10 Wildly Unnecessary Movie Sequels That Were Awesome Anyway

10. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Despite having one of the last true action stars still at the helm, there was not much hype for a new Mission Impossible film back in 2011. The previous film was 5 years old by now and seemed to leave the trilogy on a high note. Hollywood's track record with fourth entries didn't make for good reading either.

Besides, what was there left to do in a spy film that hasn't been done before?

But then the trailer with Tom Cruise hanging off the tallest building in the world came out. Our curiosities piqued, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that the film wasn't just good, it was great. The action scenes alone were not only beautiful to look at, but relentlessly thrilling.

With a cast around Cruise that complements him perfectly, and a fantastic ability to build suspense, this was an excellent live-action debut for Brad Bird, who previously gave us the animated classics The Iron Giant, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles. The fact that it already has two worthy sequels, with more on the way, Ghost Protocol shows just how good a spy thriller can really be.