12 incredible sequels that were better than the originals, from Paddington 2 to The Dark Knight
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From ‘Godfather II’ to ‘Toy Story 3’, Kevin E G Perry highlights a dozen sequels that exceeded the original films. Yet that isn’t always the case. Sometimes a sequel arrives that far outstrips the film it’s based on: smarter, funnier, deeper or just more thrilling. Here are 12 sequels that were better than their predecessors.
![[Robert De Niro as the young Vito Corleone in ‘The Godfather Part II']](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/07/30/11/Robert-DeNiro-%281%29.jpg)
Terminator 2: Judgement Day. James Cameron’s 1984 sci-fi action hit The Terminator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a terrifying time-traveling cyborg assassin was a near-perfect chase movie, but Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) took those same ideas and turned everything up a notch. Helped by advances in CGI, Cameron also came up with the genius idea of bringing back Schwarzenegger as a good guy, this time facing off against a much more advanced and sinister foe in the shape-shifting T-1000, played by Robert Patrick. Meanwhile, Linda Hamilton’s Sarah Connor also develops from a damsel in distress to a ferocious protector of her young son John (Edward Furlong).
![[‘Puss In Boots: The Last Wish’: Mortality, for kids]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/02/06/22/newFile-2.jpg)
The Godfather Part II. Evil Dead II. Sam Raimi’s debut independent horror Evil Dead became his calling card in 1981. While the film still holds up, it’s also clear that the director didn’t quite yet have the means to bring all his bold and original ideas to life. Evil Dead II, released in 1987, is both a sequel and a partial remake, and ends up being funnier with more fully-developed effects.
![[Alfred Molina as the villainous Doctor Octopus in 2004’s ‘Spider-Man 2’]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2022/11/25/10/newFile-5.jpg)
Paddington 2. Mad Max: Fury Road. Reversing the trend of most film franchises, Mad Max has been on an upward trajectory pretty much since maverick writer-director George Miller kicked things off over four decades ago. The original Mad Max (1979) was bettered by Mad Max 2 (1981) and the bonkers Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), but Miller outdid all of them when he returned to the sun-bleached Australian outback for 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road. Tom Hardy took over from Mel Gibson in the title role, Charlize Theron stole the show as Furiosa and Miller somehow pulled off some of the most astounding road (and off-road) sequences ever filmed. As Steven Soderbergh once famously said of Fury Road: “I don’t understand how [Miller] does that, I really don’t, and it’s my job to understand it. I don’t understand two things: I don’t understand how they’re not still shooting that film and I don’t understand how hundreds of people aren’t dead.”.
