There is no phrase in Hollywood’s recent history that’s been more popular than the “legacy sequel.” Films like Creed, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jurassic World, and David Gordon Green’s Halloween essentially remade the first film in their respective franchises, but used it to usher in a new generation of heroes and play on the audience’s nostalgia. At their best, legacy sequels like Top Gun: Maverick and Blade Runner 2049 have been able to re-energize their franchises with emotional follow-ups; at their worst, films like 2015’s Vacation or Independence Day: Resurgence have felt like nothing but unneeded retreads. Surprisingly, one of the best legacy sequels in recent memory came in the form of Netflix’s 2016 comedy feature Pee-wee’s Big Holiday. While the notion of a new Pee-wee film three decades later seemed like a disastrous proposal doomed to embarrass those involved, the late great Paul Reubens was able to bring the same character back and retain the magical spirit of his most iconic character.
