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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Dee F bomb, I can’t help it if you don’t have a sense of humor.
I’ll translate for you,,, “you sound like a whinny female dog.”
What kind of conversation is berating somebody for having an opinion on Hulk?
1. I have a sense of humor but u were not being funny u were just being rude
2. I’ve never heard a female dog talk it’s my understanding that they are not capable of such a thing but I’ll keep my ears open
3. I wasn’t berating him by in definition of the word I was explaining what a sequal is and how hulk was not one
4. Saying hulk sucked or hulk was greet is an opinion saying hulk was a sequal is simply inaccurate and wrong. It’s not something u can debate it’s a fact that hulk is not a sequal. That’s like saying tdk was the sequal to Batman 89 and Batman Begins is the prequal
I don’t want to get involved in this but I thought I’d point out that when 790 said “female dog” he meant “b*tch” and not a literal female dog. Hopefully that will help you avoid future embarrassment in what is a pretty gnarly internet fight going on here haha.
Daniel F, I would also suggest you lighten up a bit. Oh dear, I may have gotten involved.
@Daniel f
Wait wait wait, you mean to tell me that The Dark Knight ISN’T a sequel to the Tim Burton Batman??? NOW it all makes sense! lol, just kidding dude. I agree that TIH isn’t a sequel to Brokeback Hulk. Although it is kind of weird that it picks up from South America, that’s probably where the confusion comes from…
Thanks for the power point presentation dee f bomb.
Hope you don’t drop your iphone in the toilet while watching 24.
So now ur gonna just point out random facts about me for no logical reason? Yes I own an iPhone and have recently started watching 24 oh and brownie points for guessing that from time go time I use a toilet. I guess good luck to u while reading nut job conspiracy theories and bitching about 3d.
Hey now, if something is written on the internet, it MUST be true!
Thanks for the support.
@neontiger21, lol,
10 bucks says Daniels next comment will state that he knew that all along.
This isn’t a fight on my part. I have chunks of guys like danny in my stool.
I wonder if he understands what stool is in ference to?
Stool, iphones = same thing.
Well I knew what he was referring to I was just having some fun with it and trust me u don’t want to see ne lighten up I’m pale enough as it is.
@neontiger21 I’m cool with paypal…
Given ur personality the way u talk and how very immature u are 790 I wonder if ur actually just a 12 year old boy who’s parents give him way to much access to the internet. Though I will admit sometimes when I’m feeling down in life I go read some of ur past comments and it brightens my day. There is just something calming about knowing ur not a nut job.
Anyway this has gotten very pointless appears to be going no where and rather than spend the next week of my life throwing ridiculiously stupid insults back and forth at each other I’m gonna let this end.
Nice talkin to u again 790 it’s been awhile see u in a few days I’m sure.
Did u get it all out, all that rage?
Ur welcome.
^
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She blinded Me! With science!
Science!!!!
@790
What the hell, man? Daniel F brought up a valid point with the Hulk discussion and you weren’t a part of the conversation, and it was civil until you came in and stirred things up.
Give it a rest.
I#ve been reading this arguement for a while…. The Hulk films being a sequel???? are you HIGH Vic. A valid point???? This arguement started with Daniel making a THICK comment like that. 790 just pointed out he was a fool (like most people who read his comment). So, Vic why agree with him when you know the Hulk films were not sequels, c’mon man.
@Paul77
WOW, someone wasn’t paying attention, lol.
Hmmm,,,
Vic I’m commenting on Daniel f’s comment…
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“Rofl hilarious u wouldn’t consider two towers a sequel so u suggest the incredible hulk which was a reboot and not a sequel in any way what so ever.”
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If he/Daniel F can’t deal with my comment, “Who gives a shat”, that’s really too, bad, but not my problem,,,
That’s funny Ken I actually call it Brockback Hulk as well.
Like the list for the most part. I have to disagree with throwing Spider Man 2 in there though. A good flick no doubt, but in my opinion nowhere near one of the 12 best sequels of all time!
