Turning an F into an A+.
The sequel will forever be a part of the film industry for as long as it exists, with the concept of being able to add upon and continue a story always too enticing to producers and audiences. While many people will swear by the original always being better than the sequel, numerous exceptional sequels released over the years are on par or even better than the original. However, even this can make sense, as the same creative team is usually behind a sequel on top of the original, and seeing them continue to hone their craft usually produces better results.
What is always jarring, however, is a film deemed by many to be a complete critical disaster that still earned enough money to guarantee a sequel. Against all odds, some of these sequels can go out of their way to right the wrongs and massively improve on a failed original product, becoming akin to phoenixes rising from the ashes. Although certainly rare in the film space, these are the sequels that vastly improved upon their predecessors, proving that sometimes, all a movie needs is a change of direction.
10 ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’ (1982)
Original Film: ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’ (1979)
The original Star Trek: The Motion Picture was far from an outright terrible film. Still, especially compared to the brilliant and still relevant source material, it flounders in nearly every opportunity. The film simply didn’t understand what made Star Trek so impactful to audiences across the nation, focusing too much on large action setpieces instead of character dynamics and world-building. Combined with some notoriously slow pacing, Star Trek: The Motion Picture was never going to live up to the mastery of the original series.
On the contrary, the follow-up, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, quickly became the blueprint and premiere example of how to adapt Star Trek to film. It had higher stakes, more interesting characters, and more emotional moments. The Wrath of Khan has more human story than the original could ever hope to be, expertly brought to life by a brilliant cast at the top of their game. For many, it is still the finest Star Trek project to date, a powerful statement of just how much of a legacy this film still holds, especially over its predecessor.
Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan
- Release Date
- June 4, 1982
- Director
- Nicholas Meyer
- Cast
- William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Deforest Kelley , James Doohan , Walter Koenig , George Takei
- Runtime
- 113
- Writers
- Gene Roddenberry , Harve Bennett , Jack B. Sowards , Samuel A. Peeples , Nicholas Meyer
9 ‘Annabelle: Creation’ (2017)
Original Film: ‘Annabelle’ (2014)
The original Annabelle was the first spinoff of what would eventually become the full Conjuring universe of films, telling the story of a haunted doll terrorizing a family. While the film found success at the box office, many critics were quick to write it off, thanks to its considerable decrease in quality from the first Conjuring film, falling into many of the tired clichés and pitfalls of early 2010s horror. Thus, Anabelle became nothing more than just another cheap, jumpscare-filled horror movie that repeated the same tired story beats of other, much better supernatural horror films.
Horror is a genre built upon sequels, thanks to its lower budgets and massive profit returns, so the prequel, Annabelle: Creation, was only an inevitability. In a surprising twist of fate, and under the guise of Lights Out director David F. Sandberg, Annabelle: Creation massively succeeded where the original Annabelle failed. The film features great and satisfying scares, genuinely likable and nuanced characters that are enjoyable to watch, and what could easily be considered some of the best twists and payoffs from a horror film of the era.
Annabelle: Creation
- Release Date
- August 3, 2017
- Director
- David F. Sandberg
- Cast
- Stephanie Sigman , Anthony LaPaglia , Miranda Otto , Alicia Vela-Bailey , Talitha Bateman , Lulu Wilson
- Runtime
- 109
- Writers
- Gary Dauberman
8 ‘The Angry Birds Movie 2’ (2019)
Original Film: ‘The Angry Birds Movie’ (2016)
Adapted from the highly successful mobile game, The Angry Birds Movie attempted to translate what was already a barebones story into a full-feature film. Outside of very young children and the most die-hard fans of the game, there’s very little that the original movie has to offer to a general audience, paralleling many other generic family movies of the era. For some reason, the film also has some strangely problematic messaging and themes that have made it age like milk that’s been left out to dry.
However, The Angry Birds Movie 2 finds more critical success as a cinematic experience by completely abandoning any pretense and connection to the game and going all in on absurdist comedy. Under the directorial vision of Thurop Van Orman, best known as the creator of The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, The Angry Birds Movie 2 is a nonstop comedic force that pleasantly surprises more often than it disappoints. It still has its occasional pitfalls as a generic family movie, but its comedic highs more than compensate for its occasional lows.
