The 12 Best Movie Sequels Ever Made
May 6, 2010 by Mike EisenbergWith the release of Iron Man 2, Screen Rant looks back at the 12 best movie sequels ever made.
Before I begin with this list of our favorite movie sequels, I want to stress this is strictly opinion and not fact. I hope the following will incite discussion and debate, but let it be known that no list is definitive. Having said that, let’s get it on!
In honor of Iron Man 2 releasing this weekend, it seemed right to come up with a list of cinema’s top sequels. Not to mention, there are endless movie sequels in the mix for the upcoming years.
While the top three picks on our list seemed obvious, setting even them in order was a tough task. More difficult was rounding out a top ten. So, instead of just going with the standard ten, we’ve extended our list to 12. Included are four costumed heroes, a couple evil empires and some computer-generated classics.
There is a little bit of a difference between a sequel that tops its predecessor in terms of quality, and one that is a self-contained stroke of genius. These twelve films on our list fit both qualifications. While we’d love to explore what made every fun sequel a hit – like Wayne’s World 2 and its Jurassic Park spoof – it seemed more efficient to stick to the sequels that may have come second in order, but are first in our hearts.
Honorable Mentions:
A dilemma cropped up in creating this list. Silence of the Lambs is a cherished masterpiece of cinema, yet many don’t realize the story is technically a sequel. Michael Mann’s underrated film Manhunter, starring Brian Cox as the infamous Hannibal Lecter, tells the tale you may recall from Brett Ratner’s Red Dragon. Silence of the Lambs explores the events that follow Manhunter, but it is generally considered the original of its own trilogy. So does it belong on this list? Instead of letting that debate take over, it takes an honorable mention spot.
Also on the honorable mention list is Desperado, the quasi-sequel to El Mariachi. Both films, created by Robert Rodriguez, follow the same character (El Mariachi), but also overlap in story. With only $6,000, Rodriguez made the legendary El Mariachi and eventually acquired a budget to shoot his concept with Antonio Banderas as the lead in a wide-release film. So, Desperado both is and isn’t a sequel. For that we’ll keep it off the main list, but it has earned the right to be mentioned.
Ironically, all but the top two picks on our list are still running franchises or properties in the midst of a reboot. That just goes to show you the creativity and lasting effect the following narratives have had, and the captivating stories they tell.
#12) Mad Max 2, a.k.a. The Road Warrior
“My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories. I remember a time of chaos. Ruined dreams. This wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior. The man we called “Max”. To understand who he was, you have to go back to another time…”
The first lines of Mad Max 2 give me chills every time. The first Mad Max was enjoyable enough, but it seemed to leave a young Mel Gibson in over his head. Only two years later, the Australian star showed up brilliantly in the sequel. The film felt more like the apocalyptic madness the first one missed at times. Don’t get me wrong, the first film has some great moments and feels like a revenge flick more than a Western, neither of which it claimed to be directly.
Maybe the first suffered from a limited release, while the second got wider exposure. Yet, when you watch the movies back-to-back there is a sensation that the first one can only prepare you for the sequel. The entire Mad Max franchise is a bit too B-movie to find its way higher on the list, but the second film deserves recognition as a vast improvement over the first.
#11) Toy Story 2
It is extremely difficult to convince yourself the second Toy Story is better than the original, but sometimes you just need to bite the bullet. Alone, the first is one of the best animated films ever, and was pivotal in ushering in the era of CGI animated features. Toy Story 2 improves upon the first in a number of ways, most impressively the animation. In only four years, from 1995 to 1999, the abilities of the Pixar artists to create their unique look while maintaining a level of total realism improved vastly.
More importantly, the story of the sequel deepens our relationship with the oddly relatable toys. The first shows how great life as a toy can be in a world where humans have a blind love of their toys, despite destructive lunatics like Sid. But in Toy Story 2, we get a sense of the uncontrollable lives of toys, which are so dependent upon people. What happens when maturing interests leave our toys helpless? It is more a second chapter than an extension of the first, which makes it a brilliant film in its own right.
With the quickly approaching Toy Story 3, the second film may not even end up being the best. But Toy Story 2 was evidence of an animation studio hitting its stride as one of the most formidable and dominating in its field. Thanks to the glory of the Toy Story franchise, Pixar has become as legendary as any studio in Hollywood.
Continue to the top 10 sequels…
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Top 3 in my view would have been:
1: dark knight.. Took a good movie that rebooted the epic fails batman & robin and mr freeze. Dark knight redeemed batman completely (a feat that has never happened fully before and probably never will again), the cruel twist being that it was not the bat that made the movie soar.
2a: mad max 2, took a halfway hit and made it memorable and epic spawning a franchise that would span almost 3 decades (and still going).
2b: Aliens.. tied with max, even with giger getting screwed over the creative rights the movie taught a generation of kids what fear is: being alone in the dark with a motion sensor going *blip* *blip*
3: wrath of khan, it rekindled hope for star trek, without it trek would probably have died after the first series ended with no further movies made.
Never cared much for constipated mafioso flicks so that one wouldn’t be a candidate at all for me.
I would have put Aliens WAAAAYYY higher on the list and mentioned that Cameron is on the list twice
Hey guys!
@790, Daniel f, Vic, and Ken J;
I just want to thank you guys for brightening up my day! I am stuck in bed with a broken leg, watching X-Files reruns, and stumbled across this conversation.
i haven’t touched base here in months, and it feels like nothing has changed. LOL! Great to see that some things stay the same. LMAO at Daniel f and 790…You guys make me happy.
