Best sequel of all time

Rating: 10/10 (24 June 2006)

Almost all sequels fall prey to one of two pitfalls: either they simply rehash the original, or they try to be too different and lose all the things that made the original good. Jim Cameron's Aliens strikes a perfect balance, retaining everything that was cool in Alien (1979) while still taking the film to an entirely new level. (Action as opposed to horror)
This film really does have it all: spine-chilling suspense, pulse-pounding action, beautiful (in a eerie, gooey way) scenery, colourful and memorable characters, an intelligent script, superb direction, believable acting, thrilling music, and special effects that still look AWESOME, even in today's CGI-infested world.
This is one of the only sequels I can think of that actually surpasses the original. But more importantly, its a cinematic masterpiece in its own right, and an almost perfect movie.