Here are 15 amazing movies that left us wanting more!
Introduction
More than often, we come across movie titles that fill us with pure joy and satisfaction after watching them. We immediately start thinking about the sequel and the possible follow-up scenarios, only to find out that there will be none. This manages to visibly make us contemptuous and filled with disappointment towards the producers, but it’s a harsh reality that we all have to accept, and see the glass half-full, for the greater things that will come to our screens.
However, curiosity starts to set in and gets the best of us as we start looking for similar materials to the movie we loved so much, such as books, comics, spin-offs, and TV series. We just have to find out more about the story and our favorite character, so we can have our mini “closure.” First-world problems, I know, but I am guilty of that more than I’d like to admit.
I imagine there must be thousands of movies and shows that turned out like that for many of us. The reasons can be plenty, such as the story line not really allowing any major addition to the existing plot to facilitate a second or third sequel. Or it might be the low box office numbers. It might also be that we wouldn’t want to watch its sequel, since multiple original titles have been ruined out of pure greed by the producers (AKA “milking the cow”).
However, today I am going to share with you the most captivating movies that managed to engrave themselves in my mind. I find that those are of high quality from multiple points of view, and if you happen to have missed them, here is your chance to check them out.
(WARNING: spoilers ahead!)
1. Dredd (2012)
In a future where chaos and crime have become a cultural identity, only Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) can put people into their places, as he portrays a cop that has the authority of a judge, jury, and executioner at the same time. The plot is simple: a female drug lord called ‘Ma-Ma’, who resides in a 200-story building, has eliminated all the gangs in the same building, and now, free of competition, she can sell her unique drug, and rule over the oppressed residents. It’s up to Judge Dredd along with the fresh recruit Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) to put an end to Ma-ma’s plans.
The unfolding of events is pretty straightforward and the dialogue, although minimal, has a decent impact. However, what really makes this movie outstanding is the talent of the actors portraying their personas perfectly, and the evident talent of the director in all the action scenes. Speaking of which, the action scenes are brutal and the tone of the movie is serious, and it expects you to take it seriously.
In my movie library, this is tagged as a masterpiece, though, it flopped because it didn’t “make it big” in the box office. Hence, they decided to abandon the idea of any sequel, at least for the time being. If you haven’t watched it, I strongly recommend it. Not to be confused with Judge Dredd (1995) played by Sylvester Stallone.
2. Interstellar (2014)
That’s definitely a movie that everybody has talked about at least once since its release. Interstellar (2014) has managed to capture the attention of both young and old generations with its captivating scenes, the mind-blowing concepts of space-time, and the first-ever real simulation of a black hole for movie purposes.
The plot takes place in 2067, where everything seems to lead to the demise of humankind as food and oxygen are becoming scarce, with corn standing as the most viable solution. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), a retired astronaut, is living in peace with his daughter, Murph (Mackenzie Foy), when suddenly he observes dust patterns in his room caused by gravitational waves, leading him to a secret NASA base and meeting his former supervisor. After the meeting, it’s decided that he’ll travel into space in search of a black hole in order to unfold the secrets of gravity and finally save humanity.
Watching this movie makes you completely lose your sense of space and time (pun intended) as you will be mesmerized by the spectacular scenes and special effects in combination with the enigmatic laws of gravity and relativity. It sure is an experience that you should not miss. My guess on why there’s no sequel yet, boils down to the plot itself. There was a start, a middle, and a finish. Any sequels after that wouldn’t be “elegant.” Maybe a different title with a similar context would be better instead.
3. Upgrade (2018)
Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green), your average mechanic, gets attacked by four men, and he was left paralyzed from the neck and below. His only option now is to accept the implementation of a chip-like device called STEM with integrated AI that will control his body, and this is where the “fun” begins. The AI is far more advanced than anybody has ever seen and is attempting through Grey’s body to reach its goal.
The movie is not well known, and it made only $17,000,000 at the box office. However, with a budget of around $3 million, I think it did quite well. I can assure you that this is worth watching as it diversifies itself from the rest of the movies, by being unusual and refreshing. On the other hand, producing additional installments of this movie wouldn’t really “cut it”, since there isn’t enough room for an additional plot. However, the director/producer of the movie has expressed his desire to make a second one with a larger budget. If that’s true, then I’ll have to wait and see if the second one will be just as successful as this one.
4. District 9 (2009)
District 9 is also one of those unusual movies. Although it’s featuring aliens and a spaceship, it places a plot twist by making those aliens similar to illegal immigrants who reside in the city. This is contradictory to the picture of aliens being a super-advanced race that just wants to exterminate humans and take the Earth’s resources, like your typical “alien vs. humans” cliché.
What’s amazing in this movie, is the inhuman nature of actual humans against their own kin. It also shows us that when interests overlap, humans and aliens can actually cooperate. I have to warn you, though, that the explicit scenes might not be appropriate for minors or even adults. I don’t want to spoil it any further, so you should just go ahead and watch it. No second thoughts about it. As to why there is no sequel yet, it’s attributed to some other factors that are out of the scope of this article.
