Conventional Hollywood wisdom (is that an oxymoron?) dictates that, to achieve success, sequels need to hit within a year of two of the movies that spawned them. Call it a quest to stay relevant, call it a cynical cash-in, call it contractual obligation … whatever the reason, anybody unfortunate enough to watch something commissioned by George Lucas in recent years may lend credence to that theory. Every so often absence does make the heart grow fonder, however; here are ten examples of belated sequels that were worth waiting for.

10) Psycho II (1983, dir Richard Franklin) Hitchcock never made a sequel in his career, but plenty of others attempted follow-ups to his work. We try not to think about The Birds II: Land’s End, but Norman Bates made an impressive return 23 years after the legendary Psycho. Jettisoning the Robert Bloch source novel published the previous year in favour of an original script from future genre royalty Tom Holland, Ozploitation legend Richard Franklin actually brings an interesting and intelligent sequel to the table, bravely ditching the temptation to go toe-to-toe with Psycho’s red-haired stepchildren Halloween and Friday the 13th in favour of a thoughtful character study. Anthony Perkins is, again, astounding as the troubled Norman.

9) (2008, dir ) Rambo may have looked like an afterthought following the unexpected success of another of Sly Stallone’s franchise revivals, but it was anything but. This fourth outing for the traumatised Vietnam vet returned the character to the pop culture pedestal he had slipped from thanks to a brace of shoddy 80s sequels, proving that Stallone had well and truly rediscovered his mojo. Much like its lead character, Rambo is dark, dirty and uncomfortable to watch, a gut-wrenchingly violent and uncompromising look at the troubles in Burma that makes 1988’s Rambo III look even more like an OTT cartoon. This is the true spiritual sequel to ; we could have done with it in the 80s, but better late than never.

8) Halloween: H20 (1997, dir Steve Miner) Horror sequels, by their very nature, should never feature on a list like this. Usually they’re quickie cash-ins on an unexpected box office bonanza, overexposing an IP and leaving audiences exhausted before an excellent original has even made it to terrestrial TV (yes, Paranormal Activity, we’re looking at you). Halloween: H20, in particular, should not make this list – it was released just 2 years after Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers drove a final nail into the franchise coffin. However, if we follow the movie’s lead and treat it as a direct sequel to 1981’s Halloween II it qualifies – and it’s undoubtedly the finest slasher to emerge from the slipstream of Scream. Arguably the only worthy follow-up to Carpenter’s classic, H20 hits every note just right.

7) American Reunion (2012, dirs Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg) Every generation of movie-going teenagers needs its own gang of socially-awkward misfits to relate to, and the original American Pie became a pop culture phenomenon back in 1999. The story was seemingly concluded a decade ago in American Wedding, but reuniting the cast as adults was a fantastic idea. And the cast is reunited – everybody, no matter how big or small their roles (or, more pertinently, their post-Pie careers) resurfaces in American Reunion. Granted, so do many of the jokes, but there are a handful of new set pieces, some genuinely hilarious one-liners, and – as always – some touching pathos and social commentary among the exposed genitalia and bodily fluids.

6) Superman Returns (2006, dir Bryan Singer) Why oh why is Superman Returns so universally derided? It’s a mystery up there with the whereabouts of the Mary Celeste and why Ryan Reynolds continues to find gainful employment. It had been 19 years since we last believed a man could fly (and even then it was touch and go – we’re talking about the miserable Superman IV here), while Singer dug even deeper – spiritually, this is a sequel to Richard Donner’s cut of 1980’s Superman II. Heartfelt, witty and gripping, the warmth and charm of Superman Returns will surely be re-assessed in loud and obnoxious whizz-bang wake of Man of Steel.

