The 411 Top 5: Week 53

Posted by Trevor Snyder on 03.23.2007

The Top 5 Best Sequels

This week, we kick off the second year of the 411 Top 5, and what better way to do so than to take a look at some of the most successful second chapters (and, in some cases, even third and fourth chapters) in film history.

For most money movie fans, it's an excepted rule that sequels are an inferior product, simply created to cash in on the original, with none of the same passion and impact as the first film. And, truthfully, looking at most of the numerous sequels that are unloaded on us year after year, there is certainly some credence to that argument. Still, there are those rare occasions where a sequel somehow matches (and sometimes even surpasses) the quality of its predecessor – take Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo for example. I would have never thought that they would be able to match the complexities and twists of Breakin', but I'll be damned if they didn't so with the heart-wrenching story of saving a community center with the power of break dancing.

OK, well, maybe Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo isn't the best example of what I'm talking about, after all. But still, there are great sequels out there. Why, there are even enough of them for us to proudly present:

THE TOP 5 BEST SEQUELS



Trevor Snyder

Honorable Mentions:

- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

This may have been the most important sequel of all time – generally, a sequel follows an incredibly successful film, and is simply expected to keep the momentum and goodwill going. Star Trek II, on the other hand, had a lot more riding on it, seeing as how it was following a film that pretty much everyone agreed was…disappointing (that's the polite way of putting it – "it sucked major balls" would actually be a little more accurate). Luckily for everyone involved, Star Trek II turned out to be one of the best sci-fi films ever, and thus renewed the franchise's lease on life, thus ensuring millions of trekkies plenty more years of living long and prospering.

- Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (1987)

The low-budget classic The Evil Dead was a pretty big success; it introduced the world to director Sam Raimi, and is inarguably one of most original horror films of the last 30 years – in terms of style more than story, that is; there's really nothing all that original about a group of kids in a remote cabin besieged by evil forces. What was fresh was the innovative camerawork and unrelenting pace. When Raimi was given more money for the inevitable sequel, he put it to good use. Serving as both a sequel and a sort of remake of the first film, Evil Dead II upped the outrageousness and pushed extreme "Three Stooges" style humor to the forefront, while not sacrificing the gore and terror of the original (although Army of Darkness, the third film in the series, would eventually give up on scares and instead just go for all-out laughs). Plus, as great as The Evil Dead was, it's the sequel that made Bruce Campbell's Ash into the beloved cult icon he is today – if you can somehow not fall in love with the character while he's cutting off his own possessed hand with a chainsaw and screaming "who's laughing now," then you are a stronger person than I.



5. Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (1988)

Because this Clive Barker horror franchise eventually became one of the genre's worst offenders of endless, shitty, straight-to-video sequels (right up there with Children of the Corn and The Prophecy), it's easy to forget how much potential the series originally showed with its first excellent sequel. But allow yourself to disregard crap like Hellraiser: Deader and Hellraiser: Hellworld for just a second and revisit Hellbound, which still stands as one of the finest horror sequels in movie history. Barker, along with writer Peter Atkins and director Tony Randel (no, not that Tony Randall, although that would have been interesting) worked hard at crafting a film that expanded on the world created in the first film, exploring the history of the demonic Cenobites, while also continuing the ongoing tale of Kirsty, the heroine from the first film. It's rare enough to see a horror sequel that lives up to the original, but what's even more impressive about Hellbound is that was released barely a year after the first film. Take a look at the majority of the hastily throw-together horror sequels out there to see how much garbage results from rushing a sequel. But, somehow, Barker and his pals somehow got it right. It's just a shame that Barker himself didn't stay as personally involved with the rest of the series – maybe then it wouldn't have degenerated so much, and Pinhead wouldn't have ended up as overexposed as Freddy Krueger.

4. Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Given the massive success of 1984's Gremlins, it's not particularly surprising that Warner Bros. eventually signed off on a sequel. What is surprising is the kind of sequel they allowed returning director Joe Dante to make – although, from what I understand, not all of the Warner executives were all that happy with the finished result. And, judging by the fact that the sequel was a huge flop, it appears the majority of the audience wasn't too thrilled with Dante's follow-up, either. I guess not many were ready for Dante's twisted take – much like the cases of Raimi's Evil Dead II and Tobe Hooper's Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Dante seemed to realize that to re-create the impact of the first movie would be useless, so instead he fashioned Gremlins 2 into more of a warped, wild comedy – and essentially a parody of the first film. Sure, there was definitely humor in the first Gremlins, but Dante used the sequel to push it to the max, giving up any pretense of actual scares and instead just going for as wacky of a comedy as possible (heck, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck make an appearance). To that end, he and writer Charles Haas cleverly came up with the idea of the Gremlins ingesting several formulas which result in a flying gremlin, an electric gremlin, a spider gremlin…hell, even a gremlin made of vegetables! Best of all is the highly-intelligent, talking gremlin, voiced by Tony Randall (yes, that Tony Randall), who explains that the Gremlins are looking forward to taking in both New York shows muggings, and eventually leads the Gremlins in a huge musical production number of "New York, New York." Like I said, audiences expecting more of the same at the time didn't respond very well to Gremlins 2, but it developed a cult following, and actually ended up aging better than the first film – I've noticed that, nowadays, Gremlins 2 seems to play on cable TV a lot more than Gremlins. Looks like Dante had the last laugh, while anyone who actually watches Gremlins 2 will have lots of them.

3. Terminator 2 (1991)

We are all familiar with the typical Hollywood mentality when it comes to sequels – bigger and louder, with more explosions, more action…basically, just more of whatever made the first film so much fun. We are also well aware of how disappointing the results of this mentality usually are – if you're not, just go watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. But you have to hand it to James Cameron, he knows how to embrace the "bigger = better" mindset and make it work. He first showed it with Aliens, his superb re-invention of Ridley Scott's tension-filled thriller into an over-the-top, all-out action spectacular. In fact, the only reason I'm not including Aliens on my list is because I constantly go back and forth on whether it or Alien is the better movie (it all depends on your mood at the time, really), and I really wanted to try and concentrate on sequels which I think outdid the originals. In that regard, look no further than Cameron's second sequel, this time a follow-up to one of his own films. Terminator 2 takes everything great about the first Terminator film, ramps it up about a million degrees, and then just goes for broke. And it works. And, incredibly, it even manages to be a deeper and more thought-provoking film than the original, even while increasing the action, stunts, and FX. Given his recent filmmaking pace, I'm not sure how many more sequels Cameron has in him (although Titanic 2 would certainly be worth a gander), and that might be a good thing – no need to suddenly make a crappy one and ruin his reputation. And it's not a bad reputation to have – he may not be the "king of the world," as he so famously announced at the Oscars, but he's certainly one of the "kings of sequels."

2. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

For the most part, the law of diminishing returns can pretty easily be applied to the classic "Universal monsters" films. Sure, films like Dracula, The Mummy, and The Wolfman are all icons of horror cinema, but the numerous sequels and crossover films that followed, while often fun, were never quite able to match the quality and impact of the originals. The sole exception is James Whale's amazing follow-up to his own excellent Frankenstein. Bride of Frankenstein is not only superior to the first film, it's also the greatest monster movie ever made. Rather than lazily rehash the themes and scenes of the previous entry, as was often the case with horror sequels back then (and today, for that matter), Whales upped the style, the humor, and the storytelling, and managed to make the creature even more memorable than the last time. Of course, a lot of the credit there also has to go to the legendary Boris Karloff, who used the opportunity of the creature learning to speak to add new layers and levels of humanity onto the character, thus ensuring him the iconic status he today enjoys. Kudos to the clever intro the film employs as well, with Mary Shelley actually explaining how the end of the first film wasn't the end of the story, and proceeding to tell the tale of the sequel.

1. The Godfather Part II

Just how good is The Godfather Part II? Well, anytime some movie snob is going on about how much sequels stink and can never match up to the original, all you really have to say is "Godfather Part II," and it should stop them dead in their tracks (in fact, this very situation is brought to life in a very funny scene from Scream 2). Looking back, Godfather Part II had every reason to suck. After all, it was following The Godfather, for pete's sake, a Best Picture winner and arguably one of the greatest films ever. Who would have ever expected a sequel that was every bit as good, if not better, than the original? Hell, the very fact that Godfather Part II went on itself to win Best Picture should be a pretty good indication of why it gets my top stop. Honestly, could you picture a sequel winning Best Picture today? Especially a sequel to a Best Picture winner? But, in this case, it was no fluke. Godfather Part II stands heads and tails above all other sequels, and is just as much required viewing for any self-respecting film fan as the original Godfather. Godfather Part III, on the other hand…well, let's not spoil the moment.



Arnold Furious

For this sequels thing I think I had to eliminate franchises. I'm talking James Bond specifically as we've already done a Top 5 Bond movies. But there are other franchises (Aliens, Terminator, etc) that have gone on to multiple films but the sequel to the original is well worth mentioning. It's a fine line we walk. So my eventual decision was to only include the second film in any franchise.

HM – Spiderman 2. Naked Gun 2 ½, Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom



5) Toy Story 2

I didn't even bite on the whole Toy Story franchise until a lot later than most folk. The first film came out in 1995 when I was 19. It's not really the kind of age where you watch cartoons unless there's an 18 certificate attached. That combined with it being connected to Disney, and therefore did not show on Sky Movies, meant that I didn't even see Toy Story until about four years ago. In fact, I saw Toy Story 2 first. It was on sale at Somerfield for £1.99 so I thought, what the fuck, and picked up a copy. I was blown away. It was brilliant writing combined with superb character work. Tom Hanks and Woody Allen just totally threw themselves into the roles and it honestly felt like returning to my childhood. Like I'd gained another childhood memory, only 20 years later than the rest. It's both funny and charming. Of course the original was next on my viewing list and is equally as entertaining but there's something about a Zorg toy that believes its real attacking a Buzz Lightyear that's realised it's not real. The surreal nature of the showdown was fantastic.

4) Empire Strikes Back

Star Wars was one of the biggest box office phenomena of all time. So how do you follow that up? Simple, Empire Strikes Back. Give the bad guys something to build up for the third installment. Originally Lucas intended Star Wars to be the first of a trilogy but thought he'd never be given the funding for it so blew up the Death Star at the end of the film. It's a pity because the build up of the new prequels is to how important that space station is. To just blow it up and then have them build another one kind of takes away from the grandeur and importance of it. Empire Strikes Back was all about creating a sense of power in the dark side of the force. Luke, as he trains to be a Jedi, has his biggest problems in dealing with the temptations of the Dark Side of the force and loses his hand as a result. The revelation that Darth Vader is Luke's father is the icing on the cake. Now he knows what happened to Anakin and what should happen to him. The temptation is great just as the force runs strong in the Skywalker family. Plus Han Solo gets carted off by Boba Fett, giving us a focus for the first half of Return of the Jedi. There are two vastly important missions in RotJ. 1. Regain Han Solo. 2. Defeat the Empire. The two aren't connected because Han is held by the Hutt's who aren't connected to the Empire. Empire Strikes Back sets all this up, as well as containing its own excellent set pieces. It's also my mother's favourite Star Wars movie. No one messes with my mother.

