"S" Is More

 Def Rec: Pluralizing Movies

“You don’t face your fears, you ride ‘em!”

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This is Def Rec,a blog about entertainment experiences you will definitely recommend. Movie minutia and television tidbits get ranked, rated, reviewed, and skewed, and in the end, you’ll know which one to Def Rec. I’m Jon McBrine, I’m an authority on popular entertainment and pop culture because I have access to the internet.

When it comes to movie sequels, the more the merrier. If you want to up the ante, raise the stakes, and all around make it a Blockbuster night, then the best thing to do is pluralize something. That’s right, adding an S to the end of your movie title expands your horizons and well, um, adds more of the original thing. 1979’s Alien was a classic, but you know what’s better than one Alien? Lots of them. The 1986 sequel Aliens gave sci-fi survival horror fans a Xenomorph party, and everyone was invited. 2004 went big with Alien vs. Predator, but by the time its sequel rolled around, the filmmakers knew that it’s a numbers game and titled this one Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). The same attitude went into making more entries in the Anaconda series, with 2004’s Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid and the 2009 TV movie Anacondas: Trail of Blood. Some flicks think they’re slick by making a slight alteration to the sequel name, like when 2019’s Captain Marvel got its follow-up in 2023 with The Marvels. The MCU got their plural title in, and that’s what’s important. Of course, no one can hold a candle to the all-time greatest: a sequel to Air Bud called Air Buddies (2006). That being said, Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011) comes close.

I’ll break down the top three movies that give the S its due, and then I’ll reveal which is the number one pick I recommend.

Number one: Predators from 2010. James Cameron gave us multiples of aliens, so since these two franchises are interwoven, it was only a matter of time before there’d be a film prominently declaring that there would indeed be a whole mess of Predators. The sci-fi actioner starred Adrien Brody as macho soldier Royce, who fights alongside a dirty dozen band of warrior types stuck on a strange jungle planet. Walton Goggins plays Stans, a foul-mouthed prisoner. Laurence Fishburne played Roland, a dude who had seen way too many seasons hiding from the killer aliens. Alice Braga played Isabelle, a military sniper, and Topher Grace as Dr. Edwin, a nerdy doctor with a dark secret—an interesting cast that contributed to the film earning… actually a lot of money. Stranded on an intergalactic game preserve, our merry band of killers fights for survival. Because this is a Predator movie, the characters get picked off one by one, eventually resulting in Royce and Isabelle being the last soldiers standing. The film ends on, well, with our heroes being forced to compete in a never-ending battle with the alien hunters. Due to the violent nature of the humans, we are left to ponder: who were the real predators? Royce and company, or the Yautja, which is what the titular creatures are called in many non-live-action things like books and comics. Whatever the case may be, I think the bloom has long since left the rose with this franchise, and while it’s fun to see some nostalgia fan service elements, maybe there have been enough predators after all.

Reason to Rec: If you’re a fan of the Predator franchise, then this film is in many ways an homage to the lore itself. Its heart is in the right place and delivers in its promise of more than one alien hunter battling humans.

Number two: Rings from 2017. No, it’s not a documentary about Sonic the Hedgehog. It’s a horror sequel to The Ring franchise that began its American reign of terror in 2002. Based on the Japanese movie Ringu from 1998, the U.S. adaptation had its first major motion picture sequel, The Ring Two, in 2005, but there was another entry entitled Rings before the 2017 film of the same name. Confused yet? The original Rings was a short video that bridges the gap between The Ring and The Ring Two. It explores the stories of characters who are set up in The Ring Two. Flash forward to the full-length Rings in 2017 and its new cast, including Matilda Lutz as Julia, Alex Roe as Holt, Johnny Galecki as Gabriel, and Vincent D’Onofrio as Burke. Contortionist Bonnie Morgan portrays Samara, the ghostly girl who is the subject of the cursed videotape that is said to kill people seven days after viewing the creepy footage. After a series of cliché horror movie events one may expect, such as uninteresting protagonist terrorized by the tortured spirit of Samara, and one trope-filled sequence after another, the lead character Julia turns out to be a rebirthed version of Samara. The chief complaint from audiences is that Rings is a tad boring, which may be the reason why we haven’t seen any new sequels in America. We as a nation are ringed out. This is one to watch out of pure curiosity, like “what else did they or could they do with the story at this point?” If nothing else, if it’s as boring as some critics say it was, you’ll be able to count rings instead of sheep as you drift off to a cozy slumber.

Number three: Twisters from 2024. Spinning out of 1996’s Twister, the next generation of storm chasers was introduced at a time when society needed a tornado movie the most. Starring Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kate, Glen Powell as Tyler, Anthony Ramos as Javi, and David Corenswet as Scott, this belated sequel turned out to be a hit with moviegoers and a fun addition to the franchise. Sure, nothing will top the original Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton pairing, but Twisters was a whirlwind of thrills and worthy of movies that pluralizes the original’s title. In the film, Kate is spiraling in her boring meteorologist job, but is thrown back in the mix among her former storm-chasing squad in Oklahoma. Tyler is the bad boy weather expert, and we are treated to a fine enemies-to-lovers kind of story. Whether you’re big into environmental disaster sequences or a will-they-won’t-they vibe, Twisters brought the heat in 2024. The movie’s name makes good on its promise of more than one twister, but is it worth a standalone viewing, not part of a double feature involving the original? The 1996 movie is a time capsule of a different era of films and life in general back then, but it’s hard to recreate the magic. I’d say if you only have time for one, make it a singular twister, unless you’ve seen it to death.

Reason to Rec: If you’ve watched the first movie a ton, then give the new one a whirl—or should I say twirl?

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Def Rec: Of the three films I’ve discussed, the one I definitely recommend the most is Twisters. No, it’s not as good as the first one, but as far as belated cash-grab sequels go, the movie about more than one twister is a good time at the theater or at home. Plus, you get to see what David Corenswet was up to right before he became Superman.

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Books by Jon McBrine

The Eric Icarus Series

Unable to hide his flying abilities, a shy high school student’s plan to hide in plain sight as just another superhero backfires after an attack leaves him as the only hope to stop a diabolical villain.

Recruited by tech mogul Baron Maddox, Eric Boxworth becomes Eric Icarus, a maskless member of the Super Society, tech-based defenders of New St. Cloud City. Eric’s miraculous, natural flight power is disguised by a decoy anti-gravity backpack to avoid getting dissected in a lab. Eric and his bubbly, good-natured classmate Jaycee - the armored hero Powerhouse - must stop a madman from creating an empire built on stolen powers. Fans of young superheroes, found family tropes, and high-stakes action will love this YA sci-fi adventure series.

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Available at Amazon here

Available at Amazon here

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