--- description: The Godfather: Part II — one of just two sequels ever to win the Oscar for Best Picture — turns 40 on Dec. 20. Here, we take a look at other sequels that were surprisingly great title: Movie Sequels That Were Better Than the Originals image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5c8c4137e7dab11f/69876ff455a8596036a84e4a/movie-sequels-02.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 13 Sequels That Were Almost As Good As (Or Better Than) the Originals by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 20, 2014 2:00 PM CUT  Toy Story 2 In Pixar's 1999 follow-up to Toy Story, Woody, a cowboy doll voiced by Tom Hanks, is stolen – and his ragtag crew of fellow toy friends vow to get him home safely. Toy Story 2 In Pixar's 1999 follow-up to Toy Story, Woody, a cowboy doll voiced by Tom Hanks, is stolen – and his ragtag crew of fellow toy friends vow to get him home safely.Pixar/Disney by [Samantha Grossman](/author/samantha-grossman/) ## Samantha Grossman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 20, 2014 2:00 PM CUT  The Godfather: Part II The Godfather Part II starred Al Pacino as mobster Michael Corleone and Robert De Niro as his father, Vito, in the 1974 Oscar-winning sequel to The Godfather. Paramount  Toy Story 2 In Pixar's 1999 follow-up to Toy Story, Woody, a cowboy doll voiced by Tom Hanks, is stolen – and his ragtag crew of fellow toy friends vow to get him home safely. Pixar/Disney  The Dark Knight In Christopher Nolan’s 2008 sequel to Batman Begins, Christian Bale returns as Batman, this time joined by Heath Ledger as the ultra-creepy villain known as The Joker. Warner Bros.  Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey In the 1991 follow-up to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, the titular slackers (played by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter) return with a new and even more excellent adventure. Orion  Terminator 2: Judgment Day In the second, more elaborate installment of the Terminator action movie franchise, Arnold Schwarzenegger is back as the Terminator, who must take on a newer, more advanced cyborg. Tristar  Aliens In James Cameron's sequel to the 1979 film Alien, Sigourney weaver returns as Lt. Ellen Ripley, who takes on even more extraterrestrials — this time, backed by a team of space marines. 20th Century Fox  Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back In the second installment of the Star Wars franchise, released in 1980, the Galactic Empire, led by Darth Vader, pursues Luke Skywalker and the rest of the Rebel Alliance. Lucasfilm/Disney  Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' New Line Cinema  D2: The Mighty Ducks The 1994 sequel to the original Mighty Ducks, the ragtag team of young hockey players – the Ducks – are reunited by Coach Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez.) Disney  Back to the Future Part III In 1990, the final installment of the Back to the Future trilogy brought Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) back to the big screen for one last time-travelling adventure. Universal  Superman II Christopher Reeve returns as Superman in this 1980 sequel, as he continues to battle villains and fall deeper in love with reporter Lois Lane. Warner Bros.  Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan In the second Star Trek film, released in 1982, Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) returns to take on his old nemesis Khan Noonien Singh. Paramount  Home Alone 2: Lost in New York This 1992 sequel once again follows youngster Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) as he faces off against two criminals — but instead of his home in suburban Chicago, this time he's in the Big Apple. 20th Century Fox ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3640880/13-sequels-that-were-almost-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-originals/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3640880/13-sequels-that-were-almost-as-good-as-or-better-than-the-originals/"},"headline":"13 Sequels That Were Almost As Good As (Or Better Than) the Originals","datePublished":"2014-12-20T14:00:13.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:06:34.838Z","description":"The Godfather: Part II — one of just two sequels ever to win the Oscar for Best Picture — turns 40 on Dec. 20. 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