Angry Birds 2
- Release Date
- August 2, 2019
- Director
- Thurop Van Orman
- Cast
- Jason Sudeikis , Josh Gad , Leslie Jones , Bill Hader , Rachel Bloom , Awkwafina
- Runtime
- 99
- Writers
- Peter Ackerman , Eyal Podell , Jonathon E. Stewart
7 ‘The Wolverine’ (2013)
Previous Film: ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ (2009)
Throughout the 2000s and before the MCU truly took off, Marvel’s golden franchise was easily the X-Men, with X-Men Origins: Wolverine acting as the first step in a full series of prequels for the iconic characters. While the potential was certainly there for a Wolverine origin story, the execution completely botched all possibilities for greatness, instead acting as a painful slap in the face for fans of the comics. Combined with dismal special effects that looked worse than the first X-Men film, Origins: Wolverine quickly attained status as one of the worst X-Men films of all time.
While Origins: Wolverine killed off any chances of any additional Origins films to be made, the character of Wolverine received a chance at redemption in James Mangold‘s standalone sequel, The Wolverine. Following Wolverine traveling to modern-day Japan to face off with both powerful foes as he struggles with the death of Jean Grey, the film immediately washed away the bad taste of Origins: Wolverine. The Wolverine featured exceptional action setpieces and set the stage for the massively acclaimed Logan.
The Wolverine
- Release Date
- July 26, 2013
- Director
- James Mangold
- Cast
- Hugh Jackman , Tao Okamoto , Rila Fukushima , Hiroyuki Sanada , Svetlana Khodchenkova , Brian Tee
- Runtime
- 126 minutes
- Writers
- Mark Bomback , Scott Frank , Christopher McQuarrie
6 ‘Ouija: Origin of Evil’ (2016)
Original Film: ‘Ouija’ (2014)
As far as by-the-numbers and painfully mediocre horror movies of the 2010s from major studios go, the original Ouija is up there as one of the worst. Its attempts to create scares and horror out of the classic board game created nothing more than boredom and disappointment in nearly everyone who saw the film, earning it a notorious 6% on Rotten Tomatoes. Being the only horror movie offering during the Halloween season of 2014, it still earned $100 million worldwide on a $8 million budget, guaranteeing a sequel.
In what could easily be the greatest increase in quality in a follow-up to its predecessor, Ouija: Origin of Evil is a genuinely great prequel that stands on its own merits as a horror tour de force. It’s one of many brilliantly crafted horror experiences from director Mike Flanagan, best known nowadays as one of the leading visionaries in horror. Ouija: Origin of Evil somehow manages to take the lackluster concepts of the original film and weaves a beautiful tale of sadness, dread, and evil that every horror fan should watch.
Ouija: Origin of Evil
- Release Date
- October 21, 2016
- Director
- Mike Flanagan
- Cast
- Doug Jones , Henry Thomas , Elizabeth Reaser , Kate Siegel , Lin Shaye , Annalise Basso
- Runtime
- 99 minutes
- Writers
- Mike Flanagan , Jeff Howard
5 ‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2’ (2024)
Previous Film: ‘Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey’ (2023)
The original Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was largely lauded as a critical catastrophe and even considered by some to be one of the worst movies of all time. The blatant usage of the newly public-domain Winnie the Pooh character to create a cheap and shocking horror film was not lost on many audiences, but Blood and Honey was a painful experience even for cheap horror standards. It doesn’t even attempt to have fun with the concept of murderous childhood icons, with drab lighting and an all too serious tone that makes it a complete slog to sit through.
While many other amateur filmmakers would crumble under pressure and give up hope after such a critical reception, director Rhys Frake-Waterfield did the opposite. Buckling down and taking criticism into account, he made the sequel a true delivery of the concept. Giving credit where it’s due, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 found a way to succeed where the original failed. While far from perfect, the film is much more tongue-in-cheek and effective in its approach to horror, finally having fun with the absurdity of its premise while also making its violence and carnage fun to watch.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2
- Release Date
- March 26, 2024
- Director
- Rhys Frake-Waterfield
- Cast
- Scott Chambers , Ryan Oliva , Tallulah Evans , Simon Callow , Eddy MacKenzie
- Runtime
- 100 Minutes
- Writers
- Rhys Frake-Waterfield , Matt Leslie , A.A. Milne
4 ‘Fast Five’ (2011)
Previous Film: ‘Fast & Furious’ (2009)
The Fast and the Furious franchise has seen a multitude of ups and downs across its decade-spanning existence, with the fourth film in the series, Fast & Furious, acting as the most notorious low. Despite reuniting Vin Diesel and Paul Walker for the first time since the first film, Fast & Furious is extremely bogged down and dated by the conventions and trends of late 2000s filmmaking. It features what was easily the worst story of the series yet and paints an overall dour picture of things to come.
