If you have spent time in the theaters this past weekend, you have heard how Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stands up among the top movie sequels of all time. Depending on who you ask, Marvel Studios may be kicking some of the usual suspects to the curb.
When you think of any Top 10 list, namely one that focuses on solving the argument about the best movie sequels of all time, someone is bound to get offended. There will always be a movie that some fandoms consider a gimme on that list whereas others look at it and laugh. That’s the beautiful thing about writing and reading listicles–it’s a talking sport.
Throughout cinematic history, there have been many attempts at the sequel that has fart-and fell-down way short of expectations. (Wonder Woman 1984, we’re looking at you.) Some movies should just be left alone, but this is Hollywood. If greed was ever a motivational force for failure, Hollywood has it in spades. Any time a movie crushes at the box office, there are people in their cushy ivory towers who assume that the sheep out there–known as “fans”–will make a sequel just as profitable.
That is not always the case. In fact, it rarely is. However, there are a few times when the sequel outperforms the original. That’s lightning in a bottle and several are here.
Here are Top 10 movie sequels of all time!
Author’s Memo: Let’s qualify something before we continue–this is about sequels. We aren’t talking about prequels or legacyquels. Also, if you believe Mad Max: Fury Road is cemented on this list, you’d lose that bet. It was a reboot, which started the list all over. Max Max: The Road Warrior is the “sequel” you would need to discuss. (And that movie was awesome.)
There is no skipping permitted either.
If you want to make the argument Avengers: Infinity War should be on the list, the answer is “Absolutely not.” Why? You would have to leapfrog Avengers: Age of Ultron to do it. A sequel, in its truest sense, is a movie made directly after an original. It gets enough disrespect as it is.
The word of its own merit should help with that.
sequel (n.) From the Old French sequelle (14th century) and Latin sequela, meaning “that which follows, as in a result.
Today, we accept a sequel as anything that follows, like Home Alone 5: The Holiday Feast is a “sequel” to the fabled Yuletide classic. Oh hell no it doesn’t. Technically, that waste of tape is a part of the franchise, but that won’t be considered a sequel.
Now, will Home Alone 2: Lost in New York find a home on this venerable Top 10 list of the best movie sequels of all time? Let’s find out.
HM. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Keep in mind: This isn’t a listicle about the best movie–it’s about being the best sequel. How does a movie continue a storyline, enhance the plot from the original, and make you drool for a third edition? We aren’t even having a discussion if not for this pioneering classic, as it was the first sequel in motion picture history.
If Frankenstein’s Monster could find a mate, anything is possible. And, in 1935, no one thought this was ever going to happen. That’s the secret of a sequel: the seemingly unreachable “NO WAY” moment.
10. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Whoa, wait. That’s four decades from Ridley Scott‘s revered sci-fi film to what Denis Villeneuve created. There’s no way that’s a sequel, right? Well, look at the franchise–there are only two films. Distance between movies does not matter, and this mesmerizing sequel proves it. Both are noir films. Each could stand on its own in any list. Harrison Ford made both so much better. And together, it’s difficult to find a better one-two punch in filmmaking than what the seminal Blade Runner provides here.
9. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Once considered an untouchable movie sequel, Spider-Man 2 improved on everything Sam Raimi created with the original. So, he went to the drawing board and turned the dial up to 11 in every aspect–character arc, plot development, storytelling, and the villain. Willem Dafoe was remarkable as the Green Goblin, but Alfred Molina gave us a nuanced baddie in Doctor Octopus that created empathy and fear, angst and sadness. At the time, CBMs had never been better.
8. Aliens (1986)
It seems Ridley Scott is the benchmark for avant-garde films, so incredible directors want to try one-upmanship on the guy. First, it was Denis Villeneuve. Now, it’s James friggin’ Cameron. Alien was one of the best horror and sci-fi films ever made. So, when Cameron was tasked with a sequel, didn’t try to recreate the thrill–he changed it.
What a stroke of genius to forget the face-lift of a Xenomorph. There was no competition with Alien because it wasn’t trying to compete with it. Cameron created the next chapter and established the roadmap to end up as one of the best movie sequels of all time.
7. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980)
Three words: Kneel. Before. Zod!
Terence Stamp was remarkable as the Kryptonian madman. He was completely surreal, and in the ’80s, that’s what the comic book movie genre demanded. In the genesis of bringing characters to life, no one considered Christopher Reeve‘s Superman getting his spandex-laden behind handed to him.
In this perception-defying sequel, that’s exactly what happened and it shocked the world. Reeve was better. Margot Kidder was better. Even giving up his powers for love worked here (and that sucked). This movie was a triumph. And if you doubt the effectiveness of Zod in Superman II, Man of Steel says “Hold my beer.”
6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
This sequel is always among, “What is the best CBM ever?” Naturally, its place among the Pantheon of sequels is that strong as well. One-half of the Russo boys brought us the return of Steve Rogers’ long, lost friend, Bucky Barnes who ended up being on the most badass characters ever introduced by Marvel Studios!
Sebastian Stan is sensational as a brainwashed, confused character who is on a quest to find Captain America, but also, himself. It was a somber tone no one expected and marked a turning point in Feige’s Fiefdom because the characters no longer needed to be heroes to be “super.” A true achievement.
5. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
Remember what James Cameron did for Alien? There is no replacing an original. So, you flip it on its end and stun everyone. Terminator 2: Judgement Day created what no one expected and delivered what no one has forgotten. Technology in this film was unrivaled and changed the CGI world forever. T2 belongs on a shelf of its own among the best movie sequels of all time.
But that plot? Making Ah-nuld an anti-hero?! Who saw that coming? No one but Cameron, which is why the guy deserves his face cast in a Mount Rushmore of directors. This was an explosion in every way possible–one so good, no one will ever do this again. Why? Because they’ll get accused of “trying to do a T2 job.” I guess you could say, “It won’t be back.”
4. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
We’ll take “Movies No One Saw Coming…Including Tom Cruise’s Mama” for $1.4 billion please, Alex. In addition to that, how in the world would a Tom Cruise movie ever dethrone T2?! But it happened with flying colors (see what I did…eh, never mind).
This is, without reservation, Cruise’s finest cinematic achievement, largely because there were zero people alive who thought Maverick would be that good! They managed to connect all the loose ends from a movie 36 years ago. The stunts were better. The script was far better. And, whatever the hell they did with Val Kilmer was a miracle in cinema.
Action movies should never be at a loss for superlatives, but this was just “beautiful.”
3. The Dark Knight (2008)
Forget comic book movies. Erase the makeup from your mind. Christopher Nolan created a gold standard for what any movie should assemble for the fan. The Dark Knight took every angle from the original and went full pretzel-twisting legend to create the Oscar-winning performance by Heath Ledger. How in the world could Batman, Two-Face, and Joker exist in the real world? This film shows how.
Moviemaking is supposed to be magic, but what Nolan did here was sorcery of another level. The sequel was a symphonic crescendo of what he envisioned with his private trilogy. It was the zenith of his plan, and nerds have been ever grateful, ever since. The Dark Knight is a film with rare equals. It was just that damn good as if it was “all part of the plan.”
2. Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
You know why no one saw this sequel coming? Because George Lucas wanted it that way. Not even Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher knew what bombshell was going to be dropped in this movie, which is why it ranks among the best movie sequels of all time. Many believe it is the best. You can’t argue with a film that took the original and made people forget how cutting-edge it was.
Every actor upped their game and this was the film where Darth Vader became one of the best movie characters of all time–and that will never change. That’s how The Empire Strikes Back changed the game. There was only three years difference between Star Wars and Empire, and it felt like 30. The battle between good and evil has never been better, and maybe, never will.
1. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
Sequels can be made. But when you don’t only make a sequel, but two in the same film?! It was such a ridiculous undertaking that it hasn’t been matched since. Two actors–Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro–won the same “Best Actor” Oscar for playing the same character in two different movies. That’s how remarkable this filmmaking achievement was, in 1974, or any decade.
The Godfather is one of the best movies of all time–and its sequel is even better. We saw an origin and the next chapter in the same movie, largely thanks to the devolution of the great Al Pacino as Michael Corleone. The different timelines somehow intertwined to prove you don’t need special effects or explosion porn to make a good movie; you just need a story. And in Francis Ford Coppola‘s case, he had two–both untouchable as individuals but perfect as a harmonious pair.
Since he saw ‘Dune’ in the $1 movie theater as a kid, this guy has been a lover of geek culture. It wasn’t until he became a professional copywriter, ghostwriter, and speechwriter that he began to write about it (a lot).
From the gravitas of the Sith, the genius of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, or the gluttony of today’s comic fan, SPW digs intelligent debate about entertainment. He’s also addicted to listicles, storytelling, useless trivia, and the Oxford comma. And, he prefers his puns intended.
