These sequels stole the show! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at belated movie sequels that best pay homage to their predecessors while also exploring new perspectives and stories.
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00:00Your reputation precedes you.
00:02Thank you, sir.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo,
00:05and today we're looking at belated movie sequels
00:08that best pay homage to their predecessors
00:11while also exploring new perspectives and stories.
00:13It always, always goes back to the original.
00:18Number 10, Star Wars Episode VII, The Force Awakens.
00:21When George Lucas' far, far away galaxy
00:24finally returned to the big screen
00:26with Star Wars The Force Awakens,
00:27it did so with a major bang.
00:30In fact, it still stands as the highest-grossing film
00:33in North America.
00:34The Force, the Jedi,
00:38all of it,
00:42it's all true.
00:43And while many criticized it
00:45for essentially replicating the original film's plot,
00:47it wasn't a complete retread.
00:49The movie added interesting new characters
00:51and intriguing elements to the story,
00:53such as Finn's journey as a stormtrooper.
00:58And with stellar visual effects on display,
01:01a batch of returning fan-favorite characters,
01:07and all the nostalgia you can shake a stick at,
01:10the 32-years-later sequel to Return of the Jedi
01:13proved that The Force was still strong with the franchise.
01:16People are counting on us.
01:18The galaxy is counting on us.
01:20Solo, we'll figure it out.
01:22We'll use The Force.
01:23That's not how The Force works.
01:26Number nine, The Color of Money.
01:28Money, one, is twice as sweet as money.
01:32In one of the first legacy sequels ever made,
01:35Fast Eddie Felsen returned to the pool table
01:37in this Martin Scorsese-directed follow-up
01:39to the 1961 classic The Hustler.
01:42With Paul Newman reprising his role,
01:44the character is tasked with taking on a protege.
01:46Enter Tom Cruise.
01:48With Cruise as the fiery young player
01:50opposite Newman as the hardened veteran,
01:52the pair showcased an astounding on-screen dynamic.
01:56You gotta have two things to win.
01:59You gotta have brains and you gotta have balls.
02:03You got too much of one and not enough of the other.
02:05Newman's performance even won him an Oscar for Best Actor.
02:08And with a gritty and poignant tale about mentorship
02:11and the consequences of chasing fame,
02:13the film became an instant classic.
02:15It also demonstrated that the idea of a years-later sequel
02:18could definitely work.
02:20Well, the ball's a little funny for everybody.
02:21I told you that.
02:22I mean, you shot a great game.
02:23Number eight, Dr. Sleep.
02:25Decades after Stanley Kubrick's
02:27The Shining psychologically scarred moviegoers,
02:30Ewan McGregor stepped into Danny Torrance's shoes,
02:32showing the character as an adult.
02:34The chilling follow-up expertly meshes
02:37Kubrick's cinematic vision
02:38with Stephen King's literary continuation.
02:53And while the plot and setting reference the original,
02:56they are not relying upon them.
02:58In other words,
02:59it's a daring sequel that respects its roots
03:01but completely carves out its own eerie path.
03:04Are you gonna hurt me?
03:06Yes.
03:10Heck, even Kane greatly praised the film,
03:12telling Entertainment Weekly upon its release
03:14that everything that I disliked
03:15about the Kubrick version of The Shining
03:17is redeemed for me in Dr. Sleep.
03:19You coming, sweetheart?
03:22In a minute.
03:24Number seven, Ghostbusters Afterlife.
03:27Who you gonna call when you want to revive
03:28an iconic film series?
03:30How about the offspring of the original film's director?
03:33Ahhhhhhhhh!
03:38Filmed by Jason Reitman, son of the late Ivan Reitman,
03:42Ghostbusters Afterlife managed to do
03:43what Paul Feig's failed Ghostbusters reboot couldn't,
03:46capture both nostalgia and fresh energy.
03:49This was my father's place.
03:52Hi.
03:54Hi.
03:57While including a plethora of fun callbacks,
04:00Afterlife pays a loving tribute
04:02to the original Ghostbusters films.
