I recently saw 28 Weeks Later, and it pretty much blew me away (review
here). For me, it's a big improvement over the original. That got me thinking: how many sequels are there that actually are clearly better than the first instalments in the series? The list is bound to be a short one, but here are some that come to mind.
- The Empire Strikes Back. One of the most obvious ones, perhaps. Empire is easily the best Star Wars film to me, and it's the only one that I regularly feel like returning too. It seems more than just a coincidence that this one had the least imput from a certain Mr. Lucas.
- Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The first Terminator is a classic, but T2 is a prime example of how you can use a bigger budget to craft bigger thrills. It may be a bit sentimental sometimes, but it's one of the best action films of all time if you ask me. And no, Terminator 3 should not have happened. (Don't get me started on Terminator 4 or the Sarah Connor Chronicles...)
- X-Men 2. I find that Bryan Singer's comic sequel lessens on repeat viewings, but it's still hard to deny it's a more entertaining beast than the relatively restrained series opener. Singer juggles the various characters with aplomb.
- The Bourne Supremacy. There's not much to choose between the Bournes, really, but a more satisfying ending means that Supremacy pips it for me.
- Spider-Man 2. I waver on this one. At first I thought Spidey 2 was miles better than the first, but I've since rewatched the original a few times and it's grown on me. Still, Spidey 2 has some superb action scenes and better effects.
- From Russia With Love. I'm not sure you can really count any of the 20 subsequent Bond films after Dr. No as proper sequels, but FRWL is the best one if you ask me. In fact, a lot of them are better than Dr. No to be honest.
- Batman Begins. Again, this isn't truly a sequel, because it's a restart. But the fact remains that it's the fifth Batman feature film (the Adam West movie doesn't count) and is the best superhero flick ever.
...And that's about everything I can think of. There are other sequels that I don't think are better films but I watch them more than the originals, probably because I've seen the originals in question too many times. Including:
- Back to the Future Part II. BTTF is possibly one of the best-structured screenplays ever. Part II is more convoluted and has the trouble of restarting the story but it does it with apparent ease. It's also ingenious.
- Alien 3. After seeing the workprint cut of Alien 3 in the Alien Quadrilogy box set it instantly shot up in my estimation. I love the set design and atmosphere of the piece. It's not what people expected after Aliens, which is probably why it went down poorly.
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. When I first watched DMC, I wasn't hugely impressed. Since then, I've slowly come round to its charms. I watch it regularly and still can't get enough of that waterwheel set-piece. I may even prefer it to the first one now.
- Superman II. Superman II does have an unfair advantage in the re-watch stakes as there are now two versions of it, but even if there was only the theatrical I think I'd watch it more than Superman: The Movie. General Zod is an awesome villain, and the "General, would you care to step outside?" moment is a classic - one agonisingly ruined in the Donner Cut.
That's all for now, but I'm sure there are more. Of course, there's a good reason sequels tend to be worse than the first instalments: films that get sequels are generally good, and also have the benefit of freshness. Let's see if any more of this year's influx of sequels (after 28 Weeks Later) can manage it.
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