15 sequels that are better than the original

The Godfather Part II (1974)

For many years, The Godfather Part II was known as the only sequel to ever win Best Picture (until the rise of 2003's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King). While Marlon Brando's Vito famously died in the celebrated first film, the draw of Godfather II is Vito's backstory, tracing his journey from Sicily to his eventual rise as the titular Mafia patriarch. This Vito is expertly portrayed by Robert De Niro, his early starring role earning him his first Oscar.

The parallels between young Vito and his son Michael (Al Pacino), both eventually rising to power, helped flesh out the Corleone saga and give it the seismic status it deserved. As EW's retrospective review described, "Novelist Mario Puzo's pulp melodramatics were given operatic grandeur in director Francis Ford Coppola's first Godfather, but the movie wasn't quite the metaphorical epic that some critics claimed. That trick was pulled off in the follow-up, a haunting, fatalistic vision of the downside of the American Dream that plays like Verdi's La Forza del Destino."

Mad Max: The Road Warrior (1981)

Here's how you know that The Road Warrior, the second installment in the Mad Max saga, is an exemplary sequel: Hardly anyone even remembers that it even is a sequel. Allow EW's review to explain: "George Miller's 1979 Mad Max is a blistered Western about a man out for revenge. It's as hard and fast as a kidney punch, but Miller's 1981 follow-up, The Road Warrior, is the real masterpiece. A taut, imaginative sci-fi adventure that finds Max defending an oil refinery from gangs of psychopathic bandits, it is equal parts John Ford and George Lucas."

In 1981, many people could empathize with trying to find gasoline in a torrid wasteland, and it was easy to see how Mel Gibson's taciturn Max gained such legendary status. We watched in awe as spectacular stunts played out across the bleak desert in the apocalyptic punk masterpiece, doubling down on the action from the first movie. Mad Max may have put the main character on the map, but Road Warrior is the one most remember — at least until Charlize Theron came tearing into the franchise in 2015's also excellent Fury Road.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Sure, Star Wars rewrote the rules of science fiction, blockbusters, and what action movies could actually accomplish with miniatures. But The Empire Strikes Back is the movie that proved that the first film's success was no fluke... and spawned the franchise that still dominates pop culture half a century later.

Empire is darker, bleaker, and unafraid to have Luke (Mark Hamill) crawl into an unidentifiable animal carcass to keep warm in a frozen tundra — not to mention lose an actual hand.

Younger generations won't understand such agony, but you have to pity 1980 audiences who were left with the cliffhangers of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) being frozen, Leia (Carrie Fisher) being held captive, and Luke finding out that Darth Vader is his father. (They had to wait three years for the resolution in 1983's Return of the Jedi!) You heard it here first: "The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie."

Superman II (1980)

Superman (1978) was a fun introduction to the Man of Steel, who everyone was pretty familiar with anyway — although props to Supes (Christopher Reeve) for reversing time by spinning the world backward on its axis. Its sequel, Superman II, not only wisely played up the Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) romance angle, it gave the world's greatest hero three criminal adversaries from Krypton. Unfortunately for Superman (and all the residents of Earth), these foes also have superpowers from our yellow sun — just as Clark decides to give up his own abilities in the name of love.

It's an inspired, almost farcical setup of the villains' iconic presence. (Who could ever forget, "Kneel before Zod"?) As EW wrote, "Superman II is an exquisitely well-produced movie that takes itself not at all seriously." Sadly, it was the last time Reeve's Superman would fly high with critics and at the box office.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)

Yes, the unofficial theme of this list is "superior villains," and The Wrath of Khan is the quintessential example. No Klingon, no Borg, no Star Trek adversary ever kicked things into high gear quite like Ricardo Montalban's mulleted Khan.

Kirk (William Shatner) and Khan never even come into actual contact during the film, only yelling at each other across their respective screens, yet "There's no doubt that Montalban makes an uncannily perfect antagonist for Shatner," reads EW's look-back in 2016, which notes "...some scholars consider Wrath of Khan one of the great submarine movies, with two great captains holding court on their bridges."

