Top 10 Best Action Movie Sequels
Action movies today just undeniably suck. However, the genre itself is still pretty great. Some sequels work, while others do not.That said, action movies have produced some phenomenal sequels. While some franchises have their fair share of bad entries, others have remained consistently strong with barely any weak films. Some action franchises have managed to stay on track, and in some cases, their sequels are just as good as or even better than the originals.
Let's take a look at these movies.
What other movie could I pick? I mean really, what other movie could I pick? This movie is maybe one of the best ever to be released. While the franchise definitely went downhill eventually, this movie is the pinnacle of action movies altogether.
The effects are amazing. These are still amazing effects, better than most effects in Hollywood today. James Cameron was at his peak after three great movies ('The Terminator', 'Aliens', and 'The Abyss'). The actors all do great jobs in their roles. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Robert Patrick all give great performances, along with Edward Furlong, who went on to perform phenomenally again 7 years later in 'American History X'.
The final scene is cool, and the camerawork is brilliant by Cameron. But the build-up is a big part of what makes it so phenomenal. The Terminator in this movie is actually a bit better than in the first - something that pleasantly surprised me while watching this film. Patrick is perfect as the villain. His bland expressions and relentless pursuit make the T-1000 an unforgettable character.
John Connor is a great character. Sarah Connor definitely became much better in this movie because she was much more interesting and awesome. Overall, this movie is phenomenal and should be praised as a movie classic.
After the amazing return to form of 'Batman Begins', Batman returned on an even higher note. This would be one of the best-received movies of all time. I actually thought for a while this was one of the most overrated movies ever. I saw it multiple times and still could not get it. However, one day, I got all the praise. It was all deserved, and I now see the movie as an epic.
The opening, like 'Fury Road', knows how to start off with a bang. We get the reveal of Heath Ledger as the Joker, probably one of the most famous movie villains, and rightfully so. Batman could kill him, but the Joker can get him psychologically - something Nolan does so well. What is so clever about the movie is that it is not a typical Batman adventure. Batman is being called a vigilante by the citizens of Gotham.
All the actors are powerful. Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, and Christian Bale all deliver phenomenal performances. The special effects are absolutely fantastic. Two-Face is done much better here than in the abomination movie 'Batman Forever'. He is truly a tragic character, and you can feel what he has lost. Eckhart does a great job with the character.
It isn't my favorite Batman movie - my favorite Batman will remain 'Batman Returns' for now, but this came close. However, 'Batman Returns' does not really qualify for me as an action movie, so it's not making the list.
George Miller's Mad Max franchise is one of my personal favorite action movie franchises. The tribal culture in this film is brilliant. The film really dives deep with it. In fact, when the film starts, you can predict just how good it will be. The characters of the world are no longer scavengers but creatures of circumstance.
We have a new character played by Charlize Theron - her best performance and also her best character, with her awesome actions and unique character. Miller has also updated the needs of the world too - now it is just complete survival. As such, the character of Max has been updated as well. Now, Max is a man who just finds his own way. Heck, Max is not even the focus, Furiosa is.
A bold move by Miller, which actually worked in the film's favor, as she wants to hold on to something that might be the most important thing to the world - the next generation. The soundtrack is one of the best in film history. Not just this decade, but film history. It is still awesome. The editing, camerawork, sound design, and stakes are so high. It is just so impressive and outstanding.
The first chase is remarkable and so well filmed it should go down in film history. Miller has truly defined his action in this film - a brilliant feat to hit. All people tried their absolute hardest - and it paid off in style.
This needs to be higher. This movie is so well written.
This is personally my favorite Indiana Jones movie. After the Temple of Doom, which I personally loved, but if you did not love it, you probably found it a terrible movie. However, The Last Crusade was Indy at his peak. It was the end of the Indy trilogy and might as well have been the entire franchise as well.
The character interaction between Indy and his father is still amazing. Lucas did create him, showing just how much better a producer he was than a director. Spielberg uses Jones Sr. so well, with the perfect actor for the character (Sean Connery). The contrast is absolutely superb, with great punched-up dialogue.
While Raiders and Temple of Doom were both funny, this was really funny. This is probably the funniest Indy movie. The set pieces, I also feel, are improved from the other films as well. Ford is still Indiana Jones. Jones is Ford's best role in acting, and he just is Indy. As Ford as Indy, that equals an absolutely brilliant performance.
The sequences are so well composed, and no shock as this is a part of the Indy Trilogy. The film ends as a film trilogy should - riding off into the sunset, one of the coolest clichés ever. Overall, the film adds new elements which contribute to the movie being my favorite Indy movie.
It is almost a perfect movie, especially with how much had to be done. Oh, and Thanos and Thor are great.
This list was extremely difficult to make, so much so that Spider-Man 2 is only at the number 10 spot. This says quite a lot about the quality of these movies on this list. However, that does not take away anything from this movie.
The film is seen as one of the best superhero movies there is to offer, and it is completely deserved. The way the movie shows the challenges of Peter as Spider-Man, with real-life problems starting to have a big effect on him, is extremely believable. You can see why he would quit being Spider-Man. Everything just seems to be going wrong for the poor guy.
