Take 2: When second is best

The Godfather Part II

Longer, bolder, better even than its brilliant original, Francis Ford Coppola's second foray into the world of the New York Mafia struck at the dark heart of America in the 1970s. Corruption and cynicism had pricked the bubble of national optimism with the national tragedies of Watergate and Vietnam. Godfather II not only captured the mood of the time perfectly but revelled in the exquisitely shot picture it painted of a society rotten to the core. No Marlon Brando this time, though Al Pacino, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton returned alongside new boy Robert De Niro, who was rewarded with an Oscar, one of six, including - like the original - best picture. The action pre-dates The Godfather, returning to Vito Corleone's early life in Sicily and turn of the century New York. The cinematography is as lavish as an old master and the scenes of the snowbound West remain some of the most astonishing in movie history. Pacino superbly captures the moral descent of the youngest son Michael from idealistic soldier to ruthless killer. An epic parable of decay.

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

The second serving of George Lucas's rollicking space adventure reunited Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia for more intergalactic high jinx. Retained the same sense of fun and romance as the original though with a darker and slightly more sophisticated plot. Among the explosions and special effects, one critic even spotted "mythic and neo-Sophoclean overtones" as Luke teamed up with Yoda to undergo Jedi training to try to loosen Darth Vader's iron grip on the galaxy. Picked up a host of awards, including an Oscar and a Bafta for best original music, by John Williams. Despite grossing more than £500m at the box office, failed to surpass the phenomenal success of the original, although it remains far and away the best of the prequels and sequels. Confusingly, it is number five in the series.

Aliens

James Cameron replaced Ridley Scott in the director's chair for this highly acclaimed sequel, and Sigourney Weaver, as the only surviving member of the original doomed crew, was nominated for an Academy Award. Weaver's character, Ripley, who had spent the past half century in cryogenic suspension with her cat, finds herself sent back to the scene where her rust-bucket spaceship, Nostromo, picked up the marauding alien parasite of the 1979 original. In the intervening years, the company established a colony on the frozen planet but contact has been lost. Ripley acts as adviser to a team of space marines in a slick, hi-tech battle to the death. The third film in the series Alien 3 also starred Weaver but was roundly condemned by the critics.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Peter Jackson's second instalment in the three-part adaptation of JRR Tolkein's epic history of Middle Earth won two Oscars and took nearly a billion dollars at the box office - easily surpassing the first one and becoming the fifth biggest money maker in movie history. The final instalment, The Return of the King, was even more of a money-spinner and won 11 Oscars. In The Two Towers, Frodo the hobbit and his faithful servant Sam are forced to carry on alone their terrifying journey to Mordor where they must destroy the "one ring" in the fires of Mount Doom. As the armies gather for the apocalyptic final showdown, the two chums are stalked by the ring's former owner, Gollum, desperate to recapture his lost "precious". Peter Jackson's great success, apart from the brilliantly imagined characters and sets, and awe-inspiring battle scenes, was to create a trilogy that won over both diehard lovers of the book as well as creating millions of new fans around the world.

French Connection II

Gene Hackman won an Oscar for his portrayal of Popeye Doyle - a hard-baked New York-Irish cop modelled on real-life police officer Eddie Egan. It was one of four Oscars scooped by the 1971 original crime thriller, including best picture. Expectations were understandably high when, four years later, director John Frankenheimer transported Doyle from the crime-infested streets of the Big Apple to the equally seedy environs of Marseilles on the hunt for evil heroin dealer Alain Charnier, played by Fernando Ray. This time, there was no room for Roy Schneider, nominated for an Oscar for his role in the first movie. Frankenheimer, however, employed the same semi-documentary style used to such great effect by the original director William Friedkin. The centrepiece of the film is an extended sequence in which Doyle is kidnapped by the drug gang and forcibly injected with heroin. After an agonising cold turkey, Doyle goes after his captors with little regard for who got hurt. Some critics baulked at the violence of the language, the lack of plot and the film's apparent amoral message. But its reputation has improved with time and is now regarded as a classic of its genre with a strong cast and some memorable flashes of humour - particularly in Doyle's rocky relationship with the gendarmes.

Terminator II: Judgement Day

Director James Cameron's second helping of Terminator, saw android Arnold Schwarzenegger return from the future to rescue a mother and child from the clutches of a shape-morphing robot. When it was made in 1991, it was the most expensive film ever produced, breaking the $100m barrier for the first time. It handsomely repaid the producer's investment, grossing more than $500m at the box office and becoming the most borrowed rental video of all time. T2 was hailed not just for its special effects but for its imagination and wit, leaving audiences drained from the tension of Schwarzenegger's mission. It picked up two technical Oscars and turned Arnie - now the Governor of California - into an international megastar as well as spawning the catchphrase "Hasta la vista, baby".

Wayne's World 2

Mike Myers' 1992 original was a spin-off from the cult television show Saturday Night Live. It proved a surprise box office hit - appealing to a young, white, male audience with its blend of childish humour, catchphrases and rock music. Buoyed by success, Paramount rushed out the sequel just 12 months later under the tagline "You'll laugh again, you'll cry again, you'll hurl again". This time Wayne and Garth are joined by a host of big stars in small roles among them Kim Basinger, Drew Barrymore, Charlton Heston, Sammy Davis Jnr and the rock band Aerosmith. The plot revolves around a dream in which Myers is told to organise the ultimate rock concert - Waynestock. It's the same format as the first time round, though this time the script is funnier. The critics didn't want to like it, but many joined in the fun. Variety described it as "a puerile, misguided and loathsome effort ... NOT!"

Toy Story 2

The toys are back, with Tom Hanks once again lending his voice to Sheriff Woody in this sequel which seamlessly pulls off the trick of appealing to parents and children alike. The animators, Pixar, were credited with creating a film that is better than the original. Left to while away the summer months when their owner is sent away to camp, Woody, now a rare and valuable toy, is stolen by an unscrupulous toy collector. Buzz Lightyear and his chums swing into action to recover the old cowpoke before he ends up in a glass case in a museum. Nominated for an Oscar, Toy Story 2 won a Golden Globe for best comedy and picked up a Grammy for Randy Newman's sound track.

Before Sunset

Richard Linklater got round to the sequel to his acclaimed Before Sunrise after nine years. Fans of the first film had been left asking what became of the two lovers who had vowed to meet up again after getting it together on a train from Budapest to Vienna. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy return to discuss the intervening years during a journey through Paris that ends up in her flat. Set in real time on a single day, and partly improvised, Linklater allows the characters slowly to reveal their lives, troubled relationships and children and explain why they never honoured the promise to meet up earlier. The central message of the film - to seize the day and grasp true love when it arises - takes the audience on a moving trip through the psyche in a compelling tale of what might have been and what could still be.

Kill Bill Volume II

Not technically a sequel, Quentin Tarantino shot six hours worth of Kill Bill and released it in two blood-soaked volumes. Volume I divided opinion among Tarantino devotees; some loved its trademark violence and humour, others found it boring and disappointing. Volume II was more warmly received and was nominated for a Golden Globe. Uma Thurman's character, Beatrix Kiddo, continues to hunt down and avenge the murderers of her husband and what she thinks is her unborn child. She employs a variety of outlandish techniques in her quest to slay the eponymous Bill, her former lover, who hired the killers to strike on her wedding day. One of her assailants is dispatched using a martial arts move that bursts his heart, another dies from a snakebite. She also gouges out Darryl Hannah's eye during a samurai sword fight. Brutal.

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