What sequel was way better than you were expecting? Many come to mind, but this one surprised me the most. Because I truly thought it would be terrible. Of course it's no where near as great as the original. But a decent and effective follow-up 22 years later IMO.

Wayne's World 2

The biggest one of all….Top Gun: Maverick.

Absolutely! Not only that, but 10 x better than the original.

I’m sure if we go back to the thread when it was first announced, it would be filled with snarky, cynical comments from all of us, myself included. I was skeptical all the way up until reviews started coming in saying how great it was.

The worst I probably said when it was announced was it's probably too late. But Cruise is a smart guy when it comes to his projects. So I knew he wouldn't move forward with something he didn't feel right about. I actually didn't like the original much, but loved the sequel.

Toy Story 4

"That many years after Toy Story 3 put such a nice end cap to the trilogy? Really? Disney and Pixar are going back to that well again? This is going to be another cash grab like Cars 2."

Nope. One of....if not....the best Toy Story movies. And I'm not even joking when I say it's one of the most beautiful movies.

That's a good one. I kind of had high hopes for it but even if you did it still far exceeded everybody's expectations.

Does Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) count?

If not, Jurassic Park III (2001). I absolutely love this film.

I adore this movie. Great choice.

I know most of this forum doesn't really like horror movies. But, 2 years ago, Saw X surprised the hell out of me. I think it may have been the best of the series. It was also the best reviewed of the entire series on Rotten Tomatoes at 81%.

Smile 2. I did not like the first one at all, but Part 2 was a complete 180; an effective story, with a fascinating lead character, and genuinely creepy moments. More remarkable is that it was from the same writer/director as the first.

Lol Wayne’s World 2 sucked hard.

Jeepers Creepers 2.

Agree with MM Fury Road and Wayne’s World 2.

I would add Addams Family Values since the first one was so fun and charming I wouldn’t think they could do it again.

The Star Trek Kelvin movies: after Into Darkness stumbled, I was a big damn fan of Beyond.

Toy Story 2 of course. And part 3 was good, not quite the leap that 2 was over 1. I really need to watch 4.

Friday the 13th part 2 was an improvement over the original movie which is kind of dull by comparison.

On a similar note, after the embarrassment that was The Brady Bunch Movie, A Very Brady Sequel was charming and fun and had some actually funny moments.

Predator 2

2010: The Year We Make Contact
Doctor Sleep
Jaws 2

Twisters

Honest question, what was wrong with the first film? I thought it was clever and hilarious. I didn't enjoy the sequel much.

Pearl >>> X

And quite frankly, Excorcist III does not get enough love, but not unexpectedly given Excorcist II... which wasn't altogether horrible, but it was eviscerated upon release. Still, Part 3 is a fine movie.

Psycho II is a great example. The original is such a classic that I thought a sequel made twenty years later was bound to be crap, but to my surprise I almost like it as much or maybe slightly more than the original.