Living up to the original is never an easy task. Think of the numerous sequels that have fallen flat on their faces, from Caddyshack II to Speed 2 to Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalow. Capturing the magic of the first iteration is nearly impossible because whether it be greed — it’s mostly greed — lack of imagination, or lack of preparation, the sequel almost always attempts to solely be a generic rip-off of the original.
Only a few have possessed the foresight and creativity to stand on their own. Movies such as The Godfather Part II, The Empire Strikes Back, and Terminator 2: Judgement Day, all possess enough originality, passion, and purpose to live up to — if not surpass — their predecessors.