Its hard to believe, but another semester of school here at Syracuse University is basically in the books. It’s gone by fast, and while we have been here at school working hard on academics, the film industry has continued to release new movies that audiences have both embraced and dismissed. Here we’ll take a look at the lessons we’ve learned so far this year.

Unnecessary sequels are unnecessary

Like any year, 2016 has already had a host of unnecessary sequels. And as one would guess by their titles, these films as a whole collectively bombed. Between “Allegiant,” “London Has Fallen,” “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,” “The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” and arguably worst of all, “Zoolander 2,” 2016 has shown that if there is not a demand for a movie, the movie should not be made.

Many of these movies were probably thought of by their creators to be easy cash. You can just throw together a screenplay based on the original and reunite the cast, but audiences are proving that this alone will not create success.

There have been a couple of successful sequels this year, including “Barbershop: The Next Cut” and “Kung Fu Panda 3.” They were able to capture audiences by being unique from their predecessors and having a new story that needs to be told.

Superheroes should be fun and made with love

This year there were two major superhero films released, both of which prove an interesting point. We have “Deadpool,” a silly superhero movie that everyone had somewhat low expectations for in both quality and box office, and “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” where expectations could not be higher in both a quality and a business sense.

The thing is, “Deadpool” smashed every expectation, while “Batman V. Superman” was nothing short of a huge let down. The reason being that “Deadpool” was made by people who absolutely love the source material and had been fighting hard for years to get the film made. On those terms, they made the film the way they wanted to make it, not adhering to what a guy in a suit wanted from them.

On the other hand, “Batman V. Superman” was clearly a byproduct of extreme studio intervention, creating something more along the lines of a visual science project than a popcorn movie theater film. “Deadpool” was unique, interesting and fun, while “Batman V. Superman” was dull and dreary. Superhero movies do not have to be straight up comedies in the spirit of “Deadpool,” but they should be made with heart while providing the audience with a fun experience. I suspect we’ll see “Captain America: Civil War” deliver on just that.

When in doubt, turn to talking animals from Disney

Two of the biggest smash hits of this year feature talking animals made by Disney, and I would be hard pressed to say that “Zootopia” and “The Jungle Book” aren’t two of the best movies released this year so far. Even more impressively, these films have made approximately $575 million domestically combined. Why is this?

Quite simply, talking animals are just the great equalizer. Everyone likes animals and everyone is amused when they talk. Why not capitalize on this opportunity? Disney’s releases this year have a fascinating duality, as one is about animals moving into a human civilization, while the other features a boy moving into animal civilization.

Both of these films though featured fantastic visuals, a great story, and excellent direction and pacing. Sure, these movies succeeded because of a fun and approachable subject matter, but they are ultimately the successes they are just because they are good.

Published on May 2, 2016 at 9:23 pm