My Top Ten Movie Sequels

There has been plenty of buzz recently following the release of Dune: Part Two, with many fans of the film stating it is the greatest sequel of all time. I do agree with the consensus that the film is indeed superior to its predecessor and should go down in cinematic history as one of the all time great sequels – but is it the best?

I have compiled a list as to what I believe to be the greatest movie sequels of all time, of which these movies have not only expanded upon their first films but complimented them to improve the franchise as a whole. To keep things simple and to honour Dune: Part Two, I have only considered the second movie in any given franchise, so do not expect to see the likes of Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Skyfall or Mad Max: Fury Road here. I also know I will upset some people by not including The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers or Avatar: The Way of Water, as I am not a fan of either franchise.

Honourable mentions:

• 10 Cloverfield Lane
• Evil Dead II
• Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
• The Godfather Part II
• Pusher II
• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
• Spider-Man 2
• Terminator 2: Judgement Day
• Top Gun: Maverick
• Toy Story 2

10. John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Dir: Chad Stahelski

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ruby Rose, Riccardo Scamarcio, Common, Lance Reddick, Bridget Moynahan, Joh Leguizamo, Peter Stormare, Franco Nero, Ian McShane

Synopsis: John Wick (Keanu Reeves), a retired hitman, visits Italy to pay off an inescapable blood debt. However, he soon finds himself cornered by every killer in the business due to an enormous bounty on his head.

9. The Road Warrior (1981)

Dir: George Miller

Cast: Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence, Mike Preston

Synopsis: Living in a gasoline-rich area in the post-apocalyptic Australian wasteland are survivors who want to escape from a bunch of bandits. A cynical ex-cop decides to help them with their escape plan.

8. The Raid 2 (2014)

Dir: Gareth Evans

Cast: Iko Uwais, Arifin Putra, Oka Antara, Tio Pakusadewo, Alex Abbad, Julie Estelle, Ryuhei Matsuda, Kenichi Endo, Kazuki Kitamura

Synopsis: Rama (Iko Uwais), a policeman from Jakarta, goes undercover as Yuda, a ruthless prisoner, in order to to expose the corrupt police officers who have been colluding with the city’s crime syndicates.

7. Dune: Part Two (2024)

Dir: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Lea Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgard, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem

Synopsis: Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) unites with Chani (Zendaya) and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he must prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Check out my full review of Dune: Part Two below.

6. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Dir: Irvin Kershner

Cast: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, Frank Oz

Synopsis: The Rebel Alliance led by Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) valiantly fights the Galactic Empire. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) attempts to master the Force and become a Jedi warrior.

5. The Dark Knight (2008)

Dir: Christopher Nolan

Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman

Synopsis: Batman (Christian Bale) has a new foe, the Joker (Heath Ledger), who is an accomplished criminal hell-bent on decimating Gotham City. Together with Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman struggles to thwart the Joker before it is too late.

4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Dir: Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, Kemp Powers

Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Bryan Tyree Henry, Lauren Velez, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Karan Soni, Shea Whigham, Greta Lee, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershala Ali, Oscar Isaac

Synopsis: In an attempt to curb the Spot (Jason Schwartzman), a scientist, from harnessing the power of the multiverse, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) joins forces with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld).

3. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Dir: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Carla Juri, Lennie James, Dave Bautista, Jared Leto

Synopsis: Officer K (Ryan Gosling), a new blade runner for the Los Angeles Police Department, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. His discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former blade runner who’s been missing for 30 years.

Check out my full review of Dune: Part Two below.

2. Before Sunset (2004)

Dir: Richard Linklater

Cast: Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke

Synopsis: Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke), who met nine years ago in Vienna, cross paths again for a single day in Paris. Together, they try to find out what might have happened if they had acted on their feelings back then.

1. Aliens (1986)

Dir: James Cameron

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, Lance Henriksen, Carrie Henn, Bill Paxton

Synopsis: Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is sent back to the planet LV-426 to establish contact with a terraforming colony. Once there, she encounters the Alien Queen and her offspring and has to fight them to survive.

Let me know what your favourite Movie Sequel is and be sure to check out all my reviews via the links below.