Five legacy sequels that were actually worth it

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ – George Miller (2015)

30 years after his last adventure—and 36 since his first—George Miller’s most enduring creation made its return. Mad Max: Fury Road marked the first time Tom Hardy stepped into the shoes of the character, after original actor Mel Gibson… well, you know, said things. This high-octane, ultra-linear action romp wowed critics upon its release and pleased fans of the series, both new and old. Three decades after being confined to the cinematic wasteland, Max was back on top.

With the exception of the titular character, nothing from the old ‘Mad Max’ films returned for Fury Road. Miller’s decision to start afresh was precisely the right one, a new Max for a new generation. His ambition to create one long car chase movie also paid off, as viewers were enthralled by the constantly moving action of the War Rig, Furiosa, and Immortan Joe. Fury Road was the most decorated film at that year’s Oscars, taking home six trophies, and it crops up regularly in lists of ‘best action movies of all time’. Though it might be a little lacking in character and plot for some, its general success cannot be disputed.

‘Blade Runner 2049’ – Denis Villeneuve (2017)

Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner in no way needed a sequel. This legendary tale of man vs replicant and the theoretical and moral quandaries that lie within that battle is one of cinema’s most venerated offerings. Entire books have been written on the impact this movie has had on pop culture, from its influence on sci-fi production design to the never-ending slew of re-releases, re-edits, and ‘definitive’ versions. So, when it was announced that it would be getting a follow-up 35 years later and that Scott wouldn’t be directing, fans were understandably concerned. As it turns out, they needn’t have worried.

The man chosen to take over the reins of the franchise was Denis Villeneuve, who had recently shaken up the world of sci-fi with his film Arrival. The French-Canadian continued his run of form with this title, which stars Ryan Gosling as K, a new blade runner on the search for Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford reprising his role from the first movie) and the information he possesses. 2049 matched the original in terms of visual beauty, thanks to Roger Deakins’ gorgeous cinematography. Its plot, characters, and themes all matched (sometimes even surpassed) what came before, resulting in a movie that was a worthy successor to one of the all-timers.

‘Twisters’ – Lee Isaac Chung (2024)

Twister, the 1996 Jan de Bont movie about a group of storm chasers, isn’t great. It’s a completely by-the-numbers action-disaster flick with characters you struggle to remember even while watching them and about as much depth as a petri dish. Even so, the potential to muck up a sequel was still very real, especially one that took place 28 years after the fact. Twisters, from Minari director Lee Issac Chung, needed to be careful, especially as none of the original cast would be returning. The closest they could do was a cameo from James Paxton, son of original lead actor Bill.

In the end, the decision to make the film with entirely new characters turned out to be for the best. The sizzling chemistry between frenemies Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Tyler Owens (Glen Powell) elevated everything else around it, with Powell giving a staggeringly grand performance as the handsome a-hole you just love to hate. The story is by-the-by; it wouldn’t hold up for five seconds under any sort of scientific scrutiny, but this central relationship goes a long way in making up for that. Come for the tornadoes, stay for the tension.

‘T2 Trainspotting’ – Danny Boyle (2017)

Irving Walsh did write a sequel to his novel Trainspotting, it was called ‘Porno’, because of course it was, but that was no guarantee that a follow-up to Danny Boyle’s career-defining film was on the way. Lo and behold, over two decades later, it finally materialised. The problem with Trainspotting is that it feels so essentially 1990s. The cheerful nihilism of a group of heroin addicts pissing about in Edinburgh perfectly maps to the decade’s gritty ideals. This new movie would pick up the characters’ lives in their 40s. Did anybody really want to see Renton filling out a mortgage application? Or Sick Boy tending to his allotment?

T2 Trainspotting, one of the weirdest film names ever, ended up putting these fears to one side. Thanks to a very game returning cast and director, and John Hodge’s stellar writing, T2 found just the right balance of nostalgia and progression. The characters kept their original voices without fully ignoring the passage of time. They faced new issues, but were still bound together by the past. Nobody would call it better than the original, but it was never going to be. All it needed to do was not be an embarrassment.

‘Top Gun: Maverick’ – Joseph Kosinski (2022)

In the world of legacy sequels, one movie soars high above the rest. 36 years after he first got in the cockpit of an F-15, Tom Cruise was back as Cpt Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, and he had a new objective—to convincingly portray someone middle-aged. The plot of Top Gun: Maverick revolved around a group of young pilots, including Miles Teller as Goose’s son ‘Rooster’, being sent on a dangerous mission. Mav not only has to train them, but also reconnect with his friend’s kid and prove to himself that he still has some of the potential he displayed over three decades earlier.

The first Top Gun was all about the action. There is nothing to it apart from ‘planes go fast’. Maverick, on the other hand, actually has a story worth investing in. It’s actually compelling to watch the trainees grow over the course of the film, and especially satisfying to watch Cruise play a character with a sense of humility for once. The inclusion of Val Kilmer as ‘Iceman’, in what proved to be his final film role, was the cherry on top. Rather suitably for a film about the navy, Top Gun: Maverick blows all other legacy sequels out of the water.