A typical sequel is usually a part 2 to an ongoing story, or at least most good sequels will feel like a useful new “part” of an already-established story. Sequels might be planned in advance, or they might be made because people responded well to something that was originally conceived as a standalone movie. Legacy sequels aren’t usually planned out in advance, unless creatives do somehow foresee picking up a story many years later. Legacy sequels usually come out after enough time has passed for the originals to feel nostalgic, so gaps of 20 or even 30 years can sometimes be found.
There’s usually a passing of the torch, with older characters usually (but not always) appearing in supporting roles, rather than lead ones, or maybe sharing screen time fairly evenly with a new generation of characters. Something like Mad Max: Fury Road was released decades on from the previous film, but felt like something new and not really nostalgic, so it was more of a revitalization or even a reboot than a legacy sequel. With legacy sequels specifically, there are probably more disappointing ones (like the last two Tron movies and the new Ghostbusters films) rather than genuinely great ones, but some are honestly quite good, even if they're sometimes broad and play heavily on audience nostalgia.
8 'Final Destination Bloodlines' (2025)
Image via New Line CinemaA horror/thriller/mystery series about death coming for everyone might sound kind of heavy-going, but the Final Destination movies typically try to make the morbidity of it all entertaining. The best ones are more than a little tongue-in-cheek, and even the worst ones still have mindless/over-the-top carnage to keep you somewhat entertained. The most recent film, at the time of writing, is arguably the best in the series, too: Final Destination Bloodlines.
This one’s about legacy, though it does dip away from typical legacy sequel territory in the sense that there aren’t many characters who reappear. Then again, most of them die in the movies they're introduced in. Final Destination Bloodlines finds some decently entertaining ways to build on ideas already established in the previous films, all five of them released much earlier (between 2000 and 2011), and does bring back Tony Todd as William Bludworth one final time, who was the closest thing the series had to a recurring character (unless you count Death itself as a character; the central antagonist, in effect).
7 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' (2015)
Say what you want to about where the trilogy it kicked off eventually went, but for a time, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was pretty good. It’s still pretty good, and certainly entertaining, just a little less admirable in hindsight, because of Star Wars over-saturation and a lack of planning for the whole sequel trilogy. And this film also did quite a lot to popularize the idea of a legacy sequel, because you'll notice most of the ones mentioned here came out post-2015.
There’s one other legacy sequel from 2015 that’s better than The Force Awakens, though The Force Awakens is better than Jurassic World, also from that year, if it counts as a legacy sequel… it might admittedly be more of a Mad Max: Fury Road situation, though, owing to that film not really having any major characters from past movies coming back in some capacity. In any event, this first post-Disney Star Wars movie is entertaining and was, for a time, sufficiently crowd-pleasing, so it’s worth at least a mention here.
6 'The Color of Money' (1986)
Image via Touchstone PicturesIf not the earliest legacy sequel, then The Color of Money might well be the first genuinely good one, serving as a follow-up to The Hustler exactly a quarter of a century on from that movie’s release. Paul Newman returns as Fast Eddie, and is more of a mentor this time around to Tom Cruise’s character, who naturally was not in The Hustler, since Cruise was born in 1962 and all.
Tom Cruise was also in Top Gun the same year, and that movie itself got a noteworthy legacy sequel eventually, but that’s getting a bit ahead of things. The Color of Money does a lot of things right, as a sequel to a classic, even if it never quite surpasses said classic. It’s a good sports movie, Newman and Cruise make for a good duo, and Martin Scorsese, as director, brings a little by way of extra prestige and style to the whole thing.
5 'Scream' (2022)
Image via ParamountAs was the case with The Force Awakens, Scream (2022) – not to be mixed up with Scream (1996), despite annoyingly having the exact same title – isn't as much fun today as it was on release. There was some sense of direction and things being new/exciting here, and Scream VI was an honestly pretty good follow-up, but then there was behind-the-scenes drama, firings, and, eventually, a disappointing Scream 7 released in 2026.
Scream (2022) is just worth being here because it showed promise for the series as a whole, and had some solid commentary on the whole nature of legacy sequels, reboots, and “requels,” in typical fashion for the series and its consistent self-awareness and flirting with being a horror parody. 2022’s Scream deploys all the usual things you'd expect to see in a legacy sequel, twisting some of those conventions and playing others straight, generally in a chaotic enough way to prove fun and keep you guessing.
