So often, sequels are disappointing. Time and time again, sequels rely on already existing excitement for a feature and do little to develop it further, anticipating that a return to a much beloved world or a reuniting with the characters will be enough to keep audiences happy. For example, it felt unlikely that a giant shark would strike again in Jaws II, let alone a third time in Jaws The Return – that great white was truly looking quite long in the razor sharp tooth by that point. The prevalence of bad sequels sets a precedent that you can’t expect them to be anywhere near as good as the original, and therefore, when a sequel is made that develops the meaning and intention and provides a new angle, it is an unexpected experience that must be treasured.
However, there are a significant number of sequels that defy this expectation. In particular, standout sequels that exist in a series of films that are particularly poignant due to a tonal shift, such as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and The Empire Strikes Back. Sequels such as Toy Story 3 and Logan rounded off a beloved story perfectly. Ultimately, sequels provide a perfect opportunity for original stories to be a solid foundation that new ideas can springboard from, creating a space for new stories and ideas that augment an already existing and highly successful world.
10 ‘Logan’ (2017)
Directed by James Mangold
Logan certainly did not play it safe when it dared to go where no Marvel movie had gone so far, into R-rated territory. The brutal superhero feature is set in a dystopian future where mutants are almost extinct, and follows the X-men’s darling Wolverine, also known as Logan, (Hugh Jackman) who is in hiding with an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart). Their existence in hiding is disrupted when they meet a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) who possesses powers like Logan’s. He agrees to help her reach a rumored sanctuary for mutants, but they are pursued by a sinister bio-technology organization called Alkali-Transigen that is trying to create mutants to become weapons.
Logan was truly bittersweet in nature, leaning into a found family story at times that truly tugs on the heart strings. Yet that is cut up (pun absolutely intended) by very violent scenes that truly illustrate what would occur in a fight between some bad guys and a guy with razor sharp knife-like claws. The brutality of these moments and the intensity maintained throughout the film does make it seem more like an action thriller than a traditional superhero movie. However, Logan’s heroism does ground him in superhero values; despite Logan’s flawed and aggressive nature, he does have a heart and is willing to lay down his life to save those in need. An excellent send-off for a beloved hero, though the existence of Deadpool & Wolverine has confirmed that Wolverine’s time on screen isn’t yet over – which may or may not be a good thing!
Logan
- Release Date
- March 3, 2017
- Runtime
- 137 minutes
9 ‘Toy Story 3’ (2010)
Directed by Lee Unkrich
In 1995, Pixar released their first full-length feature Toy Story, which foregrounded them as a powerhouse film studios and led to three sequels, with a fourth on the way! Toy Story 3 is, unsurprisingly, the third installment in the series and explores the end of childhood, as Andy prepares to leave for college and his toys become afraid for the future. Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang are donated to Sunnyside Daycare, which is not quite as ‘sunny’ as it seems and is in fact more like a prison being run by a fluffy yet tyrannical Lotso Huggin’ Bear. The toys make it their mission to escape and make it back to Andy before he goes off to college without them.
Toy Story 3 was the perfect end to Andy’s story with his childhood toys, as he comes of age and passes them on to be enjoyed by the next generation. This film felt like one that surely tugs on the heartstrings of parents in particular, as it is about accepting that your child has grown up and is now transitioning into adulthood and letting go, just as Woody does. However, it seems that Pixar are not quite ready to let go yet, as Toy Story 4 was released in 2019, and a fifth one is on the way. The Toy Story movies without Andy feel like they’ve lost the true essence of the story that came from the imaginative soul of the child that brought them to life.
Toy Story 3
- Release Date
- June 16, 2010
- Director
- Lee Unkrich
- Runtime
- 103
8 ‘The Godfather: Part II’ (1974)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
The Godfather: Part II continues and elaborates on the story of the Corleone crime family, this time paralleling two storylines; that of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in the 1950s as he takes over as the head of the family and deals with the pressure, betrayal and corruption that comes with it, and the other of Michael’s father Vito (Robert De Niro) from his childhood in Sicily to his rise to power as a Mafia boss in New York City.
The film was the first sequel to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards, and for good reason. The choice to delve into the history of the Corleone family added some depth and context to their endeavors and history. Moreover, Michael’s character arc from being actively disinterested in the family business to becoming the patriarch of the family who is deemed more vicious than his father illustrates the corrupting influence of power intensely.
The Godfather Part II
- Release Date
- December 20, 1974
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Runtime
- 202
7 ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
With 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Dark Knight is widely heralded as the best Batman movie ever made, and possibly even the best superhero movie of all time. The film brought in Batman’s most famous enemy, Joker (Heath Ledger), whose intention is to dismantle Gotham through injecting fear and chaos. Batman (Christian Bale) alongside Police Lieutenant Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) aim to work together to stop Joker’s reign of terror and violence to bring back order to Gotham.
It is almost impossible to name another superhero movie series that goes quite as hard as Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. It truly leaned into a gritty thriller with such intense and brutal scenes that there has been criticism of the PG-13 rating of each film. The Dark Knight earned Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar for his twisted and powerful performance as Joker. The terrifying characterization was mostly of Ledger’s own creation, including mannerisms such as Joker’s iconic eerie lip licking, which brilliantly contributed to his demeanour as a truly creepy villain. The Dark Knight took the darkness of Batman Begins and amplified it tenfold.
6 ‘Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)
Directed by Irvin Kershner
The Empire Strikes Back is the second installment in the original Star Wars trilogy, and continues Luke Skywalker’s (Mark Hamill) journey of self-discovery. Luke meets Yoda (voiced by Frank Oz) in this feature, who trains him in the Jedi arts. In parallel, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) are trying to evade Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) and the Galactic Empire, as they work to empower the Rebel Alliance. The shocking revelation that Darth Vader is Luke’s father leads to an identity crisis for the protagonist as he must grapple with this horrifying truth.
