Novel to Film

I'm doing a module on Novels that have been adapted into film, and it's shite, but I've got to do an extended study on it, and I'm thinking about why sequels to films are so slack and unsuccessful (The Lost World to name but one) and sequels to books are often so well written (The Lost World, to name but one)

Can anyone think of a single film where the sequel was better? Apart from Aliens and possibly T2, that is.

The Godfather doesn't count because it's not a sequel, it's a continuation of the same story. Same for Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, anything like that.

Hmm, can't say I do...at the moment.. I'll have to pick the old brain to come up with something.

I was going to suggest Jaws 2 but realised it was shit.

Edit: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade better than Temple of Doom. Also Rocky II and Evil Dead 2 plus Army of Darkness.

Toy Story 2 comes to mind.

Others that I can think of are simply a matter of personal taste, and I'm sure people would disagree.

I must be the only person on earth who thought that 'The Lost World' was better than the first Jurassic Park flick.

Sometimes I feel like the film is way too overcriticized because audiences (and especially critics) seem to get tired of Steven Spielberg always making good movies.

Godfather wasn't originally intended as a trilogy. The first was successful, so they continued it. I would count that as a sequel.

I didn't think that The Lost World was a bad film by any stretch of the imagination, but I didn't think it was as good as the first one, nor was it an adaptation that did justice to the brilliance of the book.

Fair point about the Godfather not being intended as a triolgy but it still doesn't count I'm afraid.

Police Academy 2?

Not sure if it counts, but "The Wrath of Khan" is a hell of a lot better than the first "Star Trek" film.

In the same vein of course the cinema version of "Daleks: Invasion, Earth 2150 AD" is a hell of a lot better than "Doctor Who & The Daleks", but they're two of the very worst films in the history of cinema.

Aha, well a bad film that is surpassed in badness is always fun.

I can't wait to see if they're gonna try and pull the Star Wars franchise out of the shitter with the 3rd one!

X2 was good. also- I liked Star Trek 3 (I forget the real name) better than the wrath of kahn.

James Whale's classic - "The Bride Of Frankenstein" has always been (justifiably) reviewed as better than his original "Frankenstein" (both with Boris Karloff of course!).

Toy Story 2 and X2: X-Men United were both good. Also, I'm breaking the rules here, but I wanted to say something that hadn't been said. I thought the second Harry Potter movie was much better than the first. Wish I could say the same for the third - I don't trust that Cuaron guy.

"I can't wait to see if they're gonna try and pull the Star Wars franchise out of the shitter with the 3rd one!"

They'll try. Nobody deliberately sets out to make a bad film.

They will, of course, fail.

I guess it's all personal preference, but I think rocky 2 and 3 were better than the first one. I preferred american pie 3 to the first two and Airplane 2 was good, and the naked gun sequels...not exactly epic films, but still! not sure if you'd class the latest james bond movies as sequels, but they seem to live up to expectations. looking forward to shrek 2 coming out soon :) xxx

"They'll try. Nobody deliberately sets out to make a bad film.

They will, of course, fail."

Amen.