I’ve made a number of posts about sequels, I know. I’ve talked about the good, the bad, and everything in between. But sequels are big business in the film industry. God knows that Hollywood is always going after the next big blockbuster sequel. I mean, we are getting a sequel to Top Gun…36 years after the original film came out. Sequels can be great for pushing a story forward and adding new things to the original film’s mythology. But sometimes, a sequel is just a sequel either in name only, or there for just being a sequel. There are some sequels that simply wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for the fact that the original film was successful. Jaws is a perfect example. The original film is a classic in every single way, but the sequels were pretty bad. So, what I want to do is examine the three biggest sequels ever made. Why? Every sequel that you see today owes its existence to the success of these three movies. Which movies? The Godfather Part II, The Empire Strikes Back, and Aliens. Why not anything from the Lord of the Rings Trilogy? Mainly, I consider the LOTR movies to be one flowing story spread out over three chapters. With these others, there’s a lot of time that passes on by between movies, in-universe or otherwise. Another reason why many people consider these to be the best sequels ever made, is because they took what made the original movies so great and expanded on them while delivering what people already knew and loved about the originals. That’s what a good sequel is supposed to do. To me, one of the biggest things about these movies is that they are so good, people are still having debates on whether these sequels are better than the originals. Honestly, I think that’s a great problem to have, and the fact that we’re still talking about these movies today, speaks volumes about how they were made. So, the question is: Which one do we start with? For me, that’s an easy question.
The Godfather: Part II
Every cinephile and critic out there can tell you that Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is one of the greatest films ever made. Any gangster movie made today, owes its existence and influence to The Godfather. It’s brutal, bleak, and incredibly compelling. You’ve got outstanding performances from Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Talia Shire, and James Caan. So, how do you take an incredibly successful movie that won multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and make a sequel? If The Godfather was about Michael Corleone’s rise to power, Part II is about him consolidating power and eliminating any resistance and competition, making him the most powerful man in America. If the movie was only about that, it would still be a hell of a film, but the movie goes one step further and throws a prequel into the mix. I’m not kidding. While Michael Corleone is taking real control, the film also shows us the origins of Don Vito Corleone, Michael’s father, this time played by Robert de Niro. These two storylines are constantly switching back and forth, explaining why and how the Corleone family came to power. In the hands of a lesser film-maker, this would not have turned out so well, but Francis Ford Coppola did it again, and guess what? Godfather Part II also won multiple Academy Awards, including Best Picture. That just doesn’t happen in movie franchises. I think this franchise is the only one where the first two movies BOTH won Best Picture.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
In 1977, George Lucas unleashed a movie into the world that changed the way we approach film-making. It took the conventions of film-making and turned it on its head. Star Wars became one of the biggest blockbusters of all time. People line up for blocks to get in to the movie, and when they did, it was an experience like no other. From the opening crawl to that giant Star Destroyer coming overhead, it blew people’s minds. It was light-hearted space adventure that EVERYBODY and their grandparents could enjoy. So, where do you go from a movie that was the epitome of the theatrical experience? You take it in a different direction and give it a darker tone. For most people, myself included, The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie ever made. It takes all of our favorite heroes, and puts them in a situation where they are against the ropes. Make no mistake about it, the Rebellion loses in this movie. BIG TIME. People weren’t so keen on that, but you know everybody loves a comeback story. But Empire did something else that nobody expected: It revealed Luke’s true parentage: Darth Vader was Anakin Skywalker, Luke’s father. That was the single greatest twist in cinema history for YEARS. It pissed off a lot of people, sure. But when the fervor died down, it made a lot of sense, and set the stage for Luke’s final confrontation with Vader in Return of the Jedi. It’s a slower movie, but it introduces new characters like Lando and explores the relationships between these characters, especially the budding romance between Han and Leia. It’s a brilliantly crafted sequel that took a lot of risks. They paid off, thankfully.
Aliens
Ridley Scott’s Alien is a masterclass in tension-building. The classic 1979 sci-fi horror shocker was a smash hit. It was as much a psychological thriller as it was a monster movie. The psychological aspect was in what you couldn’t see, but you knew that thing was there. When the creature revealed itself, it was terrifying. It was a brilliantly designed monster by the late, great H.R. Giger. The best part was that it all felt real. The ship that they were flying in felt lived in, grimy, and very practical. These guys were essentially truckers in space. The movie was incredibly effective by making each of these characters compelling to the point where you didn’t want to see them die. The chestburster sequence is one of the most iconic moments in the film. On the heels of The Terminator’s success, director James Cameron was approached to write and direct the follow-up to Alien. Could he have made a similar claustrophobic horror movie? Sure. But did he? No. Aliens is a very different kind of movie than Alien, but in the best ways possible. Where Alien was a thriller/horror movie, Aliens was a war movie. By setting the film 57 years after the events of the original, James Cameron gave himself the freedom to approach the film in his own way while still maintaining that tension that was so prominent in the first movie. Like the original movie, you have an outstanding cast which includes the late Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser, and Lance Henriksen. Again, most of these characters you want to see live, even if most of them don’t. That’s a credit to the outstanding writing. Fun fact: Sigourney Weaver was nominated for Best Actress because of her performance in this movie. Aliens is a classic sequel if there ever was one.
In my opinion, Godfather Part II, Aliens, and Empire Strikes Back are the BIG THREE sequels that set the bar incredibly high for all sequels to come. Some have risen to the challenge like Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, The Dark Knight, and Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. But for the most part, most sequels don’t even come close. Only James Cameron could make a sequel that might be in contention for best sequel with Terminator 2: Judgment Day, but I absolutely stand by these three sequels that have no peer. If you’re a movie buff like I am, you will already have these movie in your collection, and if you don’t, what the hell are you waiting for? Get out there and get ’em! These aren’t just great sequels, they’re great movies. They are the reason why I love this art form.