Same Characters. Different Stories

As the sequel tournament at Grantland.com continues, so too does the analysis of what makes a successful sequel. The tournament is down to the final four films, with The Empire Strikes Back facing The Godfather Part II on one side of the bracket and The Dark Knight squaring off against Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade on the other side. As previously discussed, both the Dark Knight and the Empire Strikes Back are of the sequels part of a larger narrative. The Last Crusade, however, falls into a different category.

The Last Crusade features a character in Indiana Jones that was popular with audiences. However, each Indiana Jones film has little to do with its predecessor or sequel. Instead, each film is essentially a stand-alone work with a self-contained story.

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