Movie Sequels Better Than The Original [Archive]

CamEdwards

01-18-2004, 10:02 PM

In light of the other thread on movie sequels that shouldn't have been, what about those rare sequels that are better than the first.

The one that comes immediately to mind for me is Evil Dead 2: Dead Before Dawn. First movie was funny, but also painfully bad. Army of Darkness was a bit too intentionally cheesy. Evil Dead 2, however, was perfect in it's cheesy comedy and low budget special effects.

Any others out there come to mind?

sterlingice

01-18-2004, 10:06 PM

Off the top of my head, I really like Terminator 2 much more than the original. Tho, there are quite a few people who would disagree. T3- painfully bad compared to the first 2.

SI

timmae

01-18-2004, 10:11 PM

I'd have to say American Pie 2. On another note Fletch Lives sucked...

Cringer

01-18-2004, 10:11 PM

I loved Once Upon a Time In Mexico, i do believe better then the first two. This, even though Salma was not in it as much as i thought she would be, since she was dead....

Cringer

01-18-2004, 10:14 PM

Dola-

The Friday movies, Next Friday, Friday After Next....both were better then the original, with Next Friday being the best.

And i hope Barbershop2 is as good as the first.

Sun Tzu

01-18-2004, 10:18 PM

Dawn of the Dead was IMO slightly better than Night of the Living Dead.

Mighty Ducks 2 was actualy pretty good and could be compared to the first

Back to the Future 2 was a good movie, and also is comparable to the original

The Pink Panther sequels were pretty much all hilarious

Glamorous Mucus

01-18-2004, 10:31 PM

Hoping to actually take the time to post to the forum this year instead of the occasional lurk . . . so I might as well start now.

Those that I thought were easily better than the original:

Empire Strikes Back
Aliens
X2
Evil Dead 2
Drunken Master 2
Bride of Frankenstein
Dawn of the Dead
Goldfinger (if #3 in a series counts, otherwise I'd say Dr. No and From Russia were about equal)

And the ones that were excellent, but not necessarily better:

Godfather II
Terminator 2
Toy Story 2
For a Few Dollars More or The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I'm sure there are more, but those are the only ones I can think of now.

Easy Mac

01-18-2004, 10:40 PM

LOTR: Two Towers
Matrix Reloaded

tucker342

01-18-2004, 10:49 PM

Well if it can be 3rd in the series then LOTR: Return of the King was by far the best one in the trilogy.

tucker342

01-18-2004, 10:50 PM

dola-

Dola-

The Friday movies, Next Friday, Friday After Next....both were better then the original, with Next Friday being the best.

And i hope Barbershop2 is as good as the first.

I disagree, I though Friday was MUCH better than Next Friday. I thought Friday After Next was terrible.

Draft Dodger

01-18-2004, 10:52 PM

Well if it can be 3rd in the series then LOTR: Return of the King was by far the best one in the trilogy.

I still prefer the first one - although they are all excellent movies.

I think the first two movies mentioned - T2 and Evil Dead 2 would be my choices (although I'd say technically Evil Dead 2 is more of a remake than a sequel).

cody8200

01-18-2004, 11:41 PM

sterlingice

01-19-2004, 12:01 AM

Well if it can be 3rd in the series then LOTR: Return of the King was by far the best one in the trilogy.
I'll take Fellowship, myself. But I like them all.

SI

Daimyo

01-19-2004, 12:55 AM

I'd say Empire Strikes back and Two Towers, but I'm not sure they're technically sequels since they're part of pre-planned trilogies. I also liked Godfather 2 better than the 1st one. I waver on Toy Story vs Toy Story 2, but probably lean toward the first one. Can't think of any others that are close right now, but I seem to remember there is one obvious one that I'm forgetting.

Honolulu_Blue

01-19-2004, 03:03 AM

Superman II. This is easily the best out of the entire series. It doesn't get much better than General Zod. The guy is incredibly funny, as is Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. The fight in Metropolis between Superman and the three baddies, though dated now, was incredible for the time. Great superhero "slugfest" type of stuff (throwing manhole covers, buses, etc, etc.)

Axxon

01-19-2004, 04:17 AM

No love for Aliens?? I thought it was better than the original.

Groundhog

01-19-2004, 04:32 AM

I'd say Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness were both better than Evil Dead (which I like as well).