However, the blueprint and possibilities for a return to glory for the franchise were certainly visible from the outlook, and it simply took until the next entry to realize it. The Fast saga is as big of a franchise because of the impact and legacy of Fast Five, a no-holds-barred thrill ride action film that cut all the fat and delivered wild moment after moment in what some still consider the best of the series. Fast Five was a game-changer, featuring an exceptional antagonist in Dwayne Johnson‘s Hobbs, who kept the film grounded in what was easily a career-defining film for the star.
Fast Five
- Release Date
- April 29, 2011
- Director
- Justin Lin
- Cast
- Vin Diesel , Paul Walker , Dwayne Johnson , Jordana Brewster , Tyrese Gibson , Ludacris , Sung Kang , Gal Gadot
- Runtime
- 130 minutes
3 ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ (2017)
Previous Film: ‘Thor: The Dark World’ (2013)
While the vast majority of MCU films throughout the 2010s were widely beloved and continue to earn praise from critics and audiences, the Thor films always felt like the exceptions. While the first film held its place as a decent fantasy film, Thor: The Dark World was a major low point for the MCU, especially compared to every other film in Phase 2. Its boring story, uninteresting character dynamics, and drab, gray color palette have made it one of the most forgettable movies of all time, as well as the worst film in the MCU.
The Thor series needed a boost of energy to keep up with the rest of the colorful and comedically charged MCU series, and the solution came courtesy of director Taika Waititi. It’s hard to understand just how impactful his work on Thor: Ragnarok was to the MCU. The influence and style seen in Ragnarok, mixing colorful high-concept visuals, quippy improvised dialogue, and deeper overarching themes, quickly became a template for blockbuster filmmaking. Even as many have tried and failed to replicate the magic of Ragnarok (even Waititi himself could recreate it with Thor: Love and Thunder), Ragnarok still holds up as one of the best MCU films.
Thor: Ragnarok
- Release Date
- November 3, 2017
- Director
- Taika Waititi
- Cast
- Chris Hemsworth , Tessa Thompson , Cate Blanchett , Tom Hiddleston , Mark Ruffalo , Idris Elba
- Runtime
- 130 minutes
2 ‘The Suicide Squad’ (2021)
Previous Film: ‘Suicide Squad’ (2016)
Since the ending of the DCEU, its continuous legacy remains one of corporate mismanagement and a complete lack of focus and vision. No film embodies these negative aspects like the original Suicide Squad, which was famously butchered in the editing bay and completely changed in reaction to the success of Guardians of the Galaxy. While audiences may never see David Ayer‘s original vision for Suicide Squad, the final product is lacking in soul, hobbled together by test screenings and spreadsheets instead of genuine passion.
The film was still a success at the box office, but it didn’t receive a sequel per se. Instead, the quasi-reboot spiritual sequel The Suicide Squad would find massive improvement thanks to James Gunn, the director of the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Gunn has a distinct directorial vision and love for comic books that shines through perfectly on screen, creating a blissful mixture of violence, absurd creativity, and genuine heart. While it disappointed at the box office, The Suicide Squad is still considered the highest point of the DCEU, a step up from a film that was in contention for the lowest point of the DCEU.
The Suicide Squad
- Release Date
- July 28, 2021
- Director
- James Gunn
- Cast
- Margot Robbie , Idris Elba , Joel Kinnaman , John Cena , Jai Courtney , Viola Davis
- Runtime
- 132
- Writers
- James Gunn , John Ostrander
1 ‘Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith’ (2005)
Previous Film: ‘Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones’ (2002)
Enough time has passed that many people forget just how reviled and disappointed the masses were in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, with many seeing them as a bastardization of the franchise. Attack of the Clones may just be the worst of this trilogy, with its underwhelming performances, boring story, and painful special effects making it one of the worst Star Wars films. While the film isn’t completely devoid of positives, it isn’t exactly what people have come to expect from Star Wars.
However, despite all the odds and expectations, Revenge of the Sith actually stuck the landing, preserving the legacy and importance of the entire prequel trilogy. While it’s commonplace nowadays for there to be a more positive outlook and revisionist history for the prequel trilogy, the vast majority of this love is placed upon Revenge of the Sith over the other two films. The third film has a lot going for it, from its wild and over-the-top action sequences to its effective payoff to storylines built upon throughout the entire trilogy and some of the most iconic moments in Star Wars history.
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
- Release Date
- May 17, 2005
- Director
- George Lucas
- Cast
- Ewan McGregor , Natalie Portman , Hayden Christensen , Ian McDiarmid , Samuel L. Jackson , Jimmy Smits
- Runtime
- 140 minutes
- Writers
- George Lucas , John Ostrander , Jan Duursema
This article was originally published on collider.com