Editor: Harry Featherston

The ‘legacy sequel’ – the new studio toy that hinges on cashing in on the old. Last year we had a sequel to the reboot of Halloween, the second attempt at rebooting Ghostbusters in five years, and even a return to The Matrix. The key is introducing a set of new characters that are intrinsically linked and probably very similar to the originals in some way, with those original characters key to the plot themselves – a plot that will create a façade of freshness without ever straying too far from the comforting formula. It’s an unoriginal and cynical trend, but it’s a trend that will reliably produce superficial but inarguable enjoyment: look at the plot of Spider-Man: No Way Home – Marvel knew exactly what they were doing and look at how successful they’ve been.