15 Best Movie Sequels Of All Time, Ranked

It is a truth universally acknowledged that all sequels are not created equal. Some, as we're about to discuss here, are really great; others, like "Jaws 2" or even "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde," turn out to be complete duds. Some particularly great movies never even get a sequel at all, which does feel like sort of a good call. Still, sometimes lighting does strike twice, and it did with all 15 of these picks.

From sci-fi epics to blockbuster comedies to one of the most emotional Pixar movies ever made (which is really saying something), here are the best movie sequels ever made, ranked from "really good" to "wow, it was even better than the first movie!" Keep reading to find out where your favorite sequel ended up on the list.

Decades after Ridley Scott's beloved sci-fi adaptation of Philip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" hit theaters in 1982, it got a sequel ... and even if "Blade Runner 2049" flopped at the box office, it's still a great movie and a very worthy sequel. Ryan Gosling takes on the lead role of K, a "blade runner" (or a replicant) who searches for "retired" replicants and "removes" them from the system by killing them; when he discovers intelligence that replicants can actually reproduce, it threatens the fragile peace between humans and replicants.

With Harrison Ford reprising his role as Rick Deckard, great performers like Mackenzie Davis and Ana de Armas in supporting roles, and auteur Denis Villeneuve behind the camera, "Blade Runner 2049" was underappreciated when it was released, but it's a truly great continuation of this story. If you've watched "Blade Runner" a ton of times and need something a little fresher, definitely don't overlook "Blade Runner 2049" — especially because it features a particularly thoughtful and great turn from Gosling.

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Mackenzie Davis
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Rating: R
Runtime: 163 minutes
Where to watch: VOD

"Top Gun," released in 1986 with Tom Cruise in the pilot's seat, is one of the most widely beloved action movies ever made ... which makes it all the more surprising that the 2022 sequel "Top Gun: Maverick" turned out to be so incredibly good. A bona-fide box office smash that also earned a best picture nomination at the 2023 Academy Awards, "Top Gun: Maverick," which brings Cruise back as Navy captain and jet pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell back into play, is so excellent that some people might even say it's better than the original.

In the continuation of Pete's story, he returns to train Top Gun academy graduates who are all training for a mission to destroy a uranium enrichment plant that could be used to create nefarious weapons by foreign enemies. Along the way, he meets Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), son of his old flying buddy Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Val Kilmer, in one of his final film roles) ... and the two end up becoming a team. "Top Gun: Maverick" is beautifully shot, ambitious, and a thrill a minute, and it's one of the best sequels ever made.

Cast: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 130 minutes
Where to watch: Paramount+

Any fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe knows that "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" isn't just one of the best sequels ever made, but one of the best movies in the MCU entirely. After we watch Chris Evans' Steve Rogers get defrosted and jacked up with super-serum in the first film, "Winter Soldier" takes a different approach and gives us a political thriller with superheroes in the mix, also introducing the titular soldier (who turns out to be Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes, Steve's former best friend).

With Robert Redford on board and MCU stalwarts Scarlett Johansson and Anthony Mackie in the mix as Natasha Romanoff and Sam Wilson, "Winter Soldier" is probably the best-made movie in the MCU from top to bottom. It's also, as it happens, an amazing sequel.

Cast: Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson
Director: Joe and Anthony Russo
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 136 minutes
Where to watch: Disney+

The first sequel to Rian Johnson's blockbuster 2019 whodunit, "Knives Out" — titled "Glass Onion" — is pretty good. The second "Knives Out" sequel, though, is transcendently great. Released through Netflix in 2025, "Knives Out" brings Daniel Craig's Southern-fried detective Benoit Blanc back into the action, sending him to a small church in upstate New York to investigate the apparently impossible murder of Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin). With the help of Wicks's assistant pastor and nemesis Jud Duplenticy (a phenomenal Josh O'Connor), Benoit investigates this locked-door murder and realizes that Wicks was running a small cult out of his church, Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude.

With a crackerjack supporting cast that includes Glenn Close, Kerry Washington, and Andrew Scott (just to name a few), a deeply satisfying and twisty ending, and an unexpectedly deep look at religion, "Wake Up Dead Man" is yet another fantastic mystery from Johnson. We can't wait to see what sequels he cooks up next.

Cast: Daniel Craig, Josh O'Connor, Glenn Close
Director: Rian Johnson
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 144 minutes
Where to watch: Netflix

We know these names are a little confusing, but bear with us: "Alien" is the first movie in the "Alien" franchise, and "Aliens" is its direct sequel. (They were released in 1979 and 1982, respectively.) The on-set problems that happened throughout this franchise are the stuff of legend — notably, James Cameron took over directing duties from Ridley Scott between "Alien" and "Aliens," causing strife between the two — but let's just focus on the movie itself. "Aliens" brings Sigourney Weaver's heroine Ellen Ripley back for another fight against extraterrestrials ... and as she rescues the survivor of a colony, a young girl named Newt (Carrie Henn).

