10 Most Shockingly Improved Movie Sequels

10. Fast Five

By the time the fourth entry into The Fast and the Furious hit screens, it truly seemed like all involved had run dry of fresh ideas - hence its title even being the laughably perfunctory "Fast and Furious."

Though critics were wildly mixed on the first three films, the fourth movie turned out to be the worst-reviewed of the bunch, in large part due to the excessively CGI-soaked action sequences and tonal clash between its cartoonish racing and dour, self-serious narrative.

Few were expecting much from Fast Five, then, even with the addition of Dwayne "Franchise Viagra" Johnson to the roster. After all, director Justin Lin was back for his third consecutive Fast movie, so why expect any different here?

But Fast Five marked a clear "creative reset" for the series, as it shifted away from petrolhead culture towards a broader globetrotting style of action film, while leaning into the over-the-top mayhem without much in the way of po-faced posturing. And yes, The Rock being on board didn't hurt.

Fast Five became the first film in the series to win critical praise, in turn rescuing the franchise from the creative doldrums with its emphasis on nutty action, fun character banter, and knowingly silly soap opera melodrama. Without Fast Five's success, the IP would've likely remained a more niche flavour of action franchise, rather than the billion-dollar brand it quickly became.