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It used to be, back decades ago, that the sequel was founded on a central purpose: to continue a guided story that would otherwise run too long. Although there remain a few modern sequels that embrace that function (The Lord of the Rings series, for instance), since the ’90s, and even a bit before then, the sequel has evolved into an economic schematic, becoming its own genre and nearly pissing out as many of its kind as originals/non-sequels. And, for the most part, its not an issue—after all, some of those initially unplanned follow-ups have been a sheer blast (this summer’s The Dark Knight being one of them). But in the expanding scope of movie sequels, most of which willingly abuse quality for profit, “some” is revealed to be a miniscule amount. The following 25 films, split into two sections (today: 25-11; next Wednesday: 10-1), make up that amount or the aforementioned brand of sequel.

25. Before Sunset (2004)

On a dire budget of around $2 million (a lesser one than its forerunner), Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy co-wrote and star in this wise, poignant, very funny adult romance, the sequel to 1995’s critically-praised Before Sunrise, which was, like this movie, directed and co-written by famed indie director Richard Linklater. Almost impossibly, Before Sunset recaptures, without losing any emotional or romantic pull, the bittersweet semi-quixotic curiosity of Sunrise and its far-from-stereotypically-proper (referring to the cliché of the genre, even its more appealing, mature subgenre) main characters, and it is, at times, tediously real-life, often incorporating uncut takes that straddle the border between awkward and cleansing (though always end up the latter), some of which eclipse 10 minutes in length.

24. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

The Last Crusade, the famed archeologist’s third Spielberg-directed escapade, was supposed to be his final one (19 years later, it would be succeeded by a mildly engrossing sequel, this summer’s recent addition, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, easily the fedora-topped adventurer’s weakest exploration). And it would have been a grand conclusion to one of Hollywood’s most enjoyable trilogies—it again pitted Indy against the Nazis (this time, however, in a race to find the Holy Grail), revealed Indiana’s real name (and the story behind the name by which he’s been known), and introduced Sean Connery as his professor father, who’s kidnapped by Hitler’s unwavering Nazi army—but, even as the third film in a now-four-film series, or even a movie void of any predecessor or sequel, its amusing mix of thrills, in-jokes, out-jokes, and cleverness certifies it as a great exploit of fun for all to enjoy.

23. Casino Royale (2006)

For the sheer fact that Daniel Craig’s double-O is the most cocky, arrogant, gritty Bond ever, and that it grossed more than any other installment in a soon-to-be 23-film franchise that has amassed nearly $4.4 billion (over $11 billion after adjusting for inflation), Casino Royale (a film preceded by 2002’s Die Another Day) makes the list, despite being more of a continuation of Ian Fleming’s book-to-screen résumé than a sequel. The agent we all thought we knew is reborn in Royale, and he’s “badder”—and better—than he ever has been. And don’t think we’re not drooling over the aforementioned 23rd chapter, next month’s Quantum of Solace, the first Bond series follow-up ever to continue the events of the previous film. We are.

22. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

The Bourne Identity, 2002’s remake of a late-’80s TV miniseries, was a commercial success that faired well with critical and movie-going audiences as well. But not even two year’s later, the character’s second movie development was turned over from TBI director Doug Liman to celebrated art director Paul Greengrass (who’d handle the franchise’s further additions), whose forte for realism and aggressive (sometimes dizzying) camerawork—he often uses handhelds—had set him apart from others in the industry and made him a perfect choice to craft the frantic stories of Bourne’s novel series, authored by Robert Ludlum. And he fit into his role exactly as was intended, bringing Jason Bourne to the forefront of Tinsel Town’s action heroes list and delivering to popcorn-cramming viewers some of the best car chases in film history (Supremacy’s successor, Ultimatum, is an even better example).

21. A Shot in the Dark (1964)

The second and best film of Blake Edwards’ Pink Panther series, which would span nine films (only five of which Peter Sellers would star in) and 30 years (not including the treacherous 2006 adaptation, which starred Steve Martin as Inspecter Jacques Clouseau and Beyoncé as a hoochie named Xania), is a comedic classic (and improvement on the anthology’s first feature) for many reasons, most notably, however, for Sellers’ hilariously over-accentuated French accent, which wasn’t as barefaced in the previous installment.

20. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

After the exemplary initiation one of the most anticipated book-to-film franchises ever, Peter Jackson continues the magnificence of the prior year’s Oscar-winning The Fellowship of the Ring with this extraordinary sequel, The Two Towers (which won two Oscars itself). Having already acquainted his characters (or, rather, those of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien) with the masses of filmgoers (and the books’ many fans), Jackson wastes little time trekking through the breathtaking and action-packed lands of Rohan, Gondor, and Mordor, concluding his film with the Battle at Helm’s Deep, an otherworldly accomplishment in fight choreography, computer-generated battle, and miniature-scale production modeling.

19. Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)

Actually the second half of one four-hour film (which, because of its running time, and likely also for financial purposes, was released in two volumes) by director Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill Vol. 2 brilliantly, and elegantly, closes out the bloody revenge epic that Vol. 1 introduced just six months prior. Each noted for their chopped and displaced structure and Tarantino’s trademark pop-culture slang-to-coinage, both Kill Bill films come together in a seamless, surprisingly satisfying manner with the memorable (if even classic) conclusion to this Golden Globe-nominated feature-length half-movie.

18. Dawn of the Dead (1978)

The second film of George A. Romero’s Living Dead trilogy, Dawn of the Dead, one of the most peculiar satires of American consumerism, is hardly a sequel—it makes no mention of any of the events, characters, or settings of the first of the series (Night of the Living Dead)—yet manages its way onto this list for the sheer fact that, without it, Romero wouldn’t have a complete trilogy, or, perhaps, his masterpiece (I know, Night is surely that, I’m just saying that Dawn might—might—be better).

