9 Movie Sequels Critics Rated Lower Than the Original Films

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A sequel has an odd job. It has to feel familiar enough to satisfy fans and new enough to justify existing. Plenty of follow-ups manage it, though critics have often decided that the first film did it better.

The nine films below span several decades, from a 1978 shark thriller to a 2024 musical psychological drama. The comparisons rely on Rotten Tomatoes critic scores, which shift slightly over time, so the figures are described in approximate terms.

The Godfather Part III

The Godfather Part III (Image Credits: Flickr)
The Godfather Part III (Image Credits: Flickr)

The original Godfather from 1972 sits among the most admired films ever made, and its critic approval is close to universal. Part III arrived in 1990 and landed with a far more mixed reception, with approval somewhere around two thirds. That’s decent by most standards, yet it’s a steep drop from its predecessors.

Critics often pointed to a looser story and to the casting of Sofia Coppola in a central role. The film still earned several Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Francis Ford Coppola later released a re-edited cut in 2020, which he titled The Godfather Coda, in an effort to reframe it.

Jaws 2

Jaws 2 (Image Credits: Unsplash)
Jaws 2 (Image Credits: Unsplash)

Steven Spielberg’s Jaws from 1975 is widely credited with creating the modern summer blockbuster. Its critic score is in the high nineties. Jaws 2, released in 1978, sits at a little over half positive, which marks one of the larger gaps on this list.

Reviewers generally found it competent but…

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Author : Matthias Binder

Publish date : 2026-10-07 05:18:00

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