Decades ago when sequels began to become common, filmmakers were against them. Roger Ebert snidely referred to them as “a filmed deal”. Now, sequels and franchise starters are so common to Hollywood entertainment there are sub-categories. The least respected is probably the Disney Live Action Remake, but Legacy Sequels, where the old cast get together for one last paycheck, are certainly down there. The ones that don’t work make a loud noise before quickly and quietly fading away, which is why you probably don’t notice how often they do work.
By far the most successful is The Force Awakens (and one of the worst is The Rise of Skywalker). Creed, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Blade Runner 2049… if there’s a good story it can work. This isn’t even counting the sub-sub-genre of Horror Legacy Sequels: Scream, 28 Years Later, Halloween, Doctor Sleep. It’s been working since 1986 when Tom Cruise and Martin Scorsese teamed up with Paul Newman for The Color of Money.
So Cruise is no stranger to what a good Legacy Sequel looks like, and director Joseph Kosinski knows how to bring an old film into the modern age. He made Tron: Legacy in 2010, which isn’t Great but showed Kosinski had the talent for Maverick, which improves upon every aspect of the original. Charming characters, exciting action, even the love story is better, and like Harrison Ford in Star Wars, Tom Cruise knows the small touches that bring Maverick back 30 years later.
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