4 'T2 Trainspotting' (2017)
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Image via Sony Pictures Releasing InternationalWithin the whole legacy sequel craze of the mid-to-late 2010s (which could well still be going, at the time of writing), T2 Trainspotting always seemed like one of the biggest long shots (or longest shots?). Like, Trainspotting (1996) was already a pretty perfect movie with a phenomenal reputation, and it didn’t really feel like a sequel could live up to it, especially after 20 years, with people having been very devoted to the movie throughout all that time. Trainspotting is, to put it mildly, incredibly rewatchable, even with much of it being very distressing.
So, T2 Trainspotting ended up being a pleasant surprise, and a more-than-worthy follow-up that actually pushed the characters forward in interesting and worthwhile ways. Like with The Color of Money versus The Hustler, T2 Trainspotting was not quite Trainspotting, yet the fact that it can stand quite confidently beside such an iconic cult classic is saying a lot, with the sequel being very much worth your time, if you count yourself among the original’s fanbase.
3 'Top Gun: Maverick' (2022)
Image via Paramount PicturesTop Gun came out the same year as The Color of Money, and was undeniably significant in making Tom Cruise a star. It’s also a movie that doesn’t hold up phenomenally well, and not like it’s “dated” or “problematic,” but more that it’s just a weirdly underwhelming movie when it comes to its characters and the story it tells. There isn't much interesting conflict, but the style and overall vibes are there, and carry much of the film. It’s that side of things that’s more iconic than whatever the movie has to offer by way of drama and conflict.
2022’s Top Gun: Maverick feels like a reworked Top Gun, with an actual attempt at structure and storytelling here that’s simple, sure, but does serve to make the movie a good deal more satisfying and engaging than its predecessor. Cruise reprises his role, as does Val Kilmer briefly, but much of Top Gun: Maverick does focus on a “new generation” in the way various legacy sequels often do, and does that whole rather conventional and expected thing pretty well, overall.
2 'Blade Runner 2049' (2017)
Image via Warner Bros. PicturesEven if 2015 might've been the more significant year for legacy sequels overall (for better or worse), there are a few 2017 releases that suggest it was the biggest year for genuinely risky legacy sequels. T2 Trainspotting, Star Wars: The Last Jedi (if it counts as a legacy sequel; it might technically be more of a sequel to a legacy sequel), and then Blade Runner 2049 all support this notion.
Blade Runner 2049 had to be a sequel to a 1980s movie that actually held up as an undisputed classic.
Concerning Blade Runner 2049, there was a remarkably long gap in time between installments, with 1982’s Blade Runner being set in 2019, and then Blade Runner 2049 coming out 35 years later and being set in… well, you know. That’s one year less than the gap between Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick, sure, but Blade Runner 2049 had to be a sequel to a 1980s movie that actually held up as an undisputed classic, or something even more than that, because Blade Runner is one of the greatest sci-fi films ever. Blade Runner 2049 isn't quite on that level, but it does justify its existence and find interesting things to do with some of the conflict and themes already explored in the original, all the while not going too overboard with fan-service (maybe a little overboard, but Blade Runner is packed with things to reference, so it’s sort of understandable).
1 'Creed' (2015)
Image via Warner Bros. PicturesCreed is about as good as legacy sequels have ever gotten, especially one that arguably plays things kind of safe. It’s certainly a crowd-pleaser, but in a good way, and it kept Rocky Balboa’s storyline going pretty well, almost a decade on from the character getting his own legacy sequel of sorts, 2006’s Rocky Balboa, which certainly could’ve been a finale. Maybe it still is, for Rocky, since Creed does pivot things and focuses on a new protagonist.
Adonis is the son of Apollo Creed, who was once Rocky’s opponent and later friend, and he’s someone who does want to do the sort of things his father did, as a boxer, but not while living in his father’s shadow. So, he sets out to make a name for himself and has Rocky as a mentor, and then all the beats you'd expect most sports movies to hit are indeed hit, but that’s okay, because those beats are hit exceptionally well. Creed strikes a good balance between feeling nostalgic and like something decently new, and it’s difficult not to get swept up in it, to some extent, and subsequently feel quite moved by the whole thing.
