Are Sequels Ever As Good As The Original Film?

I think a sequel CAN be as good as the first, assuming it's a true sequel and not a remake.

A lot of times sequels are made because the first movie was a success and the filmmakers want to cash in on a proven commodity. In many (if not most) of those cases, the "sequel" is actually a remake, in which the characters are essentially the same. SISTER ACT 2 and LEGALLY BLONDE 2 are both examples of remakes, rather than sequels, IMO. (LEGALLY BLONDE 2 _really_ illustrates this, because the main character starts it as ditsy as she was at the beginning of the first movie.)

Examples: THE GODFATHER, PART II and TOY STORY 2 were both true sequels. The situations were different, and the characters changed and grew based on their experiences in both movies. Same for THE TWO TOWERS and THE RETURN OF THE KING. They continue the story. (However, my wife hated TWO TOWERS because it was "too much war." She liked RETURN OF THE KING better, but FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING is, by far, her favorite, because of the sense of discovery.

To me, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK was a better movie than STAR WARS, even though STAR WARS was more fun. I thought EMPIRE successfully continued the story and deepened the characters; it helps that you had a fine screenwriter working on it. However, the same writer did RETURN OF THE JEDI, and I wasn't as pleased with that.

HARRY POTTER & THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, to me, was bloated and boring, without the sense of discovery of HP & THE SORCERER'S STONE. However, I adored both HP & THE PRISONER OF AHZKABAN and HP & THE GOBLET OF FIRE because they developed the story AND the character, and kept the innovation fresh. I have high hopes for HP & THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. (However, after watching both THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE and PAN'S LABYRINTH, I _really_ want Guillermo del Toro to direct the last two Harry Potter movies!)

Sequels of films are often made for the money. I'm sure most production houses would defend the artistic quality to the hilt, but lets be objective. If a film and its formula is successful, the best way to make to exploit that is…by making another.

The majority of films which are made as sequels are not as successful as their predecessor. However, a number of them are hugely successful – some even better than the original.

A lot of it is about personal preference. For example, I think Grease is a fantastic film and Grease 2 is just a joke! However, I have a friend who would argue the merits of the second film till the cows come home. We're all just different.

If you take films like Ghostbusters, Die Hard and Rocky (of which I have lost count!) though, there is definite proof that sequels can be just as good as the original idea!

I agree with just about everything above. Sequels are often just a duplicate of the original, the idea being to milk that cash cow for all it's worth. The project may start with the best of intentions, but I think with a successful original as a starting point, the temptation to copy and "reinvent" what worked the first time is too great.

The first sequel that came to mind as being even better than the original was Toy Story 2. Both the Toy Stories were wonderful movies and I think the second was even better than the first.

After seeing the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, I was really looking forward to the second one. What a disappointment! Unending "action" that did nothing to move the story forward, overdone "fish people" who were constantly dripping wet (yes, I know they're at sea, but I found the excess water distracting), confusing story that goes nowhere. I thought I might give the third one a chance, but have heard that it is just more of the same.

I liked the second Spiderman installment, but wouldn't say it was better than the first.

I heard such bad things about the rash of third movies out this summer (Shrek, Spiderman, Pirates), that I think I'll probably just stay away.

Years ago, I read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, together with The Hobbit. The books were wonderful. I have not been a Harry Potter fan. I do know, however, that the sequel to Gone With the Wind... long in coming and, of course, written by a romance writer, was an extreme disappointment.

I say a sequel can be as good but typically it is a little botched up and not as good. But i have seen a lot of sequels that have been as good or better.