The art of filmmaking is tricky enough as it is. However, to make a sequel that’s not only great but also manages to live up to its predecessor and justify its existence by improving a thing or two is even harder. Even still, plenty of directors over the years have made sequels that have gone down in history as some of the best of all time. However, it’s one thing for a follow-up to be great, and another thing entirely for it to be significantly better than the original. That’s an even rarer but even more delightful find.
The topic of this list will be movie sequels that were better than their respective predecessors, ranked from the smallest to the biggest gap in quality from one film to the next. Whether it’s a great movie followed up by an even greater masterpiece, or a fantastic sequel to a mediocre film that proved all naysayers wrong, the phenomenon of a movie sequel better than its predecessor is always an enjoyable one.
10
‘Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade’ (1989)
Better than: ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ (1984)
In 1981, Raiders of the Lost Ark came out to uproarious praise. Today, it’s remembered as one of the greatest action-adventure movies of all time. Three years later, a prequel came out: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, a film far darker yet just as iconic as its predecessor, but it’s hard to deny that it’s a significantly inferior film in just about every way. Then came Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.
Last Crusade isn’t only just as good as Indiana Jones’ first adventure: It may just be even better. Full of thrilling scenes of adventure and archeology, magnificently crafted action sequences, and emotionally compelling character moments—especially between Indy and his father— it’s far and away one of Steven Spielberg‘s best movies. Temple of Doom is a fantastic movie in its own right, but from iffy “white savior” tropes to an unlikable love interest, it’s not without its fair share of problems. Last Crusade, on the other hand, is about as perfect as this genre gets.
9
‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ (1982)
Better than: ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ (1979)
The Star Trek franchise, starting with Gene Roddenberry‘s iconic 1966 gem Star Trek: The Original Series, is one of the most popular and influential sci-fi media franchises in history. It’s no surprise that the series eventually made the jump from the small screen to the big screen, even if it took a full 13 years. However, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, with its clunky script and joyless story, wasn’t really the cinematic debut that Star Trek deserved.
Only three years later, however, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan came out. Bringing back one of the original series’ most interesting villains for a creative narrative that fully justified its existence, this sequel is one of the best revenge movies of all time. Incredibly tense, emotionally weighty, endlessly charming in its originality, and with a fantastic villainous performance by Ricardo Montalbán, it’s Star Trek at its very best.
8
‘Logan’ (2017)
Better than: ‘The Wolverine’ (2013)
Where the superhero movie craze of the 21st century started is up for debate, but it’s easy to point to 2000 and Bryan Singer‘s X-Men, which itself spawned a hugely successful franchise, including spin-offs focused on the franchise’s most popular character, Wolverine. First, the atrocious X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009. Four years later, the better-but-still-not-great The Wolverine. Thankfully, however, the most beloved mutant would go out with a bang. Another four years later, The Wolverine‘s director, James Mangold, came back with Logan.
Deadpool & Wolverine notwithstanding, Logan is a swan song to both the character of Logan and the whole 20th Century X-Men universe. Its action scenes are exceptionally entertaining and brutal, but what makes it one of the most extraordinary superhero films of all time is the character writing. At its core, Logan is a great father-daughter movie and a surprisingly effective character study, leaps and bounds more mature, complex, and high-quality than the majority of movies in its genre.
7
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (2022)
Better than: ‘Avatar’ (2009)
From Terminator 2 to Aliens, the visionary Canadian filmmaker James Cameron is no stranger to making sequels that are better than their predecessors, but never had one of his sequels been as far superior to the original as Avatar: The Way of Water is to Avatar. It’s one of the live-action movies with the longest production times in history, and somehow, the wait was all worth it.
Way of Water is by no means the perfect blockbuster, but it succeeds at avoiding the pitfalls that have made its predecessor age poorly. The plot is far more creative, the characters and their dynamics are far more interesting and unique, and the themes are far less formulaic. Like Avatar, too, Way of Water has some of the most enrapturing and visually striking world-building that a high budget can afford.
6
‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (2022)
Better than: ‘Puss in Boots’ (2011)
The Shrek franchise needs no introduction. The movies that established DreamWorks Animation as one of the world’s elite animation studios may be quite a popular source of memes nowadays, but even setting all jokes aside, the first two installments are genuinely among the greatest animated films that have come out of Hollywood in the 21st century. As such, no one was surprised when a prequel focused on one of the franchise’s most beloved characters, Puss in Boots, was announced.
Though it’s fun, imaginative, and quite amusing, Puss in Boots isn’t anywhere near the level of quality of the first two Shrek films. Its sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, on the other hand, is exceptional beyond what words can describe. Visually inventive, emotionally mature, and beautifully written, it’s a shockingly profound existentialist masterpiece for the whole family. All in all, it managed to become one of the best fairy tale movies ever made, shoulder-to-shoulder with Shrek and Shrek 2. It’s not bad company to be in.