3) Aliens

Like with Toy Story, I saw Aliens before I saw Alien. In fact, my brother rented Aliens on video. It must have been one of the first films we got on video. He talked about how he preferred the original afterwards. I must have been about 12 when I saw Aliens, so naturally it had a big impact on me. In fact it was probably the first 18 rated movie I ever saw, although I didn't realise that until afterwards. I thought the first 18 rated film I ever saw was Robocop. That's certainly more graphically violent. But then Robocop 2 doesn't hold up at all and this is all about sequels. Aliens is the first of two Jim Cameron sequels on my list. It seems he followed the rule of sequels by the book. More explosions. More deaths. Bigger storyline and more bad guys. Aliens features more weaponry than Alien, which only really boasted a flame thrower, but eventually returns to the same imagery as Ripley strolls into the hive waving a flame thrower around. Aliens works because there's a lot of strong and diverse characters. There's the Amazonian hard man, erm, woman, Vazquez. The chickenshit company man, Burke. The inexperienced and inept leader, Gorman. The world weary grunt, Hicks, and of course the borderline insane smart ass, Hudson. Aliens is one of the most satisfying blockbusters ever made. And the director's cut is even better. Compare the early scenes on LV426 (and I do know that from memory) to the cut scenes from Alien, which got put in for Ridley Scott's "director's cut". The continuity is all over the place in Scott's extra scenes suggesting he didn't know where to put them. Worse still are added antics like Dallas' tagged on death scene. Honestly, it made the film worse. Cameron's super extended version is terrific and still doesn't slow up. It just adds in little extra bits of background. Like Ripley's daughter, which fleshes out her eventual relationship with Newt. Aliens ended up being the far superior story to Alien. The only question is whether it can match the original for atmosphere. I doubt it. But it's much more fun.

2) Terminator 2

While I was a huge fan of the original Terminator, there's a lot to be said about giving Cameron a boatload of money. He sure uses it effectively. While the original Terminator was a great concept, you can't help feeling that with more money Cameron could have made a better film. Some supporting actors would have been nice. T2 has a much better cast and a vastly differing performance from Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor. We see a lot of character advancement from the original where she was this timid mouse of a person and the sequel where she's become an ass kicking lunatic. You have to think about the circumstances she was put in and how it affected her. Plus it's one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's better performances, showing slight glints of emotion as the film progresses in line with having his learning chip switched on. The outright killing machine is a perfect role for him because he's no good at emotions, but the subtlety of the Terminator character allows him to be himself and not try to wildly act like in some of his more inane films - Jingle all the Way, or even Twins. Acting is not Ahnolt's strong point. The Terminator character allowed him to be boring and he's great at that. Because the Terminator is so unemotional, it gives the other characters the chance to work off it. He just provides information that keeps the plot going and because everyone loves Ahnolt anyway they're not bothered what he's saying, just that he's talking. That's a movie star. Cameron knew this and drives the plot around the machine. To the point where you feel genuinely emotionally attached and I'll admit it. The first time I saw Terminator 2 I cried at the ending. Now that's good film making.

1) The Godfather Part II

The original Godfather is one of the best films ever made. So naturally there were a few concerned people when Francis Ford Coppolla went about making a prequel/sequel without the film's star, Marlon Brando. It seemed like career suicide. In his favour, Pacino was just starting to get hot. He'd made Serpico and would have Dog Day Afternoon in the can the following year. Plus Bobby DeNiro, the younger version of Brando's Vito Corleone, was coming off Mean Streets, and his next project was Taxi Driver. He just got his actors at the right time and neither let him down. The film went on to take a whopping $56M at the US box office. While the original film was straightforward in its approach, because that seemed the most logical way to do it, and took the most easy to follow story that Mario Puzo could manage, the pre/sequel took two long and complex threads and interwove them into an absolute film masterpiece. There's really nothing else to say.


