MovieChat Forums > Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) Discussion > Lethal Weapon 2: One of the Best Sequels...

Lethal Weapon 2: One of the Best Sequels Ever Made?

posted 2 years ago by TMC-4 (19802)
2 replies | jump to latest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C60z7_V5VzI

Lethal Weapon was an unexpected smash when it came out in March of 1987. The film was such a sensation that it revitalized the buddy cop genre and made Mel Gibson a legitimate superstar. For the follow-up, Warner Bros would boost the budget, injecting more comedy into the mix and toning down the pathos and darkness of the original to deliver a sequel that was such a blast, they threw it into the summer movie marketplace. It would become an even bigger hit than the original and one of the top grossing movies of 1989. In this episode of Revisited (written by Cody Hamman, edited by Juan Jimenez and narrated by Travis Hopson) we dig into the making of what’s considered one of the best sequels ever made.

[–] PaladinNJ (21383) 2 years ago

It was a worthwhile sequel

[–] Oblivioid (1392) a year ago

It's a superb sequel. It doesn't match the drama or the characterization of the leads quite as well as the original (Riggs is no longer suicidal for instance), but that's okay.

I think LW2 should stand as an upper tier demonstration of how to do a sequel correctly. Simply outdoing every aspect of the original should not be the main goal. Even here, the villains are not as menacing or threatening as the first film, in fact Riggs treats them as clowns most of the movie. Sure, maybe up the ante a bit, make it a touch political instead of just crime, but don't overdose on gunplay and explosions and one liners. I think LW2 kind of fits this.