While comic book adaptations are perhaps the most dominant genre in cinemas today, the true heroes shouldn’t be overlooked. We are, of course, referring to the normal men and women who take centre stage in good, old-fashioned action movies!
Now, an argument could be made that superheroes also fit into that category because, at their core, those too are action movies (a point we think you’ll agree with after reading through this post).
Regardless, as many great action movies as there are out there, how many great action movie sequels can you actually remember? Well, those are what we’re taking a look at today as we delve into the follow-ups which are not only great but arguably out-action their already impressive predecessors…
The Equalizer 2
Like Liam Neeson before him, Denzel Washington landed an iconic action role a little later in his career than most actors but it’s fair to say it was worth the wait.
As fun as it was in the first chapter to see Robert McCall use all manner of everyday items to take out armed thugs (which made us wonder whether it would be worth picking up a few night shifts in our local supermarket to practice doing the same), the sequel is a little more personal and that makes the edge of your seat action matter that little bit more.
Seeing just how cool, calm, and collected McCall is helps make this sequel particularly memorable and his quest to help Miles delivers a lot of intense and unforgettable moments which won’t soon be forgotten.
Picking out just one action scene isn’t easy but that fight on the train is simply epic.
Win your copy of The Equalizer 2 & merch right here.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Captain America: The First Avenger was a fine movie but it was when the Russo Brothers took over that the action was really taken to a whole new level.
The fact this was something new became apparent during the sequel’s opening sequence as Steve Rogers raced across a ship taking names and kicking ass before coming to blows with the villainous Batroc. No longer was he a goody two shoes; this was a Captain America who was a bona fide badass MF!
Throw in incredible sequences like Steve’s hand to hand knife fight with Bucky and it’s easy enough to see why the Russo Brothers ended up being appointed the heads of the MCU right through to next year’s Avengers 4.
Die Hard With A Vengeance
Is Die Hard a Christma-you know what? Let’s not go there. Instead, we need to talk about the sequel, Die Hard With A Vengeance.
Now, this was obviously a threequel rather than a sequel but it was almost certainly better than Die Hard 2 and gives the first instalment a run for its money depending on who you speak to.
Giving the franchise it’s mojo back, Die Hard With A Vengeance is gloriously over the top and full of edge of your seat action sequences which rank among the series’ best.
It’s just a shame that it was all downhill from here…
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
The Terminator is an awesome movie and all but there’s a good reason why Judgement Day is widely considered not only the best Terminator movie but quite possibly one of the greatest action movies of all-time.
Changing the dynamic of the first instalment by making Arnie’s T-800 a good guy, the T-1000 was enough to give anyone nightmares as he was an even more relentless force of nature than the original Terminator. In terms of sheer action, though, it doesn’t get better than that jaw-dropping viaduct chase sequence.
These days, that would have been brought to life with visual effects but this entirely practical action scene was shot entirely in camera and is all the better for it. They don’t make them like this these days.
Spider-Man 2
Another superhero sequel, Spider-Man 2 not only set a benchmark for the genre but just so happens to feature some of the best action scenes you’ll find in a comic book adaptation (even all these years later).
It’s hard to know where to start because any of the wall-crawler’s battles with the sinister Doctor Octopus are surely worth a mention but the battle on the train is probably the most memorable – and iconic – sequence from Sam Raimi’s sequel.
Exciting and expertly shot, this fight told a story and had a wonderful climax which does a lot to show what makes Spider-Man so special.
Spider-Man 3 dropped the ball in a big way after this one but it says a lot that not even Spider-Man: Homecoming was able to top the incredible action we enjoyed back in 2014.
Fast Five
While this was admittedly the fifth instalment in the franchise, there’s no getting around the fact that this (and the movies which followed) feel like a sequel of sorts to the four that came before.
With over the top action and an entirely different tone – mostly thanks to the inclusion of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson – Fast Five took what had previously just been a racing franchise and transformed it into an action series which would end up breaking box office records.
It’s hard to think of another action scene out there quite as impressive as seeing two cars leading an entire vault through a city and this set the stage for many, many more equally insane moments.
