As every decade has become, these past ten years were loaded with sequels. Whether based on books, television shows or Japanese horror movies, none of it mattered to Hollywood or even the indie crowds. If there were characters we liked once - and money was made - why not bring them back for another go around. The following is the epitome of the hundreds of sequels that came out in this decade, with a few specific exceptions. Films originally conceived as one piece (Kill Bill) are not included, nor are movies adapted from material that was created with the same purpose. As such, The Lord of the Rings series, written as one big tome but split into three, has no place here, while the Harry Potter franchise, created as distinctly different books at distinctly different times, are considered. Also, reboots of a property are acceptable, though remakes are not. Now, onto the list of the Top 10 Sequels of the Decade.
10. Mission: Impossible III (2006): Though far and away the least financially successful of the Mission Impossible movies, the third installment stands as arguably the best, far better than the abysmal second outing with John Woo. The ace up its sleeve, besides J.J. Abrams in his feature-film directorial debut, is Philip Seymour-Hoffman as Owen Davian, the calmest baddie around. Whether at gun point or about to be thrown out of an airplane, Davian is a man in control. The wayHoffman coolly mocks Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is a joy to watch. Not that the pulse-pounding thrills aren’t around, with the finest coming late in the picture as Hunt’s fellow agents wait for him to grab the picture mcguffin and then seeing Cruise’s character sliding off a Shanghai skyscraper in desperation.
9. X2: X-men United (2003): Helping to establish the rule that superhero franchises are almost always at their best during the second time around, with all the back-story out of the way, Bryan Singer’s X2 is chock full of mutant mayhem. From Nightcrawler’s frantic White House breaking on, Singer’s sequel ups the action ante without sparing the character dynamics that Brett Ratner failed to touch on in the horrific X-men: The Last Stand. Hugh Jackman is a blast as the King of Scruff Wolverine and Ian McKellen is delicious arrogance as Magneto, each getting their opportunity to show what damage they can really unleash.
8. Star Trek (2009): J.J. Abrams (again!) and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman did an odd thing on the way to rebooting Star Trek, they made it a sequel. Setting up this film’s universe as a parallel timeline/dimension/fancy-science-term, the latest adventure of a new Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) may lack the weightier elements the series is known for, but replaced it with a lot of zipping action. The seeming dumbing down would be a problem if the cast wasn’t so damn enjoyable. An instant chemistry exists between this new batch. Karl Urban’s paranoid Bones, John Cho’s swashbuckling Sulu and the rest of the deck all play off one another with a zest and joy that is infectiously fun, promising even better things to come.
7. Casino Royale (2006): There will always be new James Bonds and new ways to present the character, but in the wake of the Bourne series, the brains behind 007 knew they had to do more than just put a new man in the suit. With Casino Royale, Bond went back to the beginning, making his earliest kills and having to do things the hard way. With no more cars doing back-flips, this secret agent had to hoof it up construction sites after the baddies, using his raw brutality to take them down. A perfect choice was found in Daniel Craig, who oozes masculinity here in a tux or skimpy blue bathing suit. With stakes on a far more human scale (no space shuttles shooting poisionous frogs onto the cities below), this franchise brought new life into a bland character by finally playing things down.
6. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)/ 5. The Bourne Supremacy (2004): Few thought Matt Damon would be an action star. Even fewer envisioned the actor as the leading figure in the biggest beat-em-up franchise since Die Hard. While Doug Liman may have set the tone for what was to come with The Bourne Identity, it was the arrival of Paul Greengrass that took things to a new level, working with screenwriter Tony Gilroy for headier ideas, tenser pacing and even more lavish car chases. Both sequels surpass the original, though Supremacy stands as a slightly superior work, with its tragic opening and Russian backdrop, which is to take nothing away from Ultimatum’s breathless rooftop foot-chase or Waterloo station takedown.
4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004): As the Harry Potter juggernaut was conquering movie theaters in 2004, a sad realization occurred; the films were achingly stale. Thankfully, Alfono Cuaron came to the rescue, infusing danger, passion and spontaneity into a franchise that was literally too by-the-book. With just a little edge, Cuaron made The Boy Who Lived worth caring about on screen. There was genuine mystery in the air, the casting (the one solid building block from the previous two pictures) continued to impress with the additions of David Thewlis and Gary Oldman and for once screenwriter Steve Kloves and company gutted the books to tell an actual narrative instead of just filming every last word.