Collider Exclusive · Oscar Best Picture Quiz
Which Oscar Best Picture
Is Your Perfect Movie?
Parasite · Everything Everywhere · Oppenheimer · Birdman · No Country
Five Oscar Best Picture winners. Five completely different visions of what cinema can be — and what it can do to you. One of them is the film that was made for the way your mind works. Ten questions will figure out which one.
🪜Parasite
🌀Everything Everywhere
☢️Oppenheimer
🐦Birdman
🪙No Country for Old Men
FIND YOUR FILM →
01
What kind of film experience do you actually want? The best movies don't just entertain — they leave something behind.
ASomething that pulls the rug out — that makes me think I'm watching one kind of film and then reveals I'm watching another entirely. BSomething overwhelming — funny, sad, absurd, and genuinely moving, all at once. CSomething grand and weighty — a film that makes me feel the full scale of what I'm watching. DSomething formally daring — a film that pushes what cinema can even do. ESomething lean and relentless — pure tension with no wasted frame.
NEXT QUESTION →
02
Which idea grabs you most in a film? Great films are driven by a central obsession. What's yours?
AClass, inequality, and what people are willing to do when desperation meets opportunity. BIdentity, family, and the chaos of trying to hold your life together when everything is falling apart. CGenius, moral responsibility, and the catastrophic weight of a decision you can never take back. DEgo, legacy, and the terror of becoming irrelevant while you're still alive to watch it happen. EEvil, chance, and whether moral order actually exists or if we just tell ourselves it does.
NEXT QUESTION →
03
How do you like your story told? Form is content. The way a story is shaped changes what it means.
AGenre-twisting — I want it to start in one lane and migrate into something completely different. BMaximalist and genre-blending — comedy, action, drama, sci-fi, all in one ride. CEpic and non-linear — cutting between timelines, building a mosaic of cause and consequence. DA single unbroken flow — I want to feel like I'm living it in real time, no cuts to safety. ESpare and precise — every scene doing exactly what it needs to do and nothing more.
NEXT QUESTION →
04
What makes a truly great antagonist? The opposition defines the protagonist. What kind of opposition fascinates you?
AA system — invisible, structural, and almost impossible to fight because it has no single face. BThe self — the ways we sabotage, abandon, and fail the people we love most. CHistory — the unstoppable momentum of events that no single person can stop or redirect. DThe industry — the machinery of culture that chews up talent and spits out irrelevance. EPure, implacable evil — a force so certain of itself it becomes almost philosophical.
NEXT QUESTION →
05
What do you want from a film's ending? The final note is the one that lingers. What do you want it to sound like?
AShock and inevitability — a conclusion that recontextualises everything that came before it. BEarned emotion — I want to cry, laugh, and feel genuinely hopeful, even if the world is a mess. CDevastation and grandeur — an ending that makes me sit in silence for a few minutes after. DAmbiguity — something that leaves enough open that I'm still thinking about it days later. EBleakness — an honest refusal to pretend the world is tidier than it actually is.
NEXT QUESTION →
06
Which setting pulls you in most? Where a film takes place shapes everything — mood, stakes, what's even possible.
AA gleaming modern city with a hidden underside — beauty masking rot, wealth masking desperation. BA collapsing suburban life that opens onto something infinite — the multiverse of a single ordinary person. CThe corridors of power and science at a world-historical turning point — where decisions echo for decades. DThe grimy, alive chaos of New York and Hollywood — fame as both destination and trap. EVast, indifferent landscape — desert and highway where violence arrives without warning or reason.
NEXT QUESTION →
07
What cinematic craft impresses you most? Every great film has a signature — a technical or artistic element that makes it unmistakable.
AProduction design and mise-en-scène — every frame composed to carry meaning beneath the surface. BEditing and tonal control — the ability to move between registers without losing the audience. CScore and sound design — music that becomes inseparable from the dread and awe of what you're watching. DCinematography as performance — the camera not recording events but participating in them. ESilence and restraint — what's left unsaid and unshown doing more work than any dialogue could.
