9 Movie Sequels And Reboots That Were Ruined By ‘Woke’ Politics

Everybody loves a movie sequel. They’re just loathe to admit it.

It’s why Hollywood banks on our nostalgia again, and again, even if the results often come up short. For every “Godfather Part II” or “Fast & Furious 5” there’s a “Speed 2” or, gasp, “Caddyshack II.”

It also explains why the industry reboots blockbuster TV shows, hoping to capture lightning in a bottle … again.

A new problem plagues Hollywood’s impulse for sequels, reboots and never-ending shows, one that extends beyond casting changes and a dearth of imagination. Too often the modern material goes woke, all but crushing the joys found in the originals.

The following examples reveal just that, turning properties into buzz kills that snuffed out their respective franchises …or make the thought of more sequels a nightmare.

“And Just Like That …”

“Sex and the City” made Sarah Jessica Parker a star and spawned two feature-length films. The second, 2010’s “Sex and the City 2,” drew so much disdain it looked like the property was down for the count.

Enter HBO Max, which saw a chance to reunite the gal pals and tell stories about their lives as glamorous, 50-something women. That, on paper, sounded promising. Hollywood too often neglects older women on screen, and it could be fun to see this vivacious foursome take on middle age in style.

Except Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha on the series, wanted no part of a reunion. More troubling? HBO Max saw fit to apologize for the original show’s “thought crimes” (too white, too much privilege) with the new show, “And Just Like That…”

By all accounts the show’s first few episodes teem with woke flourishes. Parker’s character is now a podcast co-host alongside a queer, nonbinary partner who rants for a good five minutes about all things woke in the early going.

Miranda also apologies for not being woke enough, an embarrassing sequence that must have been a chore for actress Cynthia Nixon to shoot. At least we hope that was the case.

Worst of all, a show once known for bawdy humor and outrageous shtick is now serious, sober and full of self doubt. Where’s the fun in that, let alone the “Sex?”

“Charlie’s Angels”

It’s the reboot no one asked for, which became clear when no one showed up to see it. Yes, that $17 million box office haul proved embarrassing to all involved, but it’s not as ghastly as the film itself.

The 2000 “Charlie’s Angels” film, based on the kitschy TV series of yore, earned $125 million at the U.S. box office. That film featured a trio of beautiful stars who leaned into the franchise’s glamour, action and fun.

The 2019 remake/reboot literally started on a woke note. Progressive actress Kristen Stewart tells a would-be lover, “I believe women can do anything…”

It only got worse from there, with director Elizabeth Banks leaning harder into the film’s feminism over bikinis and boffo action.

“Star Wars”

The ninth and final film in the original “Star Wars” saga, 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker,” earned $515 million at the U.S. box office. That doesn’t sound like a get woke, go broke horror story, does it?

Except “The Force Awakens,” the first film in the most recent “Star Wars” trilogy, scored $936 million four years earlier.

That’s a precipitous drop, in part, because Disney turned a cherished film saga into a virtue signaling parade. The new trilogy introduced us to several Mary Sue figures – think Rose Tico and Rey, the main character in the revived series. We also endured a pansexual Lando Calrissian, a meaningless class warfare plot in “The Last Jedi” and the emasculation of the one character ready to take the rogue baton from Han Solo – Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron.

Now, the “Star Wars” film series is in drydock, and the franchise’s savior is Baby Yoda, a creature at the heart of Disney+’s “Mandalorian.” That series may return to a diminished audience, though, after Disney cruelly, unfairly sacked co-star Gina Carano for speaking her mind, without hate, on social media.

Disney ponied up $4 billion to George Lucas in 2012 to buy the rights to all things “Star Wars.” Now, the Mouse House can’t get a new “Star Wars” film off the ground. The most promising title, “Rogue Squadron,” just got shelved, and a deal to let the “Game of Thrones” team create their own “Star Wars” trilogy never got off the ground.

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”

On some level, Sacha Baron Cohen knew this was a bad idea. It’s why he waited 14 years to bring Borat back to (virtual) theaters. Only he wasn’t driven by any divine inspiration or creative spark. He wanted to weaponize the clueless character against all things Trump.

Did it matter that “Subsequent Moviefilm” is virtually laugh free for its final 45 minutes? Not to Cohen, who used the film and its publicity push to share his talking points on President Trump, former

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases