That’s not even remotely close to being true.
For purposes of this thread, I’d argue for BATMAN RETURNS over BATMAN.
But what does FOREVER have going for it? Kilmer isn’t a clear improvement over Keaton; he just seems lightly drugged. And, at that, Kidman isn’t more interesting than Pfeiffer; because, really, who the hell is? So what’s the selling point?
I don’t know if I’d say the Back to the Future sequels were better than the original, but they definitely built on the original and expanded it in positive and thought-provoking ways, rather than just being an easy re-hash.
Temple of Doom is arguable, but The Last Crusade stands alongside Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Tarzan and his Mate (1934) > Tarzan the Ape Man (1932).
Swordsman II (1992) > The Swordsman (1990)
Sequels to sequels:
Curse of the Fly (1963) > Return of the Fly (1959)
Ghidorah, the Three-headed Monster (1964) > King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962)
Billion Dollar Brain (1967) > Funeral in Berlin (1966)
The Bourne sequels with Matt Damon were as good or better than the original.
War for the Planet of the Apes was as good or better than its predecessors.
But not one of them comes close to measuring up to the 1966 classic.
Without question. I really thought that was universally agreed upon.
Clerks 2 was kind of a surprise. I think having a credible female lead made a huge difference.
I thought The Madness of King George III was way better than I or II.
I disagree. other than the 80s “Miami Vice” cinematography, I find Manhunter holds up very well. I prefer Brian Cox’s more believable, subtle interpretation over the scenery (and people:eek:) chewing that Hopkins brings to the role.
Speaking of Miami Vice, Michael Mann did a sort of remake of Manhunter in Miami Vice. Crockett takes over the Peterson role, and gets so into the head of a serial killer that he nearly goes crazy. One of the better episodes.
What did you think of Malcolm X?
Leonard Part 6 was the weakest of the series.
Batman Returns is just slightly better than Batman and Robin.
I’d rate them:
Batman Forever (clear #1)
Batman (Thanks to Jack Nicholson)
Batman Returns (Way too dark)
Batman and Robin (An absolute train wreck)
I loved the theatrical release. The Donner cut was a horrible mess, and has caused the original to be hard to find.
Can’t link from work, but if you haven’t seen the Key & Peele sketch about the writers room brainstorming for Gremlins 2, it is hilarious!
Really? Your experience is the opposite of mine. I can find the “standard” theatrical-release version of Superman II easily (heck, it’s bundled with I, III, and IV on one multi-disc set that’s out in the stores), but I really had to look in a specialty store to find the “Donner Cut”.
And I agree with Cochrane – the Donner cut is better. The messiness comes from it being cobbled together from existing parts, and lacking some scenes that were never shot. But it’s overall more appealing. The theatrical version, which ripped parts out of the existing work and tried to build a coherent story with new scenes is the one that’s a mess.
I haven’t seen either, but from what I’ve heard, the recent Ouija movies follow this pattern. The second one was pretty good, but the first was so fucking dull that no one wanted to see a sequel to it.
Also, since I just saw it this past weekend and it’s topical, I loved Thor: Ragnarok, whereas I thought the original and sequel were both pretty forgettable.
It’s really available from Amazon. You can stream it or download it. You can also get it on Blu-ray and DVD.
You can even have it shipped to you the next day.
I thought it was the strongest.
That’s supposed to be readily available. Damn auto-incorrect.
Terminator
IMHO, this is how I’d rank the Terminator films:
-
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
2.* The Terminator* - Terminator Genisys (Yes, I actually liked it.)
- *Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines *
5 Terminator Salvation
If I included the tv series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles I probably place it at number 2.
Star Trek
I’d rank the Star Trek tv series:
1.* Star Trek: The Next Generation*
2. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
3. Star Trek: Enterprise
4. *Star Trek: Voyager *
5.Star Trek: The Original Series