"Aliens" isn't just a great sequel, but a compulsiovely watchable and phenomenal movie in its own right. If you're doing a full rewatch of the "Alien" franchise, this one will definitely stand out as a highlight.

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Paul Reiser, Bill Paxton
Director: James Cameron
Rating: R
Runtime: 137 minutes
Where to watch: VOD

A whopping fifteen years after the first "Toy Story" movie blew audiences away with its innovative animation and undeniably great concept — the idea that toys come to life when kids aren't looking — Lee Unkrich made his solo directorial debut with "Toy Story 3" and proved there was plenty of life left in the franchise. As the central kid Andy Davis (voiced by John Morris) gets ready to leave for college, his toys — including Woody the cowboy (Tom Hanks), astronaut Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and cowgirl Jessie (Joan Cusack) — get donated to a daycare center. The problem? Said daycare center is run with an iron fist by Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear, and he wants the new toys out.

"Toy Story 3" forces the toys to grapple with their own mortality in one of Pixar's most tear-jerking moments to date, but it's also heartfelt, funny, and an incredible sequel. Give it a watch if you haven't, but get tissues.

Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Director: Lee Unkrich
Rating: PG
Runtime: 103 minutes
Where to watch: Disney+

After Denis Villeneuve's 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert's "Dune" proved the book could be transformed into a big-screen epic, "Dune: Part Two" came out in 2024 and somehow improved upon its predecessor. With Timothée Chamalet's Paul Atreides and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) effectively on the run, they're taken in by a Fremen tribe that counts Chani (Zendaya) among its members. Alongside the Fremen, Paul fights the evil House Harkonnen, including its new heir Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler).

Zendaya barely features in "Dune," and her presence is beyond welcome here; adding in new players like Florence Pugh's Princess Irulan helps too. "Dune" is a great introduction to Herbert's world, and "Dune: Part Two" fully brings it all to life.

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Austin Butler
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 166 minutes
Where to watch: HBO Max

It's crazy that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller made a reboot of the TV show "21 Jump Street" and it turned out so well. It's even crazier that their self-aware, tongue-in-cheek sequel blows it out of the water. After finding a drug kingpin at a high school in the first movie, dumb cops Morton Schmidt and Craig Jenko — returning buddies Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum — enroll in college to do the exact same thing all over again.

Still, thanks to Lord and Miller's rollicking sense of humor and meta attitude — with Jenko at one point saying the Jump Street headquarters is "bigger and more expensive" this time around" — and new standouts like Jillian Bell, "22 Jump Street" isn't just better than its predecessor; it's one of the funniest modern comedies around. Don't miss the amazing end credits sequence, either.

Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Jillian Bell
Director: Phil Lord & Christoipher Miller
Rating: R
Runtime: 112 minutes
Where to watch: Pluto TV, VOD

To be fair, director Peter Jackson had the third installment of his "Lord of the Rings" trilogy all teed up based on J.R.R. Tolkien's book series, but still — this Oscar winner for best picture is one of the best sequels and best fantasy movies ever made. As Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) and his loyal companion Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) prepare to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom, his friends from the Fellowship, including Viggo Mortensen's heir to the throne Aragorn, rally to fight the final battle against Sauron's evil forces.

From the showstopping action sequences to truly great performances from veterans like Mortrnsen and Ian McKellen, "Return of the King" is perfect from beginning to end. If you want the full experience, though? Catch the extended version.

Cast: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen
Director: Peter Jackson
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 201 minutes
Where to watch: HBO Max

Nine years after Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy) impulsively leave a train and spend an evening together in Vienna in Richard Linklater's stunningly simple film "Before Sunrise," the two star-crossed lovers are drawn back together in the world's most romantic city, Paris, in "Before Sunset." While Jesse is in town for a book tour — a tour focused, in fact, on a book he wrote about their time together — the two reunite and spend a day walking and talking in the French capital.

The third sequel, "Before Midnight" — which takes place nine years after this story — is also magnificent, but there's something so special about "Before Sunset," from the on-location Paris shoot to Delpy and Hawke's crackling chemistry. When Céline tells Jesse he's going to miss his plane in the film's final moments, you can't help but cheer.

