Frozen 2: Will it rank in best or worst movie sequels of all time?
Movie-loving kids are the real magic in deciding the fate of this follow-up to one of the most successful movies of all time.
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In just four days, small children across Australia are going to lose their minds when Frozen 2 hits cinemas. You might think that when it came to the story of Elsa, Anna, Olaf and the rest they could have just Let It Go — but given its phenomenal success at the box office, music charts and merchandising outlets that was never going to happen.
But will the follow-up to the extraordinary hit of 2013 leave them screaming for more, or just screaming with disappointment?
Sequels are usually mildly disappointing but reasonably entertaining but for every one that rises above the pack to be better than the originals there are those that are so horrific they actually destroy your fond memory of the first movie. So what will Frozen 2 be? Well, children and parents might have different views of it but we won’t know for sure until Thursday.
In the meanwhile, here are the best and worst sequels of all time, so go ahead and fit Frozen 2 in to the list of your choice.
And make sure to tell us if we’ve left your choice off our lists.
THE BEST
1 ALIENS
The first film was ahead of its time, with shocks and scares aplenty. The second was simply perfect. From Ripley’s PTSD from her encounter in the first film, to her raw courage, her stepping up to be the hero and then taking on the Alien Queen to defend the little girl Newt ... wow. Just when you think this movie can’t get any better, it takes it to another level.
Watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
2 GODFATHER II
A truly brilliant movie but arguably not actually a sequel as it is the second half of the book by Mario Puzo, the extra story they couldn’t fit into the first film, so it is more of a companion piece. If the original was all about Marlon Brando, the second was about Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. How Pacino didn’t win Best Actor in 1975 is ridiculous.
Watch it on: Stan
3 THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
If Star Wars was a phenomenon, TESB turned the series into pop culture legend. Darker and more fascinating than the original, it blew audiences away. Luke’s confrontation with his father Darth Vader and the cliffhanger ending was truly brilliant.
Watch it on: YouTube, Google Play, Disney+
4 MAD MAX 2: THE ROAD WARRIOR
The original was a gritty, low-budget Australian classic. The sequel turned Mel Gibson into a superstar and was a work of brilliance. The costumes, the characters, the story, the massive twist at the end ... it was pedal-to-the-metal from the start and clearly the best of the series.
Watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
5 STAR TREK 2: WRATH OF KHAN
The first Star Trek film was a bizarre mess. The second got down to business with a brilliant foe in Khan (Ricardo Montalban), fantastic space battles and a stunning finish that brings a tear to even the most Vulcan of eyes as Spock sacrifices himself to save his mates.
Watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
6 SPIDER-MAN 2
This is the Tobey Maguire trilogy, not to be confused with the other 716 Spider-Mans swinging around. In this one he tackles his doubts and Doc Ock (Alfred Molina), who was by far the best of the baddies Maguire’s version took on. A high point yet to be bettered by this character.
Watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
7 THE DARK KNIGHT
Batman Begins was a very good Batman but this movie belonged to Heath Ledger’s Joker. He was simply mesmerising as he tore Gotham City — and Bruce Wayne’s life — apart. The action, the twists, the ending ... no wonder Ledger won the Oscar for that role.
Watch it on: Netflix
8 CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER
The first Captain America was a solid origin story. This one took the rules of the Marvel world and tore them apart, exposing SHIELD as a monstrous lie and forcing “Cap” to examine everything he held dear. The action was brilliant but the plot was better.
Watch it on: Stan, Disney+
9 X-MEN 2
Hugh Jackman saved the first movie, which was a bit of a plodder. The second ramps up the action and the twists, with Magneto helping and then betraying the heroes and, again, a pivotal sacrifice to end the story. Jackman is great again but this time he has help.
Watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
10 SUPERMAN II
The first movie was good but the second was great. Superman gives up his powers to start a relationship with Lois Lane, only for General Zod and two other Kryptonian criminals show up on Earth to take over the planet. If you’re going to kick arse, you need a great pair of red boots, so Superman has to suit up again.
Watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
THE WORST
1 SPEED 2: CRUISE CONTROL
Keanu Reeves wisely didn’t come back for this sequel, which took everything that was great about the first movie and threw it overboard. Replacing the bus with a boat the plot conveniently ignored about six ways they could have slowed it down. The best part about it was ... well, probably Willem Dafoe having a bath in leeches.
D on’t watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
2 HIGHLANDER 2: THE QUICKENING
The original was a clever, action-packed movie, even if it featured a Scotsman (Sean Connery) as a Spaniard and a Frenchman (Christopher Lambert) as a Scotsman. The second brought back Connery from the dead for no apparent reason and then descended into ridiculousness. Off with its head!
Don’t watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
3 THOR: DARK WORLD
The first Thor was a lovely mix of humour, action and great characters. The second was a muddle. It had some good parts — and you need to watch it to understand a couple of sequences in Avengers Endgame — but it was a slog. It’s like being hit you on the head with a hammer for two hours — fun only when it stops.
Don’t watch it on: Stan, Disney+
4 GREASE 2
The original was one of the most loved musicals of the 1970s and is still immensely popular today. The second ... had Michelle Pfeiffer in it. It was the same plot, only reversed, with crappier songs and dance routines and none of the charisma of Olivia Newton-John or John Travolta. You could call it a Movie School Dropout.
Don’t watch it on: Stan
5 CADDYSHACK II
The original was a naughty, cheeky hit. The sequel decided to make itself family-friendly and was more unpopular than the infamous floating chocolate log that featured in the first film. It holds a truly unimpressive four per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Even the gopher from the first movie hated it.
Don’t watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
6 WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S 2
The original was a surprise hit, with a couple of slackers trying to pretend their murdered boss was still alive. The sequel was a hideous, oozing zombie. Literally. Bernie’s corpse was dug up by voodoo priests and ... well, I might as well stop there.
Don’t watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
7 BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE 2
Audiences could find something funny about Martin Lawrence in a fat suit, pretending to be a woman to catch a bank robber in the first movie. But that exhausted all the jokes. Undeterred, Lawrence suited up again for this sequel that was cheesier than a fat suit on a hot day. The only thing worse than this was the fact he came for a third Big Momma movie. Jenny Craig should have sent in a team of fat commandos to take out this woeful effort.
Don’t watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
8 EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC
Four years after she was freed from a demon, the now-teenage Regan fears it is back again. Who can save her this time? Well, someone might save Regan but nothing could save this sequel, which was like a tidal wave of green vomit compared to the first.
Don’t watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
9 THE FLY II
The original was a horrifying clever film starring Jeff Goldblum. The sequel was a stinker so bad that it attracted thousands of flies by itself. Goldblum’s mutant son begins to descend into fly-dom ... I can’t go on. Somebody pass me the Mortein ...
Don’t watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
10 MANNEQUIN 2: ON THE MOVE
This movie redefines wooden, where the inanimate mannequins are actually far better than the actors. Although, sadly, being connected to this pile of tripe ruined their hopes of a career doing anything other than modelling clothes. The first was a fun rom-com hit in the 1980s, set in a department store with Kim Cattrall as the mannequin. By contrast, the sequel was more of a $2 shop effort.
Don’t watch it on: YouTube, Google Play