X-Men 2 was much better than X-Men 1 IMO, too.

hoopsguy

01-19-2004, 06:59 AM

Easy Mac, are you saying the Matriz Realoded was better than the first one???? WOah, I've never heard something so crazy except the person that said Next Friday was better than the original Friday. My top pics would be Terminator 2, LOTR 3, Austin Powers 2.

Interesting to see someone question movie tastes when they rate AP2 ahead of the original. I thought Mac was going out on a limb with the Matrix, but AP2 is the suggestion here that most clearly screamed "NOOOO!" for me out of everything I have seen here so far.

Now if anyone offers up Ace Ventura 2, Call of the Wild, I'll have to modify that stance ...

oykib

01-19-2004, 08:47 AM

Honolulu_Blue

01-19-2004, 09:00 AM

How about movies that weren't as bad as the originals?

Karate Kid II and Best of the Best II were both better than the originals.

I also thought that Halloween II was as good or better than the first. Though they were both good movies.

The Omen II was pretty good. But most people wouldn't say it was as good as the first one.

Lethal Weapons 2 and 3 were both better than the original.

NO Star Trek movie could be as bad as the original. Although, number five was pretty close.

I must respectfully disagree on a number of these.

1. Karate Kid one was much better than two. Much. (Can't speak for Best of the Best. Never saw either classic).

2. Lethal Weapon 1 was better than 2 and 3. Much more so. In Lethal Weapon 1, Gibson had that death wish crazy thing going on that gave him an edge that only barely existed in 2 (when they killed Patsy Kensit) and was all but evaporated in 3. I like Lethal Weapons 2 and 3. Good, funny films, but not better than the original, I think.

3. Stark Trek 5 blew beyond belief. Safe sticking to the even number deal. Even though I am not that big of fan 6. I thought it sucked.

Taur

01-19-2004, 10:01 AM

Huckleberry

01-19-2004, 10:07 AM

Young Guns II, man, Young Guns II. :D

And whoever posted that Next Friday and Friday After Next were better than Friday is absolutely insane and should be banned. Either that or they only every saw Friday on prime time television. Of course, that in itself is funny because of all the edits.

I am experiencing contempt for the person that said American Pie 2 also, though not as much.

Honolulu_Blue

01-19-2004, 10:17 AM

How about a TV series being better than the actual movie: MASH

Now, for all you fans down under fans Road Warrior is officially the 2nd movie installment in the Mad Max series althought if you lived outside Australia you would of had to of seen it on video... Come to think of it I believe Mad Max was released in some major cities, but had to be dubbed as Americans could not understand Mel Gibsons and the rest of his blokes.

This is true. Road Warrior is better than Mad Max. Though Thunder Dome is the worst of all three.

Coffee Warlord

01-19-2004, 10:27 AM

Props for puling Young Guns II out of the hat.

And I just spent the last 15 minutes or so, and I can't think of a bloody thing to add. There's just...*so* many piss poor sequals out there. There's a few good ones, but better than the first? Rare gem. Usually because only good movies *get* sequals.

Greyroofoo

01-19-2004, 10:43 AM

Hot Shots, part deux was a lot more well done that the first

Franklinnoble

01-19-2004, 11:59 AM

Naked Gun 33 1/3

DeToxRox

01-19-2004, 12:58 PM

I agree with Naked Gun 33 1/3.

But as far as Evil Dead goes.. In the original, the girl who is raped by the tree.. yeah, i'm good friends with her daughter who i go to school with.

random but who cares.

Kodos

01-19-2004, 01:08 PM

I think Terminator 2 and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were better than the originals. Probably the same for Aliens.

Aylmar

01-19-2004, 03:23 PM

Well if it can be 3rd in the series then LOTR: Return of the King was by far the best one in the trilogy.

To me, Fellowship is by far the best film of the three. Two Towers was very good, but I didn't like ROTK nearly as much. It was still a good movie, but I left the theatre disappointed. It's never good when I'm sitting in a movie I was sure I was going to love saying "When is it going to end". If it wins Best Picture, it will be a travesty, IMO. There are better offerings out there (Seabiscuit, Mystic River, Lost in Translation, to name three that I've seen).

QuikSand

01-19-2004, 03:30 PM

Seeing this topic, my very first thought was The Godfather, Part II... but I quickly decided that it was more nearly equal to its predecessor than clearly superior.

I confess, my very next thought was Young Guns II, and I positively blush at the fact that I placed these two pairs of movies in such close proximity. (But then I remember The Godfather, Part III and completely forgive myself)

Butter

01-19-2004, 03:37 PM

If it wins Best Picture, it will be a travesty, IMO. There are better offerings out there (Seabiscuit, Mystic River, Lost in Translation, to name three that I've seen).

