Summary
- Some sci-fi movie sequels are better than the original films, with several iconic franchises producing their best works after the first movie.
- Examples include “Aliens,” “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” and “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”
- These sequels enhanced and built upon the original concepts, introducing new elements, improved visuals, and innovative, compelling narratives.
Some of the most popular sci-fi movie sequels are actually far better than the original films. A handful of the most well-known science fiction movie franchises developed due to the critical and commercial success of its direct sequel, which in turn cemented them as classics of the genre. Surprisingly, several of the greatest installments in these larger-than-life sci-fi franchises actually came after the first movie, with some of them arriving years after the original film or with several less-inspired sequels in between.
The celebrated Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) is arguably the best film of George Miller’s franchise and was not released until 36 years after the first film with two sequels in between them. In the same vein, the 2022 action movie Prey can be considered the greatest installment of the Predator franchise despite having 35 years in between the original and the Hulu original prequel. Many of the greatest sci-fi franchises throughout film history have produced their greatest works after their foundational, but not as exceptional, first movies. Here are ten sci-fi direct sequels that are better than their predecessors.
10 Aliens (1986)
Alien (1979) was Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking sci-fi horror film that birthed the Xenomorph, a horrifying parasitic alien race that lives in the depths of outer space. Alien established unlikely hero Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) who would become the face of the franchise by returning in James Cameron’s sequel Aliens in 1986. Cameron sprung new life in the heated sequel that had waited seven years to finally be released, providing his usual spectacular vision and action-packed sequences that built upon and enhanced Ridley’s original horror concept and characters.
9 Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
Cameron outdid himself this time with his follow-up to his 1984 film The Terminator with 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Cameron updated his Terminator franchise in a similar fashion to his efforts on Aliens, focusing on flashy action and spectacle to enhance the viewing experience for the audience. While The Terminator plays out more like a thriller with a more guerilla-independent feel to it, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is undoubtedly a major action-adventure film whose scale (and cost) is evident through its outstanding special effects, stunts, and set pieces.
8 Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Cameron was finally able to deliver his long-awaited follow-up to 2009’s Avatar with 2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water. The first of several planned Avatar sequels provides a less generic story than the original film, which largely consisted of the fight for Pandora between humans and the Na’vi. This allows for greater character development and familial relationships in The Way of Water, particularly with the addition of newcomers Kiri and Spider. While Avatar’s original visual still holds up, the advanced technologies behind The Way of Water create many majestic and breathtaking images.
7 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes from director Rupert Wyatt was a strong reboot of a sci-fi movie series that had been left untouched since 1973’s Battle for the Planet of the Apes. Serkis was formidable and convincing as Caesar, the superintelligent chimpanzee who leads a rebellion of apes in a liberation movement against humanity. The 2014 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, under new guidance from eventual The Batman director Matt Reeves, raised the bar for the franchise altogether, far surpassing expectations as both a fun summer spectacle and a powerful statement piece.
6 Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 outdoes Ridley Scott’s original 1982 film by modernizing and improving the franchise in nearly every creative aspect. Scott had originally been announced as the director for the follow-up by Alcon Entertainment back in 2011 but was unable to do it due to scheduling conflicts with his 2017 Alien: Covenant project. With Blade Runner 2049, Villeneuve honored the dark futuristic tones of Scott’s original while implementing visually stunning improvements and depth of its character and plot developments. The end result created a nuanced and atmospheric detective story with enhanced philosophical ideas while retaining the original’s dreamlike tone and narrative.
5 Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Unsurprisingly, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back outdid its predecessor A New Hope despite the original film being incredibly ground-breaking and profitable. The Empire Strikes Back, which is arguably still the best Star Wars movie ever made, has the best story out of any Star Wars installment and with it, the best ending. Luke’s rise from a Padawan to Jedi Master is only one of the great character arcs in the film, which weaved together several great storylines and ultimately expanded the Star Wars universe and determined its decades-old legacy.
4 Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
While Mad Max: Fury Road might be the best film in the franchise, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior was also an outstanding sequel to the 1979 original. Some fans of George Miller’s original trilogy would argue that Gibson is the best Max even despite Tom Hardy’s great albeit stoic performance in Fury Road. The Road Warrior contains riveting and expertly crafted action sequences that vastly improve on the original film, relying on its nonstop ferocious pace and exhilarating stunts much like its Oscar-winning 2015 sequel.
3 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is one of the oldest and best of the Star Trek movie franchise and is a significant improvement on the 1979 original film. Even with the addition of three Star Trek reboot films from J.J. Abrams and Justin Lin, The Wrath of Khan is still considered by some fans to be the greatest of them all. The original Star Trek: The Motion Picture left a lot of room for improvement with its lack of action and dialogue-heavy script which was a disappointing start for the franchise. The Wrath of Khan delivered a major comeback with a great villain, a well-balanced action-packed narrative, and memorable moments of both humor and tragedy.
2 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
The follow-up to 2012’s The Hunger Games, Catching Fire benefits from avoiding the expositional set-up of the world from the first move and diving straight into the more entertaining action elements of the sequel. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was also considered the best book of the original trilogy, which poised the sequel to outdo the first movie as well. Katniss Everdeen’s development into a true heroine protagonist makes her more fun to cheer for and the addition of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Plutarch Heavensbee seems to raise the caliber of all the onscreen performances.
1 The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Bride of Frankenstein was an unlikely follow-up to the popular 1931 classic Frankenstein that surprisingly outdid its predecessor. Often considered acclaimed horror director James Whale’s masterpiece, The Bride of Frankenstein was one of the greatest films to arise out of Universal Studios’ era of monster-themed pictures during the 1930s and ’40s, which also included works such as The Invisible Man, The Mummy, and Dracula. The Bride of Frankenstein improved on the original in the form of enhanced stylistic elements and camera movements as well as the development of Frankenstein’s character as a talking entity looking for love. It’s an innovative classic and one of the best sci-fi sequels ever made.