Bryan Kristopowitz

Honorable Mentions

Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991):

Ahnold returns to the role that made him super famous, only this time he's a good guy, battling a "liquid metal" robot slasher killer the T-1000 (Robert "John Doggett" Patrick) sent back by Skynet to get John Connor as a child. The computer effects, which, along with John Carpenter's Memoirs of an Invisible Man, helped lay the groundwork for the Jurassic Park series and Forrest Gump, among other movies. The story is very simple, action packed, much like the first movie. But unlike the first flick's "Jason" style pace, the sequel spends quite a bit of time contemplating the future, what will happen if Skynet isn't defeated, if John Connor is killed, what it means to be human, etc. And it's certainly more heart warming than the first movie, which is probably why so many people remember it. It's a sequel that deals with the same essential characters, the same issues, but does it bigger and, dare I say, happier. "Hasta la vista, baby." Ha, I couldn't resist.

Death Wish 3 (1985):

Then right wing yahoo movie director Michael Winner (I'm calling him that because everything I've read about him states that he was a staunch conservative before becoming a sort of leftist in the 1990's) had already made two brutally dark and morose revenge themed action movies with Chuck Bronson and the architect Paul Kersey character, one considered a 1970's urban revenge classic, the other an early 1980's grim borefest with a rape scene that seems to last about an hour. So here comes 1985 and Chuck and Winner and the fine guys at Cannon Pictures decide that they need another Death Wish movie. Instead of doing another supremely sad movie like the second one, Winner and Bronson decide to do a sort of glossy, violent comic book version of the Kersey character. And so we get Chuck running around the projects of New York City, hanging out with Martin Balsam and Ed Lauter, blowing away purse snatchers and other assorted freaky looking thugs and hoodlums. Chuck uses a .38, a Wildy super gun, a .30 caliber Browning machine gun that belongs on a tank, and a LAWS rocket launcher to kill everyone in his path. Gavan O'Herlihy is the main scumbag gang thug villain. The movie is ridiculous, sure, but watch the opening credits scene and the final walk by Bronson. They sum up the Kersey character perfectly. He comes to town alone, and he leaves alone. Everyone he meets along the way is either killed or harmed emotionally.

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988):

The truth is I actually kind of prefer Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers in that I think it's a better all around movie. For whatever reason it just works better. But part 4 deserves the most recognition in this case as it's the movie that brought Michael Myers back and saved the Halloween franchise from the near disaster that Halloween III: Season of the Witch, the movie that even Tom Atkins couldn't save. It's Myers, back in Haddonfield, killing people, this time chasing down his niece Jamie Lloyd. Great stuff all around.



5. Escape From LA (1996):

This is the only sequel John Carpenter and Kurt Russell have ever done, a second adventure for the eye patched American outlaw Snake Plissken. This time he has to enter LA island and retrieve the Sword of Damacles weapons system from Bolivian terrorist Cuervo Jones (George Corraface), who managed to get it from the wacked out daughter of the religiously insane fascist US President (Cliff Robertson). The movie is brilliant in that it's both a sequel and a kind of tongue in cheek remake of Escape From New York, as Plissken often remarks that while the surroundings may change, the names, things stay the same. The flick also has one of the greatest endings of all time. Nothing like shutting down the Earth so you can go smoke a cigarette in peace. Lots of people think this movie is stupid, cheap looking, a rip off of EFNY. They just don't get it. Or at least I don't think they get it. "Shut down the Third World, they lose, you win. Shut down America, you lose, they win. The more things change, the more they stay the same." And is it me or does this movie sort of predict the future in some sense?

4. Maniac Cop 2 (1990):

Matt Cordell, the monster zombie cop with a penchant for killing cops, out to get revenge for his false arrest and imprisonment and subsequent butt kicking, is back to continue the cause. This flick is bigger, better than the first (which is a classic in its own right), featuring some of the best insane stuntwork in movie history. Woman hanging outside of a runaway car as it goes down the road, a man on fire walks and kills with abandon, a wicked throwing man gag, and a bunch of others. The flick also has the great Robert Davi as a butt kicking bad ass cop, trying to clear Cordell's record and get him to stop killing, Leo Rossi as a scumbag strangler, Michael Lerner as the head cop (tell me you don't laugh your butt off when he pulls out his .38 in the car with Davi), and Bruce Campbell as Jack and Laurbe Landon as Teresa, the stars from the first flick. Oh, and it also has Claudia Christian and the great Dick Napier as a TV show host. "And hey punk, if you're out there, we all want you to know that when it comes time for your execution, you can't con Con Edison. Goodnight." Great movie.

