Science fiction is one of the most successful movie genres of all time, boasting many of Hollywood’s most iconic films. Films like Star Wars, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and Alien — all highly regarded by cinephiles as classics of the highest magnitude. So it should be no surprise that many of the best sequels ever made also happen to be sci-fi. Sequels that expand the scope of their predecessors and explore worlds only hinted at in the originals. Follow-ups that flesh out the lore of the first movie while adding to it in new and meaningful ways.
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We’ve put together a list of what we consider the greatest sci-fi sequels ever captured on film. Some of these sequels take the original and flip it on its head. Some stick to an already established formula but do it bigger and better than the previous film. But one thing all these sequels share is a commitment to telling an incredible story rooted in science fiction. Without further ado, here are the 10 best sci-fi movie sequels, ranked.
10) Back to the Future Part II (1989)
No sequel on this list has benefited from the passage of time more than Back to the Future Part II — appropriate considering the subject matter. Today, the second Back to the Future is regarded by fans as a worthy follow-up to Doc and Marty’s first adventure, with some going as far as preferring it to the original. Those of us old enough to remember when the movie came out, however, remember just how disappointed fans were with what was then seen as an overstuffed, confusing, jumbled-up mess of a story.
Thankfully, as time passed, audiences began to see Back to the Future Part II for what it really was: an ambitious time-travel epic with a dense narrative that rewards viewers for paying attention — and hoverboards.
9) Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes may have resurrected the dormant Planet of the Apes series, but it was Dawn of the Planet of the Apes that took that franchise and elevated it to the level of a Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. Years before Matt Reeves redefined the Caped Crusader with The Batman, he cemented ape leader Caesar’s place in the pantheon of great sci-fi protagonists.
With Caesar, Reeves and actor Andy Serkis took what could have been just another generic CGI puppet and turned it into a living, breathing protagonist. Thanks to Serkis’s uncanny ability to bring digital characters to life, you can actually feel the weight on Caesar’s shoulders as he attempts to keep an uneasy peace between humans and apes.
8) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
If James Gunn uses his films as an expensive form of therapy, like some fans have speculated, then Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the director working his way through some serious daddy issues. While GOTG Vol. 2 is still wrapped in the same explosive action and CGI hustle and bustle that defines most Marvel movies, at its core, it’s a film about fathers and sons.
In this phenomenal sequel, Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill is forced to choose between his biological father, Ego, a godlike being who seeded the universe with his DNA in an attempt to create the perfect heir, and his surrogate dad, Yondu, whose gruff exterior and heart of gold molded Quill into the man he is today. If you’ve never cried at the end of a Marvel movie, this is the perfect place to start.
7) The Road Warrior (1981)
It was hard choosing between The Road Warrior and Mad Max: Fury Road. Both are extraordinary feats of filmmaking that represent the very best of dystopian sci-fi. But at the end of the day, even if The Road Warrior isn’t the better film, it’s definitely the better sequel. While the Mad Max franchise is set up with very little connective tissue to allow viewers to take each installment on its own merits, Road Warrior — more than any of the other Mad Max films — is most effective when viewed after its predecessor.
The original Mad Max ends with Mel Gibson’s Max Rockatansky driven over the edge and forced to become just as unforgiving as the post-apocalyptic desert he inhabits to survive. The Road Warrior lets us know that everyone else followed Max off the deep end. The first movie presents a society that’s just starting to unravel, but by the time The Road Warrior picks up, it’s become a fully fleshed-out dystopian wasteland. If you’ve ever wondered where Fallout got its aesthetic, this is the movie for you.
6) Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
When Star Trek first made the leap from TV to the big screen it was perhaps too faithful to the source material. Star Trek: The Motion Picture was expensive, moved at a snail’s pace, and, thanks to a cerebral sci-fi plot devoid of any action, boring as hell. As a result, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was given a mandate to be faster paced, cheaper, and more exciting. It excelled at all three.
Made for only $11 million — a fraction of its predecessor’s budget of $45 million — Wrath of Khan grossed nearly 10 times that. Bolstered by career-high performances from William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and Ricardo Montalban, Star Trek II is the pinnacle of the franchise’s theatrical outings.
5) Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Beautiful visuals and thought-provoking themes collide in Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve’s epic sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 cult classic. One of two Villeneuve joints on this list, Blade Runner 2049 is a Hollywood anomaly: a film with a tentpole budget and indie sensibilities. Instead of giving Warner Bros. the sci-fi blockbuster they hoped for, Villeneuve created a neo-noir mystery that continues the original’s exploration of identity and what it means to be human.
Blade Runner 2049 is the rare legacy sequel that doesn’t retread old ground for cheap nostalgia, but instead takes the world established by its predecessor and redefines it in new and intriguing ways.
4) Aliens (1986)
It’s a film lovers’ debate as old as time: which movie is better, Alien or Aliens? The question is a bit disingenuous because comparing the two movies is like comparing apples to oranges. They’re both sci-fi classics, but one is a bleak, late ’70s horror movie and the other is an ’80s action extravaganza. When it came time to make a sequel to Alien, James Cameron made a smart move. Instead of simply rehashing Alien, he took Aliens in a completely different direction without sacrificing the cool techno-organic aesthetic that made the first movie so unique.
The result is a thrilling roller coaster ride of a film that laid out the blueprint for practically every space-themed first-person shooter in existence.
3) Dune: Part Two (2024)
Dune: Part One was a cinematic triumph. A beloved sci-fi novel with two prior adaptations was finally done right by the king of thoughtful science fiction epics. Continuing where the first film ended, Dune: Part Two follows an exiled Paul Atreides as he rises among the ranks of the Fremen people, becoming a messianic figure in the process.
With Dune: Part Two, Denis Villeneuve upped his game, delivering a sequel that was somehow even more visually stunning than the already breathtaking Part One. With the achievement, he cemented himself as one of the most talented directors working today.
2) Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
James Cameron took a different approach to the sequel to 1984’s The Terminator than he did with Aliens. Instead of taking the story in a new direction, Terminator 2: Judgement Day is basically a remake of the first Terminator with more explosions and bigger guns.
While that may sound like a dig at Cameron, it’s not. If anything, it’s a testament to his keen filmmaking instincts. The director knew that the formula he laid out in The Terminator was solid, but with a few tweaks, it could be even better. The result is one of the best sequels — sci-fi or otherwise — ever made.
1) Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Let’s be honest. The only way Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back wouldn’t be at the top of this list is if we were trying to intentionally rage-bait our readers. Without hyperbole, The Empire Strikes Back is the reason that Star Wars is still popular today. Star Wars: A New Hope could have easily been a fluke, a one-off blockbuster like Jaws, followed by a string of inferior sequels.
Instead, The Empire Strikes Back took everything good about its predecessor and expanded upon it. Luke, Leia, and Han gained a new level of depth, while The Battle of Hoth proved that Industrial Light & Magic could work its special effects magic just as well planetside as it did in the far reaches of space. New characters like Lando Calrissian and Boba Fett added a shade of grey to the previous film’s black and white universe, while Yoda was brought in to better define the Force.
The Empire Strikes Back cemented Star Wars as a legitimate franchise and helped make it one of the most successful IPs ever.
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Image courtesy of Netflix