NEXT QUESTION →
08
What kind of main character do you root for? The protagonist is the lens. Who you choose to follow says something about you.
ASomeone smart and resourceful who makes increasingly dangerous decisions under pressure. BSomeone overwhelmed and ordinary who turns out to be capable of something extraordinary. CA brilliant, tortured figure whose gifts and flaws are inseparable from each other. DA self-destructive artist whose ego is both their superpower and their undoing. EA quiet, principled person trying to make sense of a world that has stopped making sense.
NEXT QUESTION →
09
How do you feel about a film that takes its time? Pace is a choice. Some films sprint; others let tension accumulate slowly, deliberately.
AI love a slow build when I know the payoff is going to be seismic — patience for a devastating reveal. BGive me relentless momentum — I want to feel breathless and emotionally spent by the end. CEpic runtime doesn't scare me — if the material demands three hours, give me three hours. DI want it to feel propulsive even when nothing is technically happening — restless energy throughout. EDeliberate and unhurried — I want dread to accumulate in the spaces between the action.
NEXT QUESTION →
10
What do you want to feel walking out of the cinema? The best films leave a mark. What kind of mark do you want?
AUnsettled — like I've just seen something I can't fully explain but can't stop thinking about. BMoved and energised — like the film reminded me what actually matters and gave me something to hold onto. CHumbled — like I've been in the presence of something genuinely important and overwhelming. DExhilarated — like I've just seen cinema doing something it's never quite done before. EHaunted — like a cold, quiet dread that stays with me for days.
REVEAL MY FILM →
The Academy Has Decided Your Perfect Film Is…
Your answers have pointed to one Oscar Best Picture winner above all others. This is the film that was made for the way your mind works.
Parasite
You are drawn to films that operate on multiple levels simultaneously — that begin in one genre and quietly, brilliantly migrate into another. Bong Joon-ho's Parasite is a film about class, desire, and the architecture of inequality that manages to be darkly funny, deeply suspenseful, and genuinely shocking across a single extraordinary running time. Your instinct is for cinema that hides its true intentions until the moment it's ready to reveal them. Parasite is exactly that — a film that rewards close attention and punishes assumptions, right up to its devastating final image.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
You want it all — and this film gives you all of it. The Daniels' Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most maximalist films ever made: action comedy, multiverse sci-fi, family drama, existential crisis, and a genuinely earned emotional core that sneaks up on you amid the chaos. You are someone who responds to ambition, who doesn't want cinema to choose between being entertaining and being meaningful. This film refuses that choice entirely. It is overwhelming by design, and its overwhelming nature is precisely the point — because the feeling of being crushed by infinite possibility is exactly what it's about.
Oppenheimer
You are drawn to cinema on a grand scale — films that understand history not as a backdrop but as a force, and that place their characters inside that force and watch what happens. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is a film about the terrifying gap between what we can do and what we should do, told with the full weight of one of the most consequential moments in human history behind it. You want your films to feel important without feeling self-important — to earn their ambition through sheer craft and the gravity of their subject. Oppenheimer does exactly that. It is enormous, complicated, and refuses easy comfort.
Birdman
You are drawn to films that foreground their own construction — that make the how of the filmmaking part of the what it's about. Alejandro González Iñárritu's Birdman, shot to appear as a single continuous take, is cinema examining itself through the cracked mirror of a fading actor's ego. You respond to formal daring, to the feeling that a film is doing something that probably shouldn't be possible. Michael Keaton's performance and Emmanuel Lubezki's restless camera create something genuinely unlike anything else — a film that is simultaneously about creativity, relevance, self-destruction, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing if your work means anything at all.
No Country for Old Men
You are drawn to cinema that trusts silence, that refuses to explain itself, and that treats dread as a form of meaning. The Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men is a film about the arrival of a new kind of evil — implacable, arbitrary, and utterly indifferent to the moral frameworks we use to make sense of the world. It is one of the most formally controlled films ever made, and its controlled restraint is what makes it so terrifying. You want your films to haunt you, not comfort you. You are not interested in resolution if resolution would be dishonest. No Country for Old Men is honest in a way that most cinema never dares to be.
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Creed
Release Date November 25, 2015
Runtime 133 minutes
Director Ryan Coogler
English (US) ·