3. The Dark Knight (2008): Few films are as instantly iconic as Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. By the end of its first weekend, people didn’t just know the trailer’s scenes by heart, huge chunks of the picture were being bandied about as favorites while the movie became one of the defining pop culture phenomenons of the decade. Intense, smart and absolutely stunning to look at, The Dark Knight sucks you into a world of anarchy where chaos reigns under the leadership of Heath Ledger’s Joker, who redefined a classic character and cinematic villainy. This is propulsive, grab you by the gut filmmaking with a scope few ever shoot for and even less achieve.
2. Spider-man 2 (2004): Pure entertainment. Those are the words that spring to mind when Sam Raimi’s Spider-man 2 comes to mind. Peter Parker’s second round of mishaps improves on the original in every way, with more Raimi-isms (the chainsaw hospital scene), increased levels of Bruce Campbell, a better villain (Alfred Molina’s superb Doc Ock) and some wildly imaginative set pieces. The lengthy runaway train battle is one of modern cinema’s finest action scenes, with Spidey desperately trying to save the day, forced to catch up by slinging from speeding cars and through walkways. The gags all work (“I’m back!”) and the final scene is a wonderful example of our hero’s endless fight to live up to his Uncle Ben’s words, that with great power also comes great responsibility, with Peter having to run from Mary Jane’s kiss to help strangers.
1. Before Sunset (2004): In 1995, Richard Linklater’s little romance Before Sunrise made $5.5 million. Winning no major awards, Sunrise’s haul was not the kind you’d expect to see produce a sequel, let alone one nine years later, where two ever-so-brief lovers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) meet once again and wander around a European city trying to figure out what to do with their lives and each other. Thankfully, someone decided for a reunion because Before Sunset with the great love stories ever put together, featuring pair of perfect performances by Hawke and Delpy. It is a movie that is achingly romantic, yet features not a single kiss, or even handholding. As Jesse and Celine step around years of expectations and anguish, Linklater reveals two startling realized souls longing for more, all coming to a head with an ending that can’t beat for its simplicity or effectiveness. An absolute masterpiece.
Comments
The rules of this list are very confusing.
Star Trek and Casino Royale are great films, but direct sequels...somewhat.
Not so sure. More like in the same universe.
All great good choices except Spiderman 2. Although, that may be more of a personal preference between characters when mentioning that along with the Dark Knight.
Article author Brian Zitzelman's qualifiers seem to be full of contradictions:
[quote]
Films originally conceived as one piece (Kill Bill) are not included, nor are movies adapted from material that was created with the same purpose. As such, The Lord of the Rings series, written as one big tome but split into three, has no place here, while the Harry Potter franchise, created as distinctly different books at distinctly different times, are considered.
[/quote]
Yes, Tolkien's work was originally conceived as one huge literary saga...but so was Ms. Rowling's "Potter" series. And Tolkien's works were created during a much larger span of "distinctly different times" than that of Ms. Rowling.
As _marrow correctly pointed out - neither "Star Trek" nor "Casino Royale" are "sequels." They are "reboots." One was a successful effort to steer the material back to its grittier and more exciting and dramatic literary roots - while the other was a cheesy SFX exercise that ignored its original roots for the sake of (false-disease) ADD-induced desire for cinematic "style over substance." (I leave it to the reader to figure out which is which.)
@ Greg - My reasoning is that Potter was written at separate times. Though a long-term plan was in mind, Rowling clearly wrote them years apart and released them as such, while Tolkien's LOTR was turned in as one big piece of literature.
The Bourne Films are so fantastic. And Mission Impossible III is so underrated. Quality flick.
I honestly can't understand why Spider-man 2 would trump The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight was so different from Batman Begins and still exceeded everyone's expectations for it. Heath Ledger created a villain that was iconic and original, received the Oscar award for it (unheard of) which was in addition to 7 other nominations. It was a pretty big deal.
Spider-man 2 might have been fun, but it felt a whole lot like its predecessor and didn't transcend the comic book genre.
@ Josiah - Key element for The Dark Knight being lower than Spider-man 2 is the ending, particularly the scenes on the boats, which have always sat as deeply forced to me. The one time in the movie where Nolan screams the theme of the movie and does so to distraction for over ten minutes. If not for this, it could top Spider-man 2. That final act is just too weak in my opinion.
