10 Sci-Fi Movie Sequels Better Than The Original
4. Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
The first Mad Max movie was an original and enjoyable action thriller that kicked the legendary film franchise off on a real high, but it was its successor that truly defined it.
Released two years later, The Road Warrior expanded the horizons of the truly horrifying post-apocalyptic world in ways that its predecessor only touched on. On paper, its premise was similar - pitting Mel Gibson's stoic hero against a new band of fear-inducing enemies - but in execution, it was completely different.
A more visually-pleasing movie in every single way, its desert landscapes, jaw-dropping stunts and steampunk-inspired designs were all highly ambitious but very effective components in building this dystopian Western and it has been credited for influencing many of the genre's films and TV shows since. Moreover, it also dove deeper into Gibson's unhinged antihero, giving him an engaging goal and plenty of loud, noisy obstacles to prevent him from achieving it.
Mad Max II set a precedent for sequels that could be bigger and better, matching all of its style with substance in a way that very few movies could ever dream of.