Question 2: THE QUESTIONING

November 15, 2012 9:00 AM

What is the origin of the title trope "X 2: THE X-ening"?
posted by dmd to media & arts (12 answers total)

Highlander 2: The Quickening.
posted by infinitewindow at 9:00 AM on November 15, 2012 [2 favorites]

I thought maybe it was Piranha II: The Spawning, but of course that is more "X 2: THE Y-ening"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:01 AM on November 15, 2012

Hmm TV Tropes seems to agree. I thought there was a more X the Xening origin.
posted by dmd at 9:01 AM on November 15, 2012

Highlander II: The Quickening, definitely. It was an infamous failure, and the title was only the first of the ridiculous things in it.
posted by xil at 9:02 AM on November 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

One of the earliest parodies of the now-common ungrammatical style that I recall is from a Simpsons episode where Kearney is comparing one arcade game with another. I don't remember the game's full name (yet I remember Kearney's) but IIRC it was Something II: The Slashening.
posted by Z. Aurelius Fraught at 9:09 AM on November 15, 2012

One of the earliest parodies of the now-common ungrammatical style that I recall is from a Simpsons episode where Kearney is comparing one arcade game with another. I don't remember the game's full name (yet I remember Kearney's) but IIRC it was Something II: The Slashening.

I think it was "Something II: The Bloodening."
posted by trillian at 9:12 AM on November 15, 2012

Oops, I was thinking of a movie from the Simpsons instead.
posted by trillian at 9:13 AM on November 15, 2012

The video game was Razor Fight II: The Slashening.

The movie is just The Bloodening.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:15 AM on November 15, 2012 [4 favorites]

The first major movie to use "II" in the title was "The Godfather II" in 1974.

By 1982, the trope of "X 2: The Y" was sufficiently mature that it was sent up by "Airplane II: The Sequel." The same year you also see "Amityville II: The Possession" and "Friday the 13th: A New Beginning" in 1985.

In 1990 "Psycho IV: The Beginning" is launched as made-for-tv.

"Highlander II: The Quickening" appears in 1991. As does "Omen IV: The Awakening."
posted by MuffinMan at 9:19 AM on November 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Definitely Highlander 2, as everyone has said -- on their TV show, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel could hardly get past the title to criticize the film.

Also worthy of a mention is 1984's "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo", which became a minor meme in its own right.
posted by Zonker at 10:00 AM on November 15, 2012 [2 favorites]

If you are really looking for "X II: The X-ening" (as opposed to X II: The Y-ening) then I suspect that the first use of this is as a riff on the Highlander flick and I can't think of an actual example.

The only thing I can think of that sort of fits this is actually a book by MeFi's own John Scalzi, which was given the working title of The Spank Chronicles, Book One: The Spankening.

To go along with "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo", another popular meme is "Die Hard II: Die Harder".

I can't resist combining all of these into the greatest sequel name of all time: "X II: The Electric Hardering".
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 11:19 AM on November 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

Also worthy of a mention is 1984's "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo", which became a minor meme in its own right.

Nobody ever reads the tags. :(
posted by dmd at 11:23 AM on November 15, 2012 [1 favorite]