Last Thursday, I saw Denis Villeneuve’s recent film, Dune: Part 2. After seeing it, I can confidently say that it’s one of the best sequels ever. But where does it rank amongst some of the greats like The Dark Knight or Blade Runner 2049?
Today, I’ll be ranking the ten best film sequels of all time. A quick rule, I will only be counting sequels as the second film in a franchise. While The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a great follow-up film in The Lord of the Rings franchise, it’s not the second film. I constitute a sequel as the second film in a franchise.
10. Paddington 2 (2017)
If you think that it’s any sort of joke that I’m putting Paddington 2 in the top ten sequels of all time, you’re sadly mistaken. A big part of a sequel being great is that it often times has to surpass how great the first film is. That’s what Paddington 2 does. Paddington does a great job establishing the character, but Paddington 2 expands off the character of Paddington so well showing off the shenanigans he gets into and the community aspect that Paul King is striving to create. All in all, I’ll die on the hill of saying that Paddington 2 is one of the best sequels ever.
9. Before Sunset (2004)
To strike gold with a singular great romantic film is one thing. To create the greatest romantic trilogy of all time is a whole new feat. That’s what Richard Linklater does with the Before trilogy. The trilogies second film, Before Sunset, is phenomenal. While I find that Before Sunrise is the best film in the trilogy, Before Sunset does a great job not trying to re-create the magic of its predecessor, but expanding off of it to show that the love between Jesse and Celine still exists. It’s equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, which doesn’t feel entirely possible, but Linklater finds the goldilocks zone.
8. Aliens (1986)
I’m somewhat contradicting myself with entries number eight and nine. I said with Paddington 2 that a sequel should surpass the greatness of its predecessor, but both Before Sunset and Aliens don’t, and that’s not an issue because you have to consider how great Before Sunrise and Alien are. James Cameron leans a little away from Ridley Scott’s horror in Alien and adds more science fiction elements to Aliens which works very nicely in an action-packed film led by Sigourney Weaver. There’s something so enticing about watching Sigourney Weaver battle multiple aliens rather than one.
7. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Peter Jackson crafted The Lord of the Rings franchise so well where every film got better and better and better. That’s why a lot of people regard The Lord of the Rings as one of, if not THE best trilogy ever. While there are plenty of elements from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers that I could gush over, the moment I realized that this is one of the best sequels ever was during the Battle of Helm’s Deep. It’s not only a kick-ass sequence, but inspired so many large scale battle scenes that we’ve seen in the past decade, most notably films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
6. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
This is the first time that Denis Villeneuve’s name is on this list and it’s not the last. Blade Runner 2049, a film he recently stated that gave him nightmares after making it, is a sequel that has become grander than Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner film. The vibrant color scale he uses with pinks, blues, and oranges is breathtaking in itself, but when you couple it with a loaded cast of Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, Ana de Armas, Dave Bautista, and a gripping plot that picks up from the 1982 film, you have one of the best sequels ever.
5. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
Despite a lot of people preferring the first Terminator film, I’m a strong believer that Terminator 2: Judgement Day is superior. It’s a compelling storyline coupled with great performances from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong. and Robert Patrick. The most noteworthy element of this film that I think makes it great is the groundbreaking special effects that are on display. Watching it now in the 2020s will blow you away. I’m sure audiences were left slack jawed witnessing it in the early 90s.
4. Dune: Part 2 (2024)
Maybe it’s a touch of recency bias, but seeing Dune: Part 2 on the big screen was an epic experience that felt like a drastic step up from Dune. Everything about Dune: Part 2 in comparison to Dune felt grander and tighter. Right from the jump, we’re treated to an A+ opening sequence of the Harkonnen on Dune and getting ambushed. You see that and you do the little sit-up motion in your seat and you never lean back for the rest of the film. From the introduction of Feyd-Rautha as a villain, the twist (which I will not yet spoil) and the ending where we see a group blinded by their faith screams that this is one of the greatest sequels ever crafted. Thank you, Denis Villeneuve.
3. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Besides the fact that The Empire Strikes Back is an epic film with high stakes, one line stands alone to turn this into one of the three best sequels ever: “Luke, I am your father.” It’s a twist of massive proportions that is still engrained into the minds of every film fan. Seeing Vader having Luke on the ropes, near death, and dropping that twist to close out the film is insane. I’d give up a limb or pay a heinous amount of money, maybe both, to have been in a theater on opening night to witness that twist. Aside from that line, we also have The Battle of Hoth. That’s one of my personal favorite moments in Star Wars history.
2. The Dark Knight (2008)
I referenced a great opening scene when talking about Dune: Part 2, but the greatest opening scene has to be in The Dark Knight when the Joker robs the bank in maniacal style. In all honesty, I find that The Dark Knight is the peak of the trilogy and is Nolan’s best film. That’s not a hot take by any means. There’s millions who’d agree with me and all for many different reasons. Whether it’s introducing the best villain performance ever with Heath Ledger as the Joker, the ferry scene, or just Christian Bale as Batman kicking ass, it’s great. I wanted so badly to put this at number one, but I couldn’t do it. I simply couldn’t deny the greatness of the film I put at number one.
1. The Godfather: Part II (1974)
A heated battle amongst the film community is which Godfather film is better, Part I or Part II? Personally, I lean towards Part II. I think it’s probably the hands down, greatest sequel ever created. While The Godfather: Part I is great, The Godfather: Part II is so grand in the sense where we see the backstory of the Corleone family, but also get one of my favorite moments in movie history where Michael realizes that Fredo betrayed the family and then approves his killing at their mothers funeral. What makes The Godfather: Part II so much more of an anomaly is that Coppola released it in the same year as he released The Conversation, and both were nominated for Best Picture.
