TylerDurden_73

25. Diehard 2
It doesn't feel like Christmas without a tree, eggnog and John McClane (Bruce Willis) giving terrorists the beatings of a lifetime. Here he fights to free a snowy Dulles Airport from a group of turncoat U.S. soldiers. The lines are quotable, the action frenetic and the ass-kickings vintage McClane.

24. Christmas Vacation
Long before the folks at National Lampoon adopted its "crap is king" policy, they released this riotously funny third go-round with the Griswold clan that had us squirting eggnog out of our noses. Let's pretend they never made 'Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adventure.'

23. The Road Warrior
The term "post-apocalyptic thriller" was born with 'Mad Max,' and its explosive sequel plunged us even further into a world of chaos and greed. Mel Gibson gives a savage, heroic performance as a grieving nomad who fights for a colony he intended to rob ... and no tequila-fueled rant can ever take that away.

22. Before Sunset
'Before Sunrise' captured the romantic optimism of two youthful strangers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) falling in love over the course of one night. 'Sunset' picks up 10 years later, with the pair meeting for the first time since, and eloquently depicts how the world -- and love -- have changed them.

21. Return Of The Jedi
There are two types of people in this galaxy: Those who found the Ewoks to be an abhorrence, and those who never minded them THAT much (the Moviefone staff is decidedly split). Either way, 'Star Wars: Episode VI' is a flawed but absolutely essential piece to the moon pie that is the original trilogy.

20. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
After 10 'Star Treks,' they all start to seem the same -- with the exception of this character-driven classic, in which Kirk's brooding, Khan's evil glee (no one overacts like Ricardo Montalban) and Spock's noble death make for a sci-fi action flick with the pathos of a Greek tragedy. KHAAAAN!

19. After the Thin Man
Did the word "sequel" even exist yet when this follow-up to the 1934 classic released on Christmas Day in '36? How about "franchise"? Nick and Nora Charles' (William Powell and Myrna Loy) second case was such a hoot that four more 'Thin Man' escapades followed. As Nick might've said, "Phat!"

18. The Bourne Supremacy
With a flawed hero (Matt Damon), primal storyline (amnesiac spy wants to discover his identity) and visceral fight sequences (Bourne beats the snot out of a baddie with a magazine), 'Supremacy' practically saved the action genre from devolving into self-parody. James Bond is grateful.

17. Superman II
Moodier and arguably better than the original, 'II' brings our hero back down to Earth -- literally -- when he gives up his powers for love. Struggling not just with his identity but also with a badass trio of villains (Sam Raimi, take note), the Man of Steel has never before (or since) been more human, or more real.

16. Rocky II
Still functioning with at least 85 percent of his brain cells intact, The Italian Stallion (Sylvester Stallone) is packing meat as an Everyday Joe before he's lured back into the ring for a rematch with Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Not only is the climactic clash fierce and relentless, but it doesn't even end in a draw.

15. Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
Expectations were high when Alfonso Cuarón signed on to direct the third 'Harry Potter' film, and he did not disappoint. Darker than its predecessors and introducing the splendid Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, 'Azkaban' marks the point at which the franchise, like its young leads, grows up.

14. Evil Dead II
Sometimes we forget there even was an 'Evil Dead,'*Sam Raimi's 1987 sequel being such a superior and definitive romp in campy horror comedy (both star the inimitable Bruce Campbell). And while everyone loves the director's 'Spider-Man' movies, would it kill him to throw us a bony bodiless hand once in a while?

13. Toy Story 2
It's Pixar's only sequel -- Disney reportedly pressured the studio to do it, since the first 'Story' was so successful. Good thing: Jessie's song about her owner growing up and moving on still makes us tear up; the riff on the iconic "I am your father" scene is a welcome blast from our movie past.

12. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
George A. Romero's 1978 follow-up to the cult classic 'Night of the Living Dead' came out 10 years later than the original -- and it shows. Still as repulsively, squirm-inducingly graphic (in a good way) as the black-and-white 'Night,' the zombie feast that is 'Dawn' is in color. Bright red, mostly.

11. Kil Bill Vol 2
Vol. 1' is amazing, but 'Vol. 2' features the Bride's (Uma Thurman) eyeball-squishing battle royale with Elle Driver (best catfight EVER) and her much-anticipated showdown with Bill, complete with the execution of the legendary five-point palm exploding-heart technique. Has there ever been a more badass heroine?

10. Bride of Frankenstein
The 1931 original is a monster movie with heart; the '35 sequel is a love story with monsters. Though the Bride is seen for only a few moments in director James Whale's masterpiece, it's his Frankenstein's yearning for romance that carries the day ... That and his short-lived mate's electric hairdo.

9. X2-Xmen United
No longer bound by the necessary setups of the original, director Bryan Singer upped the ante here -- strengthening the storylines, introducing a cool new mutant and a dastardly human foe, and exploring deeper themes of prejudice and redemption. After all that, the superb action scenes are just gravy.

8. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
While the 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and 'Temple of Doom' had high stakes, they're dwarfed by those in 'Crusade.' The Nazis beat Indy (Harrison Ford) to the Holy Grail and gain eternal life, and we're all f***ed: You, me, Short Round. It's not just rollicking fun from start to finish -- it's scary, too.

7. Lord of the Rings: the Two Towers
Peter Jackson accomplished the near impossible: topping his masterful take on his first adaptation of fanboy bible 'LOTR.' Even those who've never read a word of Tolkien (I confess) were swept into the world of Middle-earth ... and the strong arms of Aragorn (did I say that out loud?).

6. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
With more toys to play with, James Cameron heightened both the effects (if Robert Patrick's T-1000 doesn't blow your mind, then hand in your moviegoing credentials) and the stakes; plus, a ripped Linda Hamilton remains one of the best (and scariest) female action heroes ever.

5. Spiderman 2
Tobey Maguire isn't an ideal Spidey to many, and Kirsten Dunst with red hair? Eh ... But somehow Sam Raimi made it work in the first and this, the superior second. Credit Alfred Molina as Doc Ock, a threatening -- yet vulnerable -- baddie, and a smart script that made us care about Peter and MJ's rocky road to love.

4. Aliens
Fans of 'T2's' formidable heroine can thank this sci-fi thriller for introducing director James Cameron to the idea that a girl can kick ass and take names. Sigourney Weaver's Ripley is still the paragon of women warriors on screen, and she's never tougher than in this follow-up to Ridley Scott's original.

3. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The final chapter in the best trilogy ever has it all: the eye-popping Battle of Minas Tirith, unrequited love (Eowyn for Aragorn, NOT Sam for Frodo) and the endgames for all the members of the Fellowship. Don't whine about the overly long ending; if you're not a fan, you must be an Orc.

2.The Empire Strikes Back
It starts with a bang (the spectacular battle of Hoth), builds to a fever pitch (Luke's first confrontation with Vader) and ends with our heroes' galaxy in utter tumult. Han is frozen in carbonite! Leia is in love with Han! And Vader is Luke's father! God bless the Empire for striking back.

1. The Godfather Part II
Which 'Godfather' film is better? It's one of modernity's biggest conundrums, and though each of us knows the answer with absolute certainty, it will remain unresolved. What's not a mystery is that Francis Ford Coppola's exposition-driven continuation of the Corleone family saga is a complete masterpiece.


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PopcornTreeCt

Pretty decent list but I wouldn't consider Kill Bill Vol. 2 a sequel, nor the Lord of the Rings movies.

Robert

Remove Die Hard 2 and replace it with Lethal Weapon 2.

jeffkjoe

Two borrrrrring Lord of the Rings movies and a Harry Potter film.

What a lame list.

GoldenJCJ

Not a bad list, I would have bumped Spidey 2 and put T2 in it's place. I may even replace ROTK with T2 as well.

Apone

Woah, no love for Back to the Future?

chris_sc77

Remove Die Hard 2 and put on Die Hard with a Vengeance.

B5Erik

I'm sticking with Die Hard 2 - I love that one!

Aliens, T2, X2, Spider-Man 2 - all great!

But Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is the greatest sequel ever!

chris_sc77

Id also have to put on that list 28 weeks later and move Spiderman 2 to the back of that list and in its place put in Batman Returns

Seantn

Remove Die Hard 2.

cranberries fan

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is and should be number #1 on that list.

chris_sc77

In terms of sequels better than the original installment you might be right but no way is it a better film than Aliens , T2, Or godfather 2

MartinBlank

Return of the Jedi?!?

project86

I would take out the LOTR and Die Hard 2, add BTTF 2.

The fact that they listed Evil Dead 2 though, that makes me have a little more respect for whoever wrote it.

DealMan

I'd remove ROTK, Rocky II, Kill Bill vol 2 and Die Hard 2 completely, bump Spider-Man 2 and Two Towers towards the end of the list and add Lethal Weapon 2, Desperado, Austin Powers 2, and Army of Darkenss.

RichC2

Austin Powers 2 was the worst in the series. Had to throw that in there .

ROTK is properly placed, KBv2 should be higher up (#7-ish), otherwise I agree with quite a few of those entries/positions.

Yavin

I'd take out:
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,
Kill Bill: Volume 2 (technically not a sequel IMO, since Kill Bill is really one film split in two),
The Bourne Supremacy,
Die Hard 2: Die Harder,
and at least one of the Lord of the Rings films ...

... and replace them with:
Batman Returns,
Army of Darkness,
Matrix Reloaded,
Jurassic Park II: The Lost World,
Blade II,
and Back to the Future II.

(and of course do some re-shuffling of the order)

PopcornTreeCt

Oh come on Batman Returns sucked. Maybe if they would consider Batman Begins a sequel I would agree. And Jurassic Park 2? Horrible.

rw2516

DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN!!!

dugan

Wasn't there a recent Entertainment Weekly article that claimed Die Hard was the best action movie of all time? This is a bit too much of a coincidence for me, and I'm starting to suspect that these articles are biased by studio money.

Yavin

I figured I might catch some flack for those two choices. I just love the expansion of the Batman universe that we get in Batman Returns, plus the fact that it was just a lot more visually appealing that the preceeding film and had more action as well. As for Jurassic Park II: The Lost World, I like it for the same reason. IMO it gave us more of everything that was in the first film, and it didn't really feel stale yet. Plus, the ending with the T-Rex rampaging through the city was plain awesome. Now, Jurassic Park III, I thought that sucked.

DRG

You do realize they released a third movie called Goldmember, don't you?

jeffkjoe

Godfather II is NOT better than Godfather I.

Marlon Brando and James Caan rule.

Michael T Hudson

I would say equal but not better. Both are great.

Draven

If that wasn't 100% true, I'd agree with you.

I have no real issues with this list. I think it shows more than anything that sequels usually aren't that great.