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News & Current Events Mar 22, 2026 at 9:07 PM

Sequels you changed your mind about?

Posted by BradyTom1289

What are some movie sequels that come to mind you used to prefer to the original but now in hindsight, you realize aren’t as good as the first movie? Some examples that come to mind. Growing up I used to prefer (but now it’s the opposite). TMNT 2: Secret of the Ooze > TMNT (1990) LBT: Great Valley Adventure > Land Before Time The Dark Knight > Batman Begins Back to the Future 2 > Back to the Future MK: Annihilation > Mortal Kombat D2: Mighty Ducks > The Mighty Ducks Obviously this doesn’t mean the sequels are bad per se, I’ve just come to realize that the first movie was superior based on my own understanding and preference of the media.
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-Sinhealer- Mar 22, 2026 +12
I think I will go with Alien > Aliens. I did enjoy Alien when I was younger but when Aliens released I was maybe 14 years old and loved(and still do) the action and preferred Aliens to Alien back then, I much prefer the suspense and horror that Alien brings as I got older.
12
MadMads23 Mar 23, 2026 +1
Yeah, *Alien* is horror, while *Aliens* is action. What makes *Alien* work especially well as a horror is how intimate the setting is. It’s an enclosed space with barely anywhere to hide, yet the alien (xenomorph) always has a place to hide.
1
Fickle-Aardvark6907 Mar 24, 2026 +2
I'm actually the opposite. I think Aliens is a much better action movie than Alien is horror due entirely to the final act. The whole segment where Ripley tries to go back and turn off the self destruct is completely superfluous to the movie and does nothing beyond extending the runtime. Aliens on the other hand is airtight. Everything from beginning to end has a purpose and it works equally well in both the theatrical and director's cut. 
2
roto_disc Mar 23, 2026 +10
> MK: Annihilation > Mortal Kombat Not a single human being has ever thought this.
10
BradyTom1289 Mar 23, 2026 -2
I do like the soundtrack more for Annihilation 🤷‍♂️🤣🤦‍♂️
-2
LordTonto Mar 22, 2026 +13
The Dark Knight is better.... all the rest you were right to change your mind.
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BradyTom1289 Mar 22, 2026 +6
I like both, I just prefer the grittier BB aesthetic combined with the origin story. Both super rewatchable (compared to TDKR).
6
Big_Track_6734 Mar 22, 2026 +2
BB is the better Batman movie. DK is better film. 
2
Mysterious-End-2185 Mar 22, 2026 +7
Seeing Last Crusade in the theater is one of my earliest memories. But it’s no Raiders.
7
illarionds Mar 22, 2026 +5
Raiders might be a better movie - but TLC is definitely my favourite.
5
BradyTom1289 Mar 22, 2026 +2
Last Crusade is in a different category for me. It was always my favourite of the trilogy, so never really considered changing my opinion of it (though I do like Raiders more these days than when I was younger).
2
PippyHooligan Mar 22, 2026 +5
Maybe controversial, but The Road Warrior. The sequel is incredibly awesome and such a huge influence on every apocalyptic film/book/TV show that came after, but I find myself increasingly preferring the original. Mad Max is dour, slow at times and certainly rough around the edges, but the atmosphere is just as good as the first film, just in a different way. And for my money the opening chase is the best one out of the whole franchise (and one of the best in cinema full stop).
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Whitealroker1 Mar 22, 2026 +1
Dats not the goose!
1
FairFan4543 Mar 23, 2026 +3
Ghostbusters II was the one I liked better as a kid, but as an adult I prefer the first one.
3
m_Pony Mar 23, 2026 +1
I loved Ghostbusters too much for Ghostbusters 2 to stand a chance, by comparison. I didn't like 2 much when I first saw it, but it held up okay on a recent rewatch.
1
hellodynamite Mar 22, 2026 +9
Gremlins 2 is far superior to the first one
9
Educational-Ad-2884 Mar 23, 2026 +8
B**** you had me at "Gremlin vajayjay," it's in the movie!
8
FairFan4543 Mar 23, 2026 +4
It's tough for me because I love them both, but they're such different movies haha. The sequel is definitely more fun.
4
NuLL-VoiD3d Mar 22, 2026 +10
Lord of the Rings: Two Towers is not as good as The Fellowship of the Ring. I used to think it was better, but enough rewatches later (and the recent anniversary cinema release) have confirmed that Fellowship is the best of the 3.
10
ALaLaLa98 Mar 22, 2026 +4
I never much cared for the big battles in lotr. Fellowship always had this warmer, cozier vibe. That's why I also liked the first two (yes...two) Hobbit films.
4
[deleted] Mar 22, 2026 +2
I found as I grew up I started to like fellowship more. I saw the movies when I was young and more stabbing meant more fun. But the first is a perfect 10/10 (the other are 9.9/10)
2
illarionds Mar 22, 2026 +1
Fellowship is the best film, and based on the best book. Two towers is actually the lowest point, IMO.
1
SoggyCartographer639 Mar 23, 2026 +1
Two towers is the superior book to Fellowship but is the inferior movie. The battle of Helms Deep is still really good but I don't really enjoy the rest of the movie. It feels like a slog to get through.
1
illarionds Mar 23, 2026 +1
Each to their own, I guess. Fellowship is by far the better book in my opinion.
1
truckturner5164 Mar 22, 2026 +3
I used to love Rocky III and Elm Street III more than their originals. They're still my favourite sequels in their respective franchises, but let's just say I've regained my sanity.
3
TmF1979 Mar 23, 2026 +3
