When the Sequel Eclipses the Original

This video essay analyzes some of the best movie sequels of all time, and why they turned out even better than the original. If you want to know the secret as to why The Godfather, The Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Knight, Terminator 2 and Aliens are better than their original movies, then this video will explain all.

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Music used:
Fortaleza by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena (YouTube Audio Library)
Interplanetary Alignment by NoMBe (YouTube Audio Library)
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#duneparttwo #godfather #starwars

[UATU.]

The sequel to this video will be brilliant.

[flippert]

"I know it was you, Joker", Feyd-Rautha said calmly.

[Nodimer]

I would also add Shrek 2 to the "best sequel of all time" list.

[haaa]

The Godfather Part II to me is the greatest sequel ever because of the standards it had to live up to

[nahuel]

I think there's an essential difference between a sequel made out of success from the first one and a story that's already imagined and done as more than one movie.

[ORANOID]

I'm leaving a comment, so algorithm is happy and the author can afford to make the version of this video, they planned from the beggining.

[kevancampbell]

Paddington 2 / Rush Hour 2. Two absolutely spectacular movies.

[thegunslinger]

The Dark Knight is my all-time favourite film.

[Andrew-Antioch-Kim]

The same thing applies for recording artists with their debut album versus their sophomore album!

[richardblakely]

4:04 “The originals were merely low-budget prototypes of what could come next.” I’m reminded strongly of El Mariachi and Desperado.

[FallingSport]

Favorite channel of a guy talking about a thing

[jameslough]

I feel Across the Spider Verse is a great example of a sequel that takes risks as discussed in the video. I felt the first Spider Verse movie was kind of just a generic superhero movie with a cool art style. Yeah, it was good but I didn’t find its story to be anything exceptional. 

The story of Across the Spider Verse on the other hand was anything but generic. It was a lot more morally gray and the events of the film really challenged the main character (Miles) on what being a hero truly means. 

The villain in the second movie also isn’t generically evil like in the first movie and in some ways you could even argue he is in the right more than Miles. This is why I definitely prefer Across the Spider Verse to Into the Spider Verse and think it is one of the best sequels I have seen in the last 10 years.

[jesustovar]

My Mom and I just saw Inside Out 2, we had so much fun and felt happier after it, I feel it's just as good if not better than the original, I think it's a bit more mature than it's predecessor in it's themes, even more EPIC, might be due to the age of Riley, I could relate in some ways even if I'm not a teenager anymore (also I like the change of aspect ratio, is just like from The Terminator to Terminator 2).

Speaking of Pixar, curious that you didn't mention Toy Story 2, I love Toy Story, especially the first two movies, but the second one is probably my favorite.

[ethangorham]

One reason some sequels excel is that they, in some fashion or another, reorient the trajectory of the storytelling and recontextualize what came before in ways that improve the originals.

What makes The Empire Strikes Back so brilliant in this regard is that it changes the trajectory of the Star Wars saga from being one about, to be a bit reductive, "plucky rebels taking down an evil empire to save the galaxy, " to being one much more about "a noble son trying to save his father's soul while not losing his own." For all the brilliance of A New Hope, there's just something much deeper and more enthralling about such a thematic change, and its ramifications completely recolor A New Hope in more interesting ways.

In some fashion, it's also how some sequels make successive ones less-than. I could dedicate an entire book to their successes and shortcomings, but It says a lot about the Disney Star Wars sequels (The Force Awakens thru The Rise of Skywalker) that, in some fashion, they revert the franchise back to being a saga about "plucky rebels taking down an evil empire to save the galaxy, " and as a result, reduce themselves as a result. They're no longer preoccupied with such deeper storytelling considerations, and they're lesser for it.

[filmreviewer]

Cameron knew how to beat this trick by changing two sci-fi horror films into sci-fi action films. The tones both still maintained a level of suspense, but now had this added level of action that wasn't in the original and allowed the story to progress further than it could've gone if it stayed in its sam genre. The raid is another recent example with how the second one was more of a drama that had these amazing set pieces compared to the first film which was a massive endurance test in how long these offices can survive.

[PurpleSun]

4:51 Also, now it's Sarah Connor becoming the Terminator herself going for Dyson's head. Becoming the very thing she hated.

[methos]

I’d argue Dune 2 does not count as a sequel because it’s the second half of a single story. Same applies for Two Towers and Return of the King. IMHO sequels are only sequels when there was no plan to continue the story beyond the first movie. This puts something like Empire Strikes Back in a murky area because Lucas had a rough outline for a more expansive story but didn’t really know how it was going to play out until he got started.

[MatthiaGryffine]

I always enjoy these analytical videos. I've been about doing the same thing for video games.

[jerogomezrobledo]

You didn't mention Top Gun Maverick or Blade Runner 2049.

[MrBobbywan]

I love the subtlety of reusing the same Hollywood's sign shot while pointing out the sequel for being a rehash of the original movie.