Badmovies.org Forum

Movie sequels are quite a thing.  Many disparage them, and many of them are obviously cash-ins and quite obnoxious.  But there are sequels that are good, there are sequels that equal the original, and there are even sequels that are better than the original film they derive from.  

And I think those rare sequels that improve on the original are a good idea for a thread.   :teddyr:

So, what are some examples?  I can think of a few...

Zatoichi is a long running chambara (Japanese sword fighting) film series that ran from 1962 to 1973, had a popular TV series that ran for 100 episodes, then had another film that basically capped the series in 1989.  Then, in 2003, there was a sort of remake, and several years later, another quasi-remake (this time with a female lead).

It is the original series I'm going to talk about though.  There are 26 films in the original series, and I think almost all of the 25 sequels are better than the first film.  The only ones I do NOT like more than the original are parts 24, 25, and possibly one of the others.  Part 2, in particular, is in many ways a large improvement (better pacing, more enjoyable characters, improved writing, better action choreography).  Part 3 is excellent and has some of the best drama of the series.  Part 6 is superlative and really entertaining.  And the series goes on, consistently good, for so many movies.  

As another example of this, consider Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.  I remember quite a few of my friends raving about Batman Begins.  I saw it, and thought it was much better than Batman & Robin and Batman Forever, but I didn't think it was THAT good.  Yeah, it was a decent film and had a good style to it, but many of the action scenes were poorly shot, Katie Holmes sucked, it sometimes was TOO dark, it felt a little long, didn't really care for the two villains, and I felt the apocalyptic stuff towards the end went overboard.  

Then The Dark Knight came out, and I thought it was quite an improvement in just about every regard.  The structure of the film is fantastic, the writing is much better, the action scenes are way better (though I think they could still get better), Ledger's Joker is just far better than the original film's villains, and so on.  I don't think it is a perfect film, but it's very, very good.

Can anyone think of others?

Aliens
Mad Max:The road warrior

While I dont think its better than the original its pretty close..

Rambo(2008)

I liked Star Trek The Motion Picture ~ OK, I was 12 when I saw it  :lookingup: ~ but Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan blew me away totally.*

*Just btw, THAT scene in that film made me cry and I lied to my folks, telling them that something had stung me to make my eyes red like that.

Terminator 2
The empire strikes back

Batman Returns.
Predator 2

Last night I watched Cabin Fever 2. a lot better than Cabin Fever but neither is exactly brilliant.

definitely agree. remember seeing this at the cinema and being blown away with how good it was ( I was 14, sneaking into a 15 certificate film probably added to the enjoyment). special effects and general vibe of the fim is way better than the original for me

Several of the Friday the 13th films, parts 2 and 3 most notably.  I personally didn't think the first one was very good at all.  I also thought The Lord of the Rigs:  The Two Towers was much better than the first one.  And in a similar vein, Sorority House Massacre 2 - Nighty Nightmare was quite a bit better than the original.

@  trevor: have you seen that seinfeld where he uses the speech from wrath of khan? (funny results)

I think the Star Trek movies

particularly: # 4 The Voyage Home, because it is hilarious
                   First Contact (the borg!)

the Indiana Jones sequels have been good

Shrek 2 is better than the original

The X-men sequels are pretty good, including the spin-off Wolverine

I also really like the punk girl who hurts herself in Return of the Living Dead 3

the Hellraiser sequels have better effects than the original

and Army of Darkness or Evil Dead 2 is prob. better than Evil Dead

28 weeks later, just as good as 1st

I think Dr. No is actually fairly weak as far as Bond films go.  Not a bad film, but I think the next three are quite a bit more fun.

Revenge of the Sith defeinity improved on the other two prequels and built quite well into the originals.  While it still suffers some problems along with the other 2 films, RotS still was a bit improvement in general.

The Toy Story series seemed to do this quite well in my book.  Each story improved with new characters, interesting twists, better humor, and a stronger plot in general that almost every viewer can understand.

GODFATHER, PART II is in many ways better than the original.  But by the same token, the original is in many ways better than PART II.  I think the casting in the original is tremendous.  PART II doesn't have as many interesting actors playing interesting roles (Marlon Brando, James Caan, Paul Castellano, Abe Vigoda, Lenny Montana, John Marley, and Al Lettieri, to name a few, are sorely missed).  But PART II has a much more developed plot and is a lot darker than the first one.

The Empire Strikes Back, Bride of Frankenstein, and Toy Story 2, improved on the originals which were already quite good.
Rocky Balboa - not better than the first movie but better than the other sequels

Nightmare On Elm Street 2 was pretty bad.  Much is made of the supposed homosexual undertones, but I just thought it was very weak story-wise, and stupid things happened for no reason.  Then I saw part 3 at the theater with my mom and we loved it.  After that the series started to go downhill when Freddy became a wisecracker and the kids couldn't act worth beans, the sixth (Freddy's Dead) being the absolute nadir.

