Sequels, Not Equals

   Question: Have you ever seen a really good movie, hoped afterward that someday there would be a sequel to it, and then been sorely disappointed when that happened? Join the club.  The Rule is . . . Most sequels fall short of the originals. Here are some that come to mind, that I had actually looked forward to seeing: Jaws 2 Return to Snowy River Escape from L.A. Speed 2: Cruise Control Be Cool Wonder Woman 1984 Staying Alive Independence Day: Resurgence Kingsman: The Golden Circle The Sting II Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Under Siege 2: Dark Territory Return of the Seven  The Jewel of the Nile Grease 2 Evan Almighty Rocky II Blues Brothers 2000 There are many, many more. By the way, for this post, I'm focusing on immediate sequels. Movies like  Robocop 3, Moonraker, Lethal Weapon 4, Police Academy 6 ,  Jaws: The Revenge, and Jurassic World: Dominion  will have to be covered elsewhere. Well, hopefully not. The Good, the Bad, and The Good Something worth noting, about sequels: Occasionally, the second installment in a series can be terrible and the third can be excellent. Examples: Back to the Future, Back to the Future Part II, Back to the Future Part III  Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade Men in Black, Men in Black II, Men in Black III But only occasionally. In most cases, nothing after the first movie is all that great. My opinion only. Creative  names One thing that movie sequels do have going for them--they can have clever titles (some of them a little too clever). Here are the ones I remember: Oceans Twelve 102 Dalmations Hot Shots, Part Deux I Still Know What You Did Last Summer Another 48 Hours Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit The Dentist 2: Brace Yourself Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous Honey, I Blew Up the Kid The Whole Ten Yards Beethoven's Second 2 Fast 2 Furious Finding Dory Die Hard 2: Die Harder The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Mama Mia: Here We Go Again Any Which Way You Can The Lion King 1 1/2 Daddy Day Camp The Net 2.0 Sharknado 2: The Second One Look Who's Talking Too Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel The Naked Gun 2 1/2 After the Thin Man House II: The Second Story Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money Can I Do It 'Til I Need Glasses? Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd But a cool title doesn't mean a good story.  Dumb and Dumberer Exceptions to the Rule Thank goodness, some sequels seem to defy the odds. Here are ten that I think were  better --a few of them far better--than the first in the series: From Russia with Love The Godfather Part II For a Few Dollars More The Road Warrior The Silence of the Lambs  (yep, it was a sequel: Lecter first appeared in  Manhunter ) Terminator 2: Judgment Day The Empire Strikes Back Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan A Shot in the Dark And in my humble opinion, the absolutely all-time best movie sequel: Aliens A question, and a reassurance Which movie sequels, good and bad and ugly, do you remember most? Promise: Don't worry--I'm not planning a sequel to this post.