The Austin Powers movies are DUMB. They are crass, low-brow, and stupid. They are also hilarious. The second and third installments are funnier than the first. They hone what works in the first movie and make the same jokes even funnier the second and third time around. They're like "hey, if you didn't think this was funny the first time, here it is again but way more to the extreme." Somehow this formula works. Dr. Evil and Mini-Me singing "Just the Two of Us" and "Hard Knock Life" are what comedy movies are all about.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Yes, this one is extremely obvious. The upgrade in special effects and story is readily apparent. T2 has some of the best action scenes of all time. The bike chase, the assault on Cyberdyne, and the final chase with the liquid nitrogen truck are all insanely good.
Aliens
Alien is undoubtedly a classic, and a great example of how good sci-fi horror can be. But Aliens gets the slight edge in my mind. It's still just as scary, but with more action and is more emotionally engaging. Plus Aliens has Bill Paxton ("Game over man! Game over!").
Wayne's World 2
I include this one even though I'm not sure it's actually better than the original. They're both pretty much the same in terms of quality. "When did you become a nutbar?" is one of the most underrated lines of any movie. It also has this:
The Empire Strikes Back
This one is obvious as well. Star Wars is great and generation defining, but it pales in comparison to Empire. This one has so many legendary scenes that people lose sight of its significance. Empire is darker, has better dialogue, and Darth Vader gets way more screen time. Plus it has maybe the greatest line in the history of film:
Leia: I love you.
Han Solo: I know.
Yeah. Han Solo is that cool.
Toy Story 3
All the Toy Story films are great, but 3 is the best one. Ken is one of my favorite characters from all the movies, voiced by Michael Keaton. There's some cool stuff about growing up and moving on in life, something that every adult can relate to. It's also totally hilarious!
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Bourne trilogy is an extremely significant movie franchise in the mid 2000's. This series almost single-handedly re-booted the Bond franchise. Its popularity pushed 007 into a more gritty and realistic style. Plus they set the standard for action-spy movies from then on, and Matt Damon became a mega-star. Ultimatum is the best and probably most remembered movie in the series. I knew a lot of people who saw this one without seeing the first two. It's pure action from start to finish, and it is done extremely well. Jason Bourne's fight involving a book is copied yearly. The "shaky-cam" style in this one and Supremacy was kind of "the thing" for a while in the mid 2000's. Everything from Cloverfield to The Shield used this technique to make the action on screen seem more real. Ultimatum is the best of the three because it has the best action, the best one liners from Damon ("If you were in your office right now we'd be having this conversation face-to-face"), and an extremely satisfying ending.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The first two Harry Potters are kind of bad. They're OK in the sense that they brought the magic of Rowling's books to life, but mostly they're painful to watch. The kids are really young and not very good at acting. Plus they both play out in almost the exact same way (Having Gryffindor winning the House Cup to end both movies? Really?). The third installment is leaps and bounds ahead of the first two. At the helm is a very skilled director, Alfonso Cuaron, and it really shows. The kids are much better at acting, and the pacing is much better. The final 20 minutes are the perfect way to play out the book on film. I think I like Azkaban as much as any of the Potter movies, save for both installments of Deathly Hallows.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
The Mission Impossible franchise is somewhat of a strange animal. Based off of an old TV show, the first one came out in 1996, and was more story heavy. MI2 came out 4 years later, and with action super director John Woo behind the camera, the franchise took a turn for the worse (think slow motion doves and motorbike chicken). JJ Abrams, in his directorial debut, resurrected Ethan Hunt in 2006 and made the best film yet. But Ghost Protocol is the best of the 4. The scene on the world's tallest building in Dubai alone push it over the edge. Cruise acts like Tom Cruise, which is a really good thing, and Jeremy Renner is probably the best supporting role the series has seen.
Are there any I left out or any that you disagree with? Leave a comment!
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