@Greg Heilers
Star Trek hardly "ignored" the original roots, it evolved a series that was long dead and made it enjoyable to more than basement dwelling neckbeards. I like the original series, the next generation, and Star Trek 2, 4, 6, 8 and 11. But the reality is that with an update, they're not going to finance another sh^tty allegory for society with long-ass speeches enjoyed by the vast, vast minority. Even the Star Trek fans got tired of that sh^t and have realized most of Star Treks "roots" is pure sh^t. Any thing but TOS, TNG and 2, 4, 6 and 8 countering as the "roots" of Star Trek is boring and lame. And I can hardly see how a fan of the original Star Trek can lampoon something as being cheesy... Jesus Christ just looks at some of the sh^t that was in that, it was brilliant, but it was cheesy. The new Star Trek was hardly for the ADD generation, it was just enjoyable, it didn't make moronic pop culture references, had a couple of cheesy jokes, but was hardly offensively stupi
Im not going to take the time to explain why this is soooo wrong in so many ways. Im just going to say this list is terrible. Over half the readers who see this aren't even going to know you're #1 pick. Oh, and really? Spiderman ranks higher than the Dark Knight.....idiot.
This list is my dvd collection.
The Two Towers?
Return of the King???
Did someone miss these??
FAIL
I definitely agree that all the films mentioned need to be on this list. I just disagree with the order. I think Supremacy needs to rank higher than it does, when Spiderman 2 needs to rank lower than it does, and Before Sunset, as good of a movie as it is, is definitely not number 1.
But its a good list. They are definitely the 10 best sequels of the last decade.
"And Tolkien's works were created during a much larger span of "distinctly different times" than that of Ms. Rowling."
Actually - no! More "time passes" during all the Harry Potter books than during the three LotR books. Although the whole Tolkien universe of course covers millennia, then those three books cover a very specific narrow period of time.
damn!i'm agree about the number 1!before sunset is actually a masterpiece!
Are you insane????? How is Spider Man 2 better than The Dark Knight? Also where is The Return Of The King? You should be fired!
I dont buy the argument against LotR. "...conceived in on piece..." - lol
And "Spyderman 2" on second? never. not at my list at all.
Nope Dark Knight 3 and Spider Man 2 #2 wow that was a mistake. Spider man 2 and X men 2 should not be on this list.
not a bad list, and I don't get the bashing Spiderman 2 is getting from the people here (a very good flick, but The Dark Knight was way better though), but Aliens is missing, and even Toy Story 2 would be better than Mission Impossible 3. And what about The Bride of Frankenstein? That's an amazing sequel. There's also Les Invasions Barbares, which won the best foreign language movie, it was a sequel from Le Déclin de l'empire américain. Evil Dead 2 also kicks ass. Enough said...
M-A - It is only of the decade. Thus, no Evil Dead II and so on.
why is there no five spot?
not a bad list, and I don't get the bashing Spiderman 2 is getting from the people here (a very good flick, but The Dark Knight was way better though), but Aliens is missing, and even Toy Story 2 would be better than Mission Impossible 3. And what about The Bride of Frankenstein? That's an amazing sequel. There's also Les Invasions Barbares, which won the best foreign language movie, it was a sequel from Le Déclin de l'empire américain. Evil Dead 2 also kicks ass. Enough said...
oups... of the decade.. sorry. It still leaves Les Invasions barbares.
Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith
John Rambo missing in the list. in my opinion, one of the best sequels ever
Die in a fire
This list was great until I saw that "spiderman 2" was placed higher than the dark knight. Blasphemous!
noodly
peter
brot
nikki
bernhard
^Top 5 idiots of the decade. F* off and die. Spidey 2 is an amazing film.
die hard 4.0
revenge of the sith
these are actual sequels. casino royale is not. star trek is a reboot of the franchise.
The return of the king should of been no1 and dark knight no2 and starwars episode 3 3rd and maybe pirates of the caribeen 3 at 4 then 5 should of been rambo 4 and 6 should of been die hard 4.0 even though its just out i would put terminator: salvation at 7 bourne ultimatum is 8 number 9 on my list would be spiderman 3 i think its better than number 2 as for 10 that would be rocky balboa i believe it is emotion packed and deep i know some people probly dont agree with this list but this is my thoughts
Good list. Would probably switch Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight and I am not sure if i would count Casino Royale as a sequel as much as I love it. Excellent choice with Before Sunset in the top spot though, one of the best sequels ever produced.
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