Anyone is welcome to submit a Guest Blog Entry to torontomike.com. I received the following submission earlier today.
Excellent movie sequels are indeed a very rare breed. I personally agree with your list and have a couple more to add:
Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back - Many people, like myself, prefer this edgier, darker tale over the almost equally fantastic, Star Wars: A New Hope.
X-2 - This excellent action series has the potentional to continue its winning streak. This was probably the best action movie of the summer.
Aliens - Another close call because I enjoyed Alien very much. I'm simply a bigger fan of the way Cameron directs his action sequences.
Star Trek TNG: First Contact - I know this entry makes Mike cringe, but this tale of Man versus Borg is superior to the tamer Star Trek: Generations.
Mike, you're right about sequels. Just think about how many sequels were released this year. With the low quality, it's no wonder why box office figures declined. Hopefully, the public has spoken against lazy Hollywood script writing.
Steve
Steve, I don't entirely disagree with you putting "The Empire Strikes Back" ahead of "Star Wars". My preference for Star Wars has more to do with the memories I have of watching it over and over and over again as a wee lad. I haven't seen "X2" yet, although I might get to it this weekend as it's sitting in my living room at this very moment. "Aliens" is another good choice but I'll refrain from commenting on "First Contact" because I haven't seen it or any other Star Trek TNG flick.
If anyone wants to add to our list of sequels that were better than the original, Guest Blog away.