Today it was decreed that no one, especially the Walt Disney Company, should ever make sequels to movies when the first one was amazing. Example, "Pirates of the Caribbean." The first one was awesome-- the script was witty and well-paced, the plot was good, Johnny Depp was the star and he can carry a movie, the costumes were beautiful, the set was beautiful, and in general the movie had everything necessary to be a blockbuster stand-alone.
Then whoever was in charge thought, "Wait, I can make MORE MONEY by making not one, but TWO sequels." Apparently s/he was looking at the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The difference, of course, was that Lord of the Rings was written as a trilogy, and therefore the movies were originally conceived of as a trilogy, so the plot all made sense, and each movie got the same amount of production time. The Pirates thing went awry. The sequels got too crazy, the plots quit making sense, the script pacing was off, and suddenly they were trying to have Orlando Bloom or Keira Knightley carry the film, which never works. They are good supporting actors but neither has the presence to carry a film.
Disney does this often. Like with "Return of Jafar," "Cinderella 2," "Little Mermaid: Return to the Sea," "Return to Neverland," and countless others.
I decree, when it comes to sequels, that filmmakers should think, "Was the original something that can never be topped or equaled by a sequel?"
If you are Peter Jackson you think, "Why, yes!"
If you are Disney, remember what your D.A.R.E teacher told you: Just Say No.
I know, I know, you want the money, but please. Keep your dignity, for our sake.