17. The Road Warrior (1981)

A sequel to 1979’s meagerly-budgeted dynamo Mad Max, this film, directed by the first movie’s helmer, George Miller, exposes a deeper, matured Max Rockatansky, while also adhering to time-standing (and forewarning) social themes such as overpopulation, illegal immigration, and individualism, none of which its predecessor focused on for any extended duration (Mad Max’s central topic was revenge). But, thematic provocations aside, The Road Warrior is a better motion picture that encompasses a broader scope of entertainment, and one whose reception is far more likely to be well-received with larger, skeptical audiences—unlike its precursor, it offers a comprehensible backstory, which is shown in a prologue that takes place in time prior to Mad Max (a quality that disallows viewers to excuse the film as “pointless”). The Road Warrior is also included in 51 Most Definitive Sci-Fi Films of All Time, Part III.

16. Spider-Man 2 (2004)

Spider-Man 2 is as good as it is because, in addition to proving that Sam Raimi’s first installment in an ongoing franchise wasn’t a fluke (nor was the genuine development of Marvel’s most coveted everyguy, Peter Parker), it finally nailed the double-edged blade of engrossing villainy—the theory that the best villains have something to lose and are merely an arm’s-length from being like us. Though, just in the past year, a multitude of films—No Country, There Will be Blood, and, most recently, The Dark Knight—have made strong arguments against this theory, Alfred Molina’s performance as Dr. Otto Octavius/Dr. Octopus remains equally compelling and heartrending today as it did before the release of the aforementioned theory-ruiners, and it propels this Spider-Man sequel to the top of the ranks of Marvel’s best movie adaptations and near the peak of superhero films of all subcategories.

15. The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, the second ever picture by iconic filmmaker Fritz Lang to feature sound (’31’s M, which could very loosely be considered a preceding film to this one—its main character, Inspector Lohmann, is utilized in Testament as the pursuer of Dr. Mabuse—was the first), this German mystery/thriller, also the second to revolve around villain Dr. Mabuse—the previous one, Lang’s silent horror Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (Dr. Mabuse the Gambler), was released in 1922—is, like most of Lang’s works, a subtle allegory of humankind’s quandaries—this film, ironically, speaks volumes about our inability to communicate efficiently, a theme done over countless times since, most loudly (hehe, I’m so clever) in current memory in 2006’s Best Picture-nominated Babel.

14. Evil Dead 2 (1987)

This conceptual, heavily improvised (by the filmmakers, not the actors) sequel to Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead, a cult classic of the horror-comedy subgenre, is yet another of a minimal count of follow-ups to launch passed their forebears in most every aspect—ED2 is overly gory, tremendously hilarious and, on occasion, scary (or, at least, jumpy), mocking the genre as shamelessly as any film ever has while taking its place as one of horror’s all-time bests.

13. Sanjuro (1962)

One of Akira Kurosawa’s countless tour de forces, it’s mind-boggling to think that this film is still no match—cinematically and in regards to significant cultural commentary—for Yojimbo (one of world cinema’s most prestigious accomplishments), the film that preceded it. Because of Yojimbo’s insurmountable influence on the industry, its successor, Sanjuro, is (and has been since its release nearly a half-century ago) easily overlooked by film-watchers. But it shouldn’t be—though it may not compare fairly to the film that set it up, this Japanese samurai classic is an absolute treasure, forgotten or not, and a worthy sequel to one of Kurosawa’s magnum opuses (in fact, after Seven Samurai and Rashomon, Yojimbo is the very pinnacle of his efforts).

12. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Jonathan Demme’s Best Picture-winning thriller is a sequel to Michael Mann’s excellent (and better) 1986 film Manhunter, which stars William Peterson as Will Graham (played by Edward Norton in Red Dragon, 2002’s prequel to Silence and second incarnation—not a remake—of Manhunter) and Brian Cox as the genius cannibal. Yet, within Lambs remains one of the most commended, radiant, and terrifying performances in cinematic history—Sir Anthony Hopkins’ portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter—which set a bar for psychotic depictions so high that it may never be matched.

11. X2: X-Men United (2003)

X-Men United, Bryan Singer’s sequel to 2000’s solid comic book-movie X-Men, added to the series’ already-head-turning cast (Alan Cumming, Kelly Hu, and Brian Cox joined), expanded its character roster with the addition of a few new iconic X-Men (including Nightcrawler and an appearance by Colossus) and villains (Lady Deathstrike and Colonel William Stryker were introduced), opened to a phenomenal, box office-topping weekend ($85.6M; it went on to become the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2003), and set its mark high above its precursor in terms of quality and diversion.

Not only is X2 superior to its forebear, until a few months ago, it was the single-crowning film of the Marvel universe (Iron Man, which was released in May, now shares that title), not excluding the terrific Spider-Man 2 (#16). Unfortunately, Singer would leave the franchise to direct Superman Returns (an opportunity he said he had dreamed about since childhood), thus, X2 would be tailed by a disappointing, despondent, overbearing sequel in 2006, X-Men: The Last Stand (which was directed by Brett Ratner, whose very good 2002 thriller, Red Dragon, made him a promising candidate, but mistakenly so), though its failure left no mark on the excellence of this movie. X2: X-Men United is also included in 51 Most Definitive Sci-Fi Films of All Time, Part II.

The top ten remakes of all time will be revealed next Wednesday, in Part II of this feature. Want more lists? Click here.