Usually, movie sequels like to pick up right where the original films left off, in order to continue the narrative, and maintain the momentum. However, plenty of sequels prefer to let a significant amount of time pass before jumpstarting their stories. This can be a good thing, as it helps shake up the formula and prevent it from becoming stale.
The change in time between original films and their sequels can also open up a lot of opportunities for new characters to join the mix, as well as new story elements. They retain the overall spirit of the original films, while going in a much different direction than anything glimpsed before.
By the time 1991 had rolled around, James Cameron felt technology had evolved to the point where he could bring his ambitious Terminator sequel to life. The result was T2: Judgment Day, one of the most iconic sequels of all time, which redefined visual effects and sci-fi storytelling.
The film picks up several years after the original, with a young John Connor finding himself targeted for termination by the supercomputer AI known as SkyNet. With the help of his mother Sarah and a reprogrammed T-800, the trio must stay one step ahead of a highly advanced prototype out to take John out.
Of all the sequels that take place years after the original, Aliens undoubtedly takes the cake. James Cameron took over from original director Ridley Scott, and created a sequel that felt identical to Scott's first film. It was also one of the most high-octane action/horror flicks ever made.
Aliens begins 57 years after Ellen Ripley launched an escape shuttle on a homeward bound course for Earth. She awakens from hyper-sleep to learn that the planet she encountered a vicious alien species on has since been colonized, and travels back with a team of Marines to go to war.
Blade Runner 2049 didn't make a splash in theaters, but it's still one of the best sci-fi sequels ever made, especially given the fact that it had to follow the original Blade Runner, which still holds up today. The film takes place decades after the first film ended, and focuses on a replicant operative named K who sets out to unravel a mystery that could change humanity.
Harrison Ford also made a return as Rick Deckard, who teams up with K to battle a sociopathic entrepreneur with goals to take advantage of the first supposed human/replicant offspring. It was a miraculously good film with the same kind of atmosphere and 1980s synthwave-inspired artistry as the original.
A full decade passed in between the events of The Dark Knight and its final trilogy chapter, The Dark Knight Rises. The film focused on a reclusive Bruce Wayne who has given up the mantle of Batman, until a powerful new villain named Bane emerges to threaten Gotham City.
The shift in time can be felt in the film's narrative, showing a complacent, jaded and tired Batman who gets destroyed by his adversary, only to learn how to rise from defeat stronger than ever. It's a fitting end to Christopher Nolan's masterful superhero trilogy.
Years after the mischievous Gremlins almost destroyed Billy Peltzer's home town of Kingston Falls, the young man has moved to New York City with Kate Beringer, where they're planning to start a new life together. That is, until the Mogwai known as Gizmo finds himself reunited with Billy.
Now, an older and more responsible Billy must contend with another accidental outbreak of vicious Gremlins who begin tearing up a technologically advanced high-rise building owned by an eccentric billionaire. The sequel is notable for having much more laughs in comparison to the original film's dark tone.
Sylvester Stallone returned to the role that made him an action movie icon in 2008, starring as an older and more reclusive John Rambo. In this film, Rambo's years of peace and solitude are broken when a group of Christian missionaries heads into Burma to help innocent civilians caught in the middle of a conflict.
Rambo is notable for ditching the comic book-inspired violence of the 1980s franchise in favor of something closer to Saving Private Ryan. There's a shocking amount of ultra-realistic blood and gore which is designed to give the film more weight and seriousness, and it's responsible for some of Rambo's most brutal franchise kills.
Donnie Yen's Ip Man martial arts franchise is one of the best to come out in recent years, and his performance is top notch. In this sequel, Ip Man and his family move to Hong Kong circa 1949 in order to escape the Japanese occupation of Foshan, where the original film takes place.
There's a 14 year timeline gap between the first and second films, which changes the entire tone and dynamic of the sequel. Some criticism was thrown at Ip Man 2 for its lead actors looking much younger than they technically should, given the amount of time that has passed, but it's a very small quibble.
Riggs and Murtaugh returned in 1998 for one final kick at the action movie can with Lethal Weapon 4, and it picked up many years after the previous film in the franchise. Both characters were older, wiser, and preparing to settle down, which made the story an interesting one.
With laughs to spare, Lethal Weapon 4 was a flawed, yet fun sequel that proved actors Mel Gibson and Danny Glover still had what it took. Plus, it brought action movie superstar Jet Li to Western audiences, making him a cultural icon in the process.
The original Pink Panther film was quickly followed by an ultra-hilarious sequel known as A Shot In The Dark, both starring Peter Sellers as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. However, it would be over a decade before another Pink Panther was made, and the change in timeline was evident in the storyline.
Stuck in a dead-end police beat job, Clouseau is once again called upon to retrieve the stolen Pink Panther diamond, which he believes was taken by his old nemesis, Sir Charles Litton. Not only is it one of the most hilarious, eye-watering comedies ever made, but Return of the Pink Panther is loaded with gut-busting quotes, as well.
Taking place a decade after the events of the original, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes tells the story of Caesar and his fellow apes trying to establish a colony for themselves, while dodging the few remaining packs of humans left on Earth following a Simian Flu outbreak.
Caesar was not only older in the film, but wiser as well, and his change in character was a direct reflection of the hardships and persecution he and the apes were forced to endure. It's a remarkably excellent sequel, which was no small feat given the landmark original, and one of Andy Serkis' highest-rated films.
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