04:04It also introduced a likable new crop
04:07of paranormal investigators full of youthful wonder.
04:09And we're not just talking about the ageless Paul Rudd.
04:16Add in some crowd-pleasing cameos,
04:18and this legacy sequel effortlessly passed
04:20the proton packs to a new generation.
04:23Number six, Scream.
04:25Would you like to play a game?
04:28Terra.
04:29With already a slew of sequels under its belt,
04:32no one expected the meta slasher Scream series
04:34to return sharper than ever
04:36with 2022's years later follow-up.
04:38Whoa, stop.
04:42Wait, wait, wait.
04:42Not only did the film pay homage
04:44to the OG creator Wes Craven's legacy,
04:46but it slashed through reboot culture
04:48with cutting precision.
04:49It's gotta be part of an ongoing storyline,
04:52even if the story shouldn't have been ongoing
04:53in the first place.
04:55New main characters, yes,
04:56but supported by and related to legacy characters.
05:00The self-aware yet still horrifying slasher
05:03finds the ghostface killer
05:04returning to terrorize a new group of teenagers,
05:07not to mention a number of beloved original characters.
05:10By continuing to subvert expectations,
05:132022's Scream surprised critics and audiences alike
05:17by serving up yet another highly entertaining outing
05:20that revitalized the horror franchise once again.
05:23It really was the best choice for the movie.
05:26Number five, Spider-Man No Way Home.
05:29Before you run to the comments,
05:31yes, Spider-Man No Way Home totally counts
05:34as a legacy sequel.
05:35Peter.
05:35Yeah?
05:36Oh, sorry.
05:37Sorry, did you mean that?
05:39While it is a standard sequel
05:41of Tom Holland's Spidey flicks,
05:43it also serves as a legacy follow-up
05:45to earlier Spider-Man movies
05:46starring Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
05:48Okay.
05:52Who the hell are you?
05:53I'm Peter Parker.
05:54That's not possible.
05:56I am Spider-Man.
05:57And frankly, that's what makes it so great.
06:00The multiverse mayhem was able to unite
06:02these multiple generations into one action-packed spectacle,
06:06giving Maguire and Garfield's Spider-Man some closure
06:09after their respective film franchises
06:10were given unceremonious ends.
06:12I love you guys.
06:18All right, let's do this.
06:19Let's go.
06:27It also helped that everyone appeared
06:29to be having unapologetic fun.
06:31To say that fun was contagious
06:33would be an understatement.
06:34You are amazing.
06:35Thank you, yeah.
06:36Will you say it?
06:36No, I kind of needed to hear that.
06:38Number four, Creed.
06:40In Creed, Sylvester Stallone figuratively
06:43passed Rocky Balboa's gloves over
06:45to Michael B. Jordan's Adonis Creed.
06:47It's all about you.
06:49Now, you wanted this?
06:50Let's go, coach.
06:50I want you to make it happen.
06:51I want you to make it happen.
06:52Can you do it?
06:52Let's do it.
06:53All right.
06:53Let's make it happen.
06:54As the illegitimate son of Rocky's rival-turned-friend
06:57Apollo Creed, Adonis follows in his father's footsteps
07:00to become a boxing champion.
07:05Kill that, right?
07:06Yeah, kill that, right, little dude?
07:09Where was you at when I was in group homes, huh?
07:11Ryan Coogler directed the powerfully emotional story
07:14with great finesse.
07:15And not only did it put Michael B. Jordan
07:17on a straight trajectory to the A-list,
07:19it reinvigorated Sylvester Stallone's career.
07:22In fact, the actor earned himself an Academy Award
07:25nomination for his work in the movie.
07:26Without it?
07:30I'm OK with it, really.
07:32With audiences and critics in his corner,
07:34Creed became an unstoppable knockout hit,
07:36one that kicked off a series of other hard-hitting follow-ups.
07:39Conlon is down.
07:41That is the first time in his career
07:43he's been on the canvas.
07:44Number three, Blade Runner 2049.
