Sequels That Are Better Than The Original?

[Anth]

Almost all Super hero movies the sequel is better than the first.

e.g.

Superman 2 (The Richard Donner Cut)
The Dark Knight
Batman Returns
Spider man 2
The incredible Hulk
The Punisher Warzone

But the main one I would say is Haloween 3. It has its dislikers but I would say alongside The Shining its my favourite horror movie and the only movie I make sure to watch every Halloween. Its became a tradition of mine for the last 6 or so years.

I personally also loved the camp fun of Howling 2 over the the what I found boring original.

[Delirium]

For me, definitely these three:

Amityville II: The Possession - Haunted house Italian style. Madder and much more fun!

The Bride of Frankenstein - What can be said? Whale's masterpiece.

The Devil's Rejects - I love TH1000C, but TDR nails the exploitation elements and is a far more polished and focused experience.


Close but no cigar (or on par):

Dawn of the Dead - The first is an instant classic, and still unbeatable. The sequel is a more fleshed out social nightmare. However the impact of the first is simply undeniable and it's a bona fide horror classic. I love them equally.

Evil Dead II - Even more crazy, taking the formula of the first and ramping it up to 11. I love it, but again the first film introduced us to that manic blend of comedy and horror and was far more creepy than the sequel.

Max Max II: Road Warrior - More action, more gangs.. but the first has more character and sets up Max's story perfectly with some brilliant supporting characters in his wife and fellow cops. Plus the opening chase is awesome and the gang are more interesting. I love the sequel for its action, but the original is a clear winner in my book.

Hellraiser II - A toughy as the sequel is even madder with more cenobite action. But the first is arguably more unnerving.

Return of the Living Dead Part II - I've watched this much more than the first and was once pretty obsessed with it, even buying the soundtrack on cassette. So it wins in a way that only nostalgia can explain.

Aliens - A real nice effort, and the ultimate action flick. But, for me, the subtle claustrophobia, brilliant cast and suffocating intensity of Alien wins hands down over the gung-ho theatrics of the sequel - but they both have their place.

[Wes]

All excellent call-outs there Delirium, I think The Possession is really good...

Return of the Living Dead II is terrible though ! I saw it about a year ago on TCM (?) and the nostalgia kick just wasn't enough to save this one.

[iluvdvds@Cult Labs]

We all know that the originals are supposedly the best, but just how true is that?

There are plenty of fantastic sequels out there (and remakes!) that are, dare I say it, better than the original. V/H/S/2 being a very recent example of this.

So, what are some of the best sequels that you think are actually better than the original films?

[Wes]

I'll say Amityville 2 The Possession, Empire Strikes Back, Road Warrior and Phantasm II

(Superior sequels I'll inevitably disagree with - Godfather II, Aliens, Evil Dead II)

[Wes]

This is not necessarily a list of sequels that are better than the originals, but I thought this might be interesting. From Video Watchdog #172 (Jan/Feb 2013), Quentin Tarantino's Top 50 sequels

1. Aliens
2. For A Few Dollars More
3. Dawn of the Dead
4. Bride of Frankenstein
5. The Four Musketeers
6. Rocky II
7. Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan
8. Evil Dead II
9. Lone Wolf & Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx
10. Before Sunset
11. Master of the Flying Guillotine
12. War of the Gargantuas
13. Gremlins II: The New Batch
14. Mad Max II: Road Warrior
15. After the Thin Man
16. Monster Zero
17. Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom
18. Curse of the Cat People
19. Bad News Bears in Breaking Training
20. Female Convict Scorpion Jailhose #41
21. Terminator II: Judgement Day
22. The Son of Monte Cristo
23. Once Upon A Time In China II
24. Godzilla vs. Mothra
25. Pyscho II
26. Spiderman II
27. The Revenge of Frankenstein
28. Billy Jack
29. A Better Tomorrow II
30. Rambo: First Blood Part 2
31. The Empire Strikes Back
32. The Godfather Part II
33. Battles Without Honor or Humanity Part II
34. Beneath the Planet of the Apes
35. That Gang of Mine
36. You're Not So Tough
37. Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman
38. From Russia With Love
39. A Shot in the Dark
40. Final Destination 2
41. Beverly Hills Cop 2
42. The Lone Wolf Returns
43. Brides of Dracula
44. The Return of Ringo
45. Golden Swallow
46. The Return of the One-Armed Swordsman
47. The Return of the Streetfighter
48. Fist of Fury 2
49. Ace High
50. Amityville II: The Possession

[Bringer Of Funerals]

I'd saw Dawn Of The Dead, Evil Dead 2, Alien Resurrection is pretty good compared to Alien 3, Terminator 1 was better than 2, Fast 5 was better than Fast 1, The Eye 2 was scarier than The Eye

[trebor8273]

Watched sleepaway camp 2 and enjoyed it a lot more than the first

[Stephen@Cult Labs]

Grease 2. Enough said.

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1380889211.371838.jpg

[iluvdvds@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Stephen@Cult Labs

Grease 2. Enough said.

Attachment 121587

I knew you'd post that Stephen!