TOP TEN: MOVIE SEQUELS

1. The Godfather Part 2
Although lacking the titanic presence of Marlon Brando and some of its predecessor's more iconic sequences, Godfather Part II is a more subtle, rounded and, dare I say it, intelligent film than Part 1 and more than deserving of its place in the record books as the first of only two sequels to win Best Picture (brownie points for those who can tell us the second).

2. Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade
After the unusually dark and violent Temple of Doom, Steven Spielberg returned to the action/adventure template of Raiders of the Lost Ark and threw in a dash of knockabout comedy in the shape of Sean Connery as Indy’s dad. The result is just a Karen Allen away from beating Raiders.

3. Empire Strikes Back
Empire only at three? You better believe it, because while not entirely destructive, it’s very difficult indeed to reconcile the whiny, poorly developed Anakin we see at the end of Episode III with the brutish, Han Solo-torturing bastard we see here. Still one of the touchstone of pop culture, it’d probably be higher were it not for Jar Jar and co.

4. Dawn of the Dead
A rare example of a sequel which not only betters the original, but changes the formula altogether. While Night of the Living Dead is creepily dark, Dawn is gaudily bright, with Romero replacing the urgency of his genre-defining classic with the bored apathy of this film’s protagonists to form a superb comment on consumer culture as well a crackingly gory midnight movie.

5. Spider-Man 2
If the first Spider-Man film was a respectful introduction to the characters which rarely allowed Sam Raimi to break free, its sequel finds the director in full, hyper-kinetic mood hurling the camera from pillar to post and filming some superb set-pieces to boot (the train chase is a doozy). Throw in some nice character development and the best use of Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head since Butch and Sundance and you have a superb set-up for this summer’s Spider-Man 3.

6. Aliens
James Cameron’s finest film by some distance, Aliens is the only time the director has convincingly matched up emotional content with his great talent for action. It helps that he already had great groundwork in the shape of Alien (still the better of the two), but here Cameron evolves the character of Ripley whilst also creating a few memorable ones of his own. Titanic would have improved immeasurably had Hudson been roaming about on board.

7. Gremlins 2: The New Batch
Another example of a film which, while not bettering its predecessor, evolves its mythos. While Gremlins was a wonderfully sadistic inversion of films like It’s A Wonderful Life, The New Batch features Joe Dante making a live action Chuck Jones cartoon, complete with cameos from Daffy and Bugs and a third act New York, New York sing-along. Not sure how a film as barmy as this ever got made, but we’re glad it did.

8. Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn
One of the few examples of a horror-comedy which manages to balance out its competing genres well, Sam Raimi’s manic follow-up to The Evil Dead features Bruce Campbell at his hyperactive best, some truly ridiculous camerawork and a newly-severed possessed hand being trapped in a bucket weighed down by a copy of A Farewell to Arms. Who needs sophistication, eh?

9. Back to the Future Part II
Unfairly criticised for being overly complicated, the second film in Robert Zemeckis’ time-travel trilogy is only slightly inferior to the first thanks to another winning turn from Michael J Fox and enough paradoxes to give even Stephen Hawking a headache. Oh and it‘s got hover boards as well. Lots of hover boards.

10. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
Notorious sexploitation guru Russ Meyer wrote this follow up to Valley of the Dolls with critic Roger Ebert and the result is a uproarious satire of 60s celebrity. Worth seeing for it’s violently manic finale alone.