First of all, before jumping to the list I must say the list is entirely my own priority and taste and only contains titles I’ve seen and considered much better than their predecessors.
5. Rocky IV
Rocky Balboa goes to Russia
Sylvester Stallone is back as Rocky Balboa in his own production after successful reception of the first three films giving the audience the most successful movie in the Rocky franchise.
Theatrical Release Poster
Rocky who defeats Clubber Lang and regaining his title in the third part of the Rocky series plans to retire from Boxing, but Ivan Drago, an unknown amateur boxer from Soviet Union , who not only defeats Apollo Creed in an exhibition match but also kills him compels Rocky to enter the ring once again and fight the man in Russia!
Rocky IV is indeed a masterpiece presented by Sylvester Stallone, who mastered this time with his amazing boxing choreography, gripping story line and direction. The final boxing match between Ivan Drago and Rocky Balboa is a visual delight and is much better than those of the previous titles. Background score and music from James Brown and The Survivor gives the movie the perfect transitions.
Rocky series is not just about boxing! Rocky series is carried forward by its protagonist Rocky Balboa, its about his changing life, his way of thinking, his success, his downfall, his fears, his love, his friendship, and most importantly his Boxing, because this was what he was born to do!
Year of Release: 1985
Titles in the series:
Rocky
Rocky II
Rocky III
Rocky IV
Rocky V
Rocky Balboa
IMDb Rating 6.0/10
My Rating 7.5/10
4. TheLord of the Rings : The Two Towers
Legend comes to life.
Lord of the Rings needs no introduction. Its said the English speaking world is divided in two parts: one that has read Lord of the Rings and the other that is going to read it!
It is based on the second part of the book by J.R.R. Tolkien.
A scene from the movie
Continuing from the plot of The Fellowship of the Ring. It intercuts three stroylines, as Frodo and Sam continue their quest to destroy the One Ring in Mordor. Aragon, Legolas adn Gimli come across the war torn nation of Roha as well as the resurrected Gandalf, before fighting at the Battle of Helm’s Deep, whilst Merry and Pippin escape capture and meet Treebeard, the Enit and plan an attack on Isengard.
Source: Wikipedia
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
The movie was critically acclaimed as well was an enormous box-office success. It was surprisingly much better than its predecessor. Since the expectations of the viewers was pretty high, the film astounded them all with all its special effects and the battle sequences. The charm of characters was very well preserved and was more or less enhanced. No point of commenting on the classic storyline! The direction was as good as ever and background scores were very well received.
Lord of the Rings Trilogy is without any doubt one of the best series’ ever made. The book is an all time classic and is appreciated by all and sundry, the movies does pay the author due respect bringing his characters to life so magnificently.
Year of Release: 2002
Director: Peter Jackson
Titles in the series:
Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King
IMDb Rating: 8.7/10
My Rating: Same as above.
3. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
IT’S NOTHING PERSONAL
Teminator 2 Poster
When talking about sequels no sane person would ever skip Terminator 2!
Its a science fiction action film by James Cameroon and second in the series. The film is set eleven years later after the first movie where Arnold Schwarzenneger, is a reprogrammed Terminator sent from future to protect Sarah Connor and her son John Connor from T-1000 and to prevent the Judgement Day, when the machines will start to exterminate the humanity.
This James Cameroon flick was highly influential and archetypal action movie. It had breakthrough advancements in terms of visual effects, mainly computer generated effects. It supersedes its predecessor in far much better way than any one can imagine. It also established Arnold Shwarzenneger as one of the two actors to appear in both the lists of the AFI’s 100 years… 100 heroes and villains list: the “heroes list” (Terminator 2) and the “villains list” (Terminator).
Year of Release: 1991
Titles in the series:
The Terminator
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines
Terminator Salvation
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
My Rating: Same as above.
2. The Dark Knight
Why So Serious?
After watching the movie, all I was doing was praising the movie again and again. What else could you expect from the director Christopher Nolan. Frankly speaking The Dark Knight which is a sequel to the movie Batman Begins and based on the character of Batman from DC Comics, owes all its success to the prodigy villain the “Joker” portrayed by Heath Ledger on screen who described the character as: “psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy”, and he plays it so well that it steals the show from all the other people included in the film. The great action sequences, amazing storyline, editing and direction comes second to Ledger’s epic performance.
The Dark Knight stands among the top of the list purely because it is better than its predecessor in all aspects. Its over-grossed it, has better direction, better acting, better editing and effects, and most importantly it is a very engaging movie, keeping you at the edge of the seat throughout.
The Dark Knight is a complete movie in all aspects. It is action based, but its performances are no less intense than that of any drama genre movie and direction is quick in adaptation of the speed of the movie.
Overall, its 152 minutes of sheer pleasure and the greatest sequel ever made!
Year of Release: 2008
Titles in the Series:
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
IMDb Rating: 8.9/10
My Rating: 9.2
1. The Godfather Part II
An offer you can’t refuse.
Robert De Niro as Vito Corleone
To top the list its none other than the sequel to the classic movie: The Godfather!
The Godfather Part II clearly justifies itself to be the part of The Godfather (1972) which is often regarded as pretty much flawless, and one of the greatest movies to be ever made. The sequel stars Al Pacino in his role of a lifetime of Michael Corleone, son and successor of Vito Corleone.
The movie was directed by Francis Ford Cappola with a script co-written by Mario Puzo (author of The Godfather). It established Al Pacino as one of the two actors (other one being Arnold Schwarzenneger) to appear in both the lists of the AFI’s 100 years… 100 heroes and villains list: the “heroes list” (as Frank Serpico) and the “villains list” (as Michael Corleone). The movie had 11 Oscar Nominations and 6 wins including Best Picture.
The film is both a prequel and a sequel to the 1972 film, in the sense that it has two parallel story lines, one chronicling the story of the Corleone family under Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) following the events of the first film and second impeccably depicting the rise of young Vito Corleone to power before the events of the first film. The two vastly different stories are entwined together with great direction and unforgettable acting.
Al Pacino as Michael Corleone
“It is arguably cinema’s greatest portrayal of hardening of a heart” – Newsweek magazine.
After watching the movie, all I was doing was praising the movie again and again. What else could you expect from the director Christopher Nolan. Frankly speaking The Dark Knight which is a sequel to the movie Batman Begins and based on the character of Batman from DC Comics, owes all its success to the prodigy villain the “Joker” portrayed by Heath Ledger on screen who described the character as: “psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy”, and he plays it so well that it steals the show from all the other people included in the film. The great action sequences, amazing storyline, editing and direction comes second to Ledger’s epic performance.
Nostalgic Illusions 