Several martial arts film sequels have managed to significantly outperform their predecessors. Martial arts films are like any other genre: some of their stories are tailor-made for one-off use, while others are the start of a franchise. The latter tends to be a fairly common scenario and often leads to the creation of popular martial arts film franchises such as The Karate Kid, Kickboxer, and Ip Man.
There are also many examples of how the second installment of the martial arts series completely surpasses the original. Here are 10 martial arts movie sequels that are significantly better than their predecessors.
Never Back Down 2: The Beatdown
Michael Jai White made his directorial debut with the relatively standalone sequel Never Back Down 2: Beatdown, released in 2011, in which White will play former MMA fighter Case Walker. Walker takes a quartet of young fighters under his wing to prepare them for the upcoming MMA tournament known as “The Beatdown”. Larnell Stovall. As with the Undisputed franchise, the Never Back Down series reached its zenith with the second installment, which was later followed by Never Back Down: No Surrender and Never Back Down: Reult.
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning
After 2003’s Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior made a name for himself, Tony Jaa went on to make an even more thrilling prequel, Ong Bak 2: The Beginning, co-directed by Jaa and his mentor Panna Rittikrai. Jaa plays Tien, a young warrior trained by a group of criminals who seeks revenge for the murder of his parents as a child. While Tony Jaa showcased Muay Thai in the first Ong Bak, in Ong Bak 2 he mixes it with other martial arts such as Kung Fu, Silat and Jiu Jitsu.RELATED:
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Police Story 2
Jackie Chan ramps up the outlandish antics of 1985’s Police Story up to 20 in the sequel, 1988’s Police Story 2, with Chan directing and reprising his role as Hong Kong cop Chan Ka-kui. Police Story 2 is as Jackie Chan as a Jackie Chan action comedy film gets, with Chan punishing himself brutally in incredible stunts and fight scenes, including a particularly explosive fight with Benny Lai.
Best Of The Best 2
1993’s The Best of the Best 2 ups the ante on its 1989 predecessor. Ralf Möller’s menacing Bracus is by far the best villain of the Best of the Best franchise, a selfish fighter who rules his Colosseum like a gladiator and Caesar. “Best of the Best 2” also cemented Phillip Rhee as one of the greatest unsung martial arts movie stars, and Rhee’s blend of Taekwondo and Hapkido is perhaps the purest showcase of Korean martial arts in a Hollywood film.
John Wick: Chapter 2
John Wick: Chapter 2 saw Keanu Reeves’ John Wick forced into a new assassination mission and soon found himself prominent in the underground assassin culture. Director Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves make clear that 2014’s hit John Wick was no fluke, surpassing the first film with shootouts and martial arts battles that would help take Hollywood action films to the next level.
Ninja II – Shadow Of A Tear
Scott Adkins and Isaac Florentine would create one of their crowning achievements in 2013’s Ninja 2: Shadow of Tears, which saw Adkins’ Casey Bowman seek revenge for the murder of his pregnant wife. Shadow of a Tear surpasses its 2010 predecessor Ninja to a startling degree, with Adkins unhinged as a ninja warrior on a vendetta. Shadow of a Tear is as non-stop action as a ninja movie can have, and Casey’s battles with Tim Man’s Myat and Kane Kosugi’s Nakabara are the absolute pinnacle of what a ninja movie can offer.RELATED:
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Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing
Isaac Florentine’s Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing would arrive in 2007 as a completely unexpected straight-to-DVD sequel to 2002’s Undisputed, only to give the Undisputed franchise a life that it had never had. After former heavyweight boxing champion George “Iceman” Chambers (Michael Jai White) is sent to a Russian prison, he must fight the in-house MMA champion Yuri Boyka (Scott Adkins) for his freedom. Undisputed 2 delivers a winng MMA formula, while Adkins would return as Boyka in Undisputed 3: Redemption and Boyka: Undisputed, with the MMA anti-hero coming to be revered among martial arts movie lovers as The Most Complete Fighter in the World.
Drunken Master II
Jackie Chan will return to the role that launched his career in 1994’s Drunken Master 2, where Chan will once again lend his comedic presence to legendary Chinese kung fu folk hero Wong Fei-Hung. The final showdown in Drunken Master 2 pits Chan against his former bodyguard Ken Lo in one of the most exciting fight scenes of all time, made even better by one of Chan’s most harrowing stunts as he falls into a seam of flaming coals.
Once Upon A Time In China II
After the runaway success of 1991’s Once Upon a Time in China, Jet Li returned for his finest hour as Wong Fei-hung in 1993’s Once Upon a Time in China II, where Wong battled both the foreign occupiers and the White Lotus society. Returning director Tsui Hark knows how to craft a true martial arts epic and brings an even stronger team on a grand scale to make Once Upon a Time in China 2 one of the best films Wong Fei-hung has ever made.