Some Sequels Are The Exception And Improve Upon Original Film

Sequels, of a sort, are the theme of the week.

While “You’ve Got Mail” is more of a variation on a theme than an actual sequel, it has all the feel of Rob Reiner’s 1993 movie “Sleepless in Seattle.” New characters played by the same actors (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan), new plot situations featuring the same old subject (will love find a way?).

“Babe: Pig in the City” is a sequel more in the traditional sense. The storyline picks up where the 1995 film ended, with the Hoggetts and their sheep pig at home on the farm. That soon changes, and so does the film’s tone - going from sweetly fantastic to sweetly surreal.

It may be just a matter of taste, as critical judgments often are, but neither film seems as good as its predecessor. That is the lot of most sequels. Few are ever better.

Following is a list of some that arguably are:

“Godfather II” (1974): This film acts as both a prequel and a sequel. It fills out the story of Vito Corleone’s rise to power, blending that with a portrayal of youngest son Michael’s fierce ability to hold on to his legacy. It benefits from the presences of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, and it boasts all the magic of Gordon Willis’ masterful cinematography.

“The Road Warrior” (1981): Instead of just doing the same thing he did in his original, low-budget “Mad Max” (1979), director George Miller went for a more epic feel. His protagonist, the former Main Force Patrol officer Max Rockatansky, is now on his own, survival being his sole objective. But he finds a bit of redemption when he helps an outpost of civilized types survive an attack from The Hummungus and his fellow barbarians. The road flick to end all road flicks, “Road Warrior” features one of the greatest chases in all action cinema.

“Aliens” (1986): James Cameron took Ridley Scott’s moody 1979 storyline and charged it up. What was a slow walk down a dark hallway now becomes a roller-coaster-ride through an Alfred Hitchcock shower stall. Sigourney Weaver’s Ellen Ripley remains the toughest woman character in film history, and other performers - Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Paul Reiser - add to the mix. It may not be better than the original, but it sure is a match in pure entertainment quality.

“Scream 2” (1997): Irony is screenwriter Kevin Williamson’s best asset. Horror becomes less of the point than satirical commentary does, and the best irony of all is having one-time slasher director Wes Craven (“The Last House on the Left”) oversee the whole project. The result is chills delivered by a knowing hand. One perfect moment comes when Randy (Jamie Kennedy) complains about being shortchanged by the movie-within-a-movie that was made about the incidents of “Scream” (1996): “I cannot believe it. They get Tori Spelling to play Syd, and they cast Joe Blow to play me. At least you get David Schwimmer. I get the guy who drove the stagecoach for one episode of `Dr. Quinn!”’

The above, though, are in the minority. If you doubt this, consider: all the “Jaws” sequels, “Alien Resurrection,” “Rocky V” and “Halloween H20.” End of discussion.

DVD: Far from free

If you’re still holding out against the DVD revolution, note this: Some sources are reporting that the prices for the discs are rising. Video Business magazine conducted a survey that indicates the average price of a DVD has risen from $24.98 to $26.53 in two years.

Example: Disney’s “A Bug’s Life” carries a $34.99 list price, although you can get it for $24.99 through Reel.com and $24.49 through Amazon.com. Both Web sites charge additional order charges.

The week’s major releases on video:

Babe: Pig in the City ***

When Farmet Hoggett (James Cromwell in what amounts to a cameo) is injured, Mrs. Hoggett (Magda Szubanski) and the couple’s intrepid porker, Babe (voice this time by E.G. Daily), must go to the city to save the day. Directed by George Miller (the “Road Warrior” guy who produced 1995’s “Babe”), this sequel swerves away from the inherent sweetness of the first film to concentrate on Terry Gilliam-type surrealism. This isn’t all to the good, especially when the film climaxes in a wildly overdone slapstick banquet scene. But what do you expect of a film that features talking animals, anyway? And there is sweetness enough still to go around. “Babe, Pig in the City” may not match the original, but it retains enough of the feel to entertain the majority of us. Rated G

You’ve Got Mail ***

Two competing bookstore owners, a chain guy (Tom Hanks) and an independent woman (Meg Ryan), hate each other in real life but find love, albeit anonymously, on the Web. A natural variation on Rob Reiner’s “Sleepless in Seattle,” this romance has a couple of things going for it: 1, writer-director Nora Ephron’s intelligent script; 2, the acting of Hanks and Ryan. At times cute, at times mere product-placement (especially for American Online and Starbucks coffee), “You’ve Got Mail” nevertheless rises above such manipulative marketing ploys. Look especially for Parker Posey to deliver the film’s funniest moment in an elevator stuck between floors. Rated PG