Paul77, totally gets it,,,!!!
Finally a voice of sanity around here!!!
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I’m sure you’ll be bashed for your observation. I’m used to it. Its no big deal.
I hope you comment more Paul!!!
77 was a great year!
LOL 790, you’re just patting his back because he’s patting your back. You realize Paul didn’t understand the argument at all right??
I agree that Daniel often reacts pretty harshly, but so do you, and so do I, so I’m not taking sides, but Paul kind of misunderstood where the parties stand in the discussion, so it’s kind of foolish to take his side…
Paul did u read the comments at all? I never said the hulk film were a sequal in the one who said they were not.
Wow your grammar sucks Dan F-Bomb.
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And the point is flying over your small head as usual,,,
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Sucks to be you.
Lol,,,
This is prob hate speech but I don’t care guy. Your worth it.
Hm, grammar, your, you’re, over head, lol.
I really truly don’t know what ur problem is. I’m not sure why u have such a hardbon for me man but get over it u act as though I slept with ur wife. It’s the Internet time to let it go. We had a long ridiculiosly stupid fight let’s keep some dignity and act mature now it’s over we can move on. Enough with the personal insults.
As long as I comment here Dan F-bomb, you should be concerned.
If you attack others, I might call you out as a jerk…
I would suggest you live with it, if you want to continue to be an ars to commenters.
Of course I may be perma-banned as soon as Vic wakes up today, but until then your going to have to deal with me…
And I’m bored with you.
That’s a joke right? Ur the only one doing actual attacking. The only person I even attacked was u and that was because u were being rude and disrespectful. U are seriously diluted my friend. Get a life tracking down my comments just to personally insult me because u think ur the Internet superman is pathetic.
OK, you two guys need to learn to just ignore each other and do the water off a duck’s back thing. Got it?
We have a good discussion community here and I don’t want personal battles marring the discussion. If you like I can send both of you each other’s email addresses and you can go at it offline to your heart’s content.
Otherwise I’m going to start deleting comments.
Vic
Great article, really enjoyed readin it.
PS: Screen Rant staff, I sent you an email, check it out.
Vic sorry. I’m perfectly happy to avoid 790 as best I can but I’ve disscused with u before how I sometimes have trouble not responding when someone is attacking me. I can promise I will do my best to avoid him but beyond that no promises if he tracks down my comments and starts grating me like crap again I will be conpelled to defend my self. I can promise I will not start any fights with him I can at least do that.
I have no intrest in having a battle with out wits with 790 I don’t enjoy debates that are just personal insults being thrown back and forth. Giving my an email address wouldn’t solve much since all we can do is call eachother dirty names for hours in end…. A street address however would solve everyones problem lol only kidding.
To those that have had to witness this “display” I hope you found it amusing and in no disrespect to the topic. I’m going to wrap up my point of view on this now. If your totally sick of this (and I totally would be) you can delete this now, as I go on a bit…
as much as possible.
^
Here’s my final statement on the matter Daniel F. This is meant to bring closure to the issue not provoke more discussion. These are my reasons for “provoking you”. After this let’s just move on shall we?
^
These are the facts based on the actual comments, I went back and checked.
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Aaron made the comment about Incredible Hulk being a sequel. He also made a valid connection with the ending of Ang Lee’s film, tying the two together.
^
Daniel F, laughed at his comments then mocked him for having a point about TLOTR films being one long story.
^
Afterwards, Aaron politely stated, “it’s just a movie so it’s no big deal what I, you, or they say.” The “conversation” was over at that point.
^
Then Daniel F replied, “Well it actually does matter what they say considering they made the movie. Not sure how it feels like a sequel given that it had nothing in common with the other one other than,,,,, then he goes on about Batman and Spider-Man etc….”
^
He then finished his comment with, “Also I hope u were kidding about the no knowing why u let him write fir u other wise that was pretty harsh lol. ” (That’s an exact transcript of that final sentence btw.)
