Great movies with bad sequels?

[Trevor]

I nominate THE GUNS OF NAVARONE with its less than great sequel FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE.

Also THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY 2 with its really bad and unofficial Chinese made sequels 😳😳

[zombie no.one]

well, the first thing that's popped into my head is SPECIES 2

-although I'm sure many would argue the first one isn't 'great'

[indianasmith]

HIGHLANDER!!!

The sequel burned down every single concept that made the original film a cult classic.
We nicknamed it HIGHLANDER 2: THE SICKENING.

[M.10rda]

I like FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE.    Great cast, fun action, though I agree it is a lesser film than the original.

I mean - I don't think the drop-off in quality between NAVARONE 1 and NAVARONE 2 is significantly more steep than the drop-off in quality between GODFATHER 1 (perfect film) and GODFATHER 2 (not superior; overlong and anticlimactic; at least three legendary Great performances but Pacino doesn't give one of those and suddenly has nowhere to go from the end of the first movie). Of course maybe that hot take belongs in the "Unpopular Opinions" thread.

Some Part 2s that I absolutely abhorred in my 80s/early 90s childhood: GHOSTBUSTERS 2, POLTERGEIST 2, ROBOCOP 2, RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD 2, HOME ALONE 2, GREMLINS 2. I realize that last one has been critically reclaimed but I've never bothered to revisit it. Also I think TEMPLE OF DOOM ranks #4 out of 5 Indy movies.

Forest Whitaker deserved an unironic Oscar nomination for the first SPECIES. That is all.

[FatFreddysCat]

The JAWS sequels are the textbook example of the Law of Diminishing Returns.

Jaws 2 was passible, in a cheap B-Movie sort of way.
Jaws 3-D was terrible.
Jaws: The Revenge was an abomination.

The HALLOWEEN series is another example. I'll go as far as "4" in that franchise, but everything that came after has been either "meh" or "suck."