20 Sequels That Brilliantly Fixed Past Mistakes
Now You See Me 3's twist was actually good - who'd have thought it?
The world of film is absolutely full of sequels, and why wouldn't it be? Like it or not, Hollywood is a business, and following up a successful flick is the surest way to make money. Besides, even though sequels get such a bad name, are they really such a terrible thing?
Sure, there are many bad ones out there... yet there are also many cinematic successors that equal or even outdo the original. The Godfather Part II, The Empire Strikes Back, Aliens, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Spider-Man 2, and Mission: Impossible - Fallout are just a few examples, and plenty more will be discussed on this very list.
Furthermore, even if a follow-up doesn't equal the original, many manage to improve on specific aspects from their predecessors. Sequels are actually a fantastic opportunity to fix past mistakes, and the following 20 flicks reaffirm that. Not all of them are entirely successful, but it's always a wonderful thing to learn from past mistakes, making all of these films a satisfying watch in their own way.
Kicking off with a flick that no-one expected to be watchable...
20. Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood And Honey II - From All-Timer Turkey To Actually Alright
Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey is one of the worst horror movies of the 21st century, maybe even ever. The acting, the direction, the script, those insultingly fake costumes; everything about it is bottom-of-the-barrel awful, but the gimmick of turning Winnie the Pooh into a slasher villain made this an undeserving yet inevitable box-office hit. Unfortunately, this meant we'd be getting more of these.
Nevertheless, the arrival of the first sequel wasn't the Shakespearean tragedy most expected because, to everyone's shock, it was actually a passable slasher flick. Perhaps calling it good would be a bit of a stretch, as it's still mean-spirited and thinly-plotted, yet it's impossible not to admire the way this movie fixed its predecessor's mistakes.
Rhys Frake-Waterfield has improved as a director, the special effects and costumes are better, the dialogue isn't clunky, and the characters are likable and well-played, to the extent that there'll be plenty you won't want to see snuff it. It's also headlined by a stronger performance; Scott Chambers takes over the role of Christopher Robin and does far better than Nikolai Leon did in the first film.
Once again, it's not that great, but it is, all things considered, an OK movie and, considering how irredeemably dreadful the first one was, that is nothing short of a minor miracle.