5) Clerks II (2006, dir Kevin Smith) Comedy is arguably the trickiest genre to retain quality control in when dealing with a franchise. Keep throwing fresh jokes and you’ll run out eventually; rely on catchphrases and repetition and the gag gets old very fast (oh, behave!). Kevin Smith got around this conundrum by waiting 12 years to revisit the lovable losers of his movie debut, showing us that the more things change the more they stay the same. Clerks was a great snapshot of post-teenage slackers, and Clerks II a hilarious look at the process of growing up without becoming a grown- up - let’s be honest, we all know a Randall Graves.

4) Terminator 2 – Judgment Day (1991, dir James Cameron) Following the release of cherished cyber-thriller The Terminator, it took seven years for technology to catch up James Cameron’s ambition. All these years later, it’s easy to forget just what a big deal it was upon its release. The self-proclaimed King of the World pushing cinematic boundaries is as anticipatory as death and taxes nowadays, but, alongside previous project The Abyss, T2 changed cinema as we knew it. Packed with revolutionary effects, and crafting a new kind of action movie suitable for slightly younger viewers (plenty of explosions, but a limited number of human casualties), there was a reason it was 12 years before anyone was brave enough to attempt a Terminator 3.

3) Toy Story 3 (2010, dir Lee Unkrich) We firmly believe that anybody with no time for the Toy Story franchise has no soul (and probably casts no reflection in a mirror), so we were delighted when Woody, Buzz and the gang returned after an 11-year hiatus. Thankfully it worth the wait – as a trilogy-capping epic, Toy Story 3 hits all the right beats, and as a stand-alone movie its packed highlights. Nostalgic without being irrelevant, funny without being silly, heartfelt without being trite, there’s a case for Toy Story 3 to stand as the greatest animated movie of all time. And as for the ending? You’ll believe a man can cry.

2) Before Midnight (2013, dir Richard Linklater) The perfect date movie is aHoly Grail for film-loving couples, so Linklater’s Before trilogy is the stuff of legend. Minimalistic meanders through the lives of two characters that are not particularly likeable on the surface hardly seems like a recipe for movie gold, but the chemistry between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy in 1995’s Before Sunrise is compelling. As the a result, revisiting these characters every nine years (Before Sunset in 2004, Before Midnight this year) is an annual treat that’s not to be missed. There’s virtually nothing to separate the movies in terms of quality, but we’ve opted for the latest entry; it’s fascinating to see these characters struggling with genuine adulthood.

1) Balboa (2006, dir Sylvester Stallone) “It ain’t over til it’s over” was the tagline, but the story of the Italian Stallion was over in 1990. As far as franchise-killers go, was down there with Batman and Robin, Star Trek: Nemesis and Beverley Hills Cop III, a travesty that stomped all over the once-great series and laid Rocky to rest in woefully ill-befitting fashion. As a result, it was almost a relief that Stallone’s career hit a slump not long afterward; a string of flops in the late 90s/early 00s inspiring Sly to pen arguably the greatest comeback story of them all, with the lovable lug’s 16-year absence from the screen only making us root for him all the more. The absence of a now-deceased Adrian makes the events of all the more heartfelt, with Stallone providing a note-perfect meditation on grieving (lest we forget how his turns as Balboa often demonstrate what an underrated actor the man is), and giving his best performance in years as an increasingly- embittered Paulie. The two are especially emotive during a heart-wrenching tour of the sites important to Rocky and Adrian’s courtship, while a chaste pseudo-relationship between the former and an all-grown-up Little Marie – returning from the original in a lovely touch – and her son add further layers and depth to Balboa’s new life. Amidst all this character warmth the bouts are almost incidental, but the in-ring action is undoubtedly the finest in the franchise; culminating in a note-perfect conclusion that mirrors the seminal ’76 original perfectly, Rocky Balboa must surely be responsible for more testosterone-fuelled playfights-gone-wrong than any other movie. If the concluding words “yo Adrian, we did it” don’t bring a lump to your throat and a tear to your eye you clearly haven’t been paying attention; Rocky Balboa is the ultimate tribute to a classic original, and a fitting send-off for one of the great American screen icons.