*The Terminator* is superior to *Judgment Day*. Yes, the sequel is iconic and more polished, but the original movie is perfection.
3
MolaMolaMania Mar 24, 2026 +2
Agreed! The original is smaller, more intimate and gritty. I think the prevalent film grain also lends it a hardscrabble vibe that really matches the situation in which the characters find themselves. T2 is a fantastic spectacle with some great acting, but it's got that high production value sheen that makes it feel a little less personal.
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bindersfull-ofwomen Mar 22, 2026 +2
Urban Legends Final Cut is not in anyways better than its predecessor but I like to read about filmmaking, and I understand it way more. It’s a horror film for film nerds.
2
PopularHat Mar 22, 2026 +3
I think a lot of children prefer Return of the Jedi because it has a green lightsaber and… well, mostly just that. But later realize the writing’s bad and that Empire is a far better film.
3
UrguthaForka Mar 22, 2026 +3
I'll go one further and say that I prefer the original Star Wars to Empire, even though I know that's an unpopular take.
3
ifinallyreallyreddit Mar 22, 2026 +4
The mature point of view is accepting that "writing" and "acting" were never meant to be the series' strengths, and Empire's narrative structure is surpassed by the propulsiveness of the first.
4
illarionds Mar 22, 2026 +3
RotJ is my favourite SW film, and has been ever since I saw it in the cinema (indeed, it was the first film I saw in the cinema). And it's definitely nothing to do with lightsaber colours!(?)
3
PopularHat Mar 22, 2026
Have you gone back and watched them recently?
0
illarionds Mar 22, 2026 +3
Yes, I watched some restored/"despecialised" versions of the OT just last year.
3
FX114 Mar 22, 2026 +2
I caught the recent theatrical re-release. It's fun and cool!
2
Hour-Emu-394 Mar 24, 2026 +1
The only issue with RotJ is replacing Shaw with Hayden at the end of the end. Makes no sense for his force ghost to have Vaders face, shaw was the hero of the galaxy.
1
MolaMolaMania Mar 24, 2026 +1
TESB will always be the best. Even as a 14 year-old, I didn't like the Ewoks or the softening of Han into basically comedy relief in ROTJ. Lucas' penchant to skew everything toward the kiddies is very apparent in ROTJ, especially since he'd parted way with Gary Kurtz, who had seen the appeal of the films beyond children and advocated for more mature content. The Prequels confirmed Lucas' desire for kiddiefication in the weirdest way possible.
1
arashi256 Mar 22, 2026 +1
Not a sequel so much as a reboot - Fright Night 2011. I adore the 1985 original, it's the perfect eighties horror movie to me, practical effects, cool music, some great shots, that excellent VHS cover art and it's all just perfect. So I was ready to hate the reboot right out of the gate and I did on first watch. But I watched it again a few years ago and it's actually really pretty good. Is it as good as the original? Hell no. Was I unfair in my original assessment of it on first watch? Yeah, I think so. The part where Jerry goes next door to borrow a case of beer but cannot cross the threshold and there's this intense quiet rage and you can't quite put your finger on what is wrong with this guy. That's a really good scene. Still prefer the original, but I'll watch the reboot if it pops up on streaming or whatever. The reboot sequel remains dreadful on rewatches. But I didn't think much of the original sequel either.
1
FairFan4543 Mar 23, 2026 +1
Agreed, the reboot is quite good.
1
shadow0wolf0 Mar 22, 2026 +1
As a little kid i liked Mulan 2 more than the original for some reason.
1
MumpsyDaisy Mar 23, 2026 +1
Gladiator 2 was a fun popcorn movie in the theater where you just enjoy it in the moment. Then afterwards every bit of critical thought I put towards it made me dislike it more.
1
Matmanreturns Mar 23, 2026 +1
Sister Act 2. As a kid I guess I related more to the high school kids, and dismissed the first one as being about a bunch of old ladies. But the overall plot of the first one is better and the dynamic between Whoopi and the nuns (particularly Maggie Smith) is really great.
1
FilmsHistoryAndChats Mar 23, 2026 +1
Of the top of my head for me it would be Ghostbusters 2, Return of the King (vs. Two Towers), and Dead or Alive 2: Birds
1
Pale_Possibility5083 Mar 22, 2026 +1
Sicario day of Soldado.  Initially as a Sicario sequel? Wasn’t happy. But later went back and realized it’s a bang up Cartel action movie with some incredible sequences, also one of my favorite abduction scenes from any film.
1
TonyWonderslostnut Mar 23, 2026 +1
It’s not bad if you just fast forward through every scene with the cartel boy.
1
Hellmann Mar 22, 2026 -6
Hard to take the list seriously because it has Mortal Kombat on it. The first one sucked so hard that I don’t bother to see the rest. That is the consensus.
-6
BradyTom1289 Mar 22, 2026 +5
Well this is an opportunity for you to share your list, which is the point of the discussion 😉
5
bobber66 Mar 22, 2026 -3
I’m with Hellman. Also Mutant Turtles is used toilet paper. all of them. Is the Op 12?
-3
BradyTom1289 Mar 22, 2026
You obviously missed the part where I said growing up these were sequels I preferred to originals. The point of the discussion is to share what sequels you’ve changed your mind about.
0
illarionds Mar 22, 2026 +1
The original MK movie is glorious (and has a killer soundtrack). It's unabashed cheese, obviously - but it understood the assignment perfectly. It's one of the best video game to movie adaptations ever, especially given how thin the "plot" of MK - or any fighting game - is. MK Annihilation was utterly forgettable tripe.
1
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