While sequels are often seen as an entirely cynical way to capitalize on an original idea, returning to the same source material can often prove to be a successful venture. Films likeThe Godfather: Part IIrevealed nuances about the characters that weren’t present in the original, and sequels likeStar Wars: The Empire Strikes Backchanged the tone of their respective sagas.
The best sequels are often those that take their franchises in new directions that may initially seem to be surprising.These sequels subverted audiences' expectations, delivering stories that felt truly refreshing and unique. And while not everyone was immediately on board, time has often been kind to these titles, cementing them among the most significative entries in their respective franchises.
10’The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2' (1986)
Director: Tobe Hooper
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2is a spoof of the first film. While 1974’sThe Texas Chain Saw Massacrewas so realistic that some viewers thought that it was actually based on a true story, the sequel was wildly over-the-top. DirectorTobe Hoopershowed that regardless of context, Leatherface could be really scary. He gave the iconic slasher a worthy “final girl” to go up against with Stretch Brok (Caroline Williams), a quick-witted DJ who discovers the sinister forces behind Leatherface’s return.
Hooper’s analysis of the underlying societal forces that inspired Leatherface is something that the other sequels would almost completely ignore.The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2remains a unique horror sequel compared to the rest of the films in the franchise. While many of the recent installments, including the 2022 Netflix reboot, attempted to pay tribute to the original,Hooper understood withThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2that the style had to change to keep the audience on their toes. It’s quite unserious and far from “quality” material, but by god, it’s entertaining.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
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9’Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning' (2013)
Director: John Hyams
While the originalUniversal Soldierfilm is nothing but a generic science fiction action film fromRoland Emmerich, the 2013 sequel,Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, took a big swing and succeeded. DirectorJohn Hyamsabandoned the silly tone, turning the series into a psychological thriller about the rise of violent cult extremism and toxic masculinity. Ironically, the first film’s hero, U.S. Commando Luc Deveraux (Jean-Claude Van Damme), becomes the antagonist ofDay of Reckoning. Deveraux is now a shell of his former self, destined to reap violence for the rest of his life.
IfUniversal Soldierfelt indebted to 1990s action cinema, thenDay of Reckoningdraws inspiration from the experimental horror films of directorslikeDavid Cronenberg, David Lynch, Michael Haneke,andPaul Verhoeven. Even for those with no familiarity with the originalUniversal Soldier,Day of Reckoningis one of the scariest sci-fi conspiracy thrillers in recent memory. It might fall short of achieving all it sets out to, but the fact it tries to is already impressive enough.
Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning
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8’Predator 2' (1990)
Director: Stephen Hopkins
The appeal ofPredatorwas getting to seeArnold Schwarzeneggerrun around in the jungle with a group of military commandos; what would aPredatorsequel look like with no jungle, no jacked-up soldiers, and no Arnold? As it turns out,Predator 2worked by changing the setting of the series to an urban metroplex and replacing Arnold withDanny Glover.
Even within thePredatorfranchise,Predator 2feels like an outlier. WhilePredatorsandThe Predatoressentially felt like remakes of the first film,Predator 2crafted a story that was entirely its own. By changing the film’s setting and introducing a new protagonist,Predator 2did its best to let directorStephen Hopkinsput a unique spin on the material by drawing from a different influence. IfPredatorfelt inspired by military-centric action thrillers in the post-Vietnam War era,Predator 2had a lot in common with 1980s crime thrillers.
Predator 2
7’The Matrix Resurrections' (2022)
Director: Lana Wachowski
In the aftermath ofTheMatrix’srelease, the film inspired a cult fandom and a larger interconnected universe that became larger than the story itself. While the first two sequels,The Matrix ReloadedandThe Matrix Revolutions, attempted to be a more straightforward continuation of the first film,The Matrix Resurrectionsbroke the fourth wall to commentate on how the original had impacted pop culture. Although many of the best moments inThe Matrix Resurrectionsare tongue-in-cheek, the film is also the most sincere of the franchise. The focus on Neo (Keanu Reeves) and Trinity’s (Carrie-Anne Moss) romance is well handled.
The Matrix ResurrectionsrecontextualizesThe Matrixas a piece of intellectual property. It’s a sequel about the challenges that sequels face and cleverly breaks the fourth wall to explore how Warner Bros.’s desire for a continuation of the franchise led the series to change an already satisfying conclusion. Impressively,Lana Wachowskipacked so much powerful commentary into a mainstream action movie. When so manyawful sequels feel lacking in creativity,The Matrix Resurrectionsstands to age very well within the next few years.
The Matrix Resurrections
To find out if his reality is a physical or mental construct, Mr. Anderson, aka Neo, will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more. If he’s learned anything, it’s that choice, while an illusion, is still the only way out of – or into – the Matrix. Neo already knows what he has to do, but what he doesn’t yet know is that the Matrix is stronger, more secure and far more dangerous than ever before.
6’Army of Darkness' (1992)
Director: Sam Raimi
Army of Darknessrevolutionized theEvil Deadfranchiseby taking it in a new and exciting direction. The film picks up after the end ofEvil Dead II, which saw Ash (Bruce Campbell) being sent back in time to the medieval era.Sam Raimiproved that his fun gore effects didn’t have to be confined to a single, isolated cabin;Evil Dead IIparodied the medieval epic genre by having Ash become the savior of a small village.Army of Darknessfeatures just as much graphic horror as its two predecessors but introduces a more significant element of comedy.
