How Many Sequels Were Better than the First Movie?

THE MOVIE: Oldboy (2003)

THE ORIGINAL: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

This is one of the few films on this list where the first film is one I’d be fine never watching again. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance isn’t a bad movie, in fact it has its entertaining qualities, but I tried watching it again a few months ago and, quite honestly, found I was quite bored. The same can’t be said for Oldboy, which I never took to immediately, though over the years and repeated viewings it’s a film that continues to grow on me for 1.) its level of depravity and 2.) for its overall filmmaking, which is simply wonderful.

THE MOVIE: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (1982), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) & Star Trek (2009)

THE ORIGINAL: Star Trek: The Motion Picture

I debated including J.J. Abrams‘s 2009 Star Trek here, but if we’re talking about films in a franchise that absolutely stand out from the original, it most certainly does, though I am not someone that believes Star Trek The Motion Picture is a complete train wreck, though you won’t find me rushing to watch it any time soon. Hell, I could have even included The Search for Spock and Undiscovered Country in the list above. In fact, the only movie in the original Star Trek filmed franchise that I truly do not like at all is The Final Frontier, that movie is an absolute mess and I’m personally not much of a fan of the “Next Generation” movies, though First Contact isn’t too bad, but Insurrection is probably the worst one of them all.

Anyway, I’ve said this many times before (including last week), but Wrath of Khan and Voyage Home are the best this franchise has to offer. Two great films within the franchise and in their own right.

THE MOVIE: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

THE ORIGINAL: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977)

I have nothing against Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back is simply a better film in my opinion, though it also depends on what you’re looking for. You want more space battles you’re going to want to go with A New Hope, more political intrigue and character building, Empire Strikes Back. It is interesting, however, how I do consider these sequels worthy of a place on this list and not the Bond films, especially considering they have the word “episode” right there in the title. However, the original Star Wars trilogy did a great job of creating three wholly unique movies that felt independent of each other, I think that’s where I find the greatest distinction.

THE MOVIE(S): X2: X-Men United (2003) & X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

THE ORIGINAL: X-Men (2000)

The original X-Men film is okay, but X2: X-Men United and X-Men: Days of Future Past blow it away with Days of Future Past my decided favorite in the franchise. Byran Singer did a good job setting up his X-Men world in the first film and with both of his two sequels he managed to navigate within that world, giving a multitude of characters screen time while never losing focus on the respective film’s narrative. Neither film was about setting up more movies, but instead about telling one singular story and the franchise and his respective movies were all the better for it.

Some I Considered

Aliens – I prefer Ridley Scott‘s Alien to its sequel
Bride of Frankenstein – Added thanks to Matt Risnes in the comments and a complete oversight on my part, though I personally prefer the original just a little more.
Dawn of the Dead – Great movie, but I can’t say it exceeds the quality of Night of the Living Dead
Final Destination 2
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – A Fistful of Dollars is my preferred title in the trilogy
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – It’s better, but this is a franchise that grew up with its audience so the fact it’s better seems more obvious than opinion
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – I have a hard time deciding between this one and Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I think in the end I have to lean toward Raiders
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – Undoubtedly one of the best comedy sequels ever and a movie that, in my opinion, does improve on the original
La Notte – I’ve only seen L’Avventura once so declaring La Notte “better” seemed disengenuous
The Road Warrior – I’m not a huge fan of the Mad Max films so I really would only be talking about this film in a matter of degrees
Rocky IV – As a piece of entertainment, I think Rocky IV is better than Rocky. However, Rocky and Rocky II are such fine films to rank a film that feels like it’s going for something different entirely doesn’t seem like I’m comparing apples to apples
Spider-Man 2 – I’ve lost pretty much any enjoyment I ever had for this character or the films so I don’t really care to list this one at all.
Step Up 2 the Streets
Superman II – A great movie, and a great sequel. I almost listed it, but I had to cap the list somewhere.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day – I know everyone loves T2 and it’s a good movie, but I don’t entirely believe it’s better than The Terminator
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse – Another example where I’ve only seen Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922) once so I don’t want to pretend I have anything profound to say one is better than the other.
Three Colours: Red – I know I mentioned this trilogy already as not counting, but I just wanted to say if I were to consider one better than the other, Red would be my favorite then probably Blue, then White in that order.
Toy Story 3 – Great movie, might have listed it if I wanted to add more spots above.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon – People hate this franchise, and I am no fan either, but Dark of the Moon is better than Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and both are better than Transformers. Sorry, these are just facts people.*
Wrong Turn 2 – Direct to video sequel or not, this is a fun and entertaining movie to a lackluster and terrible original.