Cast: Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
Director: Richard Linklater
Rating: R
Runtime: 80 minutes
Where to watch: VOD

One of the best action movies ever made — and one of the best films of the 21st century — just so happens to be a long-awaited sequel. In 2015, director George Miller decided to continue his "Mad Max" saga but give it a fresh new approach, bringing in stars Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron as the largely silent Max and his captor Furiosa to tell a story of their fight against the evil Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Furiosa initially kidnaps Max on Joe's orders, but when she absconds with a group of his young captive wives with Max in tow to find a promised land rich with water, Joe's forces attack in droves, led by the feverishly faithful Nux (Nicholas Hoult).

"Mad Max: Fury Road" is one of the most tightly edited action movies in cinematic history — thanks to Miller's wife Margaret Sixel, who earned an Oscar for her trouble — and though it's easy to forget it's a sequel, it sure is. You won't regret watching — or re-watching — "Mad Max: Fury Road."

Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult
Director: George Miller
Rating: R
Runtime: 120 minutes
Where to watch: VOD

Paul King's first "Paddington" movie — based on the children's books by Michael Bond — was an unexpected delight that impressed adults and kids alike. "Paddington 2," however? It's cinematic perfection. (It was, for a time, one of the only movies with a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes.) King's sequel reunites us with Paddington, the bear from darkest Peru who's voiced by Ben Whishaw — and long story short, he ends up in prison after being framed by an evil washed-up actor named Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant). After charming his fellow inmates — including the prison cafeteria chef Knuckles McGinty (Brendan Gleeson) — Paddington escapes and, alongside the Brown family, proves his innocence.

"Paddington 2" is perfect. What else can we possibly say?! If you haven't already, go watch one of the best movies in recent cinematic history that also happens to be a sequel ... and if you aren't charmed by Whishaw's delightfully sweet but often bumbling Paddington, we don't know what to tell you.

Cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Grant, Sally Hawkins
Director: Paul King
Rating: PG
Runtime: 104 minutes
Where to watch: HBO Max

Christopher Nolan isn't usually in the business of making sequels, but we sure are glad he decided to follow up 2005's "Batman Begins" with the second film in his Batman trilogy, "The Dark Knight." This 2008 movie was so influential that it literally changed the Academy Awards after it missed out on a nomination for best picture, and that's due to a few things: Nolan's phenomenal direction, Christian Bale's grounded performance as Bruce Wayne, and, of course, Heath Ledger's astounding turn as the Joker.

"The Dark Knight" is probably the best superhero movie ever made, and it's stunning to remember, out of context, that this is a sequel to an origin story that reinvented the Batman mythos. Between Ledger's captivating performance — made all the more tragic by the fact that Ledger died in 2008 and then won a posthumous Oscar for the role — and Nolan's sharp, exacting direction, "The Dark Knight" is basically cinematic perfection.

Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Director: Christopher Nolan
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 152 minutes
Where to watch: HBO Max

The "Star Wars" prequels are constantly maligned, and the sequel trilogy helmed by J.J. Abrams isn't super popular either ... but one thing "Star Wars" fans can agree on is that "The Empire Strikes Back" is amazing. After the events of Episode IV, retroactively titled "A New Hope," aspiring Jedi master Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) travels to the swamp planet of Dagobah to train with Yoda; elsewhere, his friends and allies Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), droids C-3PO, and Wookiee Chewbacca uses the Millennium Falcon to escape before being captured by enemy forces. This movie, to paraphrase Bill Hader's "Saturday Night Live" standout Stefon, has everything: Leia confessing her love to Han, the introduction of the freakish Jabba the Hutt, and, of course, the show-stopping lightsaber battle between Luke and his secret father, Anakin Skywalker ... also known as Darth Vader (James Earl Jones).

"The Empire Strikes Back," put simply, friggin' rocks. It's not just the best "Star Wars" movie, but one of the best movies you'll ever sit down and watch. So what sequel could possibly best this one on the list?  

Cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones
Director: George Lucas
Rating: PG
Runtime: 124 minutes
Where to watch: Disney+

The only movie that could beat "The Empire Strikes Back" on this list is, truly, the best sequel ever made ... and that's Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather Part II." A follow-up to 1972's "The Godfather," this 1974 sequel takes place across two timelines: one follows the now-familiar Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, as he tries to keep the Corleone crime family afloat, while the other goes back in time and revisits the life and times of a younger Vito Corleone (played in "The Godfather" by Marlon Brando and in this film by Robert De Niro). 

This is, incidentally, also the movie where Michael realizes that his failson brother Fredo (John Cazale) has betrayed the family, leading Michael to fully succumb to the familial Corleone darkness and ultimately have him killed ... and, most importantly, it fleshes out the story of Mario Puzo's original novels. Just ignore "The Godfather Part III" — everyone else does.

Cast: Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton Robert De Niro
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Rating: R
Runtime: 200 minutes
Where to watch: Paramount+