Sequels That Are Better Than the Original

Everyone knows the saying “nothing beats the original.” Now that may be true in most instances, especially in regards to sequel films, our CommRadio staff took their picks of sequels that they believe are superior to their predecessor.

“Cheaper by the Dozen 2”

“Cheaper by the Dozen” is a phenomenal stand-alone film, and two years later 20th Century Fox struck gold with “Cheaper by the Dozen 2.”

Is the combined Rotten Tomatoes score of both of these films 30? Yes, but you cannot believe everything you read on the internet.

The first film focuses on the Baker’s life with 12 children and how they navigate a move. An incredibly heartwarming film. With all the sappiness taken care of in the original film, the sequel is free to be uproariously funny.

The gang takes on the lake for one last time on Labor Day, and the Bakers compete in a Labor Day competition against their family nemesis, the Murtaughs.

This star-studded cast including Steve Martin, Hilary Duff, Bonnie Hunt, Eugene Levy, and Taylor Lautner, serve jokes for all ages. This film is truly one that ages with you.

“Cheaper by the Dozen 2” is an incredibly quotable movie that shaped the lives of cultured 20-year-olds. The original set this movie up to meet all expectations and be more memorable than the original. -Savannah Swartz

“Deadpool 2”

Yes, it’s an unpopular opinion, I’m aware.

But “Deadpool 2” has everything: action, emotion, great characters and it’s hilarious. This film takes what was established in the original story and continues to build. We experienced the dread of the first film and watched Wade as he found the strength to triumph in the face of adversity.

The second film puts a different spin on the same idea. In the first film, Wade is met with physical stress, while in the second installment, Wade is met with emotional stress. We as an audience are also hit with a blow early in the film, and we battle back to victory with our protagonist.

The story also features a more interesting villain in Josh Brolin’s Cable. Cable falls into the category of villains in which a part of you struggles not to root for. Josh Brolin gives an emotional performance as well as the rest of the cast. Ryan Reynolds delivers a staple comedic performance as usual that sometimes can fall short and be unrelenting. But that was a problem in the first film as well, so nothing new here.

Both “Deadpool 1” and “Deadpool 2” are fun and exciting watches that are good for a few rewatches as well, but the sequel features a more interesting ensemble of characters and better action. -Sketch Morton

“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is incredible front to back — both on the page and on screen. Yet, when it comes to the films, Peter Jackson did his best work with "The Two Towers."

The battle sequence at Helm’s Deep is the highlight of an all-around great film, but across the board, Jackson nails just about every additional aspect.

Audiences are left feeling that practically every character matters, thus helping viewers stay invested for the entire 179-minute run time.

While there are many great actors in this film, Andy Serkis especially deserves recognition for his motion capture work as Gollum.

As great as the other two films are, "The Two Towers" is the glue that holds the series together -Joe Tuman

“The Dark Knight”

Unlike some of the other choices that will occur on this list, it is not because the first film being so terrible made the sequel better, but the sequel is arguably one of the greatest films of all time.

“Batman Begins” is an above-average film and an excellent introduction to the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, but “The Dark Knight” is arguably the greatest comic book movie of all time.

Heath Ledger's iconic and award-winning performance as the Joker is the clear highlight of the film.

Parlaying that alongside the stellar action set pieces, the fantastic secondary plotlines of the downfall of Harvey Dent and the death of Rachel combine to make “The Dark Knight” a follow-up film that is much better than the original.- Ben Palillo

Savannah Swartz is a third-year majoring in communications. To contact her, email sms9072@psu.edu.

Sketch Morton is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email Sam7539@psu.edu.

Joe Tuman is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email joentuman@gmail.com.

Ben Palillo is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email bgp5079@psu.edu.