Sequels are great, but some are a complete flop and cringe to watch. Many factors can make or break a sequel to some of our favorite films, whether it is the acting or simply the script itself.
Here is a list of some of the best and worst movie sequels:
The best sequels:
"Shrek 2”
"Shrek 2" is considered one of the greatest sequels of our time, building off an already iconic film brought to life by Dreamworks. "Shrek" tells a story about an ogre living in a swamp and journeying to rescue a princess with an unlikely friend. It was the first-ever movie to win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon, "Shrek 2" had a budget of $150 million but grossed $928 million worldwide. This sequel placed #56 on the Rotten Tomatoes list of 100 best sequels and earned an 89% Tomatometer score. On the IMDb list of best sequels, it ranked #25. The character development, sense of humor, worldbuilding and storyline's creativity and originality set this movie apart. "Shrek" was already ahead of the game, but the sequel made it even better.
"Spider-Man 2"
This film received a 93% Tomatometer score and boasts an entertaining villain and deeper emotional focus, making it a nimble sequel that improves upon the original. It is ranked #34 on the Rotten Tomatoes list of 100 best sequels and #26 on the IMDb best sequels list. The film had a budget of $200 million but grossed $788 million worldwide. Maguire perfectly captures the character of Peter Parker, who is already complex and layered in his own way.
Directed by Sam Raimi, "Spider-Man 2” has a great ending hook, drawing the audiences in for more to follow in "Spider-Man 3." Regarding the technical side, using CGI during action scenes was top-notch for its time, making battle scenes look realistic. "Spider-Man 2" is considered one of the best Spider-Man adaptions to date.
"The Dark Knight”
Directed by Christopher Nolan, this Batman sequel is one of the highest-ranked sequels on any of the "best sequels" lists on the internet. This franchise does a fantastic job with its storytelling and character development.
The film had a budget of $185 million but earned a $1 billion gross worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing movie sequels of all time, as well as the highest on this list. On the Rotten Tomatoes list of 100 best sequels, this film is ranked #25 and has a 94% Tomatometer score. According to the IMDb list of best sequels, it is ranked #1 as the best movie sequel. Heath Ledger gave an outstanding performance as the Joker and won an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role. Ledger is also the only actor to earn an award in this category after death.
"Toy Story 2”
"Toy Story" was the first computer-animated feature film and its sequel "Toy Story 2" is considered one of Pixar's most successful films.
Directed by John Lasseter, Ash Brannon and Lee Unkrich, this sequel is so successful because of the film's storytelling and originality. It is also full of emotion, centering Jessie and Woody's character development. It is also a very colorful adaption of the original. This film pulls on our heartstrings and reminds us that toys are meant to be played with, not collected and sold.
The worst sequels:
"Son of the Mask"
"Son of the Mask" flopped hard in the movie industry. Not only was it missing the appearance of Jim Carrey reprising his role, but it is also considered painfully unfunny and an unnecessary release. The film was budgeted with $84 million but flopped worldwide only bringing in $59 million, making it the worst-grossing film on this list.
Directed by Lawrence Guterman, "Son of the Mask" this sequel misses out on the visual effects and animation that made the original fun to watch. This film was considered so bad that the star of the film even made a documentary on it that can be found on his YouTube page. On the Rotten Tomatoes list of worst sequels, it is ranked #33 and has a Tomatometer score of 6%.
"Big Momma's House 2”
Martin Lawrence reprises his role of Malcolm going undercover as Hattie Mae Pierce, also known as "Big Momma”, to stop crime. This sequel is considered unnecessary and has an unoriginal storyline. It pulls all the same ideas from the first film and is an example of why some films should not have a sequel.
Directed by John Whitesell, the sequel reuses the same ideas, lacks humor and the action scenes are not comparable to the original. On the Rotten Tomatoes list of worst sequels, it is ranked #25 and has a Tomatometer score of 5%. It is one of the more successful sequels on the list of worst sequels at the box office, considering it had a budget of $40 million and earned $141 million worldwide, but it has one of the worst audience scores as well.
"The Ring 2"
"The Ring 2" is one of the highest ranked on the list of worst sequels at #8. The movie scored 0% on the Tomatometer with an audience score of 52%. This film lacks a plot and one of the main complaints of the film is the poorly written script. The sequel also has complaints of feeling rushed and the visual effects of the film are notably bad. The CGI use makes the film look unrealistic and takes the viewer away from the story.
The film had an estimated budget of $50 million and earned $163 million worldwide, making it not the worst-grossing sequel but bad enough to be placed on this list.
"Jaws the Revenge”
Compared to the classic film "Jaws," the sequel does a horrible job following in its footsteps. To begin, the use of CGI and acting in the sequel is horrible, making it hard for viewers to want to keep watching. It has awful character development and no plot, which is why it makes sense for it to be #2 on the Rotten Tomatoes list of worst sequels. It has a Tomatometer of 0% and the worst audience score on this list with 15%.
The film was estimated to be budgeted at $23 million and earned a gross of $51 million worldwide. According to Rotten Tomatoes, "this sequel is illogical, tension-free and filled with cut-rate special effects; it is a sorry chapter in a once-proud franchise."
