Were These 10 Movie Sequels Better Than Their Originals?

It’s the rare sequel that lives up to, much less surpasses the original. Dhoom 2 and Lage Raho Munnabhai, anyone?

(From L-R) Shah Rukh Khan in Don 2, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai in Dhoom 2, Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2.

There inevitably comes a time – both in Bollywood and in Hollywood – when a movie team, eager to milk the profits of their baby (read: smash hit phillum) and desperate to hear the sweet melodies of cash registers ringing again, turns to making a sequel. More often than not, the sequel flounders, crashes and burns. A movie buff, loyal to the first film he saw and loved will often be loath to give the same adoration to its second part – which he sees as a greedy step-brother.

But sometimes – just sometimes – there will emerge a sequel so good, so laudable, that it completely overtakes its original. Here are ten such second instalments, that did much better than their progenitors.

Terminator 2

How can you begin a listicle about kickass sequels without Terminator 2 leading the pack? James Cameron upped the ante – and then some – with Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising one of his most iconic roles. The movie packed in solid punch, picking up 11 years after the original, with a liquid metal antagonist (yup!), a vitriolic Sarah Connor and the infamous catchphrase: Hasta la vista, baby! Terminator 2: The Judgement Day also walked away with 4 Oscars, while the original was nominated for none!

Lage Raho Munnabhai

Heart-warming with an element of quirk – and more than a fair share of patriotism, this sequel to Munnabhai MBBS ticked all the right boxes. Who can forget Vidya Balan’s fresh-faced “Good morniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing Mumbai”, yelled for all the world to hear on a Good Samaritan-style radio show? There were plenty of tears and lots of mush in this feel-good movie. Disclaimer: There are many who still argue for the original and the jury refuses to shut shop.

Toy Story 2

Don’t get me wrong – Toy Story is a superlative film. But sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and admit that the sequel was an improvement. For one, the animation was better in Toy Story 2. Also, there was a touching human element in the sequel (Jesse’s tragic backstory still gives us goosebumps) that, coupled with superb CGI work pushed Pixar up to a whole new level. They’re still mining that one, FYI.

Dhoom 2

You’ve got a golden-brown Greek God (Bollywood’s got its own, thank you very much) zooming on a superbike, a skinny Aishwarya Rai competing with him in the looks department, and the ever-affable (sometimes exasperating) serious-comic duo of Junior Bachchan and Uday Chopra. That’s pure Yash Chopra goldmine right there! Hrithik Roshan steals the show in the sequel to Dhoom and dances his way to your hearts like John Abraham couldn’t. We’re still waiting for a Dhoom 4/5 (10, maybe?) where he consents to come back as the smokin’ hot thief!

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Actually, I’m utterly thrown on this one. It’s believed across the board that both LOTR sequels (2 and 3) were finer films than the first, but the jury’s still out on which one gets the vote. I go back and forth between the two myself but the Battle of Helms Deep is easily the most epic battle scene committed to cinema. There’s a fierce urgency, a regal demeanour to the way The Two Towers came about that is yet to be matched.

Don 2

This is possibly the easiest choice in the entire listicle. Don, despite the able efforts of SRK – let’s face it – was a disaster. Kareena’s ‘Yeh Mera Dil’ didn’t hold a candle to Helen’s, and Amitabh’s Benaraswalla act was sorely and piteously missed. Little wonder then that Don 2 did so well, considering it appeared like a fresh new movie, where no one (thankfully) was compared to anyone. With exciting plot twists and a whole new story, this one wasn’t a sequel – it was a film in itself.

The Godfather II

The Godfather II is THE trump card to pull out whenever there’s a heated debate about sequels vis-à-vis prequels. Two years after The Godfather redefined the mobster movie and swept the Oscars, the second one met all expectations and then some with its brilliant storyline. One believes it had possibly something to do with setting ace actors like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in alternating timelines, letting their performances do the talking. This was also the story of how the original Don really came to be. Who doesn’t love a good narration?

Main Khiladi Tu Anari

We were saving the best for the last – aka, the bad hairstyles and the totally kickass dance moves of the early 90s. Who among us hasn’t bounced a mop of unruly hair to ‘Hum dono hai alag alag…’? Bias for buffoonery aside, this movie undoubtedly kicked off Akshay Kumar’s run of Khiladi films and may actually be the most watchable of the lot. Although not strictly a sequel, Main Khiladi Tu Anari is glorious for the fact that Akshay was good and also, that for the first time, one managed to warm up to Saif Ali Khan! (These were pre-Dil Chahta Hai days, mind you).

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

The best sequels are those that manage to turn the original on its head and scoop out something completely new and exclusive. This instalment of the Star Wars franchise introduced marvellous characters like Yoda and took the movie from popcorn fun to something deep, dark and mystical. How can one not rate this as one of the best sequels ever made, when it went on to spawn 30 years (and counting) of glazed-eye devotion?

Gangs of Wasseypur 2

If you’re the kind who likes their celluloid dark, gritty and full of bloody bodies, you will love Anurag Kashyap’s second instalment. Once again, opinion is divided on which Wasseypur movie’s better (personally I feel they average equal on the scale of gore), but this one has more direction. Gangs of Wasseypur was over-long and let’s face it, a little bit of a khichdi. This one propels itself into the audience’s face from the word go. The only thing we missed from the first, though? The naughty number I am a hunter…. Aah, there was originality.