07:47How does it feel killing your own kind?
07:54I don't retire my own kind because we don't run.
07:56Denis Villeneuve took on Ridley Scott's sci-fi masterpiece
08:00Blade Runner with great reverence and perhaps greater ambition.
08:03Firstly, the film is visually breathtaking,
08:06with Villeneuve taking full advantage
08:08of modern CGI advancements for all the futuristic sci-fi
08:11backdrop.
08:12And while Blade Runner 2049 mostly hands things
08:15off to new characters, namely Ryan Gosling as K,
08:18it manages to incorporate Blade Runner's original players
08:21in highly intriguing ways.
08:23In addition to the character drama,
08:24the story also expands on the original's discourse
08:27over artificial intelligence.
08:29Yes.
08:31No.
08:32I know what's real.
08:34With complex themes and engaging narrative intact,
08:37Blade Runner 2049 is a worthy continuation,
08:40regardless of its disappointing box office performance.
08:43Make it one for my baby.
08:49And one more for the road.
08:51Number two, Mad Max Fury Road.
08:54When George Miller's Mad Max roared back onto the movie
08:56screen some 30 years ago, it was a time
08:59roared back onto the movie screen some 30 years
09:01after Beyond Thunderdome.
09:03The result was one hell of a wild ride.
09:05What a day.
09:06What a lovely day.
09:08In fact, the post-apocalyptic sequel
09:10completely defied expectation and is heralded
09:12as a cinematic masterpiece.
09:14This is mostly thanks to the nonstop visceral action,
09:17stunning visuals, and jaw-dropping stunts.
09:20And while Tom Hardy stepped into the titular role of Max
09:23with ease, it was Charlize Theron's imperative
09:26that proved an absolute scene-stealer.
09:30Remember me?
09:31With that, Mad Max Fury Road stands
09:33as one of the rare sequels that truly
09:35secedes its predecessor.
09:37Talk about filmmaking madness.
09:39I am awaited.
09:41I am awaited in Valhalla!
09:45Before we unveil our top pick, here
09:46are a few honorable mentions.
09:48Bill and Ted face the music.
09:50Just as wonderfully wacky, absurd,
09:52and downright entertaining as the originals.
09:55Why are you guys in prison?
09:57Maybe because you guys left us to take the fall five years ago.
10:01That's funny, because for us, it's only like five minutes ago.
10:05So we'll be leaving now.
10:07Halloween.
10:08Focusing on Laurie's trauma, it scares up
10:11a freshly compelling continuation.
10:15Goodbye, my claw.
10:20Jumanji, Welcome to the Jungle.
10:23A side-splitting action-adventure that
10:25trades the board game for a video game.
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10:50Top Gun Maverick.
10:52What can we say?
10:53Tom Cruise's return to the danger zone
10:55completely took our breath away.
10:57Cruise's intensity as Pete Maverick Mitchell
10:59burned just as brightly as it had before.
11:02Of course, the movie star wasn't alone.
11:04You see me now?
11:06Come on.
11:07Let's get it over with.
11:09Fights on!
11:11Paired with a crop of young new recruits
11:14portrayed by the likes of Miles Teller and Glenn Powell,
11:16each one not only held their own,
11:18but broke through with standout performances.
11:21As for other returning characters,
11:23we're still not over Val Kilmer's emotional cameo.
11:26This is a nice moment.
11:27Let's not ruin it.
11:34And with blazing action and heartfelt homages
11:37to Tony Scott's 80s original,
11:39it's easy to see why Top Gun Maverick
11:42was the highest grossing film the year of its release.
11:44Bullseye, bullseye, bullseye!
11:47Miracle number two.
11:48When you soar that high above expectations,
11:50you defy gravity and age alike.
11:53Thank you for saving my life.
11:57It's what my dad would have done.
12:01Is there a film that you'd like to see
12:02receive a legacy sequel all these years later?
12:05Share your nostalgic picks in the comments down below.
12:08If you do not comply, the sentence is death.
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