Throughout the Academy Awards’ nearly one-century history, there have only been a total of 11 movie sequels nominated for Best Picture, perhaps the single biggest and most prestigious award in the film industry. These films are proof that, when done with enough passion and originality, sequel filmmaking can be absolutely exceptional.
Some of the greatest movies of all time are in the conversation, such as The Lord of the Rings sequels, as well as less-than-masterful but still rather underrated classics, such as The Bells of St. Mary’s. One look at these Oscar-nominated gems (a couple of them historic Oscar winners) is enough to see that some stories very much deserve to be continued.
11
‘The Broadway Melody of 1936’ (1935)
1929’s The Broadway Melody was the second Best Picture winner ever, and not only is it the worst music movie that’s won the accolade, but arguably even the single worst Best Picture recipient of all time. Its sequel, The Broadway Melody of 1936, is infinitely superior. Though not at all an exceptional film by modern standards, it understands what makes the musical genre work far better than its predecessor did.
The film is mostly just a sequel in name alone, as there are no story connections beyond the title and some music. Even still, that turned out to be for the better. The distance from the disaster that is The Broadway Melody allows 1936 to stand on its own two feet as a funny, expansive, nicely choreographed gem that’s far more entertaining than most people give it credit for.
10
‘The Bells of St. Mary’s’ (1945)
In 1945, Bing Crosby won the Academy Award for Best Actor for having played the gentle Father O’Malley in the musical comedy Going My Way. That same year, Father O’Malley went on another adventure, this time engaging in a good-natured rivalry with a kindhearted nun played by Ingrid Bergman. Both actors were nominated for their performances in The Bells of St. Mary’s in 1946.
Aside from the wonderful performances and the perfect way in which Bergman and Crosby balance pathos and humor, The Bells of St. Mary’s is solidly entertaining. There was never much need for a sequel to Going My Way, and this one certainly doesn’t offer anything particularly unforgettable, but it’s amusing and moving enough to make it one of Ingrid Bergman’s most essential movies.
9
‘The Godfather Part III’ (1990)
There are many who would call Francis Ford Coppola‘s The Godfather the greatest film of all time, and its first sequel (whose presence on this list is no mystery) is way up there as well. The fact that one can call the legacy sequel The Godfather Part III one of the most disappointing movie sequels of all time, yet the film was still good enough to achieve a Best Picture nomination, is a testament both to Coppola’s talent and the quality of this franchise.
The Godfather III gets a bad rap mainly because it’s so massively overshadowed by its predecessors in virtually every category, but in a vacuum, it’s a far better film than many give it credit for. Al Pacino and Andy Garcia are great, Coppola’s direction is as lavish as ever, and the script is genuinely entertaining. There’s nothing here that screams “masterpiece,” but it’s solid enough to close off one of the greatets movie trilogies in history.
8
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (2022)
James Cameron revolutionized the visual effects industry and revived 3D in 2009 with Avatar, still the highest-grossing film of all time. When a release date was set a whopping 13 years later for its sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, people weren’t sure whether it had any chance of achieving the same kind of success that its predecessor did. When the film finally came out, everyone learned their lesson: never bet against James Cameron.
The Way of Water became the third-highest-grossing film of all time, and it remains the best Avatar movie thus far. As such, its status as a Best Picture nominee is nothing to be upset about, even if the writing leaves something to be desired in certain areas. The CGI is stunning, the world-building is absolutely enrapturing, and the third act is one of the most thrilling of any movie Cameron’s ever made.
7
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)
So far, 2023 has been the only year in history that the Oscars have had two sequels in their Best Picture lineup, and there’s really no doubt about which is the better of the two. It’s truly amazing that a product of its time as cheesy as Top Gun had a sequel like Top Gun: Maverick, which is not only one of the greatest sequels ever nominated for Best Picture, but one of the most perfect movies of the 2020s so far.
