There are movie sagas where the first film in the series was great, but the sequels actually topped that first one. Some loyalists will say it's the first one that's the best, but deep down inside, we all know what follows topped that original movie. Here are 12 examples of sequels that blew the first one out of the water.

1. Back to the Future Part II (1989)

Back to the Future Part II reunites Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown (Christopher Lloyd) as they travel from the year 1985 to 2015 in Doc's Delorean time machine.

Unfortunately, McFly's nemesis Biff Tannen (Thomas F. Wilson), steals the DeLorean and uses it to alter history for his benefit. So the duo must return to 1955 to restore the timeline.

2. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Several moviegoers nominated Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 2. Two years after the events of Spider-Man, Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) struggles to stop Dr. Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina) from destruction.

Unfortunately, Octavious performs a dangerous experiment that kills his wife and leaves him neurologically fused to mechanical tentacles that control him.

3. The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight is the second installment in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. It’s often revered as the best Batman film ever.

It follows the vigilante Batman (Christian Bale), police lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman), and district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) allying to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City.

However, their efforts are thwarted by the intervention of the legendary Joker (Heath Ledger), an anarchistic mastermind who wants to watch the world burn and tests how far Batman will go to save Gotham from complete chaos.

4. The Godfather Part II (1974)

The Godfather Part II is an epic crime drama that centers around the Corleone family and their “Olive oil” business. Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) protects the family business as the new Don after an assassination attempt.

The prequel demonstrates his father Vito Corleone's (Robert De Niro) journey, Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro), from his Sicilian childhood to the founding of his family enterprise in New York City.

5. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day sees a return of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a Terminator. Only this time, he's programmed to protect a young John Connor (Edward Furlong) from Skynet's upgraded Terminator model (Robert Patrick).

John is the future leader of the human resistance and the son of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton). It's an action-packed chase from start to finish.

6. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Top Gun: Maverick is the 37-year sequel to the legendary Top Gun (1986). Tom Cruise reprises his Pete Mitchell / Maverick role. However, this time he's the Top Gun instructor charged with training the best of the best for an impossible mission.

Conflict ensues due to one of the students being Goose's (Anthony Edwards) son, LT Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller).

Goose is the deceased father, best friend, and Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) for Maverick in the original film.

7. Shrek 2 (2004)

Shrek 2 follows Shrek (Mike Myers) and Donkey (Eddie Murphy)as they team up with the swashbuckling cat named Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas).

They work to foil plans Fiona's (Cameron Diaz) Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) has made to destroy Shrek and Fiona's marriage.

8. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier follows Captain America (Steve Rogers) as he joins forces with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie).

They work together to uncover a conspiracy within the espionage agency S.H.I.E.L.D. while facing a mysterious assassin known as the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan).

9. Addams Family Values (1993)

Addams Family Values follows a “Black Widow” serial killer, Debbie Jellinsk (Joan Cusack), who marries Uncle Fester Addams (Christopher Lloyd) to murder him for his inheritance.

She pretends to be a nanny to get into the home and sends Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) Addams to summer camp to keep them out of her way.

The camp is an overly cheerful kumbaya experience until Wednesday, and Pugsley leads a revolution. Raul Julia reprises hiss Gomez Addams role, as does Anjelica Huston as Morticia Addams.

10. Aliens (1986)

Aliens is the second film in the Alien movie franchise. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is the sole survivor of an alien attack on her ship.

She loses communication with the human colony on the moon, where her crew first encountered the aliens. Ripley agrees to return to the site accompanied by a troop of Colonial Marines to investigate.

11. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

In the second part of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, our favorite group of reformed criminals are helping out across the universe, stopping crime from happening. But when Peter (Chris Pratt) learns that his dad (Kurt Russel) is part god and they finally meet, he actually learns a lot more about himself and his past. 

Fans love this movie due to the depth of the characters we already love and of course, the great soundtrack for the film. 

12. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1986)

When Star Wars fans talk about their favorite movie in the saga, it might not be The Empire Strikes Back. But when they talk about the best movie made in the franchise, most will agree this movie stands out. Some of the most iconic Star Wars scenes happen in this film, including meeting Lando Calrissian, Han and Leia's kiss, and Luke and Vader's fight scene.