Each of these iconic films sparked the beginning of enormous franchises that spanned over 10 years. Studios cannot guarantee franchises because they do not know which films will simultaneously connect with the zeitgeist while having the potential to span several installments. However, sometimes a film comes along that is so uniquely special that it becomes an instant classic. These films will typically be followed by a sequel that attempts to recapture the magic of the original but ultimately falls short.
On the other hand, every once in a great while, there is a sequel that completely upstages the original. Sometimes this occurs because the sequel is able to rectify the issues of its predecessor and tell a more compelling story. Other times, it capitalizes on the strengths of the original and gives audiences more of what they want. Regardless of the reasoning, a sequel has the potential to make changes for the better, and that can result in some superb filmmaking. Here are 5 sequels that were undoubtedly better than the original!
Shrek 2 (2004)
The first Shrek (2001) changed the game for animated family films. The comedy is what made this movie stand out from other animated projects. Some jokes are certainly lowbrow, but there are enough clever bits and funny line deliveries to elevate the film above typical children’s movies. Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy both deliver hilarious voice performances that bounce perfectly off one another. However, the story is quite simple. Aside from the out-of-the-box humor, this film follows a fairly cookie-cutter plot. John Lithgow is delivering an excellent performance as the villainous Lord Farquaad, but his existence is based almost entirely around short jokes.
Now, if you want to talk about Shrek 2? That's a film that's truly special. This film took everything amazing about Shrek and expanded the world in the best way possible. The entire premise of parodying fairy tale tropes is stretched to its absolute limit. The introduction of Far Far Away as this Hollywood-esque town is genius, and it allows for a lot of pop culture jokes that still make us laugh to this day. The Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) is a brilliant villain; she is menacing yet charming, has the power to actually affect the main characters’ lives, and sings a spectacular rendition of "Holding Out for a Hero" during the climax of the film. The final sequence alone is enough to solidify this film in the Animated Movie Hall of Fame. Shrek storms the castle with a giant Gingerbread Man and Puss in Boots to kiss Fiona before the clock strikes twelve. Of course, the film works on an emotional level as well. Shrek deals with a constant feeling of imposter syndrome, only for Fiona to reassure him that she loves him for who he is, ogre and all. (Stream on Peacock)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance as the Joker is the best performance by a comic book villain of all time. It might even be the greatest villain performance in cinema. Whether or not you agree with that, we get a film full of tense scenes, authentic action set pieces, and a moral dilemma that leads Christian Bale’s Batman to face the hardest decision he will ever have to make. This film is an absolute masterpiece, and that should come as a surprise to no one because it was directed by Academy Award winner Christopher Nolan.
Now, we should give Batman Begins (2005) its fair share of praise. It is not easy to do a Batman origin story, because the inciting incident of his parents’ deaths is so far removed from him actually becoming Batman that there is a lot of time to fill. However, Nolan successfully breezes through this time period by showing Bruce Wayne training with the League of Shadows, who would eventually become the villains of the film. It is a truly interesting story, and it doesn’t do anything objectively wrong, but it just does not come close to the peaks of The Dark Knight. Nolan’s interpretation of Batman is different from the comics, but The Dark Knight is such a masterfully scripted film that it has left a permanent impression on the character across all mediums. (Stream on HBO Max)
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
If we had a nickel for every time a Shrek project ended up on this list, we would have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice, right? In all seriousness, this is the first movie on this list that could have fully replaced its predecessor, and no one would have batted an eye. The first Puss in Boots (2011) is fine, but that is about it. It really feels like a spin-off centered around a character from a more popular franchise, and, in all fairness, that is exactly what it was. Puss (voiced by Antonio Banderas) is joined by a female counterpart (Salma Hayek) and his childhood friend, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). There are a couple of interesting action sequences and a few funny moments, mostly featuring Humpty Dumpty. Overall, it failed to capture what is so fun about the Shrek franchise. Every fairy tale trope in the first film is played straightforward without any solid comedic twists. It was forgettable, but luckily, the character of Puss in Boots was popular enough to get another attempt on the big screen.