Opinions Battles
First I would like to thank everyone who took part in the first round, all the people who voted and the winner will be announced when Round 3 happens. I would also like to introduce the new players for this round.
If you like what we are doing and want to take part message [email protected] for more information and our next subject will be Best Disaster films to celebrate the release of San Andreas, submission date 31st May 2015.
The subject we are going to focus on is Best Sequel, over the years we have seen movie studios give us plenty of sequels, some move the stories to the next level, others try to extend a story that was complete, we do get the franchise sequels that just use the try and tested formula with a slightly added twist, some good some bad. We do off course get some flat out dreadful ones but that will be for another day.
Darren – Movie Reviews 101
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Everyone who knows me, knows I like a good zombie film and for me this is the king of the original zombie craze. It is a follow up to the shockingly brave ‘Night of the Living Dead’ see the ending to understand why. This time the action follows a small group of survivors as they take shelter inside a shopping mall from the zombie hordes. We get plenty of messages in this film about the commercialisation going through America at the time with all the shopping malls almost turning people into zombies who get drawn to one location for everything. We also see the genre enter into colour making every single kill all that gorier. Looking back we have brilliant practical effects with the zombie kills which do include a helicopter and one of the most graphic human kills which was one of the first that nearly made me throw up.
Kim – Tranquil Dreams
Fast Five (2011)
Fast Five may not be an epic movie and it didn’t win any Oscars but what it meant to the Fast and the Furious series was a turning point. It pulled off one of the greatest heists and the cast really developed and built to be the family that the Fast and the Furious fans now have grown to know with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker plus all their buddies. Not to mention that adding in a few memorable characters like Hobbs (played by Dwayne Johnson) helped push the series forward. It was never really serious but it was always a lot of fun and pushed it way above what the first movie probably would ever have imagined it would go. Fun, excitement, intensity, awesome cast: definitely one of my favourite sequels.
Emma
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
It’s my favourite Freddy movie and definitely a horror film I hold in high regard – it’s a lot of fun. There are loads of things I like about it. One of the main things is the group of kids, I like their friendship and the way they fight back against Freddy, they really unite and bond together. We find out how Freddy came to be (lunatic asylum gang rape – nice) and Nancy comes back too! There are some rather gruesome and creepy scenes in it – one of the most memorable that comes to mind is the puppet scene of course which is pretty gross. And I like the cast too – always been a fan of the delightful Patricia Arquette and Laurence Fishburne plays a handsome hip cat hospital orderly –what’s not to love?
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
The best sequel for me will always be The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the culmination of Peter Jackson’s original masterwork. As one of only three films to sweep 11 Academy Awards (and everything it was nominated for), it is without a doubt the greatest fantasy film ever, though I count the entire trilogy when I say that. It boasts some of the most epic battle sequences ever filmed, one of the most tear-jerking farewells, the greatest fight with a giant spider, and (say what you will about the false endings) a sense of satisfying completion that Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy and countless others just couldn’t muster. It should not only rank among the best sequels/threequels but the best films period.
James – Back to the Viewer
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003)
“We come to it, at last. The great battle of our time.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is without a doubt one of the greatest films of our time. Leaving Frodo and Sam in the hands of Smeagol on their quest to destroy the One Ring, Helm’s Deep in ruins and Saruman trapped in his high castle The Two Towers left the future of The Fellowship to be decided by The Return of the King, the final installment of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. As Frodo nears the fiery pits of Mount Doom, The Fellowship face Sauron’s hordes of warring evil as they near the city gates of Minis Tirith in the greatest battle of our time on the silver screen. In what will remain a Timeless Classic, sweeping up at the 2004 Academy Awards with 11 nominations and 11 wins, “Clever Hobbits,” The Return of the King is hands down a marvel of fantasy cinema, an emotional, action packed finale to the trilogy, and the best sequel since The Two Towers.
Rob – Movie Rob
Star Wars Episode Five: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
This is by far one of the best sequels every made and easily surpasses the original in every facet possible because it was able to build on the success of the original to create a more encompassing fantasy world for us to get immersed into. We are also given a story that acknowledges that it’s part of a grander story and that not everything needs to be tidied up by the end which makes us just want more from the series.
The fact that this movie has a darker tone in its theme than the original only adds to the genius of Lucas and gives us a movie that works in just about every aspect because of it.
Allie & Jenna – Flick Chicks
Toy Story 2 (1999)
Allie: This is a struggle! At first I thought we would have difficulty actually finding a good sequel, and then when we got chatting, we realised there were loads! Despite the aim of the game, we wanted to go for something a little different, and so we went with a sequel that warmed our hearts, and still makes us laugh all these years later. Toy Story 2! It’s my favourite out of the trilogy anyway, but it has everything a film needs, action, comedy, romance, drama, and who can forget the amazing songs?
Jenna: I am the first to admit that the second Toy Story isn’t the best one, but it is a brilliant sequel! I actually watched it for the first time in ages a few weeks ago and although it’s my least favourite of the Trilogy it’s still awesome, I laughed, I got misty eyed, I laughed again. The one-liners are brilliant and the hidden adult jokes never fail to put a smile on my face, the animation is spectacular and the story is so fast paced you can’t take your eyes off the screen for one moment.
Drew – Drew Movie Reviews
Aliens (1986)
Aliens is one of the best sequels because it honors the previous film (Alien) while telling its own story. Sequels have the difficult task of needing to stay close to the original to satisfy the fans, while also telling a new story without retreading the last story. This is why James Cameron’s Aliens works so well. It acknowledges Alien and the world it created, but expands on the mythos of the Xenomorphs and the universe they occupy. Hell, it’s even in a separate genre. Alien pretty much invented the sci-fi, stuck in space horror film, so why compete with yourself? Aliens goes the action film route, and does it well. And let’s not forget, it showed how much of a bad-ass Ripley can be.
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