This December sees this release of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, and it's been nine long years since we last hung out with Ron and his crew. While we're dying to see what the former Channel 5 News Team will be getting up to in the world of the 1980's and a 24-hour news cycle, we also got to thinking about the long gap since the last movie. Next November sees the release of Dumb & Dumber To, and it's been twenty long years since we last seen Harry and Llyod, and then there was the (recently aborted, thank God) sequel to It's A Wonderful Life, which would've been aiming for a 2016 release, a full 70 years since the original.

So we've looking at big release movies that took their time getting to your local cinemas, so there's no direct to DVD releases here, just some of the most notable entries. So while we could talk about the 63 years between Bambi and Bambi II, how many of us have actually sat down and watched Bambi II? Exactly! Now, on with the show…

Tron Legacy
Sequel to? Tron, released 28 years earlier

Was It Worth The Wait? Arguably yes, if you're not an avid fan of the culty, pulpy original. It made $400 million at the box office, had some fantastic visuals, that killer score by Daft Punk, and Olivia Wilde looking as great as ever. Yes, the story was crap, and lead actor Garrett Hedlund was as cardboard-y as you can get, but thankfully we still had Jeff Bridges to distract from all of that.

The Color Of Money
Sequel to? The Hustler, released 25 years earlier

Was It Worth The Wait? Yes. The original won Oscars. The sequel won Oscars. The original had a killer performance from Paul Newman. The sequel had a killer performance from Paul Newman. And while the original is probably a better film, the sequel was directed by Martin Scorsese, which probably makes it a cooler film.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Sequel to? Wall Street, released 23 years earlier

Was It Worth The Wait? Not really, no. While it was great to see Michael Douglas back as Gordon Gekko, this time in the middle of the current economic crisis, they also effectively neutered him, stripping him of the vindictive relish that made him such a joy to watch first time round. Plus, Shia LaBeouf is no Charlie Sheen.

Indiana Jones & The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull
Sequel to? Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, released 19 years earlier

Was It Worth The Wait? It depends on who you ask, really. It made close to $800 million worldwide, and was actually really well reviewed upon initial release. But time has soured it quite a bit, with a massive fan backlash due to the extra-terrestrial involvement and the now infamous "Nuke The Fridge" scene. Plus the guys at South Park dedicated an entire episode to how awful they thought it was.

The Godfather Part III
Sequel to? The Godfather Part II, released 16 years earlier

Was It Worth The Wait? The first sequel is one of the few cases where a sequel isn't just good, but better than the original, so part three had some big shoes to fill. Unfortunately, it completely failed to. Not quite the total disaster you may have been lead to believe, it suffers mostly from comparison to what has gone before.

Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace
Prequel To: Star Wars Episode Six: Return Of The Jedi, released 16 years earlier

Was It Worth The Wait? Financially, yes. As a fan of the series, no. George Lucas decided to write and direct all three prequels, and they made A LOT of money, but fans hated pretty much everything about The Phantom Menace. Things got a little better for Attack Of The Clones, and Revenge Of The Sith actually has a higher Rotten Tomatoes score than Return Of The Jedi. So it all worked out in the end. Kinda. Plus, we have Episode Seven coming in 2015, a full ten years since Episode Three.

Escape From L.A.
Sequel To: Escape From New York, released 15 year earlier

Was It Worth The Wait? Nope. A bit of a financial dud, and the messy but loveable tone of the original became just messy this time round. Kurt Russell is always worth a watch, and seeing him play Snake again was great, it's just too bad they couldn't find a good enough film to stick him in. Word of a remake of the original have been bouncing around for a while now.

Basic Instinct 2
Sequel To: Basic Instinct, released 14 years earlier

Was It Worth The Wait? Yes, and no. But more no. It is, unarguably, a terrible film, featuring a terrible story told terribly with terrible direction and featuring terrible performances. But on the other hand, there is a Showgirls-esque type of trashy abandon that makes it fun despite its own worst intentions.

Toy Story 3
Sequel To: Toy Story 2, released 11 years earlier

Was It Worth The Wait? Yes! Yes yes yes! A great sequel to a great sequel, this trilogy closer was definitely the highlight of the series, getting old-school Disney dark in places, as well as being just as funny as ever. Audiences responded to it's obvious greatness by spending over a billion dollars on tickets around the world.

Before Sunset
Sequel To: Before Sunrise, released 9 years earlier

Was It Worth The Wait? Absolutely, and then it was worth the wait of another 9 years for us to catch up with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy again in this year's Before Midnight. A unique love story, told by lovers and their interpretations of love in their 20's, 30's and 40's, this is a love letter to love stories. We wait patiently for Before Midday in 2022!