4 Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movies That Deserved a Sequel!

It’s incredibly frustrating for movie lovers like me to watch an amazing film that makes you wonder what is next. Whether it ends with a cliffhanger or not, some films are just designed to have a sequel, and when the years go by and there's no sequel in sight, heartbreak sets in. What’s truly infuriating is that when franchises like Halloween or Fast & Furious are on their 12th or 13th film when it should have ended around three, and we can’t get a good one film follow-up. So, dedicated to all of the films that we never received, here are great movies that deserved a sequel:

1. The Darkest Minds (2018)

Taking place in a dystopian society where an illness affecting the world’s youths has granted the survivors special abilities, The Darkest Minds is a film that is worth a watch if you haven't seen it. The film is based on the book by Alexandra Bracken who has written four novels in the series and multiple novellas.

The film follows Ruby Daly (Amandla Stenberg), a girl who has survived the virus and is given a rare ability. Due to the fear the government has of the abilities of the children survivors, they created work camps that segregate kids based on the abilities they have. From least to most dangerous, Greens are the children that have been given the ability of enhanced intelligence, Blues have telekinetic abilities, and Golds are able to manipulate electricity. These 3 categories are deemed safe to live and remain in the camps. Considered most dangerous are Reds and Oranges, two that are ordered to be killed on sight. Oranges have mind control abilities and are the rarest group, while Reds are the most lethal and possess Pyrokinesis abilities.

After wiping her parents' memories by mistake, Ruby ends up in the camps posing as a Green until she is older. When the camp finds out she is an Orange, she is saved by a “doctor” who helps her escape. She is a part of a group who collects kids to fight back against the government. Not knowing who to trust, she escapes and finds 3 children fighting for survival and attempting to get to a safe haven.

2. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

This film is one of my childhood favorites. It stars Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, and Teresa Palmer and is a movie full of magic, action, and witty humor. It has a setting based in modern-day New York City but reverts to the important history of the late-13th century. 

The film follows David Stutler (Baruchel), a physics nerd who has struggled to "get the girl" since he was a child, and Balthazar Blake (Cage), a protegé of the great sorcerer Merlin who was bested by a rival evil sorcerer. Tasked with finding Merlin’s successor, Balthazar is given a dragon ring and searches the world for decades to find a successor. Walking into his store through fate, young David tries on the ring and is chosen successor. Accidentally unleashing one of Balthazar’s nemeses in the process, a fight breaks out and Bathazar is trapped. Years later, Balthazar is released and finds David, a physics student at NYU now, and convinces him to learn the ways of sorcery to fight the impending evil. Combining his love for physics and sorcery, an unlikely combination that somehow works great together, David struggles to balance his love affair and his commitment to learning the art of magic with Balthazar. In a final showdown, David gets his act together to become what he was destined to be: Merlin’s successor.

Although the film doesn’t necessarily suggest a need for a sequel in the end, it certainly was a fantastic movie that gives plenty of room for another "save the world" type of adventure that can feature David’s new abilities. It is actually shocking to many that a sequel never came. Hints were thrown by Cage and Baruchel that there would be a sequel, but it never came to be. It did well at the box office, grossing $215.3 million. There were many rumors about a sequel, and it’s never too late to cross your fingers and hope we still get one.

Stream on Disney+.

3. I Am Number Four (2011)

Based on a book of the same name in the Lorien Legacies young adult science fiction series, I Am Number Four is a fantastic sci-fi movie that was written by Pittacus Lore. There are 5 books that follow the first: The Power of Six, The Rise of Nine, The Fall of Five, The Revenge of Seven, and The Fate of Ten.

The film follows John Smith (Alex Pettyfer) as he settles down in a small town in Ohio after being on the run all of his life. He is number four of eighteen refugees from an alien planet called Lorien. The nine children and nine guards are the last of their race and are being hunted down by their enemies. Having to be killed in sequence, number three was killed, and as John settles in at his new high school trying to blend in, he is gifted his special alien powers. Attempting to blend in, he discovers a new love while battling his enemies off so his race can survive. Finding number six, the fourth and sixth refugee become an unstoppable force that are able to temporarily stop their enemies before John must leave his love to flee with the promise of coming back.

With this ending and the other books in the series, it is clear that the film was not meant to be a stand-alone movie. The open-ended final scene left viewers wishing for a sequel that just never came. Originally a sequel was part of the plan, but the idea of a second film was thrown away due to negative reactions from critics. With a 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, but making back triple its $60 million budget, it’s a shame there was never a sequel. However, the film wasn’t canceled -- just put on an indefinite hold.

Stream on Hulu and YouTube.

4. Jumper (2008)

Loosely based on Steven Gould’s 1992 sci-fi novel of the same name, Jumper is a movie that features superpowers of teleportation as well as a secret society that is dedicated to hunting them down due to believing that they are "abominations". The film features Samuel L. Jackson and Hayden Christensen.

The movie focuses on Christensen’s character, David Rice, a young boy who is bullied in front of high school crush, Millie (Rachel Bilson), in the first scene. He gives Millie a snowglobe, and one of his classmates tosses it onto the ice of a frozen lake. While he is attempting to retrieve it, the ice breaks and he falls under, losing the opening where he broke through and slowly drowning. All of a sudden, he finds himself soaked in the school library after accidentally teleporting there. With his newfound power, he decides to leave his abusive household and live a life of crime to obtain money quickly. He uses his powers to rob banks stealthily. After 8 years pass, he lives a luxurious life teleporting all over the world when he is approached by Samuel L. Jackson’s character, Roland Cox, a member of the secret society called the Paladins that want to eradicate jumpers. He escapes to his hometown where he bumps into Millie again and convinces her to travel with him, teaming up with a fellow jumper to save Millie and fight against the Paladins.

The film ends with no clear motive for a sequel, but with Millie and David deciding to travel on, there is certainly an open possibility for one. The film did fantastic in the box office, grossing over $225 million worldwide with an $85 million budget. However, similar to other films on this list, negative reviews tanked plans for a sequel. Most negative reviews came from the fact that the film greatly differed from Gould’s novel and that the ending felt rushed. Plans for a second film ended up getting pushed to the backburner and it was simply never picked up.

Rent on Prime Video, YouTube, and Apple TV.