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Military Movies That Deserve a Sequel in 2018

The story doesn't have to end when the war does. These are military movies that deserve a sequel.

By Kevin SimpsonPublished 6 years ago 6 min read
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War movies can be one of the most successful genres at the box office and critically. Americans love seeing the tales of heroism in war played out on the big screen. While most military movies are based on true stories or real-life events there are also many fictional movies as well. While it would be difficult to create sequels about the true stories, the fictional characters can be revisited. Here are ten military movies that deserve a sequel.

"I have a need, a need for speed." This line was made famous by Tom Cruise's exploits as a fighter pilot at Top Gun aviation school. While Cruise was already a burgeoning actor, Top Gun made him a household name. The friendship between Maverick and Goose is one of the strongest ever seen on the big screen and is where this film really thrives. While there is a sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, supposedly coming in 2019, filming has not finished so it lands on this list of military movies that deserve a sequel.

Platoon is Oliver Stone's take on how war changes people. A Vietnam veteran himself, Stone knows first hand just how true this is. The complete opposite of the typical war propaganda that had been released to this point, Stone turned everything on its head. Charlie Sheen stars as Chris Taylor, initially a naive soldier who splits his time between the opposing tactics of Sergeants Barnes and Elias. There can be plenty of parallels drawn between the Vietnam War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, making this one of the military movies that deserve a sequel since the new tellings can serve relevance.

While most of these entries are military movies that deserve a sequel, the second coming of Fury should come in the form of a prequel. When this film starring Brad Pitt begins, the viewer sees an established United States military squad rolling through the ruins of a battleground. But how did this group come together? What was that battle like? This film takes place in 1945, near the end of World War II but how long was this group a cohesive unit? The origins of this unit could make a great story that fans of the original film would love to see.

The winner of the Award for Best Picture at the 2010 Academy Awards, The Hurt Locker is one of the best war movies of all time and the reception of this film makes it worthy of having a sequel. This film focuses on Sgt. William James (played by Jeremy Renner), the bomb defusing expert of the military. While the military experience isn't truly authentic, the film ends with an open door for a sequel, as James is walking towards yet another bomb threat as he starts another deployment.

Believe it or not, Pauly Shore made a movie about joining the army. In the Army Now tells the story of Bones Conway, played by Shore, an electronics salesman who gets fired from his job and joins the army reserves as a way to make money. This movie, released in 1994, is Pauly Shore at the height of his powers as he does exactly what shouldn't be done while in basic training and eventually on an actual mission. This movie is pure hilarity, which is rarely seen in the military genre and while it wasn't a great critical success, it is adored by its supporters. Fans are hoping that the reserves are called back into action for one of the military movies that deserve a sequel.

A Few Good Men is seen by many as one of the best movies ever made and features one of the most famous lines ever said in cinema: "You can't handle the truth!" This film shocked audiences and introduced them to some of the horrors of what can happen behind the scenes of the United States Military. Tom Cruise delivers one of his most captivating performances as Lt. Daniel Kaffee, a military lawyer. After his first successful trial, it's hard to imagine Kaffee stepping away from the law. Fans would love to see Kaffee step into the courtroom again. Unfortunately, it would probably mean a military official doing something heinous.

Clint Eastwood takes his badass ways to the military in Heartbreak Ridge. Gunny Thomas Highway is the most feared man amongst his own soldiers as a 30-year veteran of the forces and he shows no signs of slowing down. While bringing back the original cast would be difficult, this is still one of the military movies that deserve a sequel, but like Fury, this sequel should come in the form of a prequel. Fans would love to see Highway's early days in the Marines and how he became the badass fans loved.

Ender's Game is a military science-fiction film based on the book of the same name by Orson Scott Card. Asa Butterfield stars as Ender, a gifted child who is sent to an advanced military academy in outer space to prepare for an anticipated alien invasion. The book is recommended by the military for aspiring soldiers, and Card turned it into a series, leaving plenty of material for a potential sequel that fans would love to see.

One of the best war movies on Netflix, Inglorious Basterds is filmmaker Quentin Tarantino's take on World War II. Although a mostly fictional story, this film features plenty of historical and pop-culture references from the era, in classic Tarantino fashion. This war movie tells the story of a fictional group of Jewish mercenaries, led by Brad Pitt, on a mission to take out the Nazi elite. While Tarantino isn't known to make sequels (Kill Bill doesn't count, that's one continuous story that was too long for one film), Inglorious Basterds is one of the military movies that deserve a sequel. While the films ending would make it difficult to return to World War II, a sequel could follow a different group of soldiers in the present.

Red Dawn is the quintessential Cold War movie, and despite a mediocre reboot was released in 2012, the original is one of the military movies that deserve a sequel. In the original film, Russian forces invade the United States and the Cold War becomes hot, escalating into World War III. The film ends with Erica narrating that "In time, this war — like every other war — ended." But how long did it take for the war to end? The way it's set up it feels this war lasted for years. A sequel detailing the end of World War III would be the perfect place to take Red Dawn.

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About the Creator

Kevin Simpson

I think I’m a Pulitzer Prize contender every year but I’m yet to capture that allusive award, haven't even been named a finalist.

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