What movie sequel was actually better than the original in your opinion? Any insights appreciated.

13 comments

1. Terminator was a great action movie, but Terminator 2 is a timeless classic.

   Also Aliens. Alien was a thrilling horror movie, but Aliens expanded on the lore while staying true to the original, and was a successful pivot to the action genre. It actually shows that sequels don’t need to conform to the genre of the original.

   For example, Kill Bill Vol.1 was a Kung Fu movie, while Vol.2 was a western (not quite a sequel, as it was planned, but the point stands).

2. Back to the future 2

3. For something a little more recent:

   Captain America: The Winter Soldier

4. Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan is far better than The Motion Picture

5. I’d say Shriek 2 is overall funnier/more entertaining by most metrics. And Shrek 1 was no slouch in the laughs department.

6. The most recent example is probably Top Gun: Maverick

7. Godfather 2

8. The Dark Knight

9. Hellraiser 2. The new one on Hulu is going to get destroyed in ratings but I would say it’s a case when the 11th movie is better then the first too.

10. Short Circuit 2

11. Die Hard with a Vengeance was miles better than Die Hard 2.

    It may the rule of sequels that all odd numbers are better than the even numbered ones.

    Die Hard vs Die Hard with a Vengeance is a hard debate.

12. Cars 3

13. My answer is the same as yours.
    Maybe Batman Returns?