Although medieval movies have been parodied sinceMonty Python and the Holy Grail, adding Raimi’s creative body horror to the genre made it feel fresh again.Army of Darknesswas the unique collaboration of Raimi and Campbell that made theEvil Deadfranchise stand the test of time. The location needed to change to keep the franchise creative, andArmy of Darknessproved to be a perfect, albeit unusual, conclusion to the story that they had begun withThe Evil Deadin 1981.
Army of Darkness
A time-warped hero must retrieve the Necronomicon and battle an army of the undead to return home. Facing off against legions of evil, the chainsaw-armed Ash Williams leads medieval forces into battle, blending horror and slapstick comedy in this cult classic.
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5’T2: Trainspotting' (2017)
Director: Danny Boyle
Danny Boyle’s1996 coming-of-age dramaTrainspottingis such a perfect movie that the thought of doing a sequel seemed entirely preposterous; how could a secondTrainspottingmovie stand on its own? As it turned out,T2 Trainspottingwas a great “legacy sequel” because it was about legacy.Ewan McGregorreturned to play an older, reflective version of Renton, who considers how he will never truly be able to relive his youth. The callbacks to the original film are thoughtful, and Boyle reframes the narrative by lettingEwen Bremmer’sSpud become the true hero of the story.
While many legacy sequels make the mistake of relying upon nostalgia,T2: Trainspottingeffectively shows how Renton has come to realize the mistakes that he made when he was younger. IfTrainspottingwas a great coming-of-age story about the exhilaration of youth,T2: Trainspottingis a crushing acknowledgment of the realities of adulthood.
Trainspotting 2
Over 20 years after Mark Renton tried to clean up his act and escape the Edinburgh drug scene, he returns to Scotland to hang with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie. Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, and Robert Carlyle all return in the Danny Boyle directed sequel.
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4'22 Jump Street' (2014)
Directors: Chris Miller, Phil Lord
DirectorsPhil LordandChris Millercaught lightning in a bottle with the first21 Jump Streetfilm in 2012. The idea of remaking a classic television show felt very cynical, but the film broke the fourth wall by satirizing how unoriginal Hollywood was.22 Jump Streetcontinued this element of satire by having Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) go on what feels like the exact mission all over again.
22 Jump Streetfeatured more action, as well as a beefed-up role forIce Cube’sunhinged, scene-stealing Captain Dickson. Great comedy sequels are few and far between, as it is hard to make a compelling contention that paves a new direction forward in the story.22 Jump Streetacknowledges these issues in the most meta way possible;its lack of originality is precisely the point. The result is a truly hilarious and occasionally inspired sequel that takes everything that worked about its predecessor and keeps it.Will there ever be a23 Jump Street? Who knows! If there is, it’ll probably be just as hysterical. Exactly as hysterical, actually.
22 Jump Street
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3’Star Wars: The Last Jedi' (2017)
Director: Rian Johnson
Star Wars: The Last Jediexamined the true nature of the Jedi Order. If the Jedi failed to stop Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) from taking over the galaxy, did they ever have any real value?Rian Johnsonthoughtfully explores this idea through an older, embittered version of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Although Luke initially grows cynical about the future of the Jedi, he ultimately finds the inner strength to become a hero once more.Adam Driver’sKylo Ren became the most nuanced villain in the series, developing a complex and slightly unsettling bond withDaisy Ridley’sRey.
Like its predecessor,The Last Jedicould have easily been nothing more than a reiteration of the original trilogy. However, Johnson chose to question the nature of heroism by dissecting the Jedi Order, boldly stripping it of its mythology. It was necessary fora franchise as longstanding asStar Warsto question its core tenets, even if some fans absolutely hated it. Daring, truly original, fascinating, thought-provoking, and even shocking,The Last Jediis the most ambitious and thematically arresting film in the entire saga.
Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi
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2’Wes Craven’s New Nightmare' (1994)
Director: Wes Craven
AlthoughWes Craven’s1984 masterpieceA Nightmare on Elm Streetis one of the scariest movies ever made, Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) became a caricature by the film’s sequels. To make Freddy scary once more,Wes Craven’s New Nightmareshowed the slasher going beyond the silver screen and haunting the cast and crew of the franchise.Heather Langenkampreprises her role as Nancy and plays a fictionalized version of herself. Craven also plays himself and helps close the series out in a thoughtful way.
The issue with the sequels toA Nightmare on Elm Streetis that they became more focused on elaborate kill sequences and Englund’s over-the-top performance than the victims.New Nightmarebrings the focus back to Langenkamp and serves as a brilliant return to formfor a series that had lost its way. More importantly, it rescues Krueger from ridicule and firmly cements him asone of horror’s most iconic villains.
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1’Gremlins 2: The New Batch' (1990)
Director: Joe Dante
The firstGremlinsstruck an odd tone; it was a bit too weird to be a horror movie, too scary to be a family film, and too anarchic to be anything in between. DirectorJoe Dantehas always done his own thing, andGremlins 2: The New Batchis glorious in how truly bonkers it is. The sequel contains more jokes, more gremlins, and cameos by everyone fromLeonard MaltintoHulk Hogan.
Gremlins 2: The New Batchis a wonderful satire of excess and corporate greedthat could probably never be made today. It’s as funny as it is scary and derails from the traditional route with its highly unusual narrative structure; it takes big, bold swings with unrestrained gusto and impressively pulls them off through sheer chutzpah. As a satire of consumerism, a celebration of practical filmmaking, and a pure exercise in originality,Gremlins 2: The New Batchis a masterful achievement in franchise storytelling.
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
The Gremlins are back, and this time, they’ve taken control of a New York City media mogul’s high-tech skyscraper.
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