Seabiscuit? I was wondering when that thing was going to end. I liked it, but no way was it better than Return of the King.

Lost in Translation, you might have a case for. That was an excellent film.

Huckleberry

01-19-2004, 03:40 PM

As for Seabiscuit, I made the mistake of reading the book before seeing the movie. Never do that with a good book.

QS -

C'mon man. Don't feel ashamed. They were both really good sequels that covered the trials and tribulations of an organized crime gang. Pretty much the same movie with different titles. Right? ;)

korme

01-19-2004, 03:47 PM

Dola-

The Friday movies, Next Friday, Friday After Next....both were better then the original, with Next Friday being the best.

And i hope Barbershop2 is as good as the first.

Yeah right. Friday is a classic and is better than the sequels, though I own and like them all.

Aylmar

01-19-2004, 03:48 PM

Seabiscuit? I was wondering when that thing was going to end. I liked it, but no way was it better than Return of the King.

Lost in Translation, you might have a case for. That was an excellent film.

I really liked Seabiscuit, what can I say... :)

As for Lost in Translation, it will be hurt by being a small timer. It is an excellent film, but it's an excellent film that not many people have seen. Not something that is typical of a Best Picture winner. You don't have to do great at the box office...but it helps a bit.

At this point, I think Mystic River has the inside track. The fact that it's an Eastwood and that it will likely garner a Best Actor trophy (Penn) will likely give it a leg up on the competition. Wouldn't bother me...I loved that film.

Oh yeah...on topic...sequels that I think were better than the original...

Empire Strikes Back
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (I know...third movie)
Attack of the Clones (as a sequel to Phantom Menace)

Not much of a list... :)

oykib

01-19-2004, 05:36 PM

Attack of the Clones (as a sequel to Phantom Menace)

Attack of the CLones was unmitigated garbage. At least The Phantom Menace had some good parts. Attack of the Clones was so bad that it drags down the rest of the series.

Greyroofoo

01-19-2004, 06:01 PM

To me, Fellowship is by far the best film of the three. Two Towers was very good, but I didn't like ROTK nearly as much. It was still a good movie, but I left the theatre disappointed. It's never good when I'm sitting in a movie I was sure I was going to love saying "When is it going to end". If it wins Best Picture, it will be a travesty, IMO. There are better offerings out there (Seabiscuit, Mystic River, Lost in Translation, to name three that I've seen).

i though fellowship was the most BORING of the three.

And on a side note, Frodo is the worst movie hero the world has ever seen. He didn't do anything other than cry and get stabbed

astralhaze

01-19-2004, 06:11 PM

Aliens
Aliens

Easily better? I dunno about that. I think they are both about the same in terms of quality, it just depends on what you want out of a movie. The first film is more of cerebral horror film while the second is a sci-fi action movie. I think which you like more will be determined by which of these types you prefer. Myself, I prefer the first, but I have no problem with those who prefer the second. Purely in terms of their strength as films (how well they work for what they are) I think they are roughly equal. Both are among my top movies of all time.

Draft Dodger

01-19-2004, 06:13 PM

Easily better? I dunno about that. I think they are both about the same in terms of quality, it just depends on what you want out of a movie. The first film is more of cerebral horror film while the second is a sci-fi action movie. I think which you like more will be determined by which of these types you prefer. Myself, I prefer the first, but I have no problem with those who prefer the second. Purely in terms of their strength as films (how well they work for what they are) I think they are roughly equal. Both are among my top movies of all time.

When I saw you had posted, I KNEW it would be about the Alien series

astralhaze

01-19-2004, 06:17 PM

When I saw you had posted, I KNEW it would be about the Alien series
Glad I didn't let you down :D

Leonidas

01-19-2004, 06:51 PM

Wrath of Khan was far and away better than the first Trek movie.

sabotai

01-19-2004, 06:54 PM

On the same note, First Contact was much better than Generations

finkenst

01-19-2004, 10:16 PM

On the same note, First Contact was much better than Generations

how can you say that? Generations had the best scene in any star trek movie.

.
.

sabotai

01-19-2004, 10:18 PM

Which was....?

finkenst

01-19-2004, 10:32 PM

Which was....?

James.
.
T.
.
.
Kirk dying.