3. Trancers II: The Return of Jack Deth (1991):

The great Tim Thomerson is back as Future Cop Jack Deth, the Trancer hunter stuck in the past protecting Hap Ashby (the equally great Biff Manard) from the crazed psychic zombie killers known as trancers who want to kill Ashby and change the future. This time, Deth fights off a environmental cult lead by Richard Lynch, Jeffrey Combs, and Martine Beswick, deals with his thought dead wife Alice (Megan Ward) and tries to keep his current wife Lena (Helen Hunt, before she was an artist) happy without getting killed. This flick has such a dense plot it's hard to deal with until you watch it like five times. There's a lot to digest. But it's worth it. And it has one of the greatest exploding shoulder gags and an absolutely outstanding pitchfork in the chest gag. Watch that blood spew. Jack Deth rules.

2. The Empire Strikes Back (1980):

The movie that basically made the Star Wars franchise possible, as this movie easily could have failed miserably, made no money, and ended Luke Skywalker for all eternity. This is not the action adventure movie that the first Star Wars movie was, it's a slightly different beast all together. The main characters split up, one of the heroes almost dies, and the bad guys win in the end. It's not a happy movie, not very uplifting at all. But it made money, serious money, and allowed George Lucas to make Return of the Jedi and then the prequels 16 years later. It's probably also the best Star Wars movie in the way it connects together and makes its own sense. It's brilliant.

1. Dawn of the Dead (1978):

When George A. Romero decided, with the producing help of Dario Argento, a sequel to his groundbreaking 1968 horror classic Night of the Living Dead, I think it's safe to say that no one in the world thought that he was going to make a movie as "bright" as Dawn of the Dead. NOTLD is in stark black and white, creating a sense of unrelenting dread as the story moves to its bleak ending. But DOTD is in glorious, bright color, brimming with a kind of garish comic bookness (or so Romero likes to say). You get to see every ounce of red blood spilled, every nasty ripped open intestine, every piece of gnarled meat chewed up. And it's an action movie. It's a sort of big Hollywood thing on a miniscule budget. And it takes place in a mall. That alone makes it a classic.



J.T.

Honorable Mention:

Galaxy Quest 2:

Yes, I'm aware it doesn't exist, but I have no honorable mentions and everyone seems to have several and I'll be damned if I wouldn't like a sequel to Galaxy Quest. That ensemble kicked ass.



5. Star Wars Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones - (2002)

Yeah, I'll take shit for this one, I know. While not the most revered of the six films, to me this was a completely excellent way of moving things along. As it was mentioned earlier, Lucas had designs on a trilogy, and this was the epitome of "furthering the story" in order to set up everything for the third. Anakin was rebellious (leading to the turn), fell in love with Padme (creating two of the most important characters in the original flicks), lost his mother (further adding to frustration), and saw Obi-Wan discover that there was a rogue Jedi (which led to the eventual rebellion). It may not have been the greatest, but it was to me one of the best setup films around.

4. Lethal Weapon 4 - (1998)

After three, I honestly thought there was no way they could do it, but they did it. All of the original cast came together and they made it work. Only problem was "how do they find something that's actually challenging after the first three". Easy. Enter Jet Li. They continued all of the stories, added a bad ass villian in Li, and kept the story light enough where we would laugh yet still take the entire thing seriously. Glover / Gibson may go down as one of the greatest on screen duos ever (in fact, I think we had a Top 5 for this, and they were on a few people's list). From Gibson to Glover to Russo to Li to Pesci (God I love Leo), it was a situation where they just kind of "got the old gang back", and it worked out beautifully.

