20 Sequels That Brilliantly Fixed Past Mistakes
10. Paddington 2 - A Stronger Villain
Paddington 2 is a genuine masterpiece, and it's about as perfect as a family film can be. Exciting, hilarious, heart-warming, visually stunning, and brilliantly scripted, this one is in a class of its own, and it's also another one of those sequels that manages to outdo the original, which is no mean feat, as 2014's first movie is great too.
Come to think of it, this is in a similar boat to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, in that it's a follow-up that rises above partly by fixing the single biggest problem with its predecessor. Namely, the main antagonist. Paddington's villain Millicent Clyde (Nicole Kidman) is a bit 'meh', and it's arguable Kidman was rather wasted.
Paddington 2, on the other hand, has Phoenix Buchanan, and he's absolutely goated.
A washed-up actor who's trying to locate a lost fortune and frames Paddington for his crimes, Buchanan (Hugh Grant) is one of the most purely entertaining villains in recent memory. Writers Paul King and Simon Farnaby crafted the character to perfection, but the real masterstroke was roping in Hugh Grant.
As Grant's career wasn't in the best place back then, casting him as a struggling actor was a hilarious meta gag. Better still, Grant gave a ridiculously entertaining performance that'll almost trick you into rooting for the villain. In a more just world, Hugh Grant would have got serious awards attention for his glorious work.