Thursday, June 20, 2013
In my life, I have seen a lot of movies. And that includes a fair amount of franchises. Whether it be a trilogy, septology, or anything in between, there are lots of movies out there that have one (or more) sequels. It has become fairly standard that franchises decline over time, peaking with the first installment and then gradually losing steam. But there are a few exceptions to this rule, below I have listed some of my favorite sequels and how they improved upon the original installment in their franchise.
T2: Judgement DayThis one is harder to explain, and it might just be a personal preference. I just think that T2 found a style that the original Terminator was just lacking. The visuals in this film were spectacular, and the Skynet backstory became so much more tangible that it made everything make more sense (or less, depending on how you look at it.) I think this movie succeeded more because of the original. It played off of it’s predecessor so well and used all of the relationships and characters to make this film even better.
Original: 7/10
Sequel: 8.5/10
Sequel: 8.5/10
AliensA lot of people debate (probably everyday) about which Alien movie is better. Is it Alien or is it it's sequel, Aliens. I think that both of them have their strengths, but, in my opinion, Aliens wins out, but not by much. While Alien might be a stronger sci-fi movie, I think Aliens does a better job of combining several genres into one excellent movie. Where Alien is just a sci-fi horror movie, I see Aliens as a sci-fi, horror, action epic. Other than that, both films have great casts (I might actually like Bishop a little more than Ash), a great story, and some awesome aliens. Maybe the real reason I'm picking Aliens is because... "get away from her you bitch!"
Original: 8/10
Sequel: 9/10
Sequel: 9/10
The Godfather Part II After seeing The Godfather for the first time, I had trouble believing there could be a better movie to exist. I especially did not think that movie would be a sequel to the glorious masterpiece. Then I saw The Godfather Part II and I ate my words. This movie did a perfect job of intercutting flashbacks with modern footage to develop some iconic characters and really give us some backstory that the original failed to elaborate upon. We get to see Robert De Niro absolutely nail a role that Marlon Brando already made unforgettable. Everything about this movie nearly made me forget about my love for the original. Nearly.
Original: 8.5/10
Sequel: 9.5/10
Sequel: 9.5/10
Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes BackMaybe this just speaks more about me than the quality of the film, but I love a movie that isn't afraid to end on a really dark note. And Empire Strikes Back does that phenomenally. A New Hope was an amazing set up to a legendary trilogy, but I think that ESB was an even better follow up. It gave us more insight into the characters we came to love in the original, gave us AT-ATs, and new characters to love like Yoda, Lando and Boba Fett.
Original: 8.5/10
Sequel: 9.5/10
Sequel: 9.5/10
Spider-Man 2The original Spider-man suffered from a few issues. Firstly, I think that Tobey Maguire took a little too long to find his footing as Peter Parker. Secondly, the villain in the film was a little weak and cartoony. Then the sequel came along and really learned from the mistakes of the first. Tobey Maguire seemed like a completely different person in the second film, really coming alive as both Peter and Spidey. Then there was the brilliant Alfred Molina who really was Doc Ock. Combine the two and you get a great story arc that actually has you rooting for the villain for a fair chunk of the film. And the ending is just...yes. Beautiful. And let’s be honest, how can more J.Jonah Jameson not be better?!
Original: 6.5/10
Sequel: 8/10
Sequel: 8/10
Mission Impossible: Ghost ProtocolI remember the first time I saw Mission Impossible back when it came out. It was an awesome actiony spy thriller that had some immensely memorable action sequences and great characters. Now, looking back, it was still good, but isn't quite as impressive as I remember. Then they followed it up with a pieces of garbage, that made me loose faith in the franchise. Then JJ Abrams saved the franchise with Mission Impossible 3, with great characters and an awesome plotline (Philip Seymour Hoffman was an unforgettable villain.) Then, last year, Brad Bird made something even more impressive. Ghost Protocol took the action and espionage from the first film, then mixed in some awesome gadgets and science fiction to make for an even better viewing experience.
Original: 6.5/10
Sequel: 8/10
Sequel: 8/10
Star Trek II: The Wrath of KhanThis is really a no brainer. I don't think I've met many people that even liked the original Star Trek film, let alone thought it was better than Wrath of Khan. Wrath of Khan was a perfect blend of movie magic with the right feel. It felt like an extended episode of TOS without feeling too drawn out. It was meaty, had some great dramatic scenes with the glorious Ricardo Montabaln, and was just awesome. In comparison to Star Trek The Motion Picture, this movie is a godsend.
Original: 2/10
Sequel: 8.5/10
Sequel: 8.5/10
Evil Dead 2
While some people look at Evil Dead 2 as more of a remake than a sequel, I say to those people: "Shut up!" Yes, this movie does cover pretty much everything that happens in the original, but it does it in a different way, and then adds more to it. It's almost like they just wanted to recap to make sure you remember everything. So, yes, this is a sequel. And it is the most glorious of sequels, because it learned so much from it's predecessor. The first Evil Dead tried to be a straight horror movie, and succeeded in some regards, but it was moreso a horror comedy than anything. It may not have been intentional, but it came out that way. Then, the genius of Sam Raimi came out and he made the sequel into a horror comedy. It had Bruce Campbell fighting with his own arm, it had all of the furniture laughing, and it had an awesome dancing corpse. This sequel was everything the original was but on crack. Hail to the king, baby.
Original: 7.5/10
Sequel: 9.5/10
Sequel: 9.5/10
X2
I recently went back and rewatched all of the X-Men movies, and I must admit, not all of them aged super well. I think the one that suffered the most from time was the original, X-Men. The movie just feels a more stiff and corny than I remember. It's sequel, X2, on the other hand, aged perfectly. It still has amazing characters (with the beautiful addition of Alan Cummings' Nightcrawler) and a great storyline with lots of Wolverine back story. In fact, this movie should have been called X-Men Origins: Wolverine then I could say that movie didn't suck!
I recently went back and rewatched all of the X-Men movies, and I must admit, not all of them aged super well. I think the one that suffered the most from time was the original, X-Men. The movie just feels a more stiff and corny than I remember. It's sequel, X2, on the other hand, aged perfectly. It still has amazing characters (with the beautiful addition of Alan Cummings' Nightcrawler) and a great storyline with lots of Wolverine back story. In fact, this movie should have been called X-Men Origins: Wolverine then I could say that movie didn't suck!
Original: 5.5/10
Sequel: 7/10
Sequel: 7/10
Honorable Mentions:
Superman 2
Nightmare on Elm Street Part III: Dream Warriors
Mad Max 2: Road Warrior
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
