Tuesday, Dec. 03, 2002

The Sequel Syndrome

By RICHARD CORLISS

Who looks for innovation, even revelation, in a movie sequel? Fans of The Matrix, that's who. The 1999 original, which embedded theology and mathematical theory inside its gravity-defying martial-arts action, played like the first thrilling chapter in a classic saga. So there's plenty of want-see for the Wachowski brothers' two sequels due out in 2003. We hear that The Matrix Reloaded (May) and The Matrix Revolutions (November) are one very long movie with two acts and a six-month intermission. See you in the queue.

As for the glut of other sequels — X-Men, Charlie's Angels, Legally Blonde, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Spy Kids, Meet the Parents, The Fast and the Furious (minus Vin Diesel) and The Terminator (with Arnold Schwarzenegger but without director James Cameron) — think of them as annuities for cautious movie stars. But nobody in Hollywood said that movies had to move you. It's enough if they move the merchandise, and franchises did just that in 2002. When the year's box office shakes out, the top seven earners will probably include four sequels (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Austin Powers), a comic-book movie (Spider Man), an alien-invasion thriller (Signs) and one wild card: My Big Fat Greek Wedding, made for $5 million and with $200 million already in the till.

Quality rarely makes a bundle, but for 2003 we'll bank on four comedies with pedigree talent behind them. Intolerable Cruelty is the new Coen Bros. comedy, with George Clooney as a golddigger who plans to make a killing off rich lady Catherine Zeta-Jones. Richard Curtis (Notting Hill, Bridget Jones's Diary, Blackadder) has an ensemble comedy called Love Actually. The world's densest comic book, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, comes to the screen with Sean Connery and a host of other sexy geezers. And the Pixar brains (Toy Story, Monsters Inc.) have a fish story called Finding Nemo. If we find four good movies in 2003, we'll consider it a good catch.