The Best and Worst Sequels in Movie History (MSNBC)

[Brian Damage]

The Best

"The Road Warrior" (1981)
Director George Miller learned from the mistakes he made in the rough-around-the-edges “Mad Max,” and crafted a nearly perfect sequel. The post-apocalyptic drama had a storyline you could fit on a cocktail napkin, but plenty of action — culminating with one of the most exciting chase scenes of all time. It helped that Mel Gibson had developed into a solid actor, and the series was never sullied — Miller followed “The Road Warrior” with the underrated “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.”

[Brian Damage]

"The Empire Strikes Back" (1980)
After the blockbuster success of “Star Wars,” George Lucas returned with a movie that was much darker, but also funnier and even more of a thrill ride. The visuals were incredible, combining old school methods such as puppetry and stop-motion animation with newer innovations in special effects. But the force was strongest with screenwriters Leigh Brackett (who died before the movie was made) and Lawrence Kasdan and director Irvin Kershner. They gave the movie a hipness and humanity that other “Star Wars” films couldn’t match.

[Brian Damage]

"Aliens" (1986)
James Cameron had an almost impossible mission: create a sequel to Ridley Scott’s “Alien,” one of the best horror films ever made. Cameron responded with one of the best action movies of the era — a film that worked fabulously with the source material, while differing enough in tone to avoid comparison. “Aliens” also proved that in space, no one can hear you discriminate. Sigourney Weaver, even tougher in the second film, took on the acid-spewing alien queen — breaking down action movie gender barriers.

[Brian Damage]

"Silence of the Lambs" (1991)
The first and last horror film to win a best picture Academy Award, this expertly paced movie was the perfect blend of story, directing and acting. The film turned Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter into a pop culture icon, but even more credit should be given to director Jonathan Demme, who cut the multiple complicated plot elements into easily digestible portions. The film makes this list on a technicality — Michael Mann’s 1986 movie “Manhunter” was based on an earlier novel by “Silence” writer Thomas Harris.

[Brian Damage]

"The Godfather, Part II" (1974)
“The Godfather” was already perfect, making the sequel an incredibly risky endeavor. The unfortunate Corleone mortality rate also meant that Francis Ford Coppola would have to make due without Marlon Brando, James Caan and John Cazale. The solution was simple: plug in the almost equally amazing Robert De Niro, work with a script that frames the first movie and create an even bigger epic. Whether the second “Godfather” is better than the first is debatable. Either way, it’s the best sequel of all time.

[Brian Damage]

The Worst

"Caddyshack 2" (1988)
If you’re male and between the ages of 30 and 45, you can probably recite 15 lines from the comedy classic “Caddyshack.” How many quotes do you remember from the almost impossibly bad sequel? Chevy Chase returned, but he had stopped being funny in the mid-1980s. You had Jackie Mason and Randy Quaid instead of Rodney Dangerfield and Bill Murray — and the laughs were replaced by the unmistakable sound of audiences storming the box office to demand their money back.

[Brian Damage]

"Speed 2: Cruise Control" (1997)
Pop quiz: Why do studios insist on filming maritime-themed blockbusters, even though most fail miserably. This catastrophic sequel had a can’t-miss premise (“Speed” on a cruise liner!), returning director Jan de Bont and the usually reliable Willem Dafoe playing the bad guy. But a combination of boring action scenes, ridiculous dialogue and a butt-numbing 121-minute running time made Keanu Reeves’ look like a genius for jumping ship to tour with his band Dogstar.

[Brian Damage]

"Staying Alive" (1983)
Even if the great John Huston or Alfred Hitchcock had directed the follow-up to “Saturday Night Fever,” it still would have been horrible. With the far less skilled Sylvester Stallone in charge, it became one of the biggest catastrophes in sequel history — complete with a laughable plot, a grating performance by John Travolta and some truly horrendous music by Sly’s brother Frank Stallone. The big dance scene near the end is so bad, you really need to see it.

[Brian Damage]

"Highlander II: The Quickening" (1992)
Bad sequels are easy to find, but it takes a truly special effort to create a follow-up so hideous that it retroactively ruins the movie that came before it. “Highlander” became one of the first cult classics of the home video era, with a dorky-but-fun plot about immortal swordsman who live among us, while trying to behead each other. The confusing “Highlander II” revived Sean Connery’s dead character, and then tried to explain that the immortals were actually aliens.

[Brian Damage]

"Batman & Robin" (1997)
At least one movie per year turns out to be as heinous as “Batman & Robin,” but nothing has have ever failed on this scale. The performances by George Clooney, Alicia Silverstone and Chris O’Donnell were awful, the plot was ridiculous and the dialogue for Arnold Schwarzenegger's “Mr. Freeze” character was a series of temperature-related puns that must have been written by a 7-year-old. (“Ice to see you!” ... “Let’s kick some ice!” ... “Tonight, hell freezes over!”) Perhaps worst of all, temporarily insane director Joel Schumacher's three-ring circus of bad filmmaking went on for 125 minutes.

[Brian Damage]

Best of the rest
(In no particular order): "Spider-Man 2"; "Toy Story 2"; "Dawn of the Dead"; "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"; "Evil Dead II"; "Rocky III"; "Before Sunset"; "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly"; "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan"; "Shrek 2"; "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"; "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King"

[Brian Damage]

Worst of the rest
(In no particular order): "Blues Brothers 2000"; "The Sting II"; "Star Trek V"; "Rocky V"; "Revenge of the Nerds 2: Nerds in Paradise"; "Superman III"; "Ghostbusters II"; "Beverly Hills Cop III"; "The Evening Star"; "Another 48 Hours"; "The Karate Kid, Part III"; "Matrix Revolutions"; "Ocean’s 12."

[catlover79]

I totally agree that Toy Story 2 was one of the best movie sequels. As for all the worst sequels...right on the money.