dakota Fanning apparently coming on board, it’s not entirely likely that this movie will be that different.
It’s been a minute since Denzel and Dakota were in a movie together, but it would appear that this is one way to get the attention of many people since the movie Man on Fire was something special and made it apparent that these two can work together quite well. But thinking that she’s going to be playing the woman who needs protecting while Denzel will take on the same role almost makes this movie feel like it will be repeating MoF in some way, even if it’s bound to be entirely different. Right?
It’s amusing how many people defend Hollywood’s ‘innovation’ when the truth is that the episodic feel of many movies would argue against that notion.
It’s tough to say, with a straight face at least, that there’s any sense of innovation to this movie at the moment when it’s the third in a series that isn’t horrible but is essentially based on a TV show that was filmed decades earlier. Some would say innovation and creativity are dead in Hollywood, and while I’m not inclined to agree, these two important elements are definitely being muffled and buried under one familiar story after another without really being allowed to shine as they used to.