#1) The Godfather: Part II
I’m not sure if you’ve heard of The Godfather, but apparently the second one is kind of good. It’s got something to do with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in alternating timelines and follows the rise of Michael Corleone as the Don of a legendary crime family, while simultaneously exploring the background of the late Vito Corleone and the beginnings of his crime empire. I don’t know. It sounds kind of lame to me (sarcasm alert!).
Who am I kidding, The Godfather: Part II is a sprawling epic that captures the intensity of Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone in a way the first film simply couldn’t. While Godfather II doesn’t necessarily introduce a new scene-stealing new character like others on this list, it did broaden the scope of the iconic Vito Corleone with the sub-plot origin tale of how the Don came to be.
The scene that stands out and attacks the true heart of this film is also the coldest. The boat scene closes the complicated and fascinating relationship between Michael and his brother Fredo. The well-paced progression of their struggling brotherhood perfectly mirrors Michael’s own boiling rage, as he loses control of himself and his family. The image of Fredo on the boat is one I think of every time I look at a lake.
While The Godfather: Part III lacks the general adoration amongst movie lovers that the first two got, it may be the fault of a sequel which set the bar so high it still seems almost insurmountable. Anybody looking for a lesson on how to tell a great story need look no further than this sequel – the greatest of all time. Is it any coincidence that the writer, Mario Puzo, is on our list twice? (Puzo also wrote Superman II.)
-
What do you think? Is the list solid or would you change it around? Tell us about your favorite sequels and why they belong in a top list. Sound off in the comments section below, but don’t forget this is an opinion and not fact. Everybody has their favorites and they are likely all different.
‘Anchorman 2′ Trailers Tease the Return of Ron Burgundy’s News Team [Updated] 
Hugh Jackman Reveals Summer Start Date for ‘Wolverine 2′ 
Rumor Patrol: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to Play a DC Comics Superhero? 
‘Supernatural’ Season 8 – Will You Be Tuning In? 
Loading ...
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.
Have you seen the Godfather part 2?? Because if you have and you think ESB is better, then I don’t know what is wrong with you!
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.