Consider this: why do sequels almost always get rated lower than the original, even good ones?

[Clever Erin]

Noticed this pattern constantly, even sequels widely considered good still tend to score lower than the original film that started the franchise. What's actually driving that

[Gary90]

Novelty plays a huge role, the first film gets credit for introducing a world and characters, the sequel just gets to live in it, which inherently feels less remarkable even when executed just as well