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish is part of the new age of animation alongside other films like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and the Spider-Verse series. This film features a hybrid animation style that utilizes 3D character models but adds a layer of 2D painted textures that makes the film resemble a fairy tale illustration. Every frame is absolutely gorgeous, the fight scenes are more fluid, and the character expressions are exaggerated. All of these changes were made while still maintaining the key components of Puss’s design that make him so iconic. This film really goes above and beyond with the trifecta of villains that Puss goes up against. John Mulaney’s Jack Horner is so cartoonishly evil that he literally crushes Jiminy Cricket, Goldilocks and the Three Bears have an excellent storyline where they learn to appreciate their found family, and Death is utterly terrifying. In fact, Death is one of the scariest villains in DreamWorks history, and he is the perfect character to humble Puss in Boots. It is fascinating to watch a literal force of nature embodied by a big, bad, blade-wielding wolf as he tries to claim Puss’s final life. The film upstages the original in every way possible, and it seems to have reinvigorated the Shrek franchise, as we are getting Shrek 5 next summer. (Stream on Netflix)
Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy set the stage for the modern landscape of superhero films. There would be no MCU, DCU, or any of those extended universes if Raimi hadn’t proved that these types of films could be extremely successful. The first Spider-Man (2002) just feels classic. It has a typical origin story and a great motivation for the hero, which is directly challenged by the Green Goblin. Willem Dafoe is a true scene-stealer. It is no surprise they brought him back for Spider-Man: No Way Home because his Norman Osborn is so wickedly chaotic that it would be a crime to only have him appear in one film. The original Spider-Man does fall short in some categories. A lot of the lines can feel stilted, the action sequences aren’t exactly polished, and Tobey Maguire’s performance falls just short in his first outing as the character.
All of this is remedied by the second film in the series. Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) is such a perfect villain because he has a much deeper relationship with Peter prior to his turn to evil. This makes the entirety of the film far more stressful because Peter has to contend with this moral dilemma as he fights the man he used to idolize. These internal complications spill over into Peter’s personal life when he realizes that he might not want to be a masked vigilante any longer.
All of this leads to one of the best scenes in the series, when Peter, in civilian attire, rushes into a burning building to save a family. Initially, he was happy to do good without being Spider-Man, but it is revealed that there was another casualty in the fire whom he could have saved if he still had his powers. It is a deeply impactful scene where Maguire gets to express so much without saying a single word. This movie has so much emotional depth while still managing to deliver one of Spider-Man’s best action scenes of all time. The train sequence is just breathtaking. The dynamic camera movement and creative use of each character’s abilities are enough to upstage the original Spider-Man. (Stream on Disney+/Hulu)
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The original The Terminator (1984) is an excellent sci-fi thriller that introduced audiences to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s terrifying T-800 and established the impending war between humanity and the machines. The relatively small budget actually works in the film’s favor because the T-800 feels like an unstoppable slasher villain who will do anything to reach Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). However, Terminator 2: Judgment Day takes everything that worked about the original and expands it on a much larger scale. Schwarzenegger’s transition from villain to protector gives the T-800 far more personality, while the introduction of the T-1000 (Robert Patrick) delivers an even more intimidating antagonist. The visual effects and massive action sequences also allowed director James Cameron to fully realize the futuristic concepts that were limited by the first film’s smaller budget.
Most importantly, the relationship between John Connor (Edward Furlong) and the T-800 gives the sequel an emotional core that the original simply did not have. Watching this emotionless machine slowly develop a connection with John makes the final sacrifice heartbreaking. Sarah Connor is also given far more to do as she transforms from the terrified survivor of the original into a hardened warrior who is able to fend for herself. Terminator 2 did not just improve upon the first movie, it became one of the greatest action films of all time. (Stream on Paramount+ and Pluto TV)
These films may not have been the originals, but they proved that sometimes the sequel can surpass expectations and outshine the movies that came before!
