What is the Sequel Culture Doing to Creators?
Would you still write the story if you knew your story would be taken and diluted until there was nothing left?
I recently saw Thor: Love and Thunder. I went in with low expectations, which probably helped me have a more positive attitude about the whole thing. But the concept of a fourth Thor movie made me weary. It felt like too much.
I was done with Toy Story after the third film, which wrapped up the story with a beautiful bow. Lightyear felt like two steps beyond the end.
The irritation has grown in me, so maybe this is just a rant. But the current culture seems determined to take any good idea, story, or world and drain it of all life.
It takes its dried skin, sells it for jerky, and buries what’s left of the skeleton, now devoid of all flesh, with great hopes of resurrecting it for future reboots.
It’s more than the concept of “too much of a good thing.” Rather it’s like butter stretched thin over too much bread (Lord of the Rings credit.) It’s like gold that’s been diluted with other metals in some sick attempt to cheat the buyer. Pure maple syrup that’s been divided into ten bottles filled the rest of the way with corn syrup.