The movie’s as much of an adrenaline-pumping action flick as it is a meta commentary on the nature of movie stars in the modern day, and it works wonderfully on both fronts. Everything, from the practical-effects-heavy action sequences to the quieter character moments, adds up to an incredible action masterpiece, the kind that makes people go “they don’t make ’em like this anymore.”
6
‘Toy Story 3’ (2010)
Kids growing up with its sequels nowadays wouldn’t know it, but back in 2010, Toy Story 3 seemed like the perfect trilogy conclusion in the history of animated movies. After all, it takes something truly special to become the third (and, as of today, latest) animated movie to ever be nominated for the coveted Best Picture Oscar.
Toy Story 3 may not have ended up winning the award, which it lost to The King’s Speech, but public opinion is what matters most in the end, and there are very few films from the 2010s in general—let alone 2010 itself—that have aged as well as this one. Beautifully animated and full of emotionally stirring scenes, including the best Pixar movie ending, it’s an animated masterpiece for the ages.
5
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’ (2002)
What J.R.R. Tolkien created in his iconic Legendarium, the Lord of the Rings trilogy in particular, is simply one of the biggest achievements in the history of fantasy itself. The fact that Peter Jackson and his creative team were able to take such challenging material and turn it into what’s perhaps the greatest fantasy trilogy in movie history is every bit as admirable as what Tolkien achieved.
It’s nothing short of one of the best fantasy epics in the history of cinema.
Each one of the series’ installments was nominated for Best Picture, the first sequel being The Two Towers, which continued the incredible world-building and character work of The Fellowship of the Ring tremendously well. It’s nothing short of one of the best fantasy epics in the history of cinema, bolstered by a phenomenal cast, flawless production qualities, and Howard Shore‘s impeccable score. The jaw-dropping Helm’s Deep sequence alone would be enough to make any film join the ranks of the best ever made.
4
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)
In 1979, George Miller put Australian action cinema on the map with the revolutionary Mad Max, which many consider one of the best low-budget action flicks in history. Mad Max: Fury Road, the fourth installment in the franchise, isn’t a low-budget film at all. Instead, every last penny that went into making this grand action blockbuster was a penny well spent, as it helped it become one of the greatest action films of the 21st century.
Fury Road is one of the fastest-paced action movies ever, a non-stop ride through a post-apocalyptic desert with some of the coolest cars, sweatiest set pieces, and wildest world-building ever seen in a motion picture. Its Best Picture nomination was a triumph for action movie fans all over the world, and though it didn’t win, it was still the biggest winner of the 2016 Academy Awards, taking home six.
3
‘Dune: Part Two’ (2024)
Frank Herbert‘s Dune is another seminal work of fiction that defined its genre, a sci-fi masterpiece the likes of which literature had never seen before. It’s commendable that Denis Villeneuve and the rest of the team behind Dune and Dune: Part Two were able to not just do Herbert’s magnum opus justice, but also reimagine some aspects of it and mix it with Villeneuve’s unique imagination to create this generation’s The Empire Strikes Back.
With its tremendous production values, amazing cast, Villeneuve’s sharp direction, and multiple of the best sci-fi movie villains of the 2020s, it’s no wonder Dune: Part Two made its way to a Best Picture nomination. It’s such an imaginative, epic, and emotional sci-fi masterpiece that it wouldn’t be shocking if the years’ passage proved it to be the most timeless film of 2024.
2
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ (2003)
There’s a strong argument to be made that history has never seen a better fantasy masterpiece than The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Great though The Two Towers may be, it somehow manages to pale in comparison to what Jackson and his creative team achieved here: a three-and-a-half-hour-long epic (about an hour longer if you watch the superior extended edition) full of emotion, excitement, magic, and classic Hero’s Journey emotional catharsis.
It’s about as flawless as fantasy comes, and that’s precisely how the film made its way to becoming tied for the most Oscar wins in history—eleven, just like Ben-Hur and Titanic before it. The pacing is perfect, the character arcs are satisfying, and the battles are all thrilling beyond measure. Considering that the Academy tends to be quite biased against genre cinema, Return of the King‘s sweep is one of the most gratifying victories in the history of the Oscars.
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