Buddy Grant

01-19-2004, 10:49 PM

The odds are against a sequal being better than the original, but I like Dr. No, yet liked Goldfinger and From Russia With Love a lot more. I liked the mid-period Pink Panther films more than the 1st one (Shot In The Dark), and Father Of The Bride 2 kicks the original films ass across the chapel. Just joking about that last one.

Glamorous Mucus

01-19-2004, 11:24 PM

<re: Alien vs. Aliens>

Easily better? I dunno about that. I think they are both about the same in terms of quality, it just depends on what you want out of a movie. The first film is more of cerebral horror film while the second is a sci-fi action movie. I think which you like more will be determined by which of these types you prefer. Myself, I prefer the first, but I have no problem with those who prefer the second. Purely in terms of their strength as films (how well they work for what they are) I think they are roughly equal. Both are among my top movies of all time.

I'm certainly not a horror fan, and so I guess it's not surprising that I liked Aliens better. I guess I don't really think of either one as "cerebral," though.

[Now getting OT] In general, I just don't seem to quite get the appeal of horror movies. Even the so-called horror classics pretty much all seem overrated to me, with very few exceptions (The Shining, probably also Silence of the Lambs if you consider it to be horror). Alien is definitely a well-made movie, and good for what it is, but nonetheless it just doesn't move me.

Even the horror films that I put on my sequel-better-than-original list (Evil Dead 2, Dawn of the Dead, Bride of Frankenstein) aren't movies that I would care to watch very often.

Glamorous Mucus

01-19-2004, 11:34 PM

I'll commit my virgin Dola to say . . .

I totally agree on Pink Panther, although I don't think any of 'em are really that incredible.

If we're also allowing for movies that came much later in a series of flicks, then there are probably some others I would want to include. Most notably, in addition to Goldfinger, I'd add . . . On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Mock me if you must, but I think it's the best of the series. And goodness no, I'm not saying that Lazenby is a better Bond than Connery - although I do think GL was unfairly panned. He was better than Moore IMO (and *way* better than the phoning-it-in, "Grandpa Bond" Connery who replaced him in Diamonds are Forever).

And add my vote to Fellowship of the Ring as the best of the LoTR movie trilogy.

astralhaze

01-19-2004, 11:57 PM

<RE: Aliens vs. Alien>
I'm certainly not a horror fan, and so I guess it's not surprising that I liked Aliens better. I guess I don't really think of either one as "cerebral," though.

Well, it's not cerebral like a PT Anderson movie or anything, but what I mean is that there is very, very little action. The pace is very slow and the story unfolds in bits and pieces. It has the effect of building up the tension so when you finally do see the Alien, it has even more impact that it would have otherwise. It also raises, for lack of a better description, Star Trek-like issues regarding what the potential impacts would be of contact with an alien species. Should it be brought back to study above all cost? Would a government really put the potential use of the species as a weapon be placed over the lives of a crew? Not exactly genius stuff and, to be fair, Aliens and even Alien 3 do a good job with these issues as well, but the original handled it much better, IMO.

But like I said before, I think they are of equal quality as films, overall.

Axxon

01-20-2004, 04:26 AM

How about a TV series being better than the actual movie: MASH

Now, for all you fans down under fans Road Warrior is officially the 2nd movie installment in the Mad Max series althought if you lived outside Australia you would of had to of seen it on video... Come to think of it I believe Mad Max was released in some major cities, but had to be dubbed as Americans could not understand Mel Gibsons and the rest of his blokes.

Um, no it didn't need to be dubbed and I saw it as a midnight movie at the now defunct Varsity Cinemas in Tampa. I don't know if Tampa really qualified as a major city back then but the movie was quite popular and played for several weeks.

Axxon

01-20-2004, 04:43 AM

Well, it's not cerebral like a PT Anderson movie or anything, but what I mean is that there is very, very little action. The pace is very slow and the story unfolds in bits and pieces. It has the effect of building up the tension so when you finally do see the Alien, it has even more impact that it would have otherwise. It also raises, for lack of a better description, Star Trek-like issues regarding what the potential impacts would be of contact with an alien species. Should it be brought back to study above all cost? Would a government really put the potential use of the species as a weapon be placed over the lives of a crew? Not exactly genius stuff and, to be fair, Aliens and even Alien 3 do a good job with these issues as well, but the original handled it much better, IMO.

But like I said before, I think they are of equal quality as films, overall.

True but for the whole first contact with an alien, scary buildup, horror thing I'd say that John Carpenters The Thing does it all much better in my opinion but it's hard for me to name an action adventure sci fi I like better than Aliens that's why I named the sequel better than the original for me.