3 Sequels That Lived Up to the Original

Big film studios find it very profitable to make sequels to almost any story. It turns out that viewers are more likely to go watch a movie about characters they know, even if they’re not fans of the franchise.

Unfortunately, the authors are not always ready for the fact that the second part of the adventure will be created. Because of this, there is a stereotype that the sequel is usually worse than the original. But sometimes, the second part of the story turns out to be no worse than the first. Therefore, this article will present 3 sequels that lived up to the original.

Shrek 2 (2004)

Twenty years ago, the fairytale children’s comedy about a big green ogre changed the traditional approach to creating cartoons. In it, the familiar stories of a noble prince, a helpless princess, the transformation of a monster into a handsome guy, and traditional values were replaced with non-standard fairy archetypes.

Shrek created a precedent that flipped the view on children’s animation. It uses deception of expectations, non-canon characters for the genre, funny (and in some places adult) humor, and references to pop culture. You should use the help of the writing papers service to free up time to re-watch this wonderful film from your childhood. You will surely find many details that you did not notice before.

The first movie continued with an excellent sequel. The sequel fights for the title of the best part in the series. Authors continue to mock the Disney standard, feature non-standard antagonists, and create references to the real world. The music reflects the feelings of the characters and comments on emotional moments. New friends of the main characters easily fit into the story and win the fans’ hearts. Strong and independent characters continue to set the role model for young audiences.

Unfortunately, the following parts weren’t as successful. Nevertheless, Shrek was able to become a cultural phenomenon. It reimagined the genre of children’s animation and continues to influence popular culture and memes today.

Aliens (1986)

Next on the list is the second film from the classic tetralogy about xenomorphs – Aliens. It is another cult franchise that at that time changed the approach of creating horror films and created phenomenal special effects. This movie by James Cameron can be found in the lists of the most significant and highly artistic films of the genre.

The first film can be called a horror classic. Unlike the 1979 movie Alien directed by Ridley Scott, the sequel has many action film elements. It came out 7 years after the original with the participation of another director and created new fans of the Alien universe. The viewer has the opportunity to see the transformation of the main character Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) from a victim to a badass warrior, who, in the company of space marines, gives a good fight to the vile creatures. A seemingly simple action movie is still considered one of the best sequels in cinema. We can surely say that this continuation is worthy of the original.

The Dark Knight (2008)

In 2005, director Christopher Nolan launched a trilogy of films about DC comic book hero Batman featuring Christian Bale. He showed the city of Gotham and its inhabitants in gloomy realism, thereby becoming one of the first directors who dared to bring the cartoon characters of comics as close to common people. His first movie from the trilogy Batman Begins received box office success and critical acclaim. Many have said that he has set a new standard for the superhero film genre.

But it was with the sequel that people began to associate the success of the entire trilogy. In the neo-noir superhero action movie The Dark Knight, all of the director’s concepts and ideas were brought to life on the screen. Building on the heroes and universe presented in the previous chapter, he smoothly introduced new characters, including the iconic supervillain Joker, played by the talented Heath Ledger. His interpretation of the main antagonist of Batman will long be considered the most beloved by fans of the franchise. The movie itself, in addition to tremendous success, will receive public recognition and will be considered as one of the best films of the 2000s and one of the best superhero films ever made.

Even if you consider yourself not a fan of superhero films, you should watch this cult movie. A viewer unfamiliar with the franchise can immediately start watching the second part, as the whole plot of it tells a separate story. A feeling of tension and anxiety will help you watch all 2.5 hours of film in one sitting. Both the first and third films in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy remain excellent. Despite this, due to the above reasons, the sequel turned out to be better than the original.

Other Examples

This article provides just three examples of awesome sequels. But the list goes on. It may include such sequels and franchises as The Avengers, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Terminator, Back to the Future, The Godfather, The Fast and the Furious, Mission: Impossible, and so on. Of course, in any long-term franchise, sooner or later a crisis comes, and one or more films turn out to be unsuccessful. Fans can only believe and hope that the authors will be able to create a worthy continuation of their favorite adventures.