Sequels/Prequels As Good As The Original Movie

[g5000]

I just came up with this idea for a topic while reading another topic about how much movies suck these days, and someone mentioned some franchises have endless sequels.

I think the best sequel ever made to an original movie was Godfather II.

The first couple Rocky sequels weren't too bad, nor were the Alien sequels. But those franchises were ruined by subsequent sequels.

I suppose you could count the James Bond movies as all being sequels. I liked most of them but stopped when they got to Timothy Dalton. It was all downhill from there.

So what were your favorite sequels as good as the original?

I'm making a topic about best remakes, too. Stay tuned.

 

[JoeB131]

My list-

Empire Strikes Back was an improvement over Star Wars

Temple of Doom was an improvement over Raiders of the Lost Ark. (Technically, it was a prequel!)

Star Trek II; The Wrath of Khan was a vastly better movie than Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

 

[g5000]

My list-

Empire Strikes Back was an improvement over Star Wars

Temple of Doom was an improvement over Raiders of the Lost Ark. (Technically, it was a prequel!)

Star Trek II; The Wrath of Khan was a vastly better movie than Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

I agree with all of those choices.

Especially Wrath of Khan. The first movie was horrible, and Khan was a great callback for fans of the original series.

I also like Star Trek IV better than the original.

The Spock dying and rejuvenation movies were dumb.

 

[candycorn]

My list-

Empire Strikes Back was an improvement over Star Wars

Agree

Temple of Doom was an improvement over Raiders of the Lost Ark. (Technically, it was a prequel!)

What in the hell are you smoking?

Star Trek II; The Wrath of Khan was a vastly better movie than Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

Totally agree on this as well.

But TOD was not just a dumb movie, it was a bad dumb movie....perhaps one of the greatest openings though. The rest of it...nope.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Best line on Godfather II. Clemenza catches up with Vito after he threw the pillowcase (full of guns) for safekeeping



Did you look inside?

Vitos stated answer, "I'm not interested in things that don't concern me"

Vito's real Answer, Yes, and I can keep your secret

Some of the best squeals never made

Napoleon Dynamite, II
Casablanca, II
Shawshank Redemption, Part Deux
Field of Dreams

 

[candycorn]

I think the best movies were the ones who didn't have a remake or a prequel...that stand on their own. But if forced to go down that rabbit hole....

Terminator 2 Judgement Day is, perhaps, the best "chapter two" of any movie ever. It expanded on Terminator in every direction. The graphics, the story, the acting, make-up, special effects were (for their time) second to none.

Pitch Perfect 2 was every bit as good as the original in my view...as was Sister Act II.

For its time, Rambo was a great improvement over first blood. It sort of tested the limits of believeability though

I was sort of young when it came out but those cheesy Avenging Angel movies were compelling in their own way. It may have been the first movie I ever snuck into as a kid.

I'll say Top Gun: Maverick was a very good homage to the original Top Gun. Tom Cruise played an aged fighter pilot so very well and they didn't make Jon Hamm out to be a total DB which I thought was great. Just About Anything with Jennifer Connelly in it is almost instant gold.

 

[Eman623]

Back to the Future III was better than BTTF II, which was better than BTTF I. And they were all great movies.

 

[JoeB131]

For its time, Rambo was a great improvement over first blood. It sort of tested the limits of believeability though

I have to disagree on that one.

First Blood was compelling because it asked hard questions about what happens to soldiers when they stop being soldiers.

Rambo's answer was "Just find them another war to fight" and then repeated the horseshit claim that the Vietnamese were still holding our POWs (they weren't)

 

[g5000]

I think the best movies were the ones who didn't have a remake or a prequel...that stand on their own. But if forced to go down that rabbit hole....

Terminator 2 Judgement Day is, perhaps, the best "chapter two" of any movie ever. It expanded on Terminator in every direction. The graphics, the story, the acting, make-up, special effects were (for their time) second to none.

Pitch Perfect 2 was every bit as good as the original in my view...as was Sister Act II.

For its time, Rambo was a great improvement over first blood. It sort of tested the limits of believeability though

I was sort of young when it came out but those cheesy Avenging Angel movies were compelling in their own way. It may have been the first movie I ever snuck into as a kid.

I'll say Top Gun: Maverick was a very good homage to the original Top Gun. Tom Cruise played an aged fighter pilot so very well and they didn't make Jon Hamm out to be a total DB which I thought was great. Just About Anything with Jennifer Connelly in it is almost instant gold.

Hmmm. I have never heard of the Avenging Angel movies.

 

[g5000]

Back to the Future III was better than BTTF II, which was better than BTTF I. And they were all great movies.

I thought III was a total dud. I and II were very good.

 

[Eman623]

Austin Powers II was better than AP I. Mini Me is a classic character even today.

But the rest of the series jumped the shark.

 

[candycorn]

Hmmm. I have never heard of the Avenging Angel movies.

Cheese Factor 50X. Its about this teenage girl who is prim and proper during the day but is not at night. 80's flick that you laughed at because it was so silly. But strangely compelling. There was another movie called The Warriors that seemed to have come out about the same time....you tried to look away but you couldn't.

 

[Yarddog]

I might add the Cobra Kai spin off (2018) of the original 1984 Karate Kid movie.
LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence now adults and teaching their own Dojo... Miagi had passed away
but the old goat was still alive to play the part of the foil... They did a pretty good job considering all the years in between.

 

[Natural Citizen]

The Mummy and its sequels ware equally comparable. I think Brendan Fraser is doing another Mummy movie soon, too. I like movies involving treasure hunts and archeology.

Those couple of National Treasure movies were also equally comparable to one another. I liked both of those. They should make another one.

 

[Natural Citizen]

I'll say Top Gun: Maverick was a very good homage to the original Top Gun. Tom Cruise played an aged fighter pilot so very well and they didn't make Jon Hamm out to be a total DB which I thought was great. Just About Anything with Jennifer Connelly in it is almost instant gold.

Yeah, Top Gun is one of my all time favorites. I was reading that they're making a third one soon.