Are you sick of sequels?

Joe | Mar 30, 2026Mar 30, 2026

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this advanced lesson on films are to:

• discuss film franchises from a critical perspective;
• practise useful adjectives for describing films;
• watch a video excerpt on sequels and remakes.

In this lesson, students talk about well-known film sequels, explore advanced adjectives for films (e.g. profound, lacklustre, riveting) and share their opinions. They watch part of a video (to 03:41) about Disney’s recent sequels and remakes, discuss the success and impact of franchises and debate sequel ideas in pairs. Students also examine common film tropes (e.g. coming-of-age) and identify and apply them to various formats.

WARM-UP AND VOCABULARY

This advanced lesson on films starts with a warm-up. Students look at some films (e.g. Toy Story 3) and say what they think they have in common. After that, they discuss questions about the films from the previous exercise and film sequels. Then, students read evaluations of well-known film franchises and match words for film reviews (e.g. acclaimed, clunky, formulaic) with their definitions. Following that, they look at sentence starters for film opinions (e.g. animated films tend to be acclaimed when they…) and complete gaps with the words from the previous exercise. Next, students complete the sentences with their own ideas. 

VIDEO AND DISCUSSION

In this part of this advanced lesson on films, students watch part of a video about Disney’s modern sequels and remakes. First, they analyse film examples and explain audience reactions (e.g. boring, confusing, exciting). After that, students watch the first part of the video and tick the adjectives that best describe the speaker’s attitude. Moving on, they watch the rest of the video, decide if some statements are true or false and correct the false ones. Afterwards, students discuss questions about the business and impact of film sequels. They then work in pairs. Students choose sequel ideas (e.g. Home Alone set in a high-tech smart house) and discuss them using target adjectives. They debate each other’s ideas and vote on the film with the most potential. Next, students examine common film tropes (e.g. coming-of-age). They then identify and apply them to different genres and formats.

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This advanced lesson on films also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students read descriptions of imaginary films and replace words and phrases with the target adjectives from the lesson. They then choose which film they would most and least like to watch. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan.

WORKSHEETS

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