We have a new villain. While I personally prefer the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus is more developed as a villain than the Green Goblin was. The way the movie also snips between story threads is great. Raimi and his team of writers did a great job with the story this time out. The character of Peter is improved - he faces more real-life challenges instead of silly challenges, and that turned out to be my favorite part of the movie.
The train scene was phenomenal. Probably my favorite Spider-Man moment altogether - it was so incredibly well done. The movie as a whole is definitely one you do not want to miss.
Awesome movie, and the best of 2018 (although someone could make a case for Incredibles 2).
James Cameron was in his golden age as a director in the 1980s and early 1990s. He directed a sequel to Alien, which probably met with questions after how creepy the first one was. Why was Cameron directing it? He took the franchise in a different direction, and this movie was absolutely awesome. I still prefer the original, but that was the original.
The movie does connect with the original - it takes place 57 years later and still has all the ideas and themes and expands upon them. Cameron did not lack nerve - this was only his third movie. Remember, I love his early works, other than his very first one, which sucked. He understood Ripley, a phenomenal character by the way, and added extra layers to her character.
The setup was pretty great, something that action movies do poorly nowadays. None of the noodling is ever at the expense of thrills either. Cameron understood what the original was meant to deliver - a gut reaction. Aliens achieves that aim as well. The buildup is so good, and the tension of it really hits a high note too.
The marines are also memorable characters and good additions to the cast we care about. The most memorable introduction is the Queen Alien. She is probably my favorite Alien in the franchise. Overall, this is a phenomenal sequel to a phenomenal movie.
The Newcomers
Magnum Force is one of the greatest action sequels of all time! Both Dirty Harry and Magnum Force are my two favorites of the whole series.
They both have a great story with plenty of badass action and dialogue.
The hatred is nonsense. This movie is great. I will love and watch this movie till I die.
My personal favorite X-Men film. The original is extremely underrated. I love the original, but the second one was better in almost every single way. It does what a sequel should do: expand upon the themes, and X2 does it perfectly.
There are some absolutely tremendous scenes and interesting subplots. An example of an absolutely superb scene is when Iceman is rejected. You can feel the tragedy and just how cold the moment is. There are also nice little touches, like when Wolverine asks Iceman to make his bottle colder - a pretty clever scene.
The character interactions in this feature feel a bit better than in the first film. For example, the interactions between Magneto and Rogue are pretty realistic. The action scenes are cool, yes, but the build-up to those action scenes is incredible. There is a lot at stake - this time, it's the school as a whole, something precious to them, and therefore they will fight for it.
The action scenes are still amazingly filmed, particularly the Lady Deathstrike vs. Wolverine fight, which made me laugh just before the fight, probably due to Jackman's performance and his line, which was the only thing that could be said before seeing her claws. People get annoyed by Nightcrawler. I never really understood why. I thought he was an absolutely awesome introduction in the film.
Overall, this film is one of the best superhero and Marvel movies.
People will wonder why I have not put a Mission Impossible sequel on the list. Not only have I not seen 'Fallout', but I like other movies better. And the original is my favorite anyway.
The original 'John Wick' was awesome - a great movie. The sequel, for me, is on a whole other level. On my extremely outdated Best Movies of 2017 remix, I put this movie at the very top. Wrong and outdated, since I have seen 'Blade Runner 2049' since then.
While the movie is extremely violent, it is also pretty funny. A lot of jokes work. Keanu Reeves is phenomenal as John Wick once again, with his love for the action genre. The film's opening is stellar. While they could not top it, there were a lot of scenes that came close to being better than the opening.
The film does not waste any time diving into the mythology of Wick's world of assassins, and it does it so well. The film lends the story the ability to travel down the film's venues. The director and cinematographer both have a love and passion for the genre, and it really shows with this film. They know how good Reeves is in action movies, and both do their part in making the action scenes on the same level as the first.
The detail of the characters trading barbs is also phenomenal. The movie did not do as well as it should have, but this movie is awesome and one to check out.
The Bourne Ultimatum ended the Bourne trilogy perfectly. The franchise should have stayed a trilogy. The trilogy as a whole has used a technique in telling a story to make it a story. My god, does it succeed. This movie is no different. This is my personal favorite Bourne movie.
It picks up immediately after Supremacy, which continued the trend the trilogy had of getting better every single time. The movie is a climax of a much larger tale. All the good excitement has been saved for this one, and the movie delivered in style. Damon has now grown into his character like an alternate skin. It is Damon's best role, and he has truly grown into it.
The looks have been hardened, and due to this, Damon's performance improves as Bourne. The screenplay is extremely inventive and really impressive as well. We have two incredible car chases, which are well shot again by Greengrass, whose movies always have masterful camerawork. He hurdles from buildings, and it is one of the things that leads up to the plane chase. Greengrass sets such a great pace, which maintains the adrenaline.
This movie masterfully ends the trilogy, and it is the best one out of the entire trilogy.
