Movie Sequels that are better than the Original

 WHASSUP, EVERYBODY?! I'm currently being quarantined in my room due to the fact that I had a "slight headache" and I honestly feel fine. Really. iI'm typing this with my mask on and it's all good. Anyway, here's my list of the movie sequels that I think are superior than the first movie. Let me know in the comments below what your favorite movie sequel is! Ok. LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!!

20. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

The most recent and relevant movie on this list, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm or better called as Borat 2 saw the titular iconic character made by Sacha Baron Cohen to return to America to deliver a monkey to Mike Pence only for his plans. to go horribly awry when his 15-year-old daughter shows up. It's a surprisingly emotional story about the relationship of a father and her daughter and the depths that they both go to achieve their goals. While its signature humor is in there, what makes it superior are the performances of Baron Cohen and newcomer Maria Bakalova.

19. Thor Ragnarok

After the embarrassment that was Thor: The Dark World, Thor's third outing's expectations were at an all-time-high! With Taika Waititi on board as director, this was going to be a different kind of film in the Marvel franchise. Thor finds himself in a gladiatorial match against the Hulk. Afterwards, they both work together with the help of Valkyrie to stop Hela from destroying Asgardian civilization. Not only did Waititi revive Thor as a comedic relief, he made the perfect sequel and a great Thor movie and a great Hulk movie. 

18. Logan

Both X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Wolverine failed as stand-alone movies for the iconic Marvel comics character. When a third movie was announced, I was nervous that Fox was going to screw up again, but then it was announced that it would have an R-rating and it was going to be Hugh Jackman's final film as Wolverine! So I gave it a chance. IT WAS FUCKING PHENOMENAL!! The plot follows and aging Logan and Professor X as they deliver a girl with the same mutant powers as Logan to her home   and have to get away from the Ravagers. It was a bloody good time and the best Wolverine movie I could ever want and kudos to Hugh Jackman's performance because MY GOD!! Such a shame that he wasn't nominated for an Oscar. 

17. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a perfect Origin story but it was poorly paced and the apes didn't really rise until the end of the movie. Dawn takes place ten years later and follows the now-modern icon, Caesar and his followers and have established a colony right outside San Francisco in the Muir Woods. Meanwhile a group of human survivors emerges and it forces Caesar to grapple with the dual challenge of protecting his people and re-establishing human connection. The action sequences are phenomenal and the performances are very underrated including Gary Oldman. That scene with him and Jason Clarke still sticks with me. Plus, it's directed by Matt Reeves, whose next film The Batman is coming out in 2022.

16. How to Train Your Dragon 2

Five years after the events in the first film, Berk has become a union of both humans and dragons thanks to Hiccup to Toothless, and they spend their time charting the island's uncharted territories. During one of their adventures, they discover a secret cave that is the home to hundreds of dragons and a dragon rider who just so happens to be Hiccup's long-lost mother, Valka. They find themselves in a battle with Drago Bludvist, a powerful-hungry warrior. The animation quality has improved, it literally took everything great about the first movie and made it better and it was surprisingly dark. If you didn't cry when Stoick died, YOU HAVE NO SOUL! 

15. Fast Five

Fast & Furious(2009) was a bit of a mixed bag but it did have an awesome cliffhanger ending. Dom, Brian and Mia evade the authorities after a train heist and end up in Rio de Janeiro. They must do one last job there while also avoiding capture by Federal Agent Luke Hobbs, played by Dwayne Johnson. He literally saved the franchise just by being in it. At that point, it became a full-on action franchise and I wouldn't have it any other way. Plus... that Vin and Dwayne fight...!!

14. X2-X:Men United

While the first X-Men kicked off the Golden Age of Superheroes, X2 had an even better story and it was one of those movies that had the good guys and bad guys team up to fight one common enemy, William Stryker. His plot is to destroy the mutant race by using Professor X's cerebro and both the X-Men and the Brotherhood team up to stop him. Since its release, it became a benchmark for comic book sequels. The action was amazing including the intense opening sequence of Nightcrawler attacking the White House staff. 

13. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

After Chris Columbus left the Harry Potter franchise after directing both Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets, Alfonso Cuaron was brought on board to direct the third film and he did something very completely different. It was dark and edgy and his direction was amazing! It is Harry's third year at Hogwarts and Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban prison. Harry, Ron and Hermione solve the tie between the new professor and Sirius. I think that it's the best film in the franchise, what makes it stand out is its complex storytelling and that it was willing to tackle painful emotions. This is a Fantasy movie done right!

12. The Bourne Ultimatum

The third and final film in the Bourne trilogy, this is one of those three-quels that exceeds its two movies. Matt Damon reprises the iconic role of Jason Bourne as he continues to uncover more details about his past before he was a part of Operation Treadstone. I loved the action sequences, Paul Greengrass' direction, the performances and John Powell's musical score. It won 3 Academy Awards including Best Film Editing. AS IT SHOULD! 

11. Superman II

Superman: The Movie made us believe that a man can fly, and its sequel took all of its best qualities and made it better. Zodd and his three comrades have escaped from The Quantum Zone and have one goal to defeat Superman. It had better humor and amazing visual effects. The performance from Terrence Stamp is what makes the movie stand out.

10. Toy Story 3

I can agree that Toy Story 2 exceeded the first film in terms of new character introductions, animation, story and Stinky Pete as a great villain. Toy Story 3 is the actual successor. Andy is now grown up and is getting ready to go to college and the toys are left wondering what the next stage is. As they all prepare to go to the attic, they(minus Woody, who would rather go to college with Andy) seize the opportunity to go to a Daycare center, which is later revealed to have a disturbing secret. It's rare for an animated movie to blend comedy and emotion in several scenes and it's also Pixar's darkest movie. The way that Lotso was revealed to be a bad guy underneath all of that is astounding and the Incinerator scene will be remembered for years to come.

