In today’s film landscape, it feels like Hollywood is constantly churning out lackluster sequels to popular movies, but some great follow-up films have fallen totally under the radar over the years. Whether it’s box office bombs that never got enough credit or franchise fatigue meaning audiences just didn’t show up, these movies have failed to maintain much enduring cultural relevance.
The best sequels of all time stand as evidence that certain films benefit from further exploration, and all these sequels offered something new and interesting for audiences to enjoy. It’s a shame when great movies fall by the wayside, but it’s never too late for viewers to come back and rediscover the appeal of slept-on sequels.
Predators (2010)
The Predator franchise has struggled for decades to get out from under the shadow of the acclaimed original Arnold Schwarzenegger film. With a litany of disappointing sequels and misguided crossovers, like Alien vs. Predator, it’s easy to write off the franchise as a whole and forget about great sequels like Nimród Antal’s Predators.
As a fast-paced action film that drops humans into an unfamiliar jungle on an alien planet, this high-stakes survival story condensed this franchise down to its barest essentials as a group of abducted killers struggle to survive against ruthless Yautja. As a suspenseful film that honors the trophy hunting mythology of its extraterrestrial threat, Predators was a highly underrated sequel.
Scream 4 (2011)
The Scream series reinvigorated the slasher genre in the 1990s and imbued it with a self-referential and tongue-in-cheek style. While the series had lain dormant for over a decade, Wes Craven returned in 2011 with his final film before his death as Scream 4 tackled the prevalence of legacy sequels, reboots, and audience nostalgia in the horror genre.
As a commentary on social media and internet culture, Scream 4 combined slasher, mystery, and whodunnit stylings in a way that pleased both audiences and critics. With the trio of Neve Campbell, David Arquette, and Courteney Cox back alongside a new cast of younger stars, Scream 4 was a powerful passing of the torch for this series.
Many will be unaware that Stanley Kubrick’s groundbreaking sci-fi masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey actually received a sequel in 1984. While 2010: The Year We Make Contact doesn’t hold quite the same trailblazing legacy as what came before, it does not deserve to be so woefully underseen, as it stands as a solid sci-fi sequel.
Based on Arthur C. Clarke’s novel 2010: Odyssey Two, 2010: The Year We Make Contact was a clever adventure exploring an American and Soviet crew going to Jupiter to uncover the truth behind the failure of Discovery One mission. Although it was not nearly as artful as its predecessor, this Peter Hyams movie had a lot going for it.
T2 Trainspotting (2017)
There was a lot of hype around Danny Boyle revisiting his breakout film with T2 Trainspotting back in 2017, but that discussion quickly died down, and it hasn’t maintained much relevance in the years since. This was a crying shame, as it stood as one of Boyle’s best late-career releases that checked in with his iconic characters 21 years later.
Based on Irvine Welsh’s follow-up novel Porno, T2 Trainspotting reunited Ewan McGregor with Boyle after decades of estrangement and showcased that this duo was still a match made in heaven. While Boyle discussed the possibility of a third Trainspotting film (via Hollywood Reporter), the lack of enduring cultural buzz around this sequel means it may never happen.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
While Stephen King fans and lovers of the work of Mike Flanagan are well aware of the merits of Doctor Sleep, mainstream viewers have ironically been sleeping on this incredible sequel. As a follow-up to the all-time great horror that is The Shining, Doctor Sleep had the almost insurmountable task of living up to expectations and somehow pulled it off.
With Ewan McGregor as an older Danny Torrance, Doctor Sleep brought depth and nuance to the story of a man carrying unimaginable trauma paired with supernatural instincts. By respecting the original work while also carving out its own identity, this sequel deserves far more credit for satisfying King and Kubrick fans alike.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Director Guillermo del Toro and star Ron Perlman carved out a unique cinematic world with Hellboy, and the sequel, subtitled The Golden Army, continued its trajectory of groundbreaking visuals, fantastical creatures, and intricate sets. With a mix of whimsy and dark fantasy that few sequels can pull off, The Golden Army just got everything right.
However, Hellboy II: The Golden Army rarely gets the credit it deserves, and budgetary concerns meant a planned third film in the series was never produced. Instead, two attempts to reboot Hellboy have been made in 2019 and 2024, and sadly, The Golden Army has been left behind by mainstream audiences.
The Color of Money (1986)
Despite being one of the most acclaimed directors of all time, Martin Scorsese has only made one sequel, and it was a follow-up to a film he didn’t even make. That was the shockingly underrated The Color of Money, a sequel to the 1961 film The Hustler that brought back Paul Newman’s Oscar-winning pool shark character Eddie “Fast Eddie” Felson.
With Newman and a young Tom Cruise sharing the screen, The Color of Money was one of Scorsese’s most underrated films and a thrilling sports story of hustlers conning their way through a tournament. While it’s often overshadowed by the likes of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Goodfellas, those who haven’t seen it should seek out The Color of Money.
Addams Family Values (1993)
Addams Family Values is one of the few sequels that can be said to actually improve upon the original, as it embraced a much darker and more macabre sensibility than the previous film. With a perfectly cast ensemble of eccentric characters and a delightfully dysfunctional family at the center of its story, director Barry Sonnenfeld truly delivered with this release.
Revolving around the Addams family adjusting to the birth of a new baby named Pubert, Addams Family Values was a bitter satire that was even funnier than the first film. As an underrated classic of the 1990s, it’s only now, more than 30 years later, that it’s finally getting its due and being reappraised by viewers.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
