Summary

• Franchises can experience a revival by adding new ideas and diverging from tradition, as seen in "Fast Five" and "Puss In Boots: The Last Wish."
• Sequels with strong character development and fresh perspectives can sur their predecessors, like "The Suicide Squad" and "Thor: Ragnarok."
• Some franchises struggle to maintain quality with sequels, as seen in "Alien Resurrection" and "Die Hard II," but can find redemption with later installments like "Prometheus" and "Die Hard With A Vengeance."

Dogma dictates that movie sequels never live up to the original, but there are plenty of cases where a bad movie is followed by a great one. Although some movie sequels with high expectations indeed flop, there are just as many movies that sur the standards set by their predecessors. This is especially true in long-running franchises, where there is often a lot of change. James Bond and the Fast and Furious franchises are just two examples of franchises with peaks and troughs, so it isn't that surprising when a sequel improves upon what came before it.

A lot of franchises can enter into a tailspin, with each movie seeing diminishing returns until audience interest all but evaporates. However, adding new ideas to old franchises can revive their potential, making for great movies that put an end to a dreary run of duds. Filmmakers who want to make a sequel that sures the original shouldn't be afraid to ditch the parts of the movie that don't work, even if they are part of franchise traditions. Lots of bad movies don't even get sequels, but those that do aren't necessarily doomed to more mediocrity.

11 Fast Five (2011)

Sequel To Fast & Furious (2009)

Fast Five added Dwayne Johnson to the Fast and Furious franchise, and it marked a massive departure from the street-racing roots of the first four movies. The heist thriller, set in Rio de Janeiro, ushered in a new era for the franchise, and Fast and Furious' huge stunts started to escalate to ridiculous heights. It was just what the franchise needed to reinvent itself after the disappointment of Fast & Furious, the fourth installment. Fast Five is also when the franchise started to diversify its thrills from just car stunts, with the rooftop favela chase a particular highlight.

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10 Prometheus (2012)

Sequel To Alien Resurrection (1997)

Although there were two Alien vs. Predator movies between Alien Resurrection and Prometheus, Ridley Scott's 2012 movie gets rid of the Yautja and focuses on the franchise's origin story. Alien Resurrection is buoyed by Sigourney Weaver in typically excellent form as Ripley, but the script stretches the limits of credibility and struggles to string together its action sequences. Prometheus rips focus from space chases and places it on the philosophical study of the origins of life and humankind's hunger for dominion. There are still great action scenes, but they have more of a purpose.

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9 Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Sequel To Puss in Boots (2011)

The first Puss in Boots took a different approach to the other Shrek movies, but it didn't reach the heights of Shrek or Shrek 2. Despite a fun cast of fairy tale characters such as Jack and Jill, the fighting feline missed Shrek and Donkey by his side. By contrast, The Last Wish makes Puss shine on his own, sending him on a high-stakes adventure across a land filled with entertaining new characters. The gorgeous animation is another positive, and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish's ending sets up the potential for an exciting Shrek 5.

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8 Die Hard With A Vengeance (1995)

Sequel To Die Hard II (1990)

The original Die Hard was a tough act to follow, especially because the premise of a cop being unwittingly trapped in an impossible situation didn't need a sequel. Die Hard II traps John McClane in another impossible situation, but in an airport instead of a tower block. There are moments when it turns into a fun action movie, but the central plot contrivance is a little too on-the-nose.

Die Hard With a Vengeance dares to do something different with McClane, pairing Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson together as an unlikely but entertaining duo. Even though Die Hard 2 received better reviews, it doesn't hold up as well as the third installment.

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7 The Suicide Squad (2021)

Sequel To Suicide Squad (2016)

The Suicide Squad cherry-picks the elements of the first movie which work well, like Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, but discards those which don't.

Despite an exciting ensemble cast, Suicide Squad struggles to strike the right tone with its bad guy team-up action. David Ayer's movie is primarily concerned with getting the audience to empathize with its team of rogues and villains, but its action sequences and its villain both fall short of their potential. James Gunn's soft reboot, The Suicide Squad, cherry-picks the elements of the first movie that work well, like Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn, but discards those that don't, like Jared Leto's controversial Joker. The The Suicide Squad remains unclear, although Gunn at least gave the characters a chance.

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6 The Return Of The Pink Panther (1975)

Sequel To Inspector Clouseau (1968)

Peter Sellers stole the show as bumbling French detective Jacques Clouseau in The Pink Panther, and all subsequent movies in the series focused on him rather than the debonair English jewel thief played by David Niven. Despite Sellers and director Blake Edwards declining to return for the franchise's third installment, Inspector Clouseau went ahead without them. The film lacks Sellers and Blake's signature tone, making it just another bland comedy movie. The duo reunited for The Return of the Pink Panther seven years later, and the franchise was back on track immediately.

5

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4 Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Sequel To Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

Mission: Impossible III adds more compelling personal stakes to go with some jaw-dropping action.

Before rebooting Star Trek and Star Wars, J. J. Abrams helped bring the Mission: Impossible franchise into a new era in 2006. After Brian De Palma's gripping first movie, Mission: Impossible 2 was a relative disappointment. Tom Cruise's evergreen action pedigree helped, but it pales in comparison to how the franchise developed soon after. Abrams is not the only key addition to Mission: Impossible III; Philip Seymour Hoffman is outstanding as Owen Davian, who arguably remains the best Mission: Impossible villain. Mission: Impossible III adds more compelling personal stakes to go with some jaw-dropping action.

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3 Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Sequel To Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Rather than conforming to the conventions of the MCU like many directors, Taika Waititi found a way to make his own kind of movie within the pre-existing framework of the franchise. The result is one of the most exciting and original entries in the MCU. Cate Blanchett is outstanding as the powerful villain Hela, and Waititi himself pops up as the charming comic relief Korg, but what's more impressive is how Thor: Ragnarok reinterprets old characters such as Hulk, Loki, and Thor himself. Thor 5 needs to learn from past movies to improve upon the disappointing Love and Thunder.

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2 The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Sequel To The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)

After the halcyon days of the Sean Connery era, and a brief distraction from George Lazenby, the Bond franchise struggled to reinvent itself as Roger Moore suited up as 007. Live and Let Die and The Man With the Golden Gun both received mixed reviews, but The Spy Who Loved Me was a smash hit. Featuring a riveting ski chase, a compelling love interest, and a villain who is absolutely out of his mind, The Spy Who Loved Me ticks all the boxes for a brilliant Bond movie. Also, Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" is a classic Bond theme.

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