10 Most Important Movie Sequels of All Time

If there are more bad sequels than good ones out there, or another argument to be made regarding most sequels not living up to what came before, then sure. Make that observation, and make that kind of claim or argument. It’s maybe more fun to do that, too, but the focus here is going to be a lot more positive, albeit not exactly looking at “just” good sequels, or even just improved sequels.

These movie sequels are some of the most important, historically and culturally. They kept the momentum going from what came before, or exceeded expectations, or did something unexpected as follow-ups. A few did all of the above, and so, sure, many of them are the best sequels of all time. But they’re being celebrated and ranked here in terms of how groundbreaking they were, and how important they felt specifically as movie sequels.

10

‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ (2014)

Image via Marvel Studios

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is understandably considered a highlight of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, and easily one of the best sequels in the franchise’s whole run to date. 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger was a good origin film for the titular character, and The Avengers was the first time he was really seen grappling with existing in the present day, but The Winter Soldier gave him a lot more to do.

It’s also significant for how it shook up the status quo more than just about any other MCU movie up until that point, and there wouldn’t be another game-changer on that level until 2018 (more on that film later). Captain America: The Winter Soldier was further pivotal for mixing things up genre-wise for the cinematic universe at that point, being something of a spy thriller at the same time it also functioned as a reliable action/superhero movie.

9

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Only sort of being a sequel, but not really a remake either, Mad Max: Fury Road is… well, it’s the fourth entry in the Mad Max series. In that sense, it’s technically a follow-up, or a bit of a sequel, and it came out at a time when legacy sequels – or sequels made to movies that were many years old – were all the rage. Like, 2015 alone had this Mad Max movie, Jurassic World, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and Creed.

Mad Max: Fury Road did that whole kind of sequel the best, if it can be compared to those other movies. It was anything but a cash-grab or nostalgia bait, and genuinely pushed the series forward, doing something new that felt even more impressive than the Mad Max movies of the past. It’s a shame most other long-awaited sequels/follow-ups weren’t quite this good, but Mad Max: Fury Road set a great precedent for what this kind of movie arguably could be.

8

‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)

There was The Avengers in 2012, which felt groundbreaking at the time for how it balanced half a dozen main heroes (plus a bunch of other supporting characters), and then Avengers: Age of Ultron, which missed the mark a little, but was still a solid sequel in other ways. It was the third Avengers movie, though, which really ended up pushing things forward, and it was the kind of team-up/crossover movie/event that still hasn’t been topped.

2019’s Avengers: Endgame was also pretty immense as a sequel, and the fourth Avengers movie overall, but the ambition of Avengers: Infinity War is why it’s here. It feels like the one to beat going forward, if you’re looking at the true event films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with the balancing act here, as far as the heroes go – while at the same time having a super memorable villain – still feeling quite mind-blowing.

7

‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991)

Image via Tri-Star Pictures

There is one other James Cameron sequel that’s arguably more important than Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but Terminator 2: Judgment Day remains his best sequel, regardless. It really satisfies as an action movie, on top of delivering the same kind of science fiction and thriller stuff you got in the first movie, with things increased immensely in terms of spectacle.

Having two cyborgs from the future helps to some extent, in that regard, but Terminator 2: Judgment Day finds other ways to be bigger while also raising the stakes perfectly throughout. It’s just one of the best action/sci-fi movies ever made, and it’s hard to know what else to say. Sequels can never be automatically looked down upon or scoffed at, when, on occasion, they can be as well-made as Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

6

‘Spider-Man 2’ (2004)

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

One more superhero movie, here’s Spider-Man 2, which also happens to be one of the best-written comic book/superhero films ever made. It’s also a classically great sequel in the sense that it takes what was already a great movie and makes all the great things a little greater. Spider-Man (2002) was an expertly done origin story, and then Spider-Man 2 gets to hit the ground running and push everyone into further dicey and interesting territory.

What it goes for emotionally feels quite profound and relatable, because it has Peter Parker go through a lot, even by the character’s standards. It’s one of the best films out there about young adulthood and its struggles, all the while also satisfying as an action-packed superhero movie. There’s so much balanced in Spider-Man 2, and it all still holds up so incredibly well 20+ years later.

