Home Alone Director Slams Franchise’s Downward Spiral
Chris Columbus, director of the original Home Alone films, has called out the franchise’s decline, pointing to Home Alone 3 as the turning point and criticising later sequels for their lacklustre quality and dodgy stunt work.
Chris Columbus, the bloke behind the first two Home Alone films, hasn’t held back when it comes to his thoughts on where the series went off the rails. During a recent screening at the Academy Museum, Columbus made it clear he reckons the franchise started to lose its way with the third instalment. He didn’t bother naming every sequel, but it’s safe to say he wasn’t too chuffed with any of the follow-ups after his own efforts.
Columbus on the Franchise’s Decline
Columbus, who also directed Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, didn’t mince words about the direction things took after he stepped away.
“It’s been revisited with really bad sequels,” Columbus said. “Sorry to insult anybody, but they’ve completely fucked it up. It started with Home Alone 3 and then it just went downhill from there; Home Alone 3 is sort of the best of the bunch of the bad movies.”
He pointed to the third film as the moment things started to unravel, suggesting that the series never really recovered after that.
Wirework and Slapstick Gone Wrong
For Columbus, a big part of the problem comes down to the way the later films handled the slapstick and stunts. He’s not a fan of the wirework that crept in, saying it gave the pratfalls a fake vibe and took away from the charm that made the originals so popular. The physical comedy, which was a huge part of the first two films’ appeal, just didn’t land the same way once the effects started looking a bit too staged.
Legacy Sequel Ideas and Macaulay Culkin’s Take
While Columbus was busy taking the mickey out of the sequels, Macaulay Culkin, who played Kevin, had his own thoughts on how the series could have been revived. He once floated the idea of a legacy sequel where Kevin, now a dad, finds himself on the receiving end of his own son’s tricks.
“I’m working really hard and I’m not really paying enough attention and the kid is kind of getting miffed at me and then I get locked out. He won’t let me in… and he’s the one setting traps for me,”
Culkin shared during a recent tour. It’s a twist that would have put a fresh spin on the old formula, but so far, it hasn’t made it to the screen.
What’s Next for the Stars
As for Culkin, he’s set to pop up in the second season of Fallout, which has plenty of locals keen to see what he brings to the table. Punters can check out the release schedule and timeline for the new season if they’re curious about what’s in store.