Sequels- bigger, louder, badder

I hate sequels. There is nothing more annoying than a sequel. Hell, then people started getting into prequels and I say to myself, "When will the madness end?" and the reality is that only when the buck stops, sequels will stop.
The problem with sequels is inherent. It's a simple formula really: Sequel = Original Movie + Bigger Budget (Opening Weekend Profit/Original Budget) - Brains. What happens when someone gets money they don't need? They spend it, right? How do they spend it? Carelessly, right? They spend it in a way that does not match the way they had before, that had ultimately led to their previous success, and hence the bigger budget. It makes everyone involved lazy. It doesn't help that the original minds behind the project get out (for good reason) to do more original, rewarding work. The studio then hires some music video rookie, give them a major budget and say, "Make it good!" (which is movie-speak for, "Make more money!")
Let us look at some sequels from the years. The Matrix sequels. Garbage, right? Why? Because the budget was huge (they built a freeway for it for goodness sakes) and the story was so complicated it was almost funny. Everyone decided it needed to be bigger and better. Pirates of the Caribbean. The first was charming and fun. The second one was nauseating anytime Johnny Depp wasn't on screen. The third one was bad in general. Every Rocky sequel minus Rocky II was garbage.
This is not to say that all sequels stink. The Dark Knight is better than the original. The Godfather Part II, awesome. The Empire Strikes Back, awesome. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, awesome. The Bourne sequels. They exist.
The problem, and this is especially prevalent today, is that studios feel the need to add with sequels rather than expand sequels. Bigger vehicles rather than better stunt driving or CGI rather than inventive choreography. Films are dumbed down for he masses so they'll go see it rather than care about it.