So, having seen both Spider-man 2 and Shrek 2 in as many weeks, I’m starting to think that maybe sequels don’t have to be worse than the original movie. That said, I was wondering if people could come up with some other good examples of sequels that were on par with, if not better than, the original movie; sequels that don’t suck, if you will.
Any ideas?
bamf
Star Trek II
Superman II
X2
Must disagree on Superman II - some good bits, but it introduced some weirdness to the franchise that I’ve always hated.
Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Army of Darkness all come to mind.
Aliens
Thank god they didn’t do any more after that… 
I’ll have to disagree with your diagreement.
It’s just a movie, after all.
Of course, you’re entitled to do so.
I just cringe everytime I see Kryptonian hand-blasts or giant cellophane ‘S’ symbols entrapping the bad guy.
Lethal Weapon 2 - That was the last one, wasn’t it?
A Shot in the Dark
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
From Russia with Love.
Highlander II: The Quickening (naw… just kidding…)
Godfather 2 (of course)
Evil Dead 2 (and Army of Darkness) - i think both are better than the original Eviil Dead
X Men 2 (This is obviously controversial, but personally I liked the second a lot more)
and without a doubt,
The Muppets Take Manhattan. The crown jewel of the mythos.
Toy Story 2 is generally thought to be better than the original.
Even numbered Star Trek movies (which makes II better than I).
Sequels that are as good (or better) than the originals:
Godfather 2
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (better)
Aliens (better)
Empire Strikes Back
X-Men 2 (better)
Spider-Man 2
Blade 2 (better)
LotR: The Two Towers
LotR: Return of the King
Army of Darkness (better than Evil Dead 1 and 2)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (better than Temple of Doom, at least)
Desperado (better than El Mariachi)
It is? I only know of one or two people that prefer the original which when compared to the sequel was nothing more than a paint by numbers comic book movie. A good one, yes, but still rather pedestrian.
X2 was ten times better. At least.
Star Trek: Nemesis was ST:X and it was horrible so that theory’s now been shot.
TV Spin-offs are sequels of sorts so I will have to nominate all four of the Treks following the original which, to me, sucked. To be less controversial (I’m sure the purists would kill me for saying Voyager and Enterprise were better than TOS) though, I’ll just say TNG and DS9.
The Road Warrior (Mad Max 2)
I liked Babe 2: Pig in the City better than the original, but my brother disagrees.
Superman II is far and away the best of the Supes, and S II’s Zod stands among the top-notch movie villians. Warning, though. This movie may leave you craving a Marlboro, because of product placement.
*Sherlock Holmes’s Smarter Brother, * a Gene Wilder vehicle, is a pretty entertaining thing. It’s certainly better than the fing Basil-and-Nigel-foil-the-Nazis SH sequels.
Silence of the Lambs
Would *Patriot Games * and *Clear and Present Danger * count as sequals to Hunt for Red October? Both (actually all three) were great films.
Correct - Superman II might have sucked sans ZOD. But that performance clinched the film’s status as a classic. Terrance Stamp perhaps gave one of the best portrayals of a villan in all of film history.
Cool. Most people wouldn’t get that it was a sequel, and say Hannibal instead.
Bride of Frankenstein
Except the OP was looking for sequels that don’t suck.