The Blues Brothers 2000
dir. John Landis (1998)
Openly based on and playing homage to its predecessor (though consequently making little sense as a standalone film), this Blues Brothers reprise justifies itself through time-appropriate character progression, in-joke nostalgia, a new car pile-up record and an all-star rhythm and blues soundtrack.
Ice Age: Collision Course
dir. Mike Thurmeier & Galen T. Chu (2016)
Film five of the Ice Age franchise offers more of the same: beautifully animated and very funny in parts, but with an ever-expanding cast that ipso facto demands a scattershot apportioning of screen time (and thus precludes any thought of serious undertones).
Return of the Jedi
dir. Richard Marquand (1983)
As the denouement to a full-fledged trilogy (not merely the second of two opportunistic sequels), Return of the Jedi first built on the foundations of its ground-breaking predecessors, then brought the Star Wars saga to a towering conclusion, dazzling in cinematic force.