10 Surprisingly Good Movie Sequels NOBODY Saw Coming

5. T2 Trainspotting

Danny Boyle's Trainspotting was such a flash-in-the-pan, lighting-in-a-bottle moment in cinema that fans were extremely anxious about the prospect of a sequel two decades later, even with Boyle and all of the main cast returning.

Trainspotting captured such a specific era and mood, that there was every concern "T2" would simply end up another too-late sequel that felt like a half-baked post-script.

And while T2 doesn't nearly reach the heights of its predecessor, it is a wholly worthy sequel that reunites fans with the central characters in meaningful and satisfying ways.

Boyle and writer John Hodge did a fantastic job of moving these characters forward into the 2010s - offering up slivers of hope for them while also refusing to shy away from the grim realities of an addict's life.

It is a profoundly honest follow-up where other filmmakers would've opted for something more sentimental, and proves all the more gratifying as a result.