Curious as that statement was something Paul77 alluded to not Aaron.
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So I’m reading this and I’m thinking, “who cares if Aaron thinks Incredible Hulk was a sequel?” That’s a reason to laugh at his comments and basically further insult his opinion. Cap it off with a totally unrelated remark about insulting the writer that he didn’t even make ???
^
So I typed, “Who gives a shat?!
At the time I thought it was pretty harmless and somewhat topical in a Star Trek kinda reaching for it way.
^
Then all Daniel explodes uses the F Bomb rants that I have nothing to do with this conversation yada hate, yada rage…
I guess my crime here is allowing myself to taunt Daniel. He seems to take everything so serious. He’s so angry at me for asking basically who cares that he breaks down and we get into this blogging display that resembles a futile game of pong. As the game of pong has no value, no purpose.
^
For that I will apologize to Mike and Vic, for providing 50% of the above mentioned pong scenario. I did try to use,
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To Daniel, really bro lighten up, and don’t allow yourself to get so angry over opinions on superheros. Its just amusing and I won’t be the last person to take advantage of your propensity for blogger rage. Personally if someone would have said that to me I would have laughed and tried to provide a logical point of view.
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And to Ken J, Paul77 based his comment around the fact that Daniel had a valid point (Hulk not a sequel). Again that’s an opinion depending on how one views the film. Paul77 didn’t seem (the way I read it) that this was a position that Vic should get behind, as he seemed to somewhat agree that Daniel was making this bigger then it needed to get. Again only my opinion on what I read. If I’m wrong on that Paul77 can feel free to correct my total misjudgment of his position.
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Damn opinions they start so many conflicts. And let’s all agree that Ang Lee is somehow also responsible,,,
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Up Up and Awayyyyyy!!!!!!!
Actually, Paul was under the impression that Daniel was the one calling TIH the sequel to Brokeback Hulk. Was just pointing that out.
Otherwise, not picking sides.
I would like to apologize for alot of my typing errors the ones that make what I said impossible to understand. I type on here with my phone so sometimes auto correct screws me and sometimes I make a mistake but it’s hard to correct and time consuming. I won’t apologize for small grammar errors like your because it’s the Internet and I simply don’t care it’s lazyness on my part it’s extra work to hit the symbols button and the add in ‘ just to go back to letters again. Also usually I don’t read over my post because on the phone it would involve alot of scrolling and once again I direct u toward the lazy part. Rather than reply to 790′s attempt to get the last word by defending his actions and once again insulting me I’ll just end with the apology. ; p
I prefer the Donner cut of Superman 2 right up until he spins the world back like he did in the first movie… after that, it loses its internal logic, and it looks to me like Superman ends up going to that diner and beating up that trucker for no reason whatsoever. If I’m misinterpreting the timeline, then will someone be kind enough to put me some knowledge here?
What about Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade or Die Hard with a Vengeance or Evil Dead 2 or Austin Powers 2: The spy who shagged me? I’d say at least one of those is better than Toy Story 2…otherwise I really enjoyed your list.
Yah, I loved Die Hard 3, but no way it’s better than the original. Die Hard 1 is the best one. Die Hard 2 is the worst one though… And I thought Austin Powers 2 was the worst one, it was the least creative with their jokes. The first and third were better in my opinion.
And I really liked Toy Story 2, so I’m fine with that on the list.
I think u missed the point of the article spawn. He seems to only be refering to the second movie in a franchise no third or fouths so that eliminates Die Hard and the list requires that the sequal be better than the first movie. Some of the movies u listed are not bad and may even be better than toy story two but they are not better than the first film in their franchise.
Though personally I don’t think toy story 2 is better than the first but he does which is the point of the article.
well put, Daniel f
No way is Desperado better than El Mariachi.
Tough call…I love Desperado so much. and El Mariachi is the origin of all that wonder…and for $6,000 it is brilliant. But Desperado is better…to me.