by Patrick Bromley
Legacy sequels have become so commonplace in our current cinematic ecosystem that it's easy to forget that they don't all exist to nakedly cash in on our IP nostalgia. There have been some really good ones over the years! Here are 10 of them.
1. Psycho II (1983, dir. Richard Franklin)
Talk about a movie that probably shouldn't exist. There is nothing in Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 masterpiece that suggests there's more story to be told, and trying to sequelize one of the greatest horror movies ever made by one of the greatest to ever do it really seems like a fool's errand. Credit to director Richard Franklin and screenwriter Tom Holland, then, for making a sequel that, one some days, I'd sooner put on than the original. Picking up 20 years after the events of the first movie, the sequel dives deep into Norman Bates' psychology as he tries to cope with the things he's done and live with his illness. It's fascinating and Anthony Perkins gives a tour de force performance returning to the role that would more or less define his career. There's some stupid '80s shit in here like a higher body count and more graphic violence -- as well as an attempt to add a new twist that really, really does not work -- but for nearly all of its running time, Psycho II is a kind of miracle movie.
Revisiting the characters of The Last Picture Show 30 years into adulthood probably seemed like a bad idea when Texasville was released in 1990, but it at least it wasn't Peter Bogdanovich's bad idea. Credit goes to the original author, Larry McMurtry, on whose sequel novel his own screenplay is based. Most of the cast members return for what was an early version of what is considered a "legacy sequel," which picks up more than 30 years after the events of the first film. The whole thing feels broader than its predecessor -- a product of its time, no doubt -- but it's also more cheerful and upbeat, too, a victory lap celebration of these characters that also manages to find things to say about aging, love, loss, and legacy.
3. Escape from L.A. (1996, dir. John Carpenter)
Every time John Carpenter comes up on the podcast or in writing, I mention that I'm always trying to figure out what the next great discovery in his filmography will be among fans. It's happened with nearly every one of his movies that underperformed and possibly even received bad reviews at the time but then went on to be considered a genre classic: The Thing, Prince of Darkness, In the Mouth of Madness, the list goes on. I'm kind of hoping it will be Escape from L.A., his 1996 legacy sequel to Escape from New York and a film of which I've been a fan since seeing it opening night. I get that it's over the top and a little silly. So is Los Angeles. Carpenter leans much more heavily into comedy for this follow-up, which once again finds Snake Plissken dispatched to an American city on a suicide mission to rescue someone (or something) important. Like New York, it's episodic and introduces a colorful cast of supporting characters, not all of whom hold up super well (looking at you, Carjack Malaone), but it's funnier and ultimately even darker than its predecessor, boasting one of the great endings of the 1990s. Welcome to the human race indeed.
4. The Two Jakes (1990, dir. Jack Nicholson)
More than any other title, this is the movie that inspired this list. I've always found The Two Jakes to be a worthy follow-up to Roman Polanski's Chinatown -- not as good, but worthy -- but I also know I'm in a minority in this opinion. Robert Towne was originally going to direct this follow-up (with Nicholson reprising his role as detective Jake Gittes and former Paramount head Robert Evans playing the other Jake) but a long and trouble production history stretching over a decade eventually led to Nicholson stepping into the director's chair for the version we got. It's good! Sure, the mystery is a little convoluted, but so is the one in Chinatown. I'm a sucker for a private detective, and if that private detective is played by one of the best to ever do it, I'm pretty much onboard. Plus, Hot Stowe!
5. 2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984, dir. Peter Hyams)
My beloved Peter Hyams finally scored his first big box office hit with this sequel to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey -- on paper, yet another impossible proposition -- working closely with Arthur C. Clarke to adapt his 1982 novel 2010. This is much more a direct sequel than I ever realized, more Blade Runner 2049 than the in-name-only movie I was expecting. 2010 manages to be faithful and respectful to the Kubrick film while still functioning as its own thing. This is thoughtful, adult science fiction that stands out among the glut of genre movies crowding theaters in the first half of the 1980s and, divorced of the expectations from when it came out, can be appreciated as a worthy sequel and one of Hyams' strongest efforts. It's not the Kubrick film, but what can be?
6. Phantasm: Ravager (2016, dir. David Hartman)
Ok, hear me out. I know Ravager has its flaws and an argument could be made that it's the weakest of the Phantasm series. I give it so much credit, though, for having something on its mind more than just keeping a phranchise alive. This is a messy, low-budget movie with at-times questionable visual effects, but it's also commenting on the End of Things and how we approach death. It's rare for a movie this deep into a long-running horror series to have this strong of an emotional core, but it's a testament to our relationship to these characters (and the actors who have played them in almost every entry, save for Phantasm 2's bit of temporary recasting) that the finale of this sequel is genuinely moving.
7. Blues Brothers 2000 (1998, dir. John Landis)
I know that this will be an unpopular pick because the movie and its director are pretty widely hated amidst the online Movie Discourse. And while I won't defend John Landis' actions or his humanity and while I won't argue that Blues Brothers 2000 is as good a movie as the original Blues Brothers, I do think it's much better than its reputation would suggest. Yes, the absence of the late John Belushi is felt (the filmmakers replace him with not one but three separate characters: John Goodman, Joe Morton, and a kid) and yes there are times when it feels like everyone involved is attempting to reheat a souffle, but I still think 2000 works ok as a big musical. Because I'm not especially precious about the original Blues Brothers (sorry, JB, I swear I like it), I can still enjoy myself and the well-staged musical numbers of even a lesser version.
8. The Rage: Carrie II (1999, dir. Katt Shea)
I maintain that if this had just been a loose remake of Brian De Palma's Carrie (which it mostly is) instead of a direct sequel, it would be a better movie. But then it couldn't appear on this list, could it? The inclusion of elements from the original movie -- chief among them the reappearance of Amy Irving as Sue Snell, who deserved better -- feels almost like a studio note instead of something in which director Katt Shea was really interested. This is a better remake of Carrie than any of the other remakes of Carrie, of which there have already been two as of this writing.
9. The Godfather Part III (1990, dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
It seems silly to call a sequel to two of the best movies ever made and one which was nominated for multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture "underrated," but The Godfather Part III hasn't enjoyed the kind of life and respect afforded to its predecessors. It's the red-headed stepchild of the trilogy, but it's still good! I like all the stuff with Michael Corleone trying to atone for his past sins. I like Andy Garcia's super-intense performance and Joe Mantegna's Joey Zaza. I even like Sofia Coppola's unaffected and raw performance as Michael's daughter -- the aspect of the film most critics at the time (and since) cited as being the movie's biggest problem. I still haven't seen Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, which might be an even better movie, but I like the theatrical cut and will go to bat for it.
10. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024, dir. Tim Burton)
It took so many years and so many false starts to get a legacy sequel to Beetlejuice to screens, which becomes apparent when watching 2024's Beetlejuice Beetlejuice because it feels like at least one idea was kept from every different draft of a script that got written. It's overly busy, for sure, but everyone involved is clearly enjoying themselves -- none more than Tim Burton, who feels excited and alive to try ideas for the first time this century. I'll stand up for a well-intentioned mess even when it's born out of cash-grabby studio cynicism because no one in front of or behind the camera approaches this movie cynically.
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