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We all know Hollywood loves a sequel. In an period of franchises, reboots and endlessly mined mental properties, there’s no scarcity of them to select from, but sadly they typically appear to be ruled by the regulation of diminishing returns.
But that isn’t at all times the case. Typically a sequel arrives that far outstrips the movie it’s primarily based on: smarter, funnier, deeper or simply extra thrilling. Listed here are 12 sequels that have been higher than their predecessors.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
James Cameron’s 1984 sci-fi motion hit The Terminator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a terrifying time-traveling cyborg murderer was a near-perfect chase film, however Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) took those self same concepts and turned every thing up a notch. Helped by advances in CGI, Cameron additionally got here up with the genius concept of bringing again Schwarzenegger as man, this time dealing with off towards a way more superior and sinister foe within the shape-shifting T-1000, performed by Robert Patrick. In the meantime, Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor additionally develops from a damsel in misery to a ferocious protector of her younger son John (Edward Furlong).
The Godfather Half II
Maybe a controversial selection on condition that Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 The Godfather is extensively thought of one of many biggest movies ever made, however the director’s follow-up two years later is arguably even higher. Actually, the Academy thought so, making it the primary ever sequel to win Finest Image on the Oscars (a feat solely matched by Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King). The Godfather Half II serves as each a sequel and prequel to the unique gangster epic, with Robert De Niro introduced in to play the younger Vito Corleone character originated by Marlon Brando and Al Pacino returning as his son Michael.
Evil Useless II
Sam Raimi’s debut unbiased horror Evil Useless grew to become his calling card in 1981. Whereas the movie nonetheless holds up, it’s additionally clear that the director didn’t fairly but have the means to carry all his daring and authentic concepts to life. Evil Useless II, launched in 1987, is each a sequel and a partial remake, and finally ends up being funnier with extra fully-developed results.
Paddington 2
When the unique Paddington arrived in cinemas in 2014, it was extensively praised as an entertaining and fulfilling youngsters’s film, with enjoyable for all of the household. That stable base gave director Paul King (who made his title on the cult BBC sitcom The Mighty Boosh) the license to totally broaden and discover a extra inventive imaginative and prescient for the sequel, aided by an all-singing all-dancing Hugh Grant launched as villainous actor Phoenix Buchanan. The Unbiased’s Geoffrey McNab referred to as it a “superior sequel so stuffed with allure and good humour that it ought to delight audiences all over the place.”
Puss In Boots: The Final Want
There was hardly a clamor for a sequel to the serviceable Shrek spin-off Puss In Boots (2011), so little marvel that the follow-up movie languished in growth hell for over a decade. What was actually stunning was that when it lastly arrived in 2022, it was shifting and superbly animated, mixing motion set items with a child-friendly grappling with mortality. The movie sees our feline hero come to simply accept the inevitability of dying, a bit like if Dreamworks had made The Seventh Seal, however with extra jokes about cats burning by means of 9 lives.
Mad Max: Fury Street
Reversing the development of most movie franchises, Mad Max has been on an upward trajectory just about since maverick writer-director George Miller kicked issues off over 4 many years in the past. The unique Mad Max (1979) was bettered by Mad Max 2 (1981) and the bonkers Mad Max Past Thunderdome (1985), however Miller outdid all of them when he returned to the sun-bleached Australian outback for 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Street. Tom Hardy took over from Mel Gibson within the title position, Charlize Theron stole the present as Furiosa and Miller in some way pulled off among the most astounding highway (and off-road) sequences ever filmed. As Steven Soderbergh as soon as famously mentioned of Fury Street: “I don’t perceive how [Miller] does that, I actually don’t, and it’s my job to know it. I don’t perceive two issues: I don’t perceive how they’re not nonetheless capturing that movie and I don’t perceive how a whole bunch of individuals aren’t lifeless.”
Spider-Man 2
Sam Raimi clearly has a knack for sequels. The Evil Useless II director’s authentic 2002 Spider-Man with Tobey Maguire was properly obtained, however the follow-up which launched Alfred Molina’s Physician Octopus dazzled followers and critics alike. The Chicago Tribune delivered one among many evaluations that mentioned the sequel “improves upon its predecessor in virtually each approach.” The Unbiased’s Al Horner went a step additional, calling it “the definitive superhero film.”
The Darkish Knight
The distinction between a superhero film hovering or taking a dive typically hinges on the energy of the villain, and The Darkish Knight had one for the ages. Christopher Nolan’s 2008 sequel to his 2005 origin story Batman Begins forged Heath Ledger because the Joker and reaped the advantages by giving the superhero an unforgettable antagonist who lifted the movie sequence to a complete new stage.
The Empire Strikes Again
Certain, Star Wars was a phenomenon from the second the unique movie debuted in 1977, however the 1980 follow-up The Empire Strikes Again elevated the franchise to a complete new stage. With all of the world-building (or moderately, galaxy-building) legwork out of the way in which after the primary movie, the sequel had the area to stretch itself right into a darker narrative delivered with snappier dialogue. Collection creator George Lucas introduced in screenwriters Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, who delivered a extra polished story, and the entire thing wrapped up with one of many nice twists in film historical past.
Toy Story 3
As the primary fully computer-animated function movie, Toy Story was actually groundbreaking when it was launched in 1995. It additionally launched the world to Tom Hanks’s Woody, Tim Allen’s Buzz Lightyear and a complete toy chest stuffed with co-stars. Toy Story 2, launched in 1999, examined the concept these toys would ultimately change into out of date as their youngster grew up, however it was arguably 2010’s Toy Story 3 that delivered essentially the most heart-wrenching story of the lot because the toy’s youngster god Andy heads to school and so they discover themselves dispatched to reside out their days on the Sunnyside Daycare heart.
Dune: Half Two
If Denis Villeneuve’s first Dune film in 2021 created an immersive and gorgeously vivid world, then the 2024 sequel was the place the director actually lit it rip. After assembling all of the items within the authentic movie, the second installment sees the motion come to a head whereas the diverging paths that Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides and Zendaya’s Chani should take slowly turns into clear. The large query now’s whether or not Villeneuve will be capable to repeat the trick for the upcoming Dune: Messiah.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
After 1979’s Star Trek: The Movement Image was met with middling evaluations, it appeared like long-running science fiction present Star Trek won’t be lengthy for this world. An entire overhaul for the 1982 sequel noticed sequence creator Gene Roddenberry compelled out in favor of a brand new workforce made up of govt producer Harve Bennett, screenwriter Jack B. Sowards and director Nicholas Meyer. The trio produced a swashbuckling journey that incorporates a memorable dying scene for Spock, the one approach actor Leonard Nimoy would agree to participate. The movie was just lately added to the Nationwide Movie Registry on the Library of Congress for preservation (Star Trek: The Movement Image was not).
