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SEQUELVILLE — Audiences can’t wait for the Captain America sequel, “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” to hit theaters this weekend, and it got us thinking, what are the best superhero movie sequels?
We’ve complied a list of the five sequels we thought were the best, which means there surely will be an outcry of anger across the land because we didn’t include your favorite.
Well, deal with it. Read our list and then let us know what should have been on it.
So here they are, the five best superhero sequels that outdid their predecessors.
Audiences fell in love with Christopher Reeve’s "Superman" in 1978. The film was fun and, at the time, an updated version of the Man of Steel.
It wasn’t until 1981, however, that audiences got what is considered by many the best Superman movie.
“Superman II” adds to the fun and overall story of the first film and introduces some of the all-time great supervillains, especially General Zod.
The story and the villains were so solid, in fact, that they were borrowed for the 2013 update, “Man of Steel."
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Director Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” seemed to reinvent the superhero movie and the follow-up; “Spider-Man 2” elevated the entire genre.
“Spider-Man 2” introduced audiences to a concept they had all but forgotten about: Superhero movies can be fun and entertaining and tell a great story.
So often superhero movies are high on action and spectacle while story is left by the wayside. Raimi, however, wasn’t going to have any of that.
The film has its issues and the central casting still leaves a lot to be desired, but overall the film knocked it out of the park and became the pinnacle of the Raimi Spider-Man trilogy.
In 2000 director Bryan Singer gave us “X-Men” and it blew audiences away.
In 2003 Singer released “X2: X-Men United” and it shocked just about everyone. Somehow the X-Men sequel was not only better than the impressive original; it was actually one of the greatest superhero movies ever made.
Singer’s “X2” balanced humor, action and drama so seamlessly that audiences became blind to criticisms because it was so effective and entertaining.
While “X-Men: First Class” was a great return to form for the franchise, following poor follow-ups like “X-Men: The Last Stand” and “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” —shudder — “X2” still stands as the best X-Men movie.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Technically we are not allowed to release our review of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” until Friday, but we just couldn’t leave it off the list.
The Captain America sequel is so superior to the original that we had no choice but to put it here.
For a full review make sure to come back tomorrow, but suffice it to say for now that “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is better than “Captain America: The First Avenger” in almost every way.
While the first film was a victim of its own insignificance, considering it was basically a two-hour preview for “The Avengers,” the sequel actually tells a story and is a fully thought-out film.
While “Winter Soldier” isn’t void of problems and missteps, it is far superior to the original and one of the best Marvel movies to date.
We all knew this was coming, but this list would be worthless if “The Dark Knight” wasn’t on it.
Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” breathed new life into a dead franchise in 2005. The new take on the caped crusader was real, unapologetic and well told. Audiences couldn’t wait for the 2008 sequel, but no one was prepared for what they got.
“The Dark Knight” isn’t just an amazing superhero film; it’s an amazing movie. The performances are mesmerizing, the story is enthralling and the film itself is insanely entertaining.
“The Dark Knight” raised the bar for every superhero film to follow and is widely accepted as the best Batman movie ever made (Adam West may disagree) and as the best superhero film, period.
What are your favorite superhero sequels? What should have been on the list? Are you excited to see “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”? Let us know on Facebook and Twitter.