5. Ex Machina (2014)
A genius programmer and founder of the ‘Blue Book’ search engine, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), invites through a programming contest Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) to his house. Caleb is to find out that this invitation wasn’t random, but served the purpose of him being the one to perform a ‘Turing’ test on the first-ever AI humanoid robot, ‘Ava’ (Alicia Vikader).
Although the movie revolves only around the CEO’s luxurious house, it will successfully captivate your mind and your emotions, and make you as confused as the tester himself, though in a positive sense. I’m not sure if I should call this movie “sci-fi”, “horror”, “romance”, “chick flick” and whatnot, but the impact it left on me, is something that I am going to remember forever. I conclude that Ex Machina should have a sequel, as the ending opens many doors. So far, nothing has been confirmed.
6. Tron Legacy (2010)
The plot of this title is easy to understand and follow through, especially if you have already watched Tron (1982). Sam Flynn, son of Kevin Flynn, after 20 years after his father’s disappearance, finally gets some hints of his whereabouts. He visits his old man’s closed arcade game center and down to its basement, only to accidentally find himself teleported in a different dimension. That’s where the good stuff begins.
Overall, you will be left with a world of mind-blowing visual & sound effects, and music tracks by none other than ‘DaftPunk’. If you’re lucky enough to find a theater nearby that plays older movies, go ahead and watch it. Even people who don’t like these kinds of movies liked it, and that says a lot about this one.
For the fans out there that are already familiar with the movie, I know that you would probably say: “But Tron Legacy IS the sequel, so it shouldn’t be on this list!” True. However, it’s been about 30 years of difference between these two, and both movies use way different technologies to portray the Tron universe, so much that I felt Tron Legacy is a new start. Technology and plot-wise, it would make more sense to start a trilogy from this point on. But, that’s just my opinion.
Although the movie was enjoyed by the majority of the world and hit high numbers at the box office (about $400 mill.), Disney decided that it wouldn’t be a good call to make a sequel. Fast forward to 2020 and while everybody was disappointed and expected nothing more, rumors arose indicating that Tron Ares (Tron 3) is going to happen, and Jared Leto is going to star in it. Let us hope that if it happens, it will be just as great as the previous one.
7. Ghost In The Shell (2017)
A title based on a Japanese cyberpunk anime series makes its appearance on the big screen. Mia Killian (Scarlett Johannson), after being a victim of a terrorist attack rendering her body completely useless, gets her brain transferred to a synthetic body, becoming the first-ever cyborg that doesn’t use AI.
After having her memories wiped clean from her creator, she’s now part of a counter-terrorist bureau. Everything seems to fall in place, until she starts having hallucinations about her past. That, in combination with certain events, drives her to seek the truth and consequently a lot of trouble.
The plot tries to be more linear by not following the anime strictly. Ghost in The Shell series fans might be disappointed or outraged that this movie wasn’t a perfect adaptation, and they would be probably right. Movies that are based on anime are bound to be confusing, and cannot simply be represented in a 2-hour session.
Still, I was lucky to watch it before watching the anime, so I thoroughly enjoyed it without having my judgment clouded by other factors. If you have watched the original series, you should try to separate those two things in your mind. You are going to enjoy it. The visual and sound effects, along with the acting of Scarlett set in a cyberpunk future, simply cannot fail to deliver. There is no sequel announced yet, but I’d want to see more of it.
8. Wall-E (2008)
Who can forget this little guy after watching the 2008 CGI-animated movie? I bet there isn’t a single person who watched it, and didn’t bother to make some room in his heart for this cute scrap robot.
Wall-E depicts the future of Earth in the 29th century as being a garbage wasteland, with everybody having been evacuated by ‘BnL Starliners’. The same company left behind on Earth a series of robots (Wall-E) to clean the surface and manage the waste. However, only one tiny robot remains operational, and that’s our protagonist.
This was one of those one-hit wonders where the movie was simply brilliant with the minimum script and dialogue but with so much emotion, ironically, from our metal friend. I don’t really mind not seeing a sequel to this, but I would really love to see a similar movie in the future.
9. Chappie (2015)
Chappie is another dystopian sci-fi movie that takes place in Johannesburg of South Africa, where the crime rate is sky-high, and the only solution is to deploy highly effective assault robots to deal with the criminals. Deon Wilson (Dev Patel), a programmer, who is working for the manufacturer of the robots (‘Tetravaal’), is experimenting on a fully autonomous A.I. Although his boss Michelle Bradley (Sigourney Weaver) doesn’t allow him to experiment on the units, he still does so. Soon, his experiment finds success, but the robot is kidnapped by a gang called ‘Ninja’ (Die Antwoord), and soon after they named it “Chappie.”
Throughout the movie, I didn’t find a single boring moment, as it was simple and very entertaining. Chappie feels more human than humans ever felt, and the plot twists by the end, making you want for more. A Chappie 2 sequel has been ruled out by the director himself (Neill Blomkamp) due to lower box office than expected and because he is busy with other titles. If you haven’t watched it already, Elysium (2013) might do the trick, since it has similar vibes as Chappie (same director).