Empire Strikes Back inserted more trials and tribulations into the Skywalker saga, as he is coming to terms with his power as a Jedi and his importance to the Rebel Alliance. Furthermore, the character development of Solo and Leia alongside Luke adds an emotional depth that makes the audience care more about the characters. As such, the ending of the film is all the more momentous, as so many threads are left unresolved and with an audience completely invested and captivated, the film perfectly set up for the final film in the trilogy. In addition, Darth Vader’s declaration that he is in fact Luke’s father has become one of the most iconic and quoted scenes in film history, so Empire is definitely one of the best sequels of all time.
5 ‘Spider-Man 2’ (2004)
Directed by Sam Raimi
The proverb “with great power comes great responsibility” was popularised by Stan Lee in his Spider-Man comics, and it definitely resonates with the responsibility director Sam Raimi had with bringing his version of the famed Marvel hero Spider-Man to life. In Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) struggles to balance his personal life with his web swinging hero duties. Particularly when Doctor Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) who Peter is interning for becomes the eight mechanical legged villain Doc Ock after a failed experiment.
Raimi’s origins in horror with Evil Dead make him an innovative choice for a superhero feature, he truly leans into the body horror in these films. The scene when Doc Ock first dons the sentient metal tentacles is spine tingling and a truly horrifying villain-origin moment. Raimi’s dynamic camera work works perfectly for a Spider-Man feature, with his iconic use of shaky cam bringing a sense of messiness and authenticity to the action, in particular web-swinging is a truly dynamic standout. His POV shots of Doc Ock’s mechanical limbs as they attack cement this as an exciting and innovative take on a superhero movie.
4 ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ (2004)
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the film that shifted the tone of the series to a much darker sentiment. Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) reunites with his friends Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) as they enter their third year at Hogwarts. Fear surrounds Hogwarts as there is news the notorious murderer Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from the wizard prison Azkaban. Harry contends with with soul-sucking dementors, ominous prophecies, werewolves and time travel as he seeks the truth about his connection to this escaped convict.
Initially, Cuarón was apprehensive about taking on the role of director for one of the biggest movie franchises of the moment. Guillermo Del Toro convinced the Mexican director to say yes, labeling him an ‘arrogant a**hole’ for his initial rejection of the franchise. Audiences were certainly glad he did, as he perfectly captured the much darker and more sinister tones of this plot, transitioning the series from whimsical fantasy to much more mature territory. The film is abundant with new horrifying creatures such as the Dementors, whose deathly appearance adds a strong element of persistent terror. Alongside the scares, the movie has a lot of heartfelt moments, particularly those between Harry and Sirius that truly stand out and set these relationships up perfectly for the rest of the series.
3 ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ (1984)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark and follows archaeologist Indy (Harrison Ford) as he travels to India and is asked by desperate villagers to recover a stolen Sankara stone and save their children from a cult that is enslaving them, practicing black magic and ritual human sacrifice. He teams up with young orphan Short Round (Key Huy Quan) and nightclub singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) after fleeing a Shanghai crime boss with them to recover the stone and save the children.
Initially, Lucas had intended to make a sequel but instead made Temple of Doom a prequel as he did not want to make another movie with Nazi villains. As a result, the film provides a perfect character arc for the character of Indiana Jones. In Temple of Doom he is driven by greed, making dodgy deals with mob bosses and aiming for glory; a very different Indy to the one audiences were introduced to in Raiders who believed artifacts belong in museums.
2 ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022)
Directed by Joel Crawford
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish once again brings back the lovable rogue Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) whose love of adventure has taken its toll as he has burned through eight of his nine lives. He teams up with Kitty (Salma Hayek) and self-proclaimed therapy dog Perrito (Harvey Guillén) to find The Last Wish of a fallen Wishing Star to restore his lost lives. On his mission, he is also being followed by death in the embodiment of a scary red-eyed wolf (Wagner Moura).
The Last Wish is a breath of fresh air in a franchise that has existed for over 20 years, through its visually stunning animation style reminiscent of the Into the Spider-Verse movies and in the way it handles the topic of death. Puss considers himself immortal, relying on his nine lives, yet The Last Wish has Puss literally staring death in the face as he confronts the wolf. Death raises the stakes, and the film even delves into the anxiety that Puss feels in response to this, leading to incredibly emotive scenes that handle mental health very effectively.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
- Release Date
- September 23, 2022
- Director
- Joel Crawford , Januel Mercado
- Runtime
- 102
1 ‘Creed’ (2015)
Directed by Ryan Coogler
The Rocky series captured audience attention, telling the story of an underdog boxer as he grinds his way up to the top with compelling training sequences and exciting fights in the ring. Creedre-energised the Rocky franchise, this time following the son of a former rival turned friend of Rocky’s (Sylvester Stallone), Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Amateur boxer, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) quits his job and moves to Philadelphia to ask Rocky Balboa to train him.
The decision to revive a much loved franchise is always a risky one. However, Coogler’s feature blends perfectly with the tropes that pushed the Rocky movies to success in the first place. Coogler adds his own touches though, such as the inclusion of a rap soundtrack that creates the perfect hype for Adonis’s journey to success, particularly powerful in the training sequences, with songs from Future, Meek Mill and Joey Bada$$ to name a few. There is a brilliant and emotive plot too, as Adonis learns more about his father, discovers a new relationship and forms a strong bond with Rocky. Stallone gives the performance of a lifetime here; it is wonderful to witness how Rocky has developed over the years and is so well realized, making it hard to believe that he is just a character.
Creed
- Release Date
- November 25, 2015
- Director
- Ryan Coogler
- Runtime
- 133
- Main Genre
- Drama
