Going with the golden formula

With a record of 27 prequels, sequels, remakes or spin-offs, 2011 has been a year in which Hollywood has solely relied on past glories to fill its coffers. Take a look

It’s often said that there can never be too much of a good thing. Hollywood seems to have taken the adage quite seriously. Movie-makers and production houses have re-hatched tried and tested hits of the past decade to offer audiences, more and more of their favourites. Some have worked, while others have bombed. Today, we take a look at some of the biggest names from popular franchises that have returned to the big screen this year.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part II)
Ten years after the first movie, the eighth and final installment in the Harry Potter series opened to hysteric audiences across the world. This rousing finale is not only the highest grossing movie of 2011 but also the highest grossing movie of the entire franchise, having surpassed the 1-billion mark by a long shot. A fitting end to a magical series, we say.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn (Part I)
Despite having proven to be mediocre movies at best, the craze of the Twilight saga doesn’t seem to have ebbed. If anything, it seems to intensify with each edition. Less than three weeks since it’s release, it’s sitting on a cool 250 million. No prizes for guessing how popular the finale will be.

Transformers -Dark of the Moon
If you ask the Box-office, it will be sure to tell you it loved Dark of the Moon. Us? Not so much. Yeah, sure the 3D and special effects are great, and the Autobots and Decepticons are back in action but we do wish they powered down for a bit.

Kung Fu Panda 2
If there’s one sequel on this list we are glad to see, it’s the return of the Dragon Warrior. While this edition suffers a little in terms of plot and freshness, the visual effects are on par, if not it surpasses, the original and are simply to die for. All in all, a thumbs-up for Po.

Fast Five
Moving away from its previous editions, the Fast Five follows Dominic, Brian and Mia as they plan a $100M heist. That the fifth installment of the Fast and Furious series is the fifth-highest grossing movie of the year, tells its own story.

X Men: First Class
That Marvel heroes make for great movies is no news. A prequel to the X-men series, First Class tells the story of how Charles and Erik, once best friends, became the Prof X and Magneto as we know them today.  As they say, mutant and proud!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Those who watched Dead Man’s Chest and swore that they would never get enough of Captain Jack Sparrow are now on the verge of saying ‘enough’. Without Keira Knightley or Orlando Bloom; an ounce of originality or moderation, On Stranger Tides without the power of its predecessors would have sank without a trace.

The Hangover Part II
That Hangover is a brilliant movie, we have no doubt. But it’s follow up…well, not so much. We are not saying it’s not funny, we are just saying it’s not anything like the original.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Okay, so this caught us by surprise. It came at a time when we had quite forgotten the original. But Andy Merkis and the super stylish special effects makes for a worthwhile watch! If you can brave the cameo by Frieda Pinto, that is.

Mission Impossible, Ghost Protocol 
So, technically it hasn’t even released yet. But we already know it’s going straight to the top. Ethan Hunt is back on another mission, which is ‘impossible.’ Will he be a fourth time lucky? We’ll have to wait and watch.

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Category: Arts & Entertainment, Cinema, Hollywood