3. Desperado - (1995)

Yup, it's a sequel. The middle story of the entire Rodriguez series about "El Mariachi", and Desperado blew most of us away. Anytime you're watching a movie where a man is laying on the ground, then catches a man jumping onto him with his feet, and THEN proceeds to kick him into the air as he unloads two clips into him, well, that rules in my book. Desperado has some of the best shoot out scenes ever when it comes to cinema. Oh yeah, Salma Hayek getting naked doesn't hurt either. I kid about that, but the fact is it was just a FUN movie. Tarantino telling his "piss all over the bartender" joke is classic, you had Cheech, you had Antonio kicking ass like no other, you had Danny Trejo who ALWAYS kicks ass (yes, even in Bubble Boy); it was just good stuff.

2. Die Hard 2 - (1990)

Come on, are you kidding? It's the holidays bitches, and you assholes are holding a plane hostage that happens to carry the wife of one John McClain? Good luck with that. To me this whole movie kicked ass. It was essentailly Willis saying "fuck everyone else" and doing what he needed to do get to his wife. In fact, requiring a cigarette while all of this goes on might be the coolest thing ever, plus the shot of the plane exploding/going down with Willis in front of it. Classic Die Hard shit. Many people tend to disregard this one as the first and third were so good, but this was by no means shabby.

1. Shrek 2 - (2004)

Again, come on, are you kidding? While not quite as good as the first, it certainly wasn't any worse. The Shrek films (can't wait for the third) have been hilarious, and they took an already great cast from the first and only improved it in the second with the likes of Antonio Banderes and John Cleese. If you can't appreciate Shrek, perhaps you should just stop watching movies and go fuck yourself. Yeah, I said it, and yeah, that's how great I find those flicks.



Chad Webb

Honorable Mentions:

--The Karate Kid Part II (1986)
--Evil Dead II (1987)
--The Matrix Reloaded (2003)



5. Back to the Future: Part II (1989)

To start off, I would like to say that it goes without saying that The Godfather Part II, Toy Story 2, and The Empire Strikes Back are some of the best sequels ever made. Since Arnold and Bryan put them on their lists, I elected to choose some different movies that are just as great. I like to select different titles than other contributors to make this column more interesting. As for this flick, I would go as far as to say I watch this sequel more than I do the original. Why? Because the future shown to us by Director Robert Zemeckis is buoyant, exuberant, and entertaining. We now know that the flying cars will probably not arrive by 2015 (the year Marty and Doc warp to), but I still love watching that part of the film. It brought some of inventions and quirks of The Jetsons to life for me. In a weird way, this second installment is very thought provoking. It raises a lot of questions and causes the viewer to wonder about how they would react in similar situations. What if you met yourself, or were hit on by your mom, or saw your future children? I don't have to mention the performances. Everyone is terrific all around. It would be great if someone had a time machine so we could use a sports almanac to our advantage wouldn't it? This is just a fabulous ride from start to finish. I love this entire trilogy, but the first sequel is my favorite. Because of these films, I get excited every time I see a Delorean on the road. So far I've seen 3.

4. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

A lot of people bash the first Star Trek movie, but I actually enjoyed it. Regardless, the sequel that followed is undoubtedly the best Trek offering to date. In my opinion, this is one of the top 10 best sci-fi films ever made, and it was helmed by Nicholas Meyer, who would go on to direct the decent Star Trek VI. I have always viewed the original crew franchise as if each movie took on a specific genre. If that was the case, this is the full fledged action packed version of the Trek franchise. Obviously, most of them have action, but this was really geared more towards that style. Meyer pumped some much needed intensity and adventure into the series for a change of pace, and it turned out superbly. As is the case with most sequels, the characters slip more comfortably into their roles, and each person is examined with more depth. On the surface, it may be a standard good vs. evil storyline, but this is a much more calculated and deliberate approach to that standard. William Shatner gives an astoundingly superlative performance as Kirk, and Khan, played splendidly and slightly exaggerated by Ricardo Montalban, is a delight. These two convey some of the most hilarious and enjoyable lines of dialogue. Everything was well executed here from the ship battles, to the jargon, and so on. This was passionate, compelling, and by far the most memorable of any Star Trek effort.

3. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

In case you haven't noticed, I am sticking with the other staff members, and only choosing mostly the second film in any given franchise. In terms of fantasy adventure, it doesn't get much better than this trilogy. Peter Jackson has established that he is a highly intelligent filmmaker, and his vision created a set of movies that will go down in history. It is easy to criticize this film for not having a definite beginning or end, but nonetheless, The Two Towers is a breathtaking journey with absolutely stunning special effects, stimulating action sequences, and gripping performances. I probably should have made it clear that I prefer the extended cut to the theatrical version. The climactic battle of Helm's Deep is an astonishing sight to behold. One of the most satisfying aspects of this movie, and the trilogy as a whole for that matter, is that the CGI does not overwhelm or take away from picture. It looks and feels natural and balanced to the story. Jackson further proved with this sequel that he can craft an epic in a masterful way. The cast is marvelous, and because of how huge it is, and how many people there are to address, I'll just say everyone does equally as wonderful. This sequel is a deserving candidate for this list because it does stand on its own well. Several scenes are memorable enough to give Two Towers an identity to proud of.

2. Three Colors: White/Red (1994)

You might be thinking that these two films are not sequels in every sense of the word, but they still fit, and the stories do take place in the same "universe", so I felt it was worth putting on this list. I must be honest, and say that even though Red is the most critically acclaimed and respected, White is my personal favorite. It is a hypnotizing revenge film of the most bizarre kind. In it is one of the most moving scenes I have ever witnessed. It involves a man who has paid another man to kill him, because he does not have the guts to do it himself. I won't spoil it, but I was stunned to say the least. The plot follows a man named Karol who has just gone through a divorce due to not consummating the marriage, and has lost everything. He gradually tries to get his life together. Another unforgettable segment involves the main character fitting inside a suitcase to be flown across to his homeland. Red is the thrilling final chapter in this saga, and the characters in all three of the movies make appearances to mark a fitting bookend to this classic work of art. The beginning grabs you right away by traveling across phone lines through a body of water and into people's homes. This tale concerns the lives of a young model named Valentin and a retired judge named Joseph Kern who spies on his neighbors. This film deals with foreshadowing, irony, and fate in a most amazing way. What I love most about these sequels is that the audience does not know what will happen next. Director Krzysztof Kieslowski's follow-ups demand repeated viewings, and should definitely rank among the greatest sequels to date.

1. Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004)

This story was only two chapters long, but the sequel is arguably better than the first part. Not everyone will call this a "sequel", but whatever. Volume 2 contains one of the most frightening scenes I can remember. Our heroine, The Bride, has been locked and buried alive in a coffin by Budd/Sidewinder. She summons the skills she learned from former martial arts master Pai Mei to escape. I'm a little claustrophobic myself, and when I saw this for the first time, it was almost as if I was trapped with her. That's how brilliantly it was filmed. That was just one of many unbelievable sequences in a perfectly remarkable sequel and conclusion to one of the best revenge tales ever made. It was directed by the one and only Quentin Tarantino, a filmmaker I do not need to elaborate on. His abilities speak for themself. The performances are top-quality by the entire cast. The writing is genius, the set design is captivating, and the action rises above anything I anticipated. This is a continuation that succeeds on every level. Volume 2 is an invigorating piece of cinema, and anyone who states that this lacks the passion and force of the first part must be insane.

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So, there you go - an entire set of ammunition to use the next time somebody says all sequels are lame. Of course, they'll probably be able to counter with just as many, if not more, terrible sequels. Huh...I guess it is true that sequels usually do suck. Well, no problem - that's exactly why next week we'll be taking a look at the Top 5 Worst Sequels. Nobody better be picking Breakin' 2, that's all I'm saying. See you in seven.