A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of watching the final instalment (or so we have been told) of the Indiana Jones saga. I say "pleasure" not because of any joy I had in watching the movie, but because of the small measure of hope I hold onto that another sequel won't be made after Indy four. Why hope? Because Indiana Jones is another example of the, unfortunately, growing epidemic "sequelitis." This obvious trend coming from Hollywood doesn't seem to be losing its momentum.   

Sequelitis is a disease solely affecting Hollywood decision makers and provokes them to make sequels out of any property that has made any money. Symptoms include trying to reanimate lifeless characters long after they were declared dead and reviving storylines already showing signs of decay from overuse.

In 2007, sequelitis hit epidemic levels. In the short span of a few months audiences were treated to: Hannibal Rising, The Hills Have Eyes 2, Spiderman 3, Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Ocean's 13, Rush Hour 3, Die Hard 4, 28 Weeks Later, Saw IV, Resident Evil 3, Hostel 2, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, The Bourne Ultimatum, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Mr. Bean's Vacation and Evan Almighty. It is very probable that during some weeks many movie theatres throughout the world only offered sequels.

There are other diseases similar in Hollywood-nature. When Hollywood re-launches a well-known franchise or property such as Halloween, Nancy Drew or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this is "relaunchitis." Or when Hollywood makes feature films out of TV series such as The Simpsons or Aqua Teen Hunger Force-- "TVerculosis." And finally, they will take a classic movie such as Rear Window (1954), put in a hot, young cast, make it simpler to understand and call it something hip like Disturbia --"rehash syndrome".

Sequelitis has even infected non-Hollywood films to some degree. Witness last year's Elizabeth: The Golden Age, which was a sequel to the modest art house film Elizabeth (1998). Sequelitis has also gotten into foreign films such as the Russian film Day Watch which was a follow up to the Russian blockbuster Night Watch (2004).

At first, sequilitis was thought to be a localized concern, but in recent years it has spread to infect more and more quality original films. The long-term effects remain to be seen, but some experts feel that sequilitis actually can take a healthy original film and make it suffer by taking characters and storylines in new directions that hurt the memory of the original beloved film.   Others say that if the epidemic continues, some day we may only have sequels and no original movies. Every film will start off as a part two or three.

Please don't get me wrong - I actually like many sequel films. Most of the time we are facing a choice between a mediocre movie with characters we've seen before or a mediocre movie with brand new characters. In that case, why not take a chance that we might get an interesting story with characters we've already grown to know and love? Unfortunately, for so many reasons, lightning rarely strikes twice in the same place. What was great chemistry in an original one-off film often gets mired in outlandish story ideas on how to get all the characters back together for the sequel. Or sometimes not all the creative elements are back for the second time around, so it never quite equals the original. But every once in awhile a sequel hits all the right marks and captures the essence of the original or even improves on it by taking the world in a new direction (Godfather 2, Aliens, Terminator 2).

So what's the cure for sequelitis? So far, doctors and film critics have yet to find one.   Unfortunately, the disease is easily fuelled by consumers who are more than happy to part with their hard-earned money to see a movie with a number behind it thinking it's a safer bet than a movie they maybe haven't heard much about. I could recommend that the way to try to slow down the spread of the disease is to ask movie lovers to stop going to see all sequels. However, that's like asking a fish to stop drinking water. And to be fair, every once in awhile a sequel turns out to be a standalone piece of quality work. So if Hollywood needs the sequels to survive financially, then it seems like no consumer movement can stop it. I just hope there is still enough money left over to do a few original films each year and I pray we never see the day when we have no other choice but to sit through Rocky 9: The Nursing Home Fights.

Timm Doolen is currently the Executive Director of Programs at IAFT and the Director of Creative Development at Bigfoot Entertainment. He started his production career 10 years ago making low-budget documentaries, including the award-winning "Explaining From The Inside" which analyzed the media coverage of the 1999 Texas A&M University bonfire tragedy that killed 12 students.

In 2003, he assisted producer Bob Cooper at the newly formed Landscape Entertainment and helped work on "Sleepover" and "Mr. Woodcock." Timm then assumed casting director and production coordinator duties on the low-budget feature "Think Tank". In his spare time he has directed, produced, written and cast several short films, including "The Man With No Eyes" which premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel.