We all know the best movie sequels of all time: Aliens, The Empire Strikes Back, The Wrath of Khan, The Dark Knight, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. But let’s look at some of the best movie sequels that were very natural progressions of their predecessors and overall stayed true to the vibe of the first ones.
~Spoilers Ahead~
5) Avengers Endgame
It kept the hype from Infinity War and delivered. My only critique is that it could have had a better overall theme. I would have made Hawkeye die instead of Black Widow since keeping him alive in all the movies just because everyone expected him to die was lame. If Hawkeye had died, he would have died for his family, and then it would have foreshadowed Tony’s decision and maybe influenced him. Tony could have seen Clint’s phone go off when Laura called and been like, “Yeah that’s the move.” It just didn’t make sense that the movie was trying to make the point that Clint should live because he has a family, and Tony should die for his. Plus, then it would have kept Thanos’ theme/mantra from Infinity War: sacrifice.
Great sequel, but not riding all the same vibes as Infinity War when it could have been. Bonus points for overall delivering on everything else.
4) Star Trek Into Darkness
The vibes are nearly identical to the first film. Plus, it has a great new story and great character arcs that stem seamlessly from the first. For example, Kirk and Spock’s relationship conflicts and developments are perfect, and the way they truly progressed from enemies to a friendship is akin to the Shatner/Nimoy version of Kirk and Spock. It introduces the Klingons (which I’m sure, were supposed to appear in the third movie) and has great little details that reference the first reboot and the other movies/shows.
Plus Benedict is awesome.
3) Lion King 2
This one gets nostalgia points for sure, but it’s also just good in general, especially compared to some Disney sequels (I’m referencing the atrocity that is Hunchback of Notre Dame 2). It kept the main themes from Lion King 1 (the circle of life, redemption, good vs evil but with a twist, weird family members). It has a few changes: Simba is a hardass (but it makes sense as to why), and Timon and Pumba live near Pride Rock At least one lioness was a supporter of Scar and fled… The movie did all this and stayed on brand very well. We have a good balance of old and new characters, and the music slaps almost as hard as the original.
2) Spider-Man 2
I stand by my opinion that Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin is the best Spider-Man villain brought to life on screen, but Alfred Molina as Doc Ock was perfectly casted and brilliantly played. Plus, I could argue that the train scene is the best superhero movie scene of all time. Fantastic.
Peter’s arc of giving up his powers for a hot sec makes sense and Harry’s slow burn of starting to become a huge brat like his dad and starting to hate Peter and then finding out Peter’s been Spider-Man all along is executed wonderfully. There’s great progression of the characters as they work their way into adulthood. Overall immaculate vibes. It’s only not getting the number one spot because MJ’s arc makes me angry. Her and Peter’s relationship could have been written and executed better.
1) Shrek 2
Amazing. Might even be better than the first one. The Fairy Godmother is just as iconic, if not more, than Farquaad. The music, also, is just as iconic. Hallelujah and Holding Out for a Hero could go head-to-head for becoming synonymous with their movie. (To this day, I can’t watch a teary tribute of a church choir singing Hallelujah without thinking of my good buddy Shrek). Straight bops.
As for the story, it offers a great view into Fiona’s backstory and life with cool and funny new characters. Puss in Boots works perfectly in Shrek and Donkey’s dynamic and almost feels like he had belonged there this whole time, which is very difficult to do. Great continuation of the first movie’s message.
Honorable Mentions:
Kill Bill 2 = Planned from the start. Great vibes. Little to no Lucy Liu. Sad.
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith/Return of the Jedi, Empire Strikes Back = immaculate but they have varying vibes
Terminator 2 = Great story, worthy sequel / different vibes
First Blood Part 2 = Better than the first, completely different vibes
Die Hard 2 = Exact same vibes as the first… actually too much so. It’s the same movie. Still good tho.
Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade = Same level as Raiders would have been #5 if Endgame didn’t exist
The Wrath of Khan, The Dark Knight, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Aliens = I would argue, did not make the list simply because their greatness far outweighs the first of their series.