Summary

• Some movie sequels have divided fans, despite being worthy of better appreciation.
• Whether because they were overshadowed by the original or simply didn't land on release, they deserve more.
• Predators, The Wolverine and Halloween Ends are all great examples...

Sometimes, if a movie franchise includes some of the best movies of all time, it's easy to overlook some perfectly decent sequels in the same series that aren't quite as good. That's a shame because it results in some good work from actors and directors getting swept under the carpet and underappreciated. It's happened in pretty much every genre imaginable.

Countless franchises have criminally overlooked follow-ups, from superior horror movie sequels and sci-fi to superhero movies and comedies. It's time to stop only giving time to the best installments in franchises and giving their inferior-but-still-watchable sequels more of a chance. It's an excellent way to increase movie knowledge and get a better overall feel of the film industry. Limiting viewing to only the brilliant ones is a shallow way to spend free time.

10 Halloween Ends (2022)

Wrongly Dismissed As A Poor Ending To The Saga

Halloween Ends brought the Halloween franchise to a close in 2022, 44 years after the original film. It's divisive, as it focuses less on the iconic killer, Michael Myers, and more on a young man, Corey Cunningham, whom Michael's influence has turned into a murderer. Many people felt it meant Michael went out with a whimper when they wanted him to go out with a bang, but that's a harsh view.

Evil has always been the primary theme of the Halloween franchise, and Halloween Ends is an intelligent movie that perfectly conveys that. It deserves another chance because, in time, it will undoubtedly be viewed more favorably.

9 The Wolverine (2013)

It's No Logan, But The Wolverine Is A Good Movie

2017's Logan is easily the best movie in the Wolverine trilogy - it's one of the finest superhero movies ever made - so it's easy to forget that the installment that came before it was an excellent film. Based on Chris Claremont and Frank Miller's 1982 Wolverine limited series, it follows the eponymous mutant to Japan, where he's stripped of his healing powers and forced to battle an old foe who possesses a powerful suit of armor.

The Wolverine is irably faithful to its source material and deserves attention. It boasts an eye-catching setting, has some fantastic action, and convincingly conveys a dark and intriguing existential crisis for the muscular, metal-clawed mutant.

8 Predators (2010)

Arguably The Best Concept In The Franchise

Much praise was rightfully given to the recent installment Prey, but when most people think of their favorite movies in the Predator franchise, their thought process takes them back to the first two films. That's incredibly harsh on 2010's brilliant Predators, which gets tragically overlooked.

Its concept is arguably the best in the franchise, as it follows an abducted group of proficient killers on a Predator game reserve planet, where they're forced to fight to survive against two warring tribes of Yautjas. Its cast, which includes Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Walton Goggins, Laurence Fishburne, Mahershala Ali, and Danny Trejo, is the franchise's finest, and it deserves more love.

7 Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

The Second Gremlins Outing Is An Intelligent Satire

Gremlins is an iconic Christmas comedy horror movie about a young man who receives a cute pet as a gift, inadvertently spawning nasty little creatures who invade a small town on Christmas Eve. It's a brilliant, scary, funny film, and many people expected something similar from the sequel. However, it didn't deliver, swapping the thrills of its predecessor for satire and meta self-reference.

Upon its release, such an unexpected deviation was disappointing, but Gremlins 2: The New Batch should now be more appreciated. It's a wickedly intelligent film with gags aplenty and all the anarchy and chaos of its predecessor. It's lots of fun and well worth giving time to.

6 Return To Oz (1985)

A Dark Take On L. Frank Baum's Oz Novels

1939's The Wizard of Oz is a fantastic movie and one of the finest from Hollywood's Golden Age. It's a musical delight perfect for children, so its unofficial homage sequel surprised many people. Arriving 46 years after its predecessor, Return to Oz is a much darker (and more faithful) take on L. Frank Baum's source material.

It follows Dorothy Gale back to Oz, where she finds it's been conquered by the evil Nome King. The evil ruler's henchmen, the Wheelers, are genuinely terrifying and would make adequate horror antagonists, and that darker aspect puts many people off the film. That's a shame, as it deserves more attention.

5 Scream 4 (2011)

Significantly Better Than Its Predecessor

Scream 4 doesn't get bad press - most of the franchise's criticism is reserved for Scream 3 - but given that the first two installments are seen as the franchise's best, and the newer movies are hogging all the current attention, it just seems to fade into the background.

That's a shame because Scream 4 is an excellent slasher with great kills, brilliant meta-humor, and a superb cast. Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette all return, and they're ed by the likes of Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Anthony Anderson, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, and Rory Culkin. That's an incredible mix of talent worthy of anyone's attention.

4 Psycho II (1983)

Possibly Perkins' Best Performance As Norman Bates

Given how iconic the original Psycho is, it's easy to ignore the sequels completely. However, they're both decent movies that can stand independently and Psycho II, in particular, warrants a second look. Despite undeniably being an inferior film to its predecessor, it's arguably Anthony Perkins' best performance as Norman Bates.

It's set 22 years after Psycho when Bates is deemed fit for release from a psychiatric institution, but his past begins to haunt him again, and the bodies pile up. Psycho II is darkly funny, intelligent, and an original story with entirely different merits from the first movie, and it shouldn't be ignored.

3 Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines (2003)

Not As Good As The First Two, But Better Than All The Others

When people think of the best Terminator movies, they generally think of the first two installments in the franchise. Contrarily, the harshest criticism is primarily reserved for the fourth and fifth films, 2009's Terminator Salvation and 2015's Terminator Genisys. Therefore, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines gets shamefully overlooked when it's a stellar addition to the franchise.

Yes, it made the cheap choice of making the Terminator a sexualized character, but it's action-packed, funny, and thoroughly entertaining, with outstanding special effects. Its core cast of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes, and Kristanna Loken do a great job and deserve more praise for their efforts.

2 The Exorcist III (1990)

Every Bit As Scary As The Original

The Exorcist III wisely ignores the events of the abysmal Exorcist II: The Heretic and follows a character from the original movie, Lieutenant William F. Kinderman, as he investigates a spate of demonic murders in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., that bear the hallmarks of the deceased serial killer the Gemini.

George C. Scott takes over the role of Kinderman from Lee J. Cobb and is ed by a stellar cast, including Ed Flanders, Jason Miller, Scott Wilson, and Brad Dourif. It's brilliant, with scariness rivaling The Exorcist's. When choosing which Exorcist movies to watch, by all means, watch the first, but skip the second and jump to this criminally overlooked sequel too.

1 Superman Returns (2006)

One Of The Finest Homage Sequels Ever Made

Many people forget that 2006's Superman Returns is a homage sequel to 1978's Superman and 1980's Superman II. Those aware of that often view it as vastly inferior to them, with Brandon Routh seen as a pale imitation of Christopher Reeve. Granted, those movies are hard to top, and Reeve is iconic as the Man of Steel, but Superman Returns is a fabulous superhero movie, with Routh outstanding in the eponymous role.

That so many people dismiss it is lamentable. Its core cast of Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden, and Frank Langella is fabulous. It's an emotionally complex, well-acted, nice-looking movie with humor, romance, action, and more.