Often, The Godfather 2, Aliens, Terminator 2 and The Dark Knight are listed as the greatest sequels ever made
As great as these are, they were follow-ups to great original films
Mad Max 2/Road Warrior is the only sequel I can personally think of, that is a terrific follow-up to a so-so original
Are there any other films that you can name where you have far far more affection or respect for the sequel than you do for its original?
Good one, only one I can think of right now is Desperado, the sequel to the (also low budget) El Mariachi from Robert Rodriguez
shareI've never seen either of those, but everyone I know who has, says that Desperado is superior.
Having had a bit of time to think about it, I also feel that Goldfinger is far better than Dr. No.
Hell no! "El Mariachi" is a great action film, made with a tiny budget. "Desperado" was just a flashy Hollywood-style movie with big stars and big money. It doesn't have the realistic edge that the original one had.
"IMdB; where 14 year olds can act like jaded 40 year old critics...'
Often, The Godfather 2, Aliens, Terminator 2 and The Dark Knight are listed as the greatest sequels ever made
I'm completely with you on nearly all accounts. With The Godfather, it's kind of a toss-up, but in the end I prefer the pacing of the original. The flashback scenes of Godfather 2 were really neat (possibly even innovative for its time), and it was quite something to see Michael Corleone's personality changing to becoming a ruthless boss you don't want to cross. Awesome. But you can't deny the perfection of that opening shot of Don Corleone in the original. Both are great movies, but the 1st one is still a hair better.
Alien vs. Aliens. One is more action-packed, but the other one is more suspenseful. Considering the time when the original Alien was made, I gotta give Ridley Scott credit. Those eerie panning shots of the space ships corridors. The amazing documentary style video footage. The confidence in showcasing certain things without feeling the need to explain every element (i.e., The Space Jockey). We didn't really know what race they were, but got a glimpse of the chest bursting situation that was telegraphed for Caine's demise later. Aliens did a great job keeping the tension and the alien world true to the original. I also loved hearing the same female voice counting down the self destruct message. Aliens was an outstanding sequel to an already outstanding first movie. But for me, there is a certain "charm" that Aliens lacks when comparing the two - although the director's cut of Aliens had some killer scenes to make it a closer match.
The Dark Knight had the awesome Joker villain - a performance of a lifetime. Still, the first Batman had wonderful character development. The backstory of League of Shadows. And you got to see the pschological pain young Bruce Wayne felt - as no doubt he blamed himself (and his psychological issues with the fear of bats he had) that led to the cause of his father getting killed during the robbery (they would have left the playhouse at a different time). I actually think all 3 are fantastic (I don't understand the "haters" of the 3rd). I mean, come on!... the 3rd installment was almost like a trilogy within itself! It was great, but I give the slight edge to the 2nd one - simply because of Heath Ledger. Without his part, I would probably rank the 1st one the best.
Terminator 1 vs. Terminator 2. Actually on this one, I gotta say T2 is the better movie. T1 was a great sci-fi movie, no doubt. But re-watch T1 again today and I think you will find some of the acting a bit clunky. Great concept though, and what an innovative story to jump start a franchise.
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Kahn most definitely.
X2 vs. X-Men: also most definitely.
Evil Dead II vs. Evil Dead: most definitely!
But it's easier to pick sequels that had bad (or just so-so mediocre) first time efforts. I thought Mad Max was just okay, but The Road Warrior quite awesome for its time and probably still holds good ground today 30 years later.
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Another one just came to mind...and I know I'll be in the minority for this one, but I've always thought Bill & Ted's Bogus journey was funnier and cleverer than Excellent Adventure
Perhaps few would agree, but I found "Wayne's World 2" a lot funnier and more inventive than the first.
"Help" isn't actually a sequel to "A Hard Day's Night," but they're often lumped together. "Night" is the critical darling, but I prefer "Help."
Empire Strikes Back. Expendables 2.
shareReally? You think A New Hope is pretty weak or average?
I just thought of another. I found Addams family values a lot more amusing than its predecessor too
After 2004, A New Hope got a lot weaker.
shareIn what sense?
sharePiranha II possibly or Basket Case II - not a superb film, but easily surpassed original, I also found Bill & Ted 2 far better and funnier than the original. Which was ok, just didn't find that funny. Also Austin Powers II same situation.
shareBasket Case
Aliens is not better than Alien as T2 is not better than The Terminator.
In fact, T2 is one of the most overrated pieces of crap ever made.
Also, Aliens is not better than Alien, but it´s one of the best sequels ever made.
The Godfather 2 is the best sequel ever made.
Aliens is not better than Alien as T2 is not better than The Terminator.
In fact, T2 is one of the most overrated pieces of crap ever made.
Also, Aliens is not better than Alien, but it´s one of the best sequels ever made.
The Godfather 2 is the best sequel ever made.
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zozogogo
Evil Dead II over The Evil Dead (I actually don't like the original and mainly respect it for what they were able to accomplish.)
ED2 isn't really a sequel, since it doesn't follow on from the story of the original. it's more of a remake. (same story, different actors)Wrong! I can't believe people are still confused about this. It is, in fact, a direct continuation. The events of the second movie begin as the spirit chases Ash through the house and hurls him through the woods, where the first film left off. Everything before that is just a brief recap of the first movie without the same footage, which was unavailable.
"So-so original". Seriously mate are you off your tree? The original Mad Max is an absolute masterpiece in every sense of the word. Different to Mad Max 2 sure, but equally as awesome in my opinion.
share"So-so original". Seriously mate are you off your tree? The original Mad Max is an absolute masterpiece in every sense of the word. Different to Mad Max 2 sure, but equally as awesome in my opinion.
I agree with your sentiment (in the case of this film). Mad Max plays out like an unnecessary prequel to Mad Max 2's iconic brilliance despite the fact it's actually the original. It was good the first time I saw it, many years ago, but it hasn't stood up to repeat viewing too well. I agree with TDK and Evil Dead 2 but none of the others. You could probably add Spiderman 2 but it's not exactly a classic. I also agree with Empire Strikes Back. Star Wars is excellent but ESB is even better. Some people might argue the Toy Story sequels have a deeper resonance than the original also. I would also add Jason X is a better film than Friday the 13th, though neither are exactly masterpieces. Batman Returns is an absolute *beep* masterpiece next to the original also and has become very under-rated since the Christopher Nolan films have appeared. I'd say it's my favourite all time Batman movie.
Edit: GREMLINS 2!!
Batman Returns sucked, it was an excuse for Tim Burton to shove a bunch of weird Tim Burton-y type stuff into a movie, and then Batman turns up at the end to stop Penguin missiles, it was stupid.
shareI would also add Jason X is a better film than Friday the 13thSay what???
i have a funny view on movies in general... what i consider to be a 'good' movie, and what i enjoy, are not necessarily always the same thing... sequels are generally inferior, or at best, equal to, the original, from the points if writing, casting, directing, and other aspects. occasionally, one crops up that surpasses the first film. examples certainly include the road warrior, empire strikes back, evil dead 2 and the dark knight. sequels which are not necessarily 'better', but that i enjoy more are lethal weapon 2, aliens, army of darkness, and pirates of the caribbean 3. i'm sure there are others, but i'm drawing a blank at the moment...
"Cinema was made for fantasy, rather than normal types of stories." - Ray Harryhausen
Not sure if it counts, but the good the bad and the ugly is far superior to both of the other two films in the man with no name trilogy
shareIt counts. Good answer.
Not sure if it counts, but the good the bad and the ugly is far superior to both of the other two films in the man with no name trilogy