5
‘Fast Five’ (2011)
Better than: ‘Fast & Furious’ (2009)
When Rob Cohen made The Fast and the Furious in 2001, it’s anyone’s guess whether he had any idea that he was starting one of the most lucrative film franchises in Hollywood history—one that would eventually see car spaceships and people driving down an exploding dam. The movie started having follow-ups soon enough, but it wouldn’t be until the fifth installment that the franchise would truly find its footing.
Fast Five is genuinely one of the best action movies of the 2010s, not to mention an incredible heist film.
With a show-stopping third act, surprisingly compelling character dynamics, and enough mentions of family for anyone to be satisfied, Fast Five is genuinely one of the best action movies of the 2010s, not to mention an incredible heist film. Whereas its predecessor, Fast & Furious, is an overproduced mess with no compelling story or characters to speak of, Fast Five has jaw-dropping action scenes, fun characters with interesting arcs, and just enough over-the-top qualities to make for a wild romp without jumping the shark.
4
‘Mad Max 2’ (1981)
Better than: ‘Mad Max’ (1979)
Australian director George Miller broke all the rules when he made Mad Max on a shoestring budget, and yet, the film was still a box office hit. Today, it’s remembered as one of the wildest examples of adventurous indie filmmaking, but strictly speaking, it’s really not a good film. The screenplay is dodgy at best, the performances are clunky, and the movie’s low-budget qualities often work against it instead of in favor of it. That wasn’t the case when Miller was given a higher budget a couple of years later to make Mad Max 2.
Mad Max 2 is better than the original in virtually every way. The script, inspired by the Hero’s Journey archetype of Joseph Campbell, is both fun and emotionally compelling, and the action sequences, largely thanks to much looser financial constraints, are more exciting, elaborate, and effective. Unfortunately, the film was followed by Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, a sequel which, while good, was nevertheless disappointing—but there’s a certain other Mad Max sequel that put things back on track several years later.
3
‘Skyfall’ (2012)
Better than: ‘Quantum of Solace’ (2008)
007 was rebooted for an entirely new age with 2006’s Casino Royale with Daniel Craig in the iconic role, and it was clear right then and there that James Bond would never be the same again. Unfortunately, the near masterpiece-level excellence of Casino Royale was followed up with Quantum of Solace, a pretty atrocious film all around. Fortunately, though, it got a sequel that many would dare call the greatest Bond film of the modern era: Skyfall.
Skyfall is the highest-grossing 007 movie of all time for several reasons, and not all of them involve Adele. Under Sam Mendes‘ direction, the script is absolutely riveting, Roger Deakins‘ cinematography is elite, and all of the moments of action and suspense are perfectly orchestrated. Skyfall is as sexy, thrilling, emotionally engaging, and powerfully mysterious as Bond gets.
2
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)
Better than: ‘Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome’ (1985)
Mad Max 2 may be great, but whether it qualifies as one of the greatest landmarks of the action genre is debatable. Mad Max: Fury Road, on the other hand—released a whopping three decades after Beyond Thunderdome, with a higher budget and a wilder George Miller than ever before—is undoubtedly one of the best action movies of all time.
Full of exquisitely crazy ideas, stunning visuals, breathtaking set pieces, and powerful performances (particularly Charlize Theron as Furiosa), Fury Road is utter perfection. The best part? For all of its two hours of runtime, it’s non-stop action that barely ever gives the viewer a chance to catch their breath; and when it does, it’s with an engrossing character moment that they can’t take their eyes off of. This is the stuff that action movie fans’ dreams are made of.
1
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)
Better than: ‘Top Gun’ (1986)
While it’s one of the most beloved action cult classics of the ’80s, with Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer at their ’80s best, Top Gun isn’t a great movie. Despite its jaw-dropping aerial scenes, whenever it’s on the ground, it’s little more than a cheesy romp with forgettable characters. As such, the legacy sequel Top Gun: Maverick didn’t exactly have a high bar to clear. How it managed to become one of the greatest action movies of the last decade is a success story like no other.
With its delightfully meta story and some of the most unbelievable action set pieces of the 2020s, Maverick is a masterclass in how to make a legacy sequel that justifies its existence and is also genuinely amazing. Even the original Top Gun, with all its problems, is considered a classic today. There’s next to zero way Top Gun: Maverick won’t be remembered as one of the 2020s’ greatest action gems a couple of decades from now. Throughout history, there has arguably not been a bigger jump in quality from a film to its sequel than the jump from Top Gun to Top Gun: Maverick.