10. Bird Box (2018)
This was one of a kind movie for me, mostly due to its novel horror element, and the way the protagonist deals with that in particular. Long story short, a supernatural entity shows up in the skies, causing a psychological shock to whoever dares as much as to look at it. This psychological damage leads to the victims either committing suicide or killing other people.
As a countermeasure, the protagonist (Sandra Bullock) along with her two children, put on a blindfold. Trying to survive with a blindfold during chaos is already too much, but I promise you, this one will keep you pinned on your seat throughout its duration.
The ending left too many aspects to be addressed, so a sequel is necessary. Good news though, as a sequel is already under development by Netflix, and is going to be called Maloire.
11. Oblivion (2013)
In the post-apocalyptic future, Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) and Victoria Olsen (Andrea Riseborough) are the few remaining humans left on Earth, after aliens destroyed the Moon, and invaded it. Although humans won by initiating a nuclear war, the aftermath made Earth an inhabitable planet. The couple, serving as investigators and repair mechanics of the combat drones that fight the remaining aliens, eventually find a mysterious girl named Julia (Olga Kurylenko), who has temporarily lost her memories.
Julia slowly recovering memories, in combination with Jack’s “findings” during a surveillance mission of his, are to unravel a big conspiracy and mystery that unknowingly surrounded the events of the war leading to completely different conclusions about the fate of the Earth and humanity. The plot is a bit complex and I don’t want to spoil it, as the mystery in this movie was what captivated me the most.
This is one of the “10/10” movies that I’d recommend. I really cannot wait for a sequel and even though Tom Cruise himself would like to do a sequel, the director is still not revealing anything yet. If a second one were to happen, allegedly, it would focus mostly on the backstory of the first one.
12. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Mad Max: Fury Road revolves around a post-apocalyptic era where civilization has collapsed, and resources have become scarce. Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy), a patrol officer, is captured and used as a blood bag by the ‘War Boys’ army of Immortan Joe. Some conflict occurs, and Max escapes with the help of Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) during the chaos. However, that is just the beginning of the conflict with Joe. Anyhow, this is how the movie can be roughly summarized.
What really strikes me, is the colossal budget of $180 million for this movie. How could a movie portraying some gangs and some old cars in the desert cost so much to produce?! Even though the budget was so high, it still returned about $375.5 million. So, I guess the producers knew what they were doing. I do know that the Mad Max Trilogy (1980s) with lead star Mel Gibson already exists, but this one is a fresh reboot, and deserves its own trilogy. It gives me the same “old-Tron vs. new-Tron” movie vibes.
News regarding a sequel is positive, though it’s said that Furiosa won’t be portrayed any more by Charlize. Either way, I think I’m going to enjoy it, just like I did with the two titles. It’s a setting that I love, and if the third installment is done properly, it will easily go to my “Favorites” section of my movie library.
13. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Normally, I shouldn’t have to explain why I added this movie to the list. However, in case there is just a small chance that you might have missed this then let me tell you that this is one of the most-watched and recognizable movies out there. The plot is hard to explain in just a few lines because there are in total seven narrative sequences, and it would take a lot of space.
This Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece, with its catchy phrases and splendid music, hasn’t just been drilled into our heads forever, but they’ve been great source materials for countless memes. For now, Pulp Fiction 2 is still on the talk. I hope it doesn’t take long before they make it real.
14. I Am Legend (2007)
Just mentioning this movie gives me the chills. I watched it when I was quite young, and it really did a number on me. I simply couldn’t take my eyes from the screen, and the heartbeats it gave me, went through the roof. I Am Legend is again another post-apocalyptic movie with Will Smith as the lead actor. The outbreak of a mutated variant of the measles virus causes death to most people, but turns a small percentage of them into aggressive and mindless forms of humans. Robert Neville (Will Smith) is stranded with his dog in a city full of wild creatures, trying to survive and at the same time attempting to create a cure. That’s it. I won’t spoil anything further, as I strongly recommend watching it yourself.
The movie made it big at the box office (approx. $600 million), therefore it would make sense to expect a second one. A sequel was confirmed and dropped multiple times, but the verdict is: it won’t happen. I guess it’s up to the “big boys” to decide if they’re going to give it another shot. For now, we just hope and wait.
15. Scent of a Woman (1992)
Scent of a Woman (1992) is the last item I included in this list. Not so much about it being a title that we expect a sequel, but mostly about the quality of the movie and the impeccable acting that was flawlessly displayed during those 157 minutes, and, thus, making it something that we woudln’t expect to see any time soon.
Al Pachino, as Frank Slade, is a retired Lieutenant Colonel who has lost his sight, and now a young student, Charlie Simms (Chris O’Donnell), is hired to watch over him for a weekend for some extra pocket money. Charlie is soon to find out that this is just the beginning of his “adventures” with Lt. Col. Slade.
I will never forget the powerful speech that Slade gave in front of the disciplinary committee to defend Charlie during his unfair trial simply for denying being a snitch. Slade gave everybody a good lecture on integrity and character strength and saved Charlie from his punishment. And that’s why I want to see more! What happens to Slade thereafter? What else can he teach us?
This is a movie that has so much emotion that it is simply impossible to describe in text. If you haven’t already, just go ahead and watch it.
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