Can a Sequel ever be better than the Original?

[Ambrosoli]

Return of the King

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

rocky III
rocky IV
spider man 2

 

[Voorhees27]

rocky III
rocky IV

Better than part 1? Really?

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

Better than part 1? Really?

yup..............

 

[Shatterer of Dreams]

yes it's called Empire Stricks Back

 

[A.L.I.E.N]

rocky III

Hell yeah!!!!!

 

[Devil_666]

I pity the fool..

 

[NASEDO]

 

[Starkiller]

EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
THE DARK KNIGHT
SPIDER-MAN 2
TERMINATOR 2
X2


So yes, if done right they can be.

 

[RICEaRONI]

How about the third film in a trilogy being better than the first two: Only one I can think of was Army Of Darkness. Any others!?

Return of the King

 

[choombaz]

Love digging up old threads. My son and i were thinking about this and put this list together.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Avengers: Infinity War
Bad Boys II
Batman Returns
Before Midnight
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Christmas Vacation
The Dark Knight
Dawn Of The Dead (78)
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
Desperado
The Empire Strikes Back
Evil Dead 2
Fast Five
From Russia With Love
The Godfather Part II
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Lethal Weapon 2
Logan
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Paddington 2
Spider-Man 2
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
Thor Ragnarok
Toy Story 3
Twisters
X2

I don’t think Aliens and T2 are better. They are equal. I have to think about what else might be on that list.

 

[chrisstbh]

Love digging up old threads. My son and i were thinking about this and put this list together.

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Avengers: Infinity War
Bad Boys II
Batman Returns
Before Midnight
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Christmas Vacation
The Dark Knight
Dawn Of The Dead (78)
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
Desperado
The Empire Strikes Back
Evil Dead 2
Fast Five
From Russia With Love
The Godfather Part II
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Lethal Weapon 2
Logan
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Paddington 2
Spider-Man 2
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan
Thor Ragnarok
Toy Story 3
Twisters
X2

I don’t think Aliens and T2 are better. They are equal. I have to think about what else might be on that list.

You forgot Shrek 2

 

[a-dev]

Thats a good distinction to make. But I think Wrath of Khan is a poor example since the first film wasn't exactly hard to beat!

better

Empire Strikes Back
Spiderman 2
TDK

equal

Aliens
X2

not as good but still worthy

T2

As a general answer I would say it is evidently very difficult to resurrect old franchises after many years have elapsed and make a worthy sequel. Those filmmakers, even if they themselves are the originators, tend to forget what made the original film or films great in the first place.

Huh....surprised to see my 2009 self say that about T2. Perhaps Kara and JAWS had recently been on my case and I humoured them

I usually say they're equal and it merely depends if you're in the mood for bad guy Arnie or good guy Arnie.

And I would no longer say TDK is better than Batman Begins. It's actually now my least favourite of the Nolan trilogy.

 

[Wor-Gar]

It's actually now my least favourite of the Nolan trilogy.

 

[Khev]

And I would no longer say TDK is better than Batman Begins. It's actually now my least favourite of the Nolan trilogy.

Interesting. I've long held BB in higher regard than TDK but what puts TDK below TDKR for you? (And for the record I might agree with you, it's just an opinion I don't think I've ever seen shared before.)

 

[a-dev]

Interesting. I've long held BB in higher regard than TDK but what puts TDK below TDKR for you? (And for the record I might agree with you, it's just an opinion I don't think I've ever seen shared before.)

I guess I don't rate Ledger's Joker as high as others - or I became tired of the obsessiveness around him and rebelled against it in favour of Bane in TDKR, his 'demotion' at the end of the film notwithstanding. And despite some implausibilities, despite some lacklustre execution of action scenes and some sloppy fight choreography, I just enjoy the story and pacing of TDKR more than TDK. That final act of TDK always feels tacked-on.