As with Star Wars, Star Trek is a sci-fi franchise that we are (however illogically) still discussing — and watching new installments of — decades later. But even the most hard-core Trekkie will testify that The Wrath of Khan remains the series' undisputed high point.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

Arnold Schwarzenegger had fulfilled his action star destiny long before Terminator 2, with Conan the Barbarian in 1982 and James Cameron's first Terminator in 1984 — not to mention Commando, Predator, and Total Recall. T2 could have rested on the actor's action pedigree packaged in a familiar property, but instead Cameron cannily transformed Schwarzeneggar from a heartless cyborg into a heartfelt hero.

The redemption arc won over fans and critics alike, with EW's 1991 review noting how "...director and co-writer James Cameron pulls a smart switch: This time, Arnold's Terminator isn't a menacing villain but a good guy, a father protector who is sent from the future to guard the son of Sarah Connor." T2 was also handsomely rewarded at the box office, being the highest-grossing film of 1991 and winning multiple Oscars to boot.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

Let's face it, when you go back and watch the Harry Potter movies, the first two films are more for comfort than for thrills. The small, squeaky trio of Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Hermione (Emma Watson) were certainly reaching as they faced off against Voldemort in the early years — and under the direction of Chris Columbus, the franchise teetered on the edge of cloying preciousness. Fortunately for us all, Alfonso Cuarón stepped in for round three in The Prisoner of Azkaban, and the fate of the saga was saved.

Cuarón embraced the darkness of the series, as well as the tweens' impending surliness, as the three fear a prison escapee named Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) while grappling with their growing pains. (After using a Time-Turner to travel back three hours, Hermione delivers the perfect young girl response to a previous version of herself: "Is that what my hair looks like from the back?") As EW's review reads, "By letting [Harry], and the series, grow up a bit, The Prisoner of Azkaban turns kids' stuff, once again, into serious play."

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Sam Raimi did a fine job of setting up the first-ever Spider-Man film franchise, moving all the pieces into place for the 2002 movie that introduced Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane, and Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin. Maybe the success of that venture gave Raimi the confidence to swing up to new heights with the sequel. Spider-Man 2 trumps its predecessor thanks to a more empathetic/effective villain: The devastating loss of his wife turns Peter Parker's idol, Dr. Octavius (Alfred Molina), into a sadistic, greedy foe.

But as great as Doc Ock's devious action moments are, none sum up the essence of Spider-Man better than when he unleashes a runaway subway car, forcing an unmasked Peter Parker to save the stunned passengers who realize that he's just a kid. Parker has always had to carry the whole world on his young shoulders, and that emotional plight is at the forefront of Raimi's Spider-Man 2. "This triumphant sequel to the hard-to-top 2002 original may be the first great comic-book movie in the age of self-help and CGI wizardry," says EW's A-rated review. "Both the thrills and the therapeutic personal growth are well earned."

High School Musical 2 (2007)

Frankly, these kids are more fun when you take them out of school. High School Musical 2 shows the East High Wildcats in the offseason, as they turn to summer jobs at a country club in their native Arizona. Soon, Troy (Zac Efron) is in the midst of an actually realistic teen quandary, as resort bigwig Sharpay (Ashley Tisdale) can use her considerable influence to open doors for him — but his friendships and relationship with Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) may suffer as a result.

Because it's HSM, Troy chooses the loyalty option (friends!) over the advantageous one (opportunities!), but Efron ably sells the adolescent drama, which easily bests the other HSM movies. And, of course, there are musical breaks abound, with Hudgens' breakup ballad "Gotta Go My Own Way" as the emotional apex, while Tisdale is typically fabulous in numbers like, well, "Fabulous." As EW's 2007 review states, "Puppy love is grand, but for anyone who truly appreciates the let's-put-on-a-show spirit that HSM embodies, I'm not sure that Sharpay isn't the real heroine after all."

The Dark Knight (2008)

Make no mistake, Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins is an inspired, dark take on the age-old Caped Crusader, with Christian Bale easily fitting into the bat suit that George Clooney defiled before him. But the villain — the Scarecrow, really? — and Katie Holmes as the love interest left a lot to be desired. Fortunately, the sequel came with one of the greatest villainous turns of all time: Heath Ledger's truly twisted take on the Clown Prince of Crime himself, the Joker.

