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15: French Connection II

Even though the real-life case that inspired the movie had no sequel, moviegoers wanted more of Popeye Doyle. French Connection II was a completely fictitious follow-up using most of the same characters. It’s worth looking the movie up just to see unlikely athlete Gene Hackman run. And run. And run.

14: Back to the Future II

Often described as being ‘darker’ and ‘more complicated’ than the original, still marvellous, Back to the Future movie, Back to The Future II delivered as many laughs as its predecessor while offering a plausible and self-consistent set of laws for time travel that make many ‘serious’ sci-fi films look a trifle sloppy. It also spawned a line of training shoes that were so desirable there was still a market for them when they eventually turned up in shops last year.

13: Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn

The Evil Dead was a superior take on the generic ‘Teens in Cabin’ genre that spawned Friday The 13th and countless imitators. Evil Dead II used the events of the first film as a springboard to a loopy, unpredictable, downright evil world where anything can and probably will happen. Packed with insane scenes that defy rational description it made a cult hero of Bruce Campbell and set Sam Raimi on the path that would lead him to Spider-Man. And, of course, Spider-Man II.

12: Superman II

Giving the big blue boy scout some villains who are actually in his league, as opposed to Gene Hackman’s clownish take on Lex Luthor, immediately elevates Superman II above the first movie. More wisecracks and a little less screaming from Margot Kidder, and the gleeful destruction of the Daily Planet newsroom and Oval Office ensure that despite its troubled origins - Dick Lester replaced original director Richard Donner after a substantial amount of the film had been shot - Superman II remains the best Superman movie ever.

11: After The Thin Man

Not quite the first sequel (politically incorrect silent saga Birth of a Nation was followed in 1916 by The Fall of a Nation) but the second instalment of probably the first movie franchise. After the Thin Man revisited tipsy wisecracking sleuths Nick and Nora Charles as they tried to solve another mystery, deal with a seemingly endless cavalcade of colourful supporting characters and care for officially the best dog in motion pictures. Nick and Nora’s near-constant bickering stand in contrast to the captivating five minute search scene where not a word is spoken. For that, and for the little surprise at the end, After the Thin Man belongs on any list of great sequels.

10: From Russia with Love

Still thought by many Bond fans to be the finest entry in the super-spy’s canon, From Russia with Love introduced many of the themes that we now consider essential Bond movie elements. The stirring John Barry score and action-packed pre-title sequence are now Bond staples. And what other 007 offers an antagonist like Rosa Klebb? With a name drawn from the popular Soviet phrase for women's rights and those wonderful shoes, she was the ultimate feminist villain.

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