Movie Glo-Ups: The Good Sequels
Occasions when more means worse: People on a packed train. Crying babies. Debt. Papercuts. Noses. (That would be weird, right? Nobody wants to be able to smell that much.)
Occasions when more means better: Food. Holidays. Money. These sequels.
We’ve got a list of sequels that actually are effing epic and give ‘sequel’ a good name.
In no particular order…
Aliens (1986)
Sequel to:
Alien (1979)
How is it a glo-up?
We’re pretty sure anything James Cameron touches automatically becomes better (… we’d pay good money for one of his forks). Nothing beats the tragedy and the action (and the emotional trauma) of the sequel. It packs a harder punch than the OG and we’re all for those vibes.
The Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
Sequel to:
The Terminator (1984)
How is it a glo-up?
He literally TOLD you he’d be back — he just didn’t tell you he’d be better than before. The stakes are higher and the characters are sassier. There’s loads of time travelling involved and we’re not totally sure about how it works… but that doesn’t matter, because the ending has us dying on the inside and we won’t ever recover. We’re not crying, that’s just sweat.
Magic Mike XXL (2015)
Sequel to:
Magic Mike (2012)
How is it a glo-up?
All the things you loved about shirtless Channi- we mean… all the things you loved about the first of the franchise continues in the sequel, but with even MORE shirtle-we mean… jokes. It’s way funnier, and actually has a lot more to say. Jada Pinkett Smith makes sure that everything missing from the first one is here and ready, and pretty damn perfect.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2015)
Sequel to:
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
How is it a glo-up?
How is it NOT? Sure, the first one fleshed everything out, focused on being true to who you are (#NerdPowah) and following your dreams, but the second one had marshmallows that licked each other. Burgers that wanted belly rubs. Strawberries that would die for you. 10,000,000 food puns.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Sequel to:
Batman Begins (2005)
How is it a glo-up?
Heath Ledger is taking acting, living, BREATHING, to new places in this one. Let’s be real, nobody would care about the first or third of this franchise if it wasn’t for how perfectly terrifying (and super quotable) the Joker was.
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Sequel to:
The Godfather (1972)
How is it a glo-up?
It’s not personal… it’s just business. Marlon Brando isn’t in this one which basically makes it worse, and if you’re not a mathematical genius the switches between years can get kind of wild, but the journey is Intense Squared and you’ll for sure be left shaking afterwards.
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Sequel to:
Friday the 13th (1980)
How is it a glo-up?
Being the first one where Jason is actually the killer, it’s incredible by default. If you thought it was gruesome and horrifying, just remember they had to make some huge cuts to even be allowed to screen. Yeah. We wanna see THAT version.
The Addams Family Values (1993)
Sequel to:
The Addams Family (1991)
How is it a glo-up?
Let’s be real, the main goal in life is to be as powerful as the Addams family. They’re weird in ALL the right ways. Y’know what makes this one extra special, tho? When they have a baby that’s different from them, they try to adapt and do what’s best for the kid. Stealing a guy from his family and essentially destroying any chance he has of happiness is forgivable… but… pastels?! #GothRoyalty
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Sequel to:
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
How is it a glo-up?
We want 12 hours of Sirius Black just being himself. This is where shit gets really magical and Malfoy gets less annoying. We’re at the point in the franchise where we can just enjoy the Harry Potter universe and it’s LIT.
Evil Dead II (1987)
Sequel to:
The Evil Dead (1981)
How is it a glo-up?
There’s no denying that The First One is more horrifying, but the sequel makes being evil fun and that’s what life is all about. Ash feels more like a real person in the sequel, and we’re loving the way the story moves forward. The sequel would be nothing without the original, but the sequel makes everything better.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Sequel to:
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
How is it a glo-up?
What’s better than a good movie? A good movie that improves when you watch it again. The original was obviously amazeballs when it comes to setting shit up, but even when you know what’s coming in the sequel, you’re glued. It goes into our pile of movies that distract us from our popcorn (which is a HUGE deal).
22 Jump Street (2014)
Sequel to:
21 Jump Street (2012)
How is it a glo-up?
If we hear someone try to mimic “My name’s Jeff” ONE MORE TIME… we’ll laugh just like we did the first time. It’s effin’ hilarious and seeing Channing Tatum be super whacky is exactly what this century needed. It cleared our skin and tidied our bedrooms.
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Sequel to:
The First One (2016)
How is it a glo-up?
We all know what to expect when it comes to a Deadpool movie: the unexpected. Basically, nobody thought the sequel could come anywhere near the magical experience of the OG, but things got taken to a whole new level. And it was #FLAWLESS.
Logan (2017)
Sequel to:
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
How is it a glo-up?
Let’s be real, even if you hate Marvel (which, y’know, you can’t sit with us) this is an actual masterpiece. If you didn’t cry, you weren’t paying attention. The other Wolverine movies just didn’t flesh everything out like this one.
P.S. The only thing we love more than seeing a Hugh-ge Jacked-Man being a good father to his surprise daughter (or trying to be???) it’s the surprise daughter being able to kick anyone’s ass twice. #GirlPower