5

‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

That bit about “one more superhero movie,” mentioned above? A lie. There were actually two more superhero movies that had to be mentioned, with the other being The Dark Knight. This almost got forgotten about, admittedly. People might not be pleased to know its inclusion here meant Toy Story 2 getting kicked off the ranking, but life’s not fair (Toy Story 2 is amazing, by the way, and of a higher quality than some of the films here… but the others maybe felt a bit more important in the overall scheme of things).

Anyway, what Spider-Man 2 did in terms of elevating superhero movies, The Dark Knight did as well, albeit to an arguably greater extent. There was a feeling of movies about superheroes being taken more seriously, post-The Dark Knight, and it was almost too influential, with other high-intensity and “gritty” superhero movies not really being as good. Still, the step forward this felt, for its genre, and for blockbuster cinema overall, can’t be denied.

4

‘Bride of Frankenstein’ (1935)

Image via Universal Pictures

Bride of Frankenstein has got the historical factor going for it, being easily the oldest movie here, and thereby perhaps the first truly great and genuinely meaningful sequel in cinema history, too. And it continued Frankenstein (1931) after that movie had what felt like a pretty definitive conclusion, albeit doing so well. It did arguably help that the first movie strayed from the source material quite a lot, so stretching the premise further ended up working.

Also, the idea of Frankenstein’s monster wanting a mate was a part of the original novel, so that idea gets reworked and expanded upon, plus a few other things, making Bride of Frankenstein feel like a surprisingly essential continuation of what came before. It is the first film’s equal, or might even a little better, and it really defied the whole idea of churning out a sequel at great speed, only to cash-in on the first movie (see King Kong getting a sequel the same year it came out, and many of the other Universal Monster movie sequels of the era which could be fun, but often failed to live up to the first film).

3

‘Aliens’ (1986)

Image via 20th Century Studios

There might have been a fear that Aliens would be a mindless action movie that’d cheapen the slow-burn and horror-focused approach of the original Alien, at least initially, but the execution likely squashed such fears outright. This was that previously alluded to James Cameron sequel perhaps even more significant than Terminator 2: Judgment Day, just for how it felt like such a different movie to Alien while still being a weirdly logical follow-up.

It helped put forward the idea that you could keep a series going while really mixing up the genres and still having it work, yet it’s a bit like Mad Max: Fury Road in the sense that few other people have seemed able to do so quite as well. Still, Aliens showing it as doable is something, and it remains a shining example of how to go bigger and louder than a preceding movie while ensuring that doesn’t, as a consequence, also happen to make things stupider. Besides, if you want to get stupider, you go to Jupiter, not the exomoon of LV-426. Everyone knows that.

2

‘The Godfather Part II’ (1974)

Image via Paramount Pictures

Sure, The Godfather was already a remarkable gangster epic, but then The Godfather Part II came around and proved just as compelling as a drama, all the while being even more of an epic. The story here is another substantial continuation of what came before, with Michael being the head of the Corleone crime family/empire, and his leadership style contrasts with that of his father (as seen in The Godfather and also in flashbacks featured in The Godfather Part II).

The films were made separately, but nowadays, it’s hard to imagine anyone watching The Godfather and then not jumping into The Godfather Part II at the next opportunity when they have a spare 3+ hours. The importance of The Godfather Part II, narratively and thematically, also makes The Godfather Part III feel jarringly unnecessary, since its most powerful moments largely recycle what came before. Otherwise, it’s really not a bad gangster movie… it’s more that it’s not as important or meaningful.

1

‘The Empire Strikes Back’ (1980)

Image via 20th Century Studios

There are only so many places for a sequel to a movie as good as Star Wars to go, yet The Empire Strikes Back found absolutely every single one, and proceeded to go to all of them. And it went to all of them in style. It’s another Godfather kind of situation, where a viewing of Star Wars (1977) pretty much has to be followed by The Empire Strikes Back, and it’s a bit of a Spider-Man 2 situation in that it gets to hit the ground running, narratively.

Then it’s like Avengers: Infinity War in terms of being surprising and game-changing, and it’s like The Dark Knight in the sense that it’s part of a trilogy and, as the second film, is the clear standout. However you want to slice or judge it, The Empire Strikes Back is both as good and as important as movie sequels get, but you know all that already, because of course you do… it’s The Empire Strikes Back.