10 Most Shockingly Improved Movie Sequels

Despite the enduring popularity of the Shrek franchise, you'll struggle to find many moviegoers who remember much about 2011's Puss in Boots - a totally fine spin-off which nevertheless failed to make a dent in the cultural consciousness, and so despite grossing over $500 million worldwide, it quickly evaporated into the ether.

The fact that DreamWorks took more than a decade to release sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish didn't exactly raise optimistic expectations, so what a surprise it was when it released to downright rave reviews.

Combining a witty script with ferocious action sequences and gorgeous animation clearly inspired by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Last Wish wasn't only a colossal improvement over its OK predecessor - it's one of the very best films in the Shrek franchise and even became a serious contender for the Best Animated Feature Oscar.

For an 11-years-later animated sequel which seemed like it was being sent out to die by DreamWorks, what a turnaround this was.