The 20 Best Movie Sequels of All Time

James Cameron's 1991 action-sci-fi sequel raised the bar for special effects while turning the original's villain into a heroic protector.

George Miller's 2015 return to his post-apocalyptic franchise is a relentless two-hour chase sequence that won six Academy Awards and redefined action filmmaking.

The 2019 culmination of eleven years of Marvel storytelling delivered a cathartic three-hour payoff that became the highest-grossing film in history.

Christopher Nolan's 2008 follow-up to Batman Begins redefined superhero cinema with Heath Ledger's legendary Joker performance and a crime-thriller scope.

James Cameron transformed Ridley Scott's intimate 1979 horror into a thunderous 1986 action-war hybrid, anchored by Sigourney Weaver's defining Ripley performance.

Sam Raimi's 2004 superhero sequel deepened Peter Parker's internal conflict and introduced Doc Ock as a tragically human villain — long considered the gold standard of the genre.

Paul King's 2017 sequel to the beloved bear's first adventure is often cited as the most wholesome film ever made — briefly holding the highest Rotten Tomatoes score in history.

George Miller's 1981 sequel stripped the post-apocalyptic world to its brutal essentials and invented the template for decades of action cinema to come.

The 2010 conclusion to the Toy Story trilogy brought audiences to tears with its meditation on growing up — and won the Academy Award for Animated Feature.

The 1982 sequel rescued the Star Trek franchise with a gripping tale of vengeance, aging, and sacrifice — featuring one of sci-fi's most emotional farewells.

Steven Spielberg's 1989 trilogy capper pairs Harrison Ford with Sean Connery in a witty, globe-trotting adventure widely considered the series' most crowd-pleasing entry.

Alfonso Cuarón's 2004 entry in the Harry Potter series introduced a darker, more cinematic visual language that transformed the franchise's tone.

The 1980 Star Wars sequel deepens every character while delivering one of cinema's most iconic plot twists — routinely ranked the greatest sci-fi sequel ever made.

Richard Linklater's 2004 sequel reunites Jesse and Céline after nine years in real time — a masterclass in romantic dialogue and the weight of choices not taken.

Denis Villeneuve's 2017 continuation of Ridley Scott's sci-fi classic is a meditative, visually breathtaking meditation on memory, identity, and what it means to be human.

Christopher McQuarrie's 2018 spy thriller raised the stakes of practical stunt filmmaking to stratospheric levels, with Tom Cruise delivering his most death-defying performance.

Pixar's 1999 sequel matched — and for many surpassed — the original by exploring themes of loss and identity through beloved plastic toys.