Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (1985)

[7] Mel Gibson returns as the iconic Mad Max, joined by Tina Turner in a fun, villainous role. But the third film in the series is also the weakest, first signaled by the PG-13 rating, a ridiculous attempt to make a hard-edged…
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

[5] This belated sequel gets by, for the most part, on good will and fond memories of the previous three installments. It's light on memorable action scenes and heavy on silliness (the CGI mokeys and gophers are really, really hard to shake).…
City of the Living Dead (1980)

City of the Living Dead (1980)

[4] A priest's suicide triggers a zombie apocalypse in this loose sequel to Zombie (aka, Zombie 2), both directed by Lucio Fulci. The story here is silly and the movie takes a lot of detours. The dead priest opening the gates of…
2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)

2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)

[4] Peter Hyams (Capricorn One, The Relic) tackles Arthur C. Clarke's sequel novel. It is, of course, a fool's errand to follow so closely in the footsteps of Stanley Kubrick and his revolutionary and revered 2001: A Space Odyssey, but for whatever…
Along Came a Spider (2001)

Along Came a Spider (2001)

[6] Morgan Freeman reprises the role of Detective Alex Cross (which he began in Kiss the Girls) for this slightly superior sequel involving the kidnapping of a senator's daughter for ransom. At first, I was excited to see that Michael Wincott (The…
Magic Mike XXL (2015)

Magic Mike XXL (2015)

[8] Steven Soderbergh turns the directing reigns over to Gregory Jacobs for this sequel to Magic Mike, but stays involved as director of photography and editor (under pseudonyms). The sequel turns out to be superior because its infinitely more fun and far…
The Final Destination (2009)

The Final Destination (2009)

[5] If you saw the three that came before it, you know exactly what to expect from The Final Destination, and you'll get nothing more -- perhaps a bit less. It follows the same plot as the other movies -- a kid…
Ghostbusters II (1989)

Ghostbusters II (1989)

[5] The gang is back for another outing, five years after the enormous success of the first Ghostbusters. But its a mediocre follow-up at best. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Rick Moranis, Annie Potts, and director Ivan…
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

[9] In this sequel from director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In), the virus introduced in the previous film has obliterated more than 99% of the human population worldwide. In San Francisco, there is a small colony of humans focused on repairing…
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

[6] Another installment in the Marvel movie franchise is never going to excite me. But if you want to be distracted for a while, Captain America: The Winter Soldier isn't bad. The plot centers around conspiracy, betrayal, and assassination -- far more…