(11/10/05)
1) Not necessarily a better or worse film than the original
2) Not in order of greatness compared to the original
3) DOES include sequels to sequels (i.e., part 3 or 4, etc.)
4) Out of a list of all possible sequels I’ve seen, these were the best ones.
5) Does NOT include decades-long running serials like Bond or Dirty Harry or Star Trek (by the way, ST: II, IV & First Contact were awesome)
20) Naked Gun 2 1/2
Absolutely hilarious. Not as good as the Airplane series, but simply Leslie Nielsen doing what he does best.
19) Evil Dead II
When Ash’s hand takes on a mind of its own and attempts to assinate Ash is one of the best “horror” film scenes of all time.
18) Army of Darkness
More of Ash’s adventures. These are all about classic Bruce Campbell lines: “Well hello Mister Fancypants. Well, I’ve got news for you pal, you ain’t leadin’ but two things: Jack and shit… and Jack just left town.”
17) Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
I don’t remember ever laughing so hard out loud in a theater.
16) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Clint Eastwood nearing his prime. Amazingly well directed with great characters and bad ass written all over the screen.
15) Fantasia 2000
I saw this at the IMAX, which makes it 4 times bigger brighter and louder. It was beautiful and I knew almost all of the songs. From Donald Duck on Noah’s Ark to the flying whales to Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” simply stunning and gorgeous.
14) Superman II
3 against one (plus Hackman as Lex Luthor). One of my favorite movie endings of all time. Williams’ fantastic score. “Come son of Jor-El, KNEEL before Zod!”
13) Aliens
Sooo much better than the original. Thanks to James Cameron (no offense Ridley).
12) The Color of Money
Maybe not technically a sequel, but continues Eddie Felson’s career later in life and one of my favorite Scorcese films.
11) Terminator 2
Broke barriers in the SFX department. Another that was 1000 times better than the original thanks to James Cameron. Great story, LOTS of action and ass-kickery.
10) Dawn of the Dead
Easily the best of Romero’s Zombie genre. Gory as hell, campy as hell and cool as hell. The film that caused me to write up a Zombie attack contingency plan.
9) Dogma
One of the more original films ever made. It’s Kevin Smith. It’s Jay and Silent Bob. It’s controversial. It’s Alanis Morissette as God. It’s great.
8) Toy Story II
The toys are back in town. And they’re back to supercede their first effort.
7) Desperado
I saw this film like 8 times in the theater. There’s nothing like watching a guy open a guitar case full of guns, then using only two pistols to finish off an entire bar full of machine gun-wielding gangsters without a scratch. And so began my fetish for Latina women.
6) Airplane II: The Sequel
Not quite as funny as the first, but damn close. I still laugh every time I watch this movie. I pick up something new almost every viewing and I’ve seen it at least 50 times. Shatner as Cmdr. Murdock is priceless. I now think he is one of the funniest men in show business.
Boy: Can I ask you a question?
Striker: What is it?
Boy: It’s an interrogative form of sentence, used to test knowledge. But that’s not important right now.
5) Alien: Resurrection
This movie is sooo cool. By far the best of the Alien series and probably the bloodiest. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie, City of Lost Children) and written by Joss Whedon of Buffy fame. I love the scene in the room with the bodies of failed attempts at cloning Ripley.
4) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Nothing beats “Raiders,” but Sean Connery as Indy’s dad is a big plus and it’s more hair raising classic Indiana Jones adventure. I can’t wait for Indy IV!
3) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
Probably the second funniest movie I’ve ever seen (after Airplane!) and is in the top 2 best Christmas films ever. Also possibly the best monologue ever:
Clark Wilhelm Griswold Jr: “I’d like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight… with a big ribbon on his head; and I want to look him straight in the eye and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, dickless, hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey shit he is! Hallelujah! Holy shit! Where’s the Tylenol?”
2) Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
“No. I… am your father.” Enough said.
1) Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Jabba the Hutt, the best lightsaber duel to that point, the super Jedi stunts, Leia in her slave outfit, a GREEN lightsaber, Ewoks, Speeder Bikes, the biggest space battle ever, the incredibly cool looking sets and locations (the half completed Death Star, the Sarlaac Pit, Endor), the Emperor. This film has it all and wraps up a story that spans 40 years and six films in length. It is perfect.
honorable mention: - Die Hard III, Rocky III, Back to the Future II, The Road Warrior, Beverly Hills Cop II
Notes: There are films out there that are hands down better than their original counterpart; like Spiderman II or The Mummy Returns. But that doesn’t make them a good movie necessarily; just better than part one. So I can’t include those movies. Second, don’t email with your, “where is Godfather II” or, “I can’t believe you didn’t include The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter films.” I’m not a big fan of any of these. They aren’t bad films, they just didn’t hit me like everyone else. In fact, I think The Godfather trilogy is one of the most boring series of films a person can sit through. Also, I would include Batman Begins, but it is not a sequel or prequel. It is its own movie.