What Is A Perfect Movie Sequel?

There have been a lot of good movie sequels, and a few great movie sequels, but how many are perfect sequels?  In order to make a list, I have decided to set some rules for what constitutes a perfect sequel.  This is my list, and your opinion may differ.

1. A perfect sequel must be a "true" sequel.  This means that it cannot be a prequel, a midquel, or a remake of an existing sequel.  Otherwise, what's the point of categorizing something as a perfect sequel?  Furthermore, it must not contradict the canon of the previous movie.  "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace" doesn't count, because it's a prequel.  "The Godfather Part 2" doesn't count, because it's a mostly-prequel.  "Return to Oz" doesn't count, because it's an adaptation of a sequel to a book.  "Xanadu" doesn't count because it's a remake of a sequel to a movie unrelated to the remake.  "Son of Frankenstein" doesn't count, because it retcons major elements of the original film.

2. A perfect sequel must be the SECOND movie in the series.  There can be any number of high-quality movies which are part of an established franchise, but it takes a special talent to make a great sequel to an otherwise standalone movie.  Watching a perfect sequel should not require having seen any previous material other than the first movie.  This eliminates movies such as "Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock," "Son of Frankenstein," and "Rocky 3."  This also means that a perfect sequel cannot combine multiple storylines, being a sequel to more than one movie, such as "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman," "Freddy vs Jason," or "Alien vs Predator."

3. A perfect sequel cannot be one story split into two parts.  The defining characteristic of any sequel is that it's a sequel, that is, a continuation of a story that otherwise would have been a complete story.  If a writer creates a script that is too long, and the studio instructs the writer to split the story into two or more parts, then the second part cannot be considered a true sequel.  "Superman" and "Superman 2," "Underworld" and "Underworld: Evolution," "Kill Bill Vol. 1" and "Kill Bill Vol. 2," and the "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy, were all written as a single story prior to being filmed and released as multiple parts, and therefore, do not qualify as perfect sequels.

4. A perfect sequel cannot end in a cliffhanger.  Any person should be able to watch parts one and two, and have seen a complete story.  A sequel cannot be a perfect sequel if the resolution to the story arc requires watching part three.  This eliminates most mid-trilogy movies such as "Back to the Future Part 2," "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," "The Matrix: Reloaded," "Spider-Man 2," and the afore-mentioned "Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers."

5. A perfect sequel must be of equal or greater quality to the original.  This almost goes without saying, but it the sequel is a bad movie, then it cannot be a perfect sequel.  Some examples of bad movie sequels include "Son of the Mask," "Highlander 2: The Quickening," "Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time," and "Troll 2."

6. A perfect sequel must complete a story thread left unresolved in the first movie.  This is probably the most difficult criteria to meet, and eliminates most sequels.  For example, "U.S. Marshalls," "Clear and Present Danger," "Addams Family Values," "Wayne's World 2," and "Dracula's Daughter" are all perfectly good sequels, but none of them continues a single story arc through both movies.  Ideally, with a perfect sequel, watching parts one and two back-to-back should feel like a single story split into two parts, even though it was not originally written with that intent.

Given this list of criteria, here are the movies that qualify as PERFECT MOVIE SEQUELS:

* Aliens

* Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

* Bride of Frankenstein

* Frozen 2

* Hellraiser 2

* Rocky 2

* Terminator 2: Judgement Day