35 Sequels That Are Better Than the Original Movie

Crafting a good sequel can be daunting. The filmmaker must top the previous movie or in some cases redeem a flagging franchise. Often screenwriters fall back on rehashing old plot points, and studios assume "bigger is better" when it comes to budget and effects.

And yet some of the greatest films ever made are sequels: Movies like The Dark Knight, The Godfather Part II, Toy Story 3, The Empire Strikes Back and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly consistently appear on all-time best lists.