10 Best Movie Sequels (Not Directed By The Original Filmmaker)

9. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes

The Color Of Money Tom Cruise
20th Century Fox

When the Planet of the Apes franchise was rebooted in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, many a naysayer shook their head in disbelief, slapped themselves in the forehead and tried to quell the cold sweats conjured up by the last outing for the property - Tim Burton's 2001 Planet of the Apes remake.

Those fearing the worst we're all left to eat humble pie, as Rupert Wyatt's Rise was a phenomenal return to form for a franchise long since bastardised. Delivering a fresh new start to the lore of the greater Apes property, Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a triumph in every conceivable way.

After the news that Wyatt wouldn't be returning to direct follow-up picture Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, again the doubt crept in as to whether this sequel would be able to match what had come before it. Once Matt Reeves was brought in to helm Dawn, there was mild optimism, as the filmmaker had shown plenty of potential with his previous two directing efforts, Cloverfield and the Let the Right One In remake, Let Me In.

Reeves would take what Wyatt had done with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and completely run with the ball for Dawn. The end result was remarkably even better than the previous picture - and even more impressive, Matt Reeves topped both Dawn and Rise when he rounded out this trilogy with the phenomenal War for the Planet of the Apes in 2017.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.