Thanks for the entertainment!
Yah, I have to agree, pretty entertaining. Especially when it breaks down to name calling, that’s when it’s hilarious, lol. The wannabe witty stuff never gets old either.
What happened with your leg? Work related?
Wannabe wit? Giving it to much credit lol
“Ladies are not welcome except on ladies night…”
Dennis Hopper
HELLRIDE,,,
@790, ken J and Daniel f…
You guys…*hugs* I broke the leg slipping on a wet floor in a department store bathroom.
Been off my feet for a week now, I am going to attempt to hobble into work tomorrow. Whats with the site? I have no idea who made the latest comment on the stories now!
I might find out in the Wednesday chat.
Sorry to hear about ur leg gotta be careful out there. Those slippery floors are Rough things. Were u out fault or the store?
We switched back to the old comment system a lot of the sr vets didn’t like the discuss stuff some of us kind of quit the site and Vic being the awesome guy that he is said he’d rather keep the guys who been dedicated for years than pick up a couple a new guys just because they happened to be logged in showing once again why he’s got the best movie site on the web. Because he gives a crap about his readers.
@Daniel f.
Fair enough. And to answer your question, the store is liable, they will pay my medical bills, if any (none…this is Australia, free hospital, etc) and we aren’t into ‘suing’ people here to make lawyers money!
So I get a few days off to watch movies in bed. I hobbled in to work today, and used students to carry my books. It could be worse.
I understand Vic’s reasoning, but I must admit, I am still a little lost!
Great list (I disagree on T2) — I keep revisiting this article..
I just realized another great one I would have included. Airplane 2!!! Ten times better than the first if you ask me. Also one of my favorite comedies of all time.
I like the list as a whole although I found the Two Towers to be the weakest of TLR trilogy (although its still a great movie)
4 of the top 5 movies on this list are my 4 favorite movies of all time. I would leave out Spiderman 2 (I liked the first one more)
I’d put Toy Story 2 much higher on this list, to be honest.
Decent list, however Road Warrior and Toy Story 2 probably should have been higher. I am however perplexed that one of the best sequels ever, did not make your list, did not make your list. Since it has made other for sure.
“Before Sunset” is a movie that is not only better than the original (Before Sunrise), but the emotional expansion is so deep and profound that it challenges those who have wondered about the one that got away. Everyone should be able to relate to that simple premise. And this movie is a revelation of that theme.
Plus it has one of the greatest endings(fade to blacks) I have seen in quite a while. I love that movie.
I’m too making a top 10 sequels list. Here: http://nillummovies.blogspot.com/search/label/top%2010%20sequels
I actually found your list to be pretty similar to mine, and I agree with most of your choices.
THATS MUCH BETTER
!!!!!
Sorry Godfather II was no where as good as the Godfather. But Empires Strike Back was better than A New Hope. I also thought the Road Warrior should of been higher on the list.
I think you should have put Aliens up a bit higher. The sequel to Alien was much better on every level than the original.
I couldn’t agree more about the top 4. The Godfather part II,The Empire Strikes Back,The Dark Knight,and Terminator 2 are among not only my favorite sequels but they’re some of the greatest movies of all time. I loved those movies soo much and really they’re all my favorites(the order doesn’t really matter to me).
BTW I still think that Terminator 2 is James Camerons best movie. Even better than Avatar.
Absolutely. Terminator 2 is Cameron’s finest work – Avatar is a joke in comparison.
Terminator 2 is definitely his best movie in my opinion. Avatar is probably one of his worst, but I still enjoyed it.
I think Aliens is Cameron’s best work, but just out of curiosity have you thought through the end of T2? The time travel issues are many and great, to the point of extreme Paradox.
Amen to ‘The Godfather, Part II’. Film don’t get any better than that.
It’s funny, but I just realized this: A lot of my favourite sequels never had a threequel that live up to its predecessors. Godfather Syndrome strikes hard on some of my favourite film franchises.
Wow GF II over ESB? I dunno what you guys are drinking but no no and no. The 2nd most successful film of all time in adjusted dollars’s sequel was much better than Puzo 2.
Also adding Spiderman 2 to the list was just silly. It was an ok film but if you are pushing it in comparison to the first film …well the first Spiderman was simply terrible so not much to live up to. I agree with other’s comments regarding Alien being higher on the list. I would also think Star Trek would have been higher as a sequel to the terribad STTMP it was amazing and still either the best or 2nd best Trek film of all time.
Aliens so low? Superman and Spider-Man 2 over it????????? The Dark Knight over Aliens???????????WTF?
OCEAN 11 DESPERADO :: AWESOME MOVIES ONE MORE PIRATES OF CARIBBEAN PART 1 WAS GREAT HIT :: WATCHED IT MANY TIME STILL LOVE IT ??
Desperado is awesome! Worst though? Hell Boy 2.
What about Breakin’ 2, Electric Boogaloo?
What about Back to the Future’s sequels? They were pretty good.
Airplane 2 would make my top 10 sequel list. Also, Army of Darkness!!!
There is nothing memorable about Spiderman 2.
u must be joking,lord of the rings should be at #1
Really.
All these are very good, but HOT SHOTS 2.
It may be comedy that doesn’t meean it shouldn’t be in the top 10.
I had it at 2.