Creating a sequel that is better than the original, especially when the original is already a top-rated film, is no doubt a difficult task. Sometimes the goal is simply to keep a franchise relevant, while other times they aim to  revive a fading franchise (hint: Star Wars).

Sometimes screenwriters fall back on old plots and reuse them with some twist. Other times studios bet on visual and sound effects to lure moviegoers into theaters.

Of course, sometimes, filmmakers get it right, making top-rated sequels. 24/7 Tempo has identified the 25 best sequels of all time based on critic and audience ratings on the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes.

Some of the best sequels ever made are also among the greatest films ever made – “The Dark Knight,” “The Godfather: Part II,” and each of the Toy Story sequels are such examples. Sequels that are better than the original build on what fans already know and love about the characters.

Most of the movies on this list of sequels are science fiction. All but a few are action-packed flicks. But there is another genre of film Hollywood does well — biopics. Here are the 50 best movies made about real people. 

Click here to see 25 sequels that are much better than the original movie

To determine the best and worst movie sequels, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on several measures from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes. The index is a composite of the movies’ IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score. All ratings were weighted equally. Only films with at least 20,000 reviews on IMDb and 2,000 audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were considered. Data was collected mid-March 2021. Supplemental data on domestic box office and production budgets by movie came from industry data site the Numbers.