Back to the Future 2 was a great sequel that I enjoyed more than the first.  The 3rd was ok, but not better.

Ghostbusters 2 comes close to the first in my mind, but not quite...

I quite enjoyed Jurassic Park 2, and there are many aspects I liked more than number one.

Last Crusade is a perfect sequel in my mind: it not only has a great story and exists quite well on its own but it adds to the franchise well: some sequels just have a different plot with the same characters, in Last Crusade I can feel like it was a continuation of a bigger story of Indiana's life, not just little interesting stories that happen to include him...  I just can't fault it.

Gremlins 2 is insanity at its best: whereas the first was somewhat of a scary-ish film the surreal comedy of New Batch was a riot to me.  Not all may agree though...

Aliens movie is in my eyes an improvement over the first part.
I am probably biased because i saw Aliens in cinema at a very young age (too young - i had nightmares for weeks - seriously) and the first movie much later in TV.
I think some people have the same problem with Terminator 2. After seeing the 2nd in cinema before watching the 1st they just can't fully appreciate the superior first part.

FRANKENSTEIN (1931) is a great, classic horror film.

~BUT~

BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) trumps it in spades, and it's my favorite movie - ever.

Tomb Raider 2 was a lot more entertaining than the first one.

I don't agree with a lot of your other choices, Dean, but I must say Gremlins 2 is a film I absolutely love. When I bother to put together a Top 5 favorite films list, Gremlins 2 usually makes its way onto the list.

I'd nominate Blade II. The original Blade was an entertaining bit of fluff (with my secret fascination, Arly Jover). Blade II, however, has absolutely everything I want in a monster movie. That Guillermo del Toro must mainline fanboy fantasies into his veins.

I'll go with bride of frankenstein, terminator 2 and predator 2. I hate gary busey now and don't watch his movies but I loved seeing mort downey jr, get punched out.

Friday The 13th Part 2
Terminator 2
Rocky

Terminator 2 fur sure.

I liked Transporter, but I thought Transporter 2 was crazier, more over-the-top and  more entertaining. I feel the same way regarding Crank and Crank 2: High Voltage.

Owwww....we see eye to bloodshot eye on most classic horror-but I still the the 1st was the best.
.OK-I thought SCARS of DRACULA was better than HORROR of DRACULA. (my credibility just went out the window,eh?) Theres more Chris Lee in SCARS. And-unlike the other sequels to HORROR-Dacula is more than just a supporting player-and he has more lines.
.I found CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE more fasinating then the CAT People-as good as it was-just didnt draw me in as much as the sequel-which had nothing to do with cat people-it was a ghost story and a look at child abuse.
.SCREAM,BLACULA,SCREAM-much more fun than BLACULA-enjoyed em both,though!
.WAR OF THE COLLASAL BEAST was great-better than the AMAZING COLLASAL MAN-due to Glen Manning's deformity and-well-he dies in COLOR!

I don't know that they are better but I like the following sequels better than the originals:

Friday the 13th Part 2
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Revenge of Frankenstein
Rocky III
Quatermass and the Pit
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
The Empire Strikes Back

I actually prefer the original Terminator and Alien films to their sequels.

I kind of wade back and forth on Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein but honestly I think both are tremendously good films..I find it hard to think of one as better than the other in all honesty.

I just raved about Charles Bronson in another thread, so it reminded me:

As much as I love the original Death Wish, I think part 2 is a better flick.  They start to go downhill a bit from there though...

Also, while a sequel in name only, I think Troll 2 is one of the greatest movies of all time, so it easily trumps Troll.  (again, I know they're not directly related, but I guess it's still considered a sequel)

A few others:  Toy Story 2, Bride of Frankenstein, Evil Dead 2, Dawn of the Dead, The Road Warrior, several of the Friday the 13ths, and Silent Night Deadly Night 2 (I mean, come on - it has ALL of the good scenes from part 1, plus the greatest performance in the history of eyebrows).

Same here. The first one was mediocre. The second one was pretty good.

Some more I liked better than the original:

Batman Returns
X2: X-Men United
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2

I loved the second Halloween movie. I don't know if it's "better", but i found it reakky enjoyable.

Terminator : Judgement Day and Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith come to mind immediately.

Spiderman 3 was definitely the best of the bunch.  The others were just sh!te.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest was a scream and I loved it. 

Matrix Reloaded was my fave even though I enjoyed all the movies.  The freeway chase scene still blows me away.

Scream 3 still gets multiple viewings over the others in the franchise.