Today’s episode of Sounds of Cinema featured a look at great sequels such as Aliens, Before Midnight, The Dark Knight, The Godfather II, The Empire Strikes Back, and Bride of Frankenstein. Here is a look at some other great sequels that didn’t make it into the show.
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Dir. Robert Zemeckis
When Back to the Future opened in theaters in 1985 it had the ending that everyone is familiar with but it did not have the text announcing “To be continued …” This was added to the home video release in anticipation of a pair of sequels, which were shot simultaneously and released in 1989 and 1990. Of the sequels, the second film was more daring. Back to the Future Part II was darker than its predecessor and featured a lot of great in-jokes. Most impressively, the filmmakers sent their heroes into the events of the original film and the way they reconstructed the events of the previous volume and weaved the two movies together is remarkable filmmaking.
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Dir. Paul Greengrass
The Jason Bourne films redefined the action genre for the 21st Century and the series reached its organic end with 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum. The first two installments in the series were distinguished by smart storytelling and fast paced action filmmaking that successfully updated Cold War era spy thrillers and integrated modern technology and post 9/11 paranoia. The Bourne Ultimatum did this and more, delivering an emotionally resonant story with sophisticated characters that went well beyond what viewers expect from this kind of picture. The Bourne series would see an entertaining but unnecessary fourth installment but neither star Matt Damon nor director Paul Greengrass would return.
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Dir. George A. Romero
It’s odd to think of a zombie movie as being beloved but that’s exactly the case with George A. Romero’s sequel to his seminal Night of the Living Dead. Jettisoning the black and white newsreel look of Night, the 1978 sequel was filmed in color and mixed the 1970s color pallet with generous amounts of gore. The violence of Dawn the Dead earned the movie an X rating but the filmmakers intentionally attempted to desensitize the audience, turning the movie into a social satire. The main cast of Dawn take refuge in a shopping mall and find the consumerist palace is as much a prison as it is a shelter. In 2004 Dawn of the Dead was remade by Zack Snyder with all of the gore but half of the brains of Romeo’s original.
Evil Dead 2 (1987)
Dir. Sam Raimi
The original Evil Dead was a cult hit but when director Sam Raimi and crew returned to the series they did not so much make a sequel as they did remake the original movie. Ordinarily that would be obnoxious but Evil Dead 2 is superior to its predecessor in every way. The sequel benefits from a slightly higher budget and more adept filmmaking skills behind the camera but it is especially distinguished by its sense of fun. The movie delivered shocks and laughs in equal measure and Evil Dead 2 is one the best horror-comedy hybrids ever made.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Dir. Alfonso Cuarón
The first two entries in the Harry Potter film series (The Sorcerer’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets) were acceptable but not exceptional in any way. These films had a largely uninspired approach and didn’t capture the imagination that had made J.K. Rowling’s books so popular. Things changed with the third chapter, The Prisoner of Azkaban. Alfonso Cuarón took over directing duties from Chris Columbus and he introduced a visual flair and a sense of danger to the series. The film also benefitted from better source material and this entry introduced more complexity to the Harry Potter universe, setting the tone for the rest of the series.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Dir. Steven Spielberg
The first three Indiana Jones films are classics but none of the sequels were ever quite able to capture the magic of Raiders of the Lost Ark. However, the third film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, came the closest and it recalled the qualities that worked best about Raiders while introducing new material that distinguished this entry. The action set pieces of Last Crusade held up with most anything in earlier Indiana Jones adventures but this film also had a lighter touch and benefitted from a lot of humor. The stroke of genius in this film was the casting of Sean Connery as Indiana’s father and the banter between father and son gave the movie an emotional center that is unlike anything else in the series.
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Dir. Jeremiah S. Chechik
National Lampoon’s Vacation series is erratic with some installments very good and others terrible but Christmas Vacation is the best of the series. This film is most consistently funny and it features several memorable set pieces and quotable lines of dialogue. The movie also picks up on the idiosyncrasies of the suburban Christmas season, giving its satire the added impact of being true. The combination of the film’s humor and truthfulness has resulted in Christmas Vacation becoming a regular staple of holiday movie marathons.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Dir. Chuck Russell
The original A Nightmare on Elm Street was released in 1984 by New Line Cinema and the small studio, which had previously been distributing movies to college campuses, suddenly found itself in ownership of a valuable property. Wes Craven, who had written and directed the original film, passed on A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge but after that sequel was a creative disappointment he returned to the series to co-write and co-produce the third installment. Directing duties were assumed by Chuck Russell and the script was rewritten by Frank Darabont, who would go on to make The Shawshank Redemption. Dream Warriors pushed the concept of the Nightmare on Elm Street series to a new level and featured visuals and characterization that went far beyond the horror and fantasy pictures of the time. The movie also transformed Freddy Krueger into a cultural icon, giving him much more personality while retaining the evil that made him such a potent villain.
The Road Warrior: Mad Max 2 (1981)
Dir. George Miller
The Road Warrior is one of the essential entries in the post-apocalyptic film genre. Officially, the film is a sequel to 1979’s Mad Max but it stands on its own and repeats some of the basic elements of the original film and does them better. Despite being a low budget production it has held up over the years and has become an extremely influential film. Virtually every post-apocalyptic movie to come since has drawn on the plot, set pieces, and costume and set design of The Road Warrior. The film also introduced American audiences to star Mel Gibson.
Rocky Balboa (2006)
Dir. Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Stallone returned to the Rocky series sixteen years after the previous installment. The franchise had begun as a realistically scaled drama but as the movies became more successful and the Rocky character became a cultural icon, the films became cartoonish. Stallone attempted to redirect the series back to its roots with 1990’s Rocky V but with mixed results. In 2006 Stallone tried again and made the best Rocky film since the original. Rocky Balboa had everything that had made the franchise popular but it was tempered by vulnerability and melancholy that restored humanity to the character and to the series.
Star Trek II – The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Dir. Nicholas Meyer
Released in 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture had been a critical and a commercial success but it was perceived as a letdown. After the fast paced filmmaking of Star Wars, the cerebral nature of Star Trek: The Motion Picture seemed outdated. For The Wrath of Khan, the filmmakers returned to the fun that had made the original Star Trek television program such a success. The story repurposed a villain from the show and this film was essentially a naval battle in space given dramatic depth by a much more human approach to the material. The contrast between the first two Star Trek films is most visible in the sequence in which the USS Enterprise leaves space dock. The Wrath of Khan reused much of the footage from The Motion Picture but sped it up and accomplished the same illusion in literally half the screen time. The new approach was a success and Wrath of Khan is now considered the best entry in the Star Trek film series.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Dir. James Cameron
James Cameron earned the attention of film critics and audiences with 1984’s The Terminator, which told the story of a machine sent back through time to kill the mother of mankind’s future savior. After Aliens and The Abyss, Cameron turned out a sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day. This film was a bigger production than its predecessor and featured groundbreaking special effects but the most effective innovations of T2 were in its story. The film reversed the role of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cyborg, reprogramming him to be the protector of a young boy and eventually growing from a killing machine and into an emotional and sentient being.
X-2: X-Men United (2003)
Dir. Bryan Singer
The first X-Men film was a well-received but fairly average comic book adventure. When it came time to do the sequel, the filmmakers made something far more interesting. Released amid the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, X-2 had a subversive political edge and its characters possessed a complexity that was far different from the black and white moral conflicts of most superhero films. Director Bryan Singer would return to the series in 2014 for X-Men: Days of Future Past.