by Jonathan Mensink

Staff Writer

During the blooper reel at the end of ``Rush Hour 2,'' Chris Tucker made a joke about there being a ``Rush Hour 3.'' Considering that ``Rush Hour 2'' grossed more than 200 billion dollars at the box office this past summer, Tucker's joke may become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Watching the mismatched Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan in now two major motion pictures is probably enough, but, characteristically, Hollywood does not know when enough is enough.

Consider this past summer and its meager crop of movies. Hollywood offered us Scary Movie 2, Dr. Dolittle 2, Jurassic Park 3, a remake of The Planet of the Apes, and Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, the ``star'' of the Tomb Raider video game series. Granted, sequels are nothing new to Hollywood or to the movie-going public, but the excess supply of familiar plot lines and characters is enough to make comatose moviegoers demand CPR.

Thankfully, despite what this summer may have shown us, Hollywood is not out of ideas yet. In fact, during this holiday movie season, theatre-goers can expect to walk to the box office with a movie in mind rather than choose between the lesser of two evils on a mediocre movie menu.

Aside from ``Monsters, Inc.,'' which commemorated this holiday movie season, ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' appears to be the first in the line of future blockbusters. Based on the first in the famed series of books by J.K. Rowling, ``Harry Potter'' promises to deliver an engaging tale of enchantment and wizardry. The trailer reveals a tactful use of special effects, bringing mythical creatures to life while making them appear natural to the magical setting.

Chris Columbus directs the film and can be counted upon for inducing childlike fun and imagination, given his success with ``Home Alone'' and ``Mrs. Doubtfire.'' Clocking in with a run time of over two hours and thirty minutes, the magic of ``Harry Potter'' could lose its luster for younger fans, but could also open the door for epic storytelling. Watch for the release of ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' Friday, Nov. 16.

In a similar vein of myth and magic, the anticipated ``The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' will arrive in theatres this holiday season as well. Based on the novels of J.R.R. Tolkien, ``The Lord of the Rings'' will prove itself a ticket-seller to the numerous fans across several age groups who grew fond of Tolkien's Middle Earth. Calling upon the star power of Ian McClellan, Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood, and Liv Tyler, ``The Lord of the Rings'' will bring Tolkien's vision to life, a treat to the faithful readers of Tolkien since his first book was published in the 1930's. ``The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' is the first in a trilogy.

Interestingly enough, director Peter Jackson filmed the other two installments in the trilogy while filming this, the first one. New Line Cinema will release ``The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'' Dec. 19. ``The Two Towers,'' the second in the trilogy, and ``The Return of the King,'' the third, will be released in Dec. of 2002 and 2003.

With other, smaller players arriving at the box office this coming holiday season, like ``Spy Game'' starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt and ``Ali'' starring Will Smith, Hollywood appears to be trying a little harder than what it did this past summer. Nevertheless, Hollywood will always rely upon the sequel. Watch for another string of them, beginning in May with ``Star Wars: Episode II, Attack of the Clones.''