Sequels better than the original

[Ockham's Spoon]

When I was a kid, I thought the Bond movies were great.  When showing some of them to my kids, it is clear that they have not aged well and are pretty cringe-worthy as social norms have evolved.  The Daniel Craig movies are the best of the lot from this perspective, if only because they were made with more modern sensibilities in mind.

 

I thought the 2015 Man from UNCLE was a pretty decent movie, but then I never saw the Man from UNCLE series on TV, so I didn't have anything to compare it with.

[slikmar]

15 hours ago, Michael Hopcroft said:

The whole movie is about loyalty -- Bond and Q both put friendship over orders

I thought that was one of the strongest parts of the Craig/Dench tandem also. At no point, though outwardly she might try to show it to politicians, did she ever really not trust James Bond, which is why Skyfall works so well.

[death tribble]

6 hours ago, Ockham's Spoon said:

When I was a kid, I thought the Bond movies were great.  When showing some of them to my kids, it is clear that they have not aged well and are pretty cringe-worthy as social norms have evolved.  The Daniel Craig movies are the best of the lot from this perspective, if only because they were made with more modern sensibilities in mind.

 

I thought the 2015 Man from UNCLE was a pretty decent movie, but then I never saw the Man from UNCLE series on TV, so I didn't have anything to compare it with.

The fight scenes still hold up especially Robert Shaw vs Sean in the train in From Russia With Love and the elevator fight in Diamond are Forever. Also the cold blooded way Sean kills Professor Dent in Dr No.

 

Occasionally the Man From Uncle films will come up on TV and they are worth seeing. I saw these first so I have the investment.

[Old Man]

Logan

 

Thor: Ragnarok

 

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (seriously, find this and watch it)

 

Fury Road

 

 

[death tribble]

Dawn is better than Rise.

 

I cannot comment on Ragnarok.

 

Logan and Fury Road I am ambivalent on.

Logan is a good film but as an X-Men film I find it lacking.

Fury Road is a good film but I do not think it is a sequel to the Mad Max films. Mad Max with Mel Gibson is a different beast to Fury Road. You can argue that it is a remake of Mad Max 2

[Bazza]

Star Trek First Contact over Generations, The Motion Picture, & Wrath of Khan

Captain America Civil War over The First Avenger & The Winter Soldier

Star Wars The Return of the Jedi over The Empire Strikes Back but not A New Hope

Lord of the Rings The Return of the King over The Fellowship of the Ring & The Two Towers. 

[Sundog]

I don't agree about First Contact being better than Wrath of Khan. It's probably the best TNG film, but I'd still count WoK the best Star Trek film so far.

And I actually count Empire over Jedi. The last half of Jedi is a masterclass in editing and pacing. The first third is a rollicking thrill ride. But they're effectively two separate films with little to do with each other connected by a bridging section that frankly, even with Frank Oz and Sir Alec Guiness doing their best, falls a little flat.

[Old Man]

I actually consider ESB and RotJ to be halves of the same film.  ESB is not self contained in any way.  It's like Infinity War and Endgame.

[Badger]

14 hours ago, Ockham's Spoon said:

When I was a kid, I thought the Bond movies were great.  When showing some of them to my kids, it is clear that they have not aged well and are pretty cringe-worthy as social norms have evolved.  The Daniel Craig movies are the best of the lot from this perspective, if only because they were made with more modern sensibilities in mind.

 

I thought the 2015 Man from UNCLE was a pretty decent movie, but then I never saw the Man from UNCLE series on TV, so I didn't have anything to compare it with.

I dont have too much trouble with old films(case by case though).  I go on in with understanding of cultural evolution and all that.

[Old Man]

2 hours ago, Badger said:

I dont have too much trouble with old films(case by case though).  I go on in with understanding of cultural evolution and all that.

 

My wife recently made it a point to have our sons sit with her to watch a cute little movie titled "Breakfast at Tiffany's", which is literally about two hookers and also features Mickey Rooney in yellowface.  I then had to have a discussion about old movies with them.

[Bazza]

3 hours ago, Old Man said:

I actually consider ESB and RotJ to be halves of the same film.  ESB is not self contained in any way.  It's like Infinity War and Endgame.

Agree.

 

Having watched Rogue One and Star Wars A New Hope, it seems the same -- two halves of one film.