Ledger so deviously re-created a well-known character in such an unbridled, unhinged manner that he instantly made The Dark Knight the definitive Batman classic. (And Maggie Gyllenhaal had much more chemistry with Bale, too.) As EW's solid A review mused, "At two hours and 32 minutes, this is almost too much movie, but it has a malicious, careening zest all its own. It's a ride for the gut and the brain."

Toy Story 3 (2010)

We're already approaching a fifth Toy Story, but we will likely never get over the moving end of Toy Story 3. The first film was an excellent introduction to a bevy of beloved characters, and TS2 was a fine follow-up, but the third movie's premise of Andy going to college while the toys are accidentally donated to a daycare was bound to be a heavy hitter. Toy Story 3 throws a few absolutely anguished endings at us: One where (spoiler!) the gang prepares to die together in an incinerator, and then (double spoiler!) Andy realizes that his toys would be better off with a new kid, Dottie, and takes them out for one last playtime.

Many parents in the TS3 audience were brought to tears right along with their children, pondering the inevitable passage of time and the fact that the little hands they held on the way to the theater would also be leaving them soon enough. As EW's critic raved in our A-rated review, "I think it's the studio's greatest achievement… just maybe — since the original Toy Story."

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012)

The first two Madagascar movies were okay, following four disparate animal friends from a New York zoo who must somehow adapt to life in the wild. The true high points of the franchise were the secret agent penguins and eccentric lemurs the quartet met along the way. Madagascar 3 took that staid formula and kicked the absurdity up about 10 notches. The opening chase scene across Monte Carlo, led by an obsessed animal control officer (excellent Frances McDormand), raised the cumulative blood pressure of the audience by at least a few points — and things just got more madcap from there.

Eventually, the troupe meets up with a Russian circus for a finale to the tune of Katy Perry's "Firework," which truly is fireworks-worthy, helping cement Madagascar 3 as the most purely entertaining installment. As EW's critic wrote, "In animation, the next best thing to a grand vision is crack comic timing. The third chapter in the saga of Alex the lion (Ben Stiller) and his Central Park Zoo pals… has timing up the wazoo."

Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014)

With the current abundance of MCU movies, you have to appreciate this one for breaking the mold and turning to 1960s spy capers for inspiration. Winter Soldier gets automatic street cred for including the Three Days of the Condor star himself, Robert Redford, and brownie points for an espionage plot reminiscent of the paranoia in those decades-old thrillers.

In this sequel, Captain America (Chris Evans) discovers that his old pal Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is now the Winter Soldier, prompting Cap' and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to uncover (what else?) a government conspiracy. What follows is a sleek spy story with modern-day, over-the-top chase scenes, and memorable fights — notably when Cap takes down an entire elevator full of assassins.

For all its magic, EW places it in the top three of our MCU ranking, while our critic praises it as "action-fantasy prose, not poetry. Yet there's a hell-bent vitality to its paranoia."

Paddington 2 (2017)

Paddington 2 was, at one point, famous for being the best-reviewed film in Rotten Tomatoes history, easily beating out its predecessor's measly 97 percent. But soon enough, a few stragglers dared to give P2 a less-than-stellar review, knocking it down to 99 percent (though one of those critics did admit that he was "dead inside").

Like the first Paddington, P2 is undeniably charming, endearingly British, and the cinematic equivalent of a tea cozy. With the marmalade-loving bear winning over an entire jailhouse in his adorable pink prison stripes and Hugh Grant's downright dastardly turn as a complicated, duplicitous villain, Paddington 2 ascend the ranks of "wonderful family movie" to be simply a spectacular film, period.

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Humor has always been the secret strength of the Avengers franchise, Tony Stark's wisecracks in Iron Man growing into the enjoyable bickering that's now a Marvel trademark. But no one dared to make an out-and-out MCU comedy until Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok. Unlike DC's droopy Batmen, Waititi found fun in Asgard with Loki's (Tom Hiddleston) pointed stage play provoking his brother, Hera's (Cate Blanchett) awesome antlers, that Thor-Hulk (Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo) buddy road trip interlude, and Jeff Goldblum's over-the-top camp performance.

EW's critic lauded its one-liners, writing, "Ragnarok is basically a Joke Delivery System… The movie is fun." Oh, and did we mention it kicks off with Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song?" As Stan Lee would say, 'nuff said.