9. Aliens

The first movie was a sci-fi horror classic, and its sequel directed by James Cameron completely changed its genre while also not losing its scares. Ellen Ripley returns the moon where her crew encountered the Xenomorph accompanied by a Marine unit. It's a masterpiece of both high tension and non-stop action. Let's all give it up for the sci-fi queen, Sigourney Weaver!! 

8. Goldfinger

While From Russia with Love is iconic, Goldfinger is actually the perfect Connery James Bond movie. Also because it had one of the most memorable scenes in movie history and it has since been parodied in many Saturday Morning cartoons and I mean every cartoon seriously. Armed with his equipped Aston Martin, Bond must stop Auric Goldfinger's plan to raid Fort Knox and destroy the world economy. The movie established his gadgets as the series' trademarks and it's the first Bond movie to win an Oscar. I could've gone with Skyfall since that is my favorite Bond movie ever, but I had to go with Goldfinger just because of how iconic it is.

7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The First Avenger was a pretty fun movie to watch, but there's something about its sequel that makes it soo much better!! It could be the Russo Brothers' fantastic direction, its non-stop action sequences or the reveal that The Winter Soldier is Steve's gold-ol' buddy, Bucky Barnes! You know what? It's actually alll of those things!! I can literally go on and on about how perfect this movie was! It just makes me want to rewatch it for the umpteenth time! I can't even pick what my favorite scene is! The elevator scene, the opening scene, the Cap vs. Batroc fight, the Falcon's grand entrance and the twist that Hydra infiltrated SHIELD many years ago and has been hiding in plain sight. You can even make a drinking game out of this. Take a shot every time Steve does something with his shield. It has the best action sequences ever put to film, it doesn't give you any time to breathe and it was even succeeded by Civil War and sequels rarely do that nowadays.

6. Shrek 2

When you think of the perfect movie sequel, Shrek 2 always comes to mind. After Shrek and Fiona have had their honeymoon, they're invited by the King and Queen of Far Far Away who are also *ahem* (whispers): Fiona's parents, for a royal ball in celebration of their marriage where the king will bestow his royal blessing on Shrek. Now, her parents don't know that Fiona is an ogre. Do you see where this is going?😂😂 They also don't know that she's married to an ogre who is friends with a talking donkey! The humor is soo much better, it has one of the best character introductions of all time in the form of Puss in Boots, voiced by Antonio Banderas, Fairy Godmother and Prince Charming. They even made Human Shrek sexy and that's not even fair!!😭

5. The Dark Knight

Batman Begins revitalized the Batman franchise, but The Dark Knight actually felt like its own movie with a brand new story with one concept. What if Batman and The Joker existed in the real world? It's not just one of the best sequels ever made, but one of the greatest movies ever made and the greatest superhero movie of all time. Heath Ledger's posthumous performance stands out earning him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in his honor. 

4. Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back

The first ever Star Wars movie changed movies forever and its sequel succeeds in every way by making it dark and have Luke Skywalker face Darth Vader leading up to one of the greatest plot twists in cinematic history. Meanwhile, Han Solo, Leia, Chewbacca and C-3P0 try to evade the Empire. Every scene in the movie is iconic including another scene involving the heartbreaking moment of Han being frozen in Carbonite. The "I am Your Father" scene has since been parodied and quoted in many cartoons. It's the greatest Star Wars movie ever made, what else can I say?

3. Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man(2002) was also part of the Golden Age of Superheroes and its sequel took everything spectacular(pun intended) from the first film and made Spider-Man 2 even better! Alfred Molina's performance as Doc Ock makes you sympathize with his character. Tobey Maguire even embodies more of Peter Parker's character and awkwardness and it's also the perfect Peter Parker story. The movie soley focuses on Peter struggling to be both Peter Parker and Spider-Man which causes him to lose his powers. All of those iconic scenes in the movie are what make Spider-Man 2 not just a great sequel but a great landmark superhero movie.

2. The Godfather: Part II

It has long been debated about which movie is the greatest movie of all time, The Godfather or The Godfather Part II. While both movies are masterpieces in their own right, Godfather: Part II in many ways is even better.  It told 2 stories in one movie, one being the fall of Michael Corleone and the rise of his father, Vito Corleone. Winning the Academy Award for Best Picture against Chinatown, Part II is just really really amazing! I always quote "I know it was you" to many people I know. 

Honorable Mentions:

- Hellboy II: The Golden Army

- Mad Max 2

- Avengers: Infinity War

Greatest crossover movie of all time and soo much better than Age of Ultron!

- My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising

- Dawn of the Dead

A zombie film taking place at a mall. Nuff said.

- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

- Evil Dead 2

GROOVY!

1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

When The Terminator first came out in 1984, it became a landmark sci-fi movie. T2 on the other hand was surprisingly soo awesome! The action was more fast-paced and the bond between T-800 and John Connor will always warm my heart. It's the first movie to have CG effects in a movie, those T-1000 effects still live up today! What else can I say except "Hasta la vista, baby!" But here's why I actually picked this movie as a number one pick, T2 had further popularized the trend of sequels being better than the original, with every action movie that came out in the 90s, T2 stands out and it remains the best movie of the Terminator franchise. 

THANKS FOR READING AND AGAIN, COMMENT BELOW WHAT YOUR FAVORITE SEQUEL IS!😁