Sequels That Bettered The Original

Iron Man was somewhat a surprise success back in 2008, being one of the lesser known Marvel characters, but with a $585 million gross it seemed inevitable that director Jon Favreau had a sequel in mind.

And this week sees that sequel, rather appropriately named Iron Man 2, hit the big screen and sees Robert Downey Jr once again don the suit of iron.

And this summer sees sequels galore as Sex and the City 2, Shrek Forever After and Twilight Saga: Eclipse all make it into cinemas so we take a look at the sequels that were better than the originals.

- The Dark Knight

We have had some good and some bad Batman movies over the years but when Christopher Nolan breathed new life into the franchise in 2005 there was a sense that it was in good hands.

And Nolan proved exactly that in 2008 when he brought The Dark Knight, which saw Christina Bale return as the caped crusader, to the big screen.

This film is quite simply brilliant if there is one movie that had to be seen in 2008 then The Dark Knight had to be it the meaty script and air of menace that sits over the entire picture could lead it to be labelled the best superhero movie of all time.

Given a surprisingly lax rating of 12A, a children’s movie this is not, as Nolan dissects the notion of good and evil and questions what makes a hero and villain in a very complex and dark movie that is aimed, perhaps for the very first time in this genre of movie, at adults going far beyond what we have come to expect of the comic book film.

And with a third movie in the pipeline could Nolan produce and even better movie?

- The Godfather Part II

After the Oscar success of The Godfather in 1972 Francis ford Coppola returned to the story of the Corleone's in a risky sequel.

The Godfather Part II served as both sequel, following Michael as he runs the business, and prequel, as we see a young Vito slip into a life of crime.

Coppola did it again producing another classy and critically acclaimed movie, which is held in higher regard than it's predecessor.

The movie went on to become the first sequel to also pick up a Best Picture Oscar, which Robert de Niro was also awarded for his performance.

- Mad Max 2

Despite already having Mad Max, which was released in 1979, it was Mad Max two, released two years later that was to be the movie that propelled Mel Gibson to global fame.

George Millar was back in the director's chair and  he delivered a movie that was packed with action delivering brutal and fast paced action sequences.

Miller and Gibson developed the mythology of Max further as Gibson became an international star with his central performance.

- The Empire Strikes Back

When A New Hope hit the big screen in 1977 George Lucas brought cinema audiences something that they had never seen before.

Three years later and he was back, this time as writer and executive producer, with The Empire Strikes Back.

at first the movie received mixed reviews from the critics but over the year it has come to be regarded as the best movie in the star Wars series.

Empire Strikes back is a more mature movie that then one that come before it it's well written as well as being visually stunning.

The film is the backbone of the series as it takes the themes of the movie to another level as well as going a little bit darker in tone.

- The Bourne Ultimatum

It's widely recognised that sequels get steadily worse as they go along but in the case of the Bourne movies this theory is thrown out of the window as three high quality movies have made it to the big screen.

It's the role of Jason Bourne that turned Matt Damon's career around but it was Ultimatum that cemented him as a bona fide leading man.

But Brit director Paul Greengrass, who came on board for Supremacy, must take some credit. He doesn't get caught up in the action he keeps his eye firmly on the goal: to give the audience answers but keeping them onside no matter what those answers bring to light about the leading man's character.

This is a fast paced, high octane movie which finally gives us answers, as Bourne delves deeper into his hazy past, as it's gradually revealed how he was re-shaped into this super-deadly assassin.

- Terminator 2: Judgement Day

When Arnold Schwarzenneger uttered those immortal word 'I'll be back' no one expected it to be with such a bang.

But in 1991 James Cameron brought Terminator 2: Judgement 2 to the big screen and the movie is widely recognised as being one of the best sequels of all time.

The movie was a milestone in terms of special effects, that still stand up today nearly twenty years later, and is the movie any future movies in the franchise must live up to.

Other movies that were better than the original include Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, Aliens, for A Few Dollars More and The Two Towers.

Iron Man 2 is released 30th April.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw