Having somehow missed the original for nearly ten years and not seeing it till it came out on blu-ray I was worried that the 10 year gap might be a problem for making a good sequel. I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong as this one flowed smoothly out of the original. I will say that it does seem to start off a little slow, but once the action kicks in, it's non-stop till the end. The movie can work as a stand alone, but having seen the original within the last month I would rent it or buy it before seeing the sequel, since several scenes will make no sense if you haven't seen it. The movie has a great ending as well, and sets up the next film in the trilogy if they decide to make it.