Top Ten Surprisingly Good Sequels
They don't always suck. Sometimes they're as enjoyable as their predecessor. Sometimes, though, the sequel does better.
List activity
38 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
10 titles
- DirectorIrvin KershnerStarsMark HamillHarrison FordCarrie FisherAfter the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.Not only did it feature the most iconic spoiler reveal of cinematic history, but it was darker and had more of a theme than it's 1978 predecessor.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsHarrison FordKate CapshawKe Huy QuanIn 1935, Indiana Jones is tasked by Indian villagers with reclaiming a rock stolen from them by a secret cult beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace.Unfortunately Indy's ladies are always annoying bitches, but besides that Temple of Doom was as great a mystery and as exhilarating an adventure (in my opinion better) than Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsSigourney WeaverMichael BiehnCarrie HennDecades after surviving the Nostromo incident, Ellen Ripley is sent out to re-establish contact with a terraforming colony but finds herself battling the Alien Queen and her offspring.Cameron did a pretty epic job with this sequel set 51 years after the masterpiece Alien. This time Ripley gets her protective mother don't-mess-with-me-bitch on and kicks major Queen Alien ass.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerLinda HamiltonEdward FurlongA cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.Speaking of Cameron sequels, Judgement Day far outshone the original brilliant movie. This time Arnie was the good guy. Hamilton's reaction to him at first is classic.
- DirectorQuentin TarantinoStarsUma ThurmanDavid CarradineMichael MadsenThe Bride continues her quest of vengeance against her former boss and lover Bill, the reclusive bouncer Budd, and the treacherous, one-eyed Elle.Though really more of a continuation of the same story (it would have been released as one volume), Kill Bill 2 did, in the end, stand alone in terms of it's different style and feel.
- DirectorWes CravenStarsNeve CampbellCourteney CoxDavid ArquetteTwo years after the first series of murders, as Sidney acclimates to college life, someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.With a bigger body count, some surprise cameos and more iconic death scenes, Scream 2 slashed it's way through our fears that a sequel would suck.
- DirectorMike NewellStarsDaniel RadcliffeEmma WatsonRupert GrintHarry Potter finds himself competing in a hazardous tournament between rival schools of magic, but he is distracted by recurring nightmares.Perhaps the first of the real dark Harry Potters, the Goblet of Fire stayed surprisingly true to the very long book and delivered moments of tension, mystery, humour and action in equal, breathtaking parts.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsIan McKellenMartin FreemanRichard ArmitageThe dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain, their homeland, from the dragon Smaug.With Benedict Cumberbatch being given more of a spotlight, this movie was bound to be better.
- DirectorJay RoachStarsMike MyersHeather GrahamMichael YorkDr. Evil is back and has invented a new time machine that allows him to go back to the 1960s and steal Austin Powers' mojo, inadvertently leaving him "shagless".This time with the funny and beautiful Heather Graham on his side, Austin Powers was cooler, funnier and had a way more shagadelic ride.
- DirectorPhil LordChristopher MillerStarsChanning TatumJonah HillIce CubeAfter making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt and Jenko when they go deep undercover at a local college.Packed with references about how much sequels suck, this was one that really didn't. Helped in part by the chemistry Hill and Tatum garnered in the first one, the lines and gags were laugh a minute.