Stream these legacy sequels that gave franchises new life
The “legacy sequel” is one of the most powerful concepts in Hollywood filmmaking right now and one of the most profitable.
The legacy sequel (legasequel?), often arriving many years or even decades after the original film was released, isn’t a reboot or a remake but rather a longanticipated sequel that grapples with the film’s impact, fan base and, yes, legacy while refreshing it for a new audience.
It’s a way for studios to capitalize on moviegoers’ nostalgia and familiarity with characters and stories, while introducing new characters to keep it going.
With legacy sequel
“Top Gun: Maverick” now in theaters, it seems an appropriate time to look at some of the best legacy sequels across film and television.
One of the most successful legacy sequels, is “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the 2015 film by J.J. Abrams that fired up the Millennium Falcon and reenergized generations of “Star Wars” fans old and new. It also spawned so many sequels, spinoffs and series that it’s difficult to keep count. It’s hard to overstate the film’s impact, not just on the “Star Wars” universe, but also Hollywood at large. Stream it on Disney+.
Before there was “The Force Awakens,” there was “Mad Max: Fury Road,” which came out a few months prior in 2015, and blew audiences away in a haze of desert dust and diesel fuel. George Miller returned to the world of “Mad Max” with a new Max in Tom Hardy and a new hero in Furiosa (Charlize Theron). It was a long arduous journey, but
Miller pulled off one of the best action films of all time, and scooped up several Academy Awards too. Rent it for $3.99 on all digital platforms.
There have been a lot of “Scream” sequels, but the fifth, also titled “Scream,” is a true legasequel. The first film in the franchise not directed by the late Wes Craven, directors Matt BettinelliOlpin and Tyler Gillett had big shoes to fill, and they did, bringing the right mix of gore and winking
social commentary. Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette also returned to hand the baton to a new crop of teens in this slasher. Stream it on Paramount+.
But the desire to revisit landmark moments in media isn’t just relegated to the movies. In the utterly fascinating reality series “Real World: Homecoming,” the casts of early seasons of the pioneering MTV reality show reunite to catch up with their old roommates and reckon with their experiences finding out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real — under the watchful eye of ever-present cameras.
On “Real World: Homecoming,” streaming on Paramount+, the roommates come together for
a couple of weeks, reuniting in their old spaces and revisiting the memories of living together and having their lives taped. Thus far, the casts of “The Real World: New York,” “The Real World: Los Angeles” and “The Real World: New Orleans” have reunited in six- to eight-episode “seasons.”
“Homecoming” is just as groundbreaking as the original series, taking the opportunity to examine the impact of what it was like to go through this experience as a young person, exposing themselves for public consumption, becoming pop cultural icons and even impacting real political and cultural change in the process.
While “The Real World: Homecoming” might not be a true legasequel in that it’s not introducing new characters, it’s almost the purest expression of the form, grappling openly with the legacy of the show and its impact on those who participated and those who watched it. It’s unlike anything else that’s been done before, and an important televisual examination of the form. But, if it’s pure nostalgia you’re looking for, Paramount+ has many seasons of the regular old “The Real World’’ streaming, too.