Paramount+’s summer blockbuster hit was not just an excellent action movie, but proof that a persistent Hollywood point of failure could be a strength if done successfully. Sequels have been the bread and butter of Hollywood and television almost since movies and television have been around.

Though we like to say that there are no more original ideas and everything is a sequel, prequel, or spinoff, let’s not pretend the ’80s and ’90s weren’t filled with movies like Aliens, Beverly Hills Cop II, Friday the 13th Part VIII, Jaws 3, Rocky IV, Mad Max 2, and so many more titles.

Still, in today’s movie landscape, sequels don’t just seem to be a way to continue making money off a valuable IP; they seem to be banking on the hope that viewers will remember enough about the older film to accept an obviously inferior product. This is particularly noticeable with the legacy sequel.

This unofficial strata of sequel tends to come out decades after the original film premiered, with or without the major characters still a part of it. A lot of what we’ve seen, The Rise of Skywalker, Exorcist Believer, Zoolander 2, Matrix: Resurrections, have insisted on rehashing the movies they’re supposed to be moving the story forward on, often to their detriment.

But as Top Gun: Maverick showed everyone in 2022, there is another way. The sequel to 1986’s Top Gun was not something people had been waiting for, and when it was announced, there was the usual concern that there is for most legacy sequels, that this would be a cynical regurgitation of a beloved movie for audiences.

Instead, Top Gun: Maverick ended up with $1.5 billion at the box office (via BoxOfficeMojo), a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and six Oscar nominations, including one for best picture, and a win for Best Sound. It turns out you can do legacy sequels that everyone likes, you just need to do them the right way.

Top Gun: Maverick Proved That Legacy Sequels Can Work If Done Right

Top Gun: Maverick does what all legacy sequels should do. Recognize the original movie, understand why fans loved it, pay respect to it, and then tell a completely different story. Maverick is so great because it flips what we know about the Top Gun franchise.

In the original film, Tom Cruise is our hero. As the cocky pilot Pete “Maverick”, we cheered for the outsider who did things his own way, but learned that if you want to succeed, you need to be a team player. In the sequel, Tom Cruise is still our hero, and he’s still very much a cocksure ace.

Except now, Maverick is in charge, and he has a class of pilots who think they’re the best thing since lime in a Corona. It makes for a compelling story change while still keeping all of Maverick’s growth intact from the earlier movie. What’s also kept intact from the original is the power, adrenaline, and crispness of the storytelling.

Even still, Maverick isn’t afraid to wink at the original, but it does so in ways that aren’t necessarily crucial to the plot, so you can enjoy them as nostalgic waves rather than crass, in-your-face, remember-whens. Instead of beach volleyball, there’s beach football. Instead of “Lost that Lovin’ Feelin'” at the bar, there’s “Great Balls of Fire”.

Old characters return, too, but it’s not just a carousel of faces we’re supposed to remember. It’s really moving to see Iceman (Val Kilmer) back, having matured and mellowed, and it’s a respectful send-off for the actor who would pass away not long after.

If you want to know why Top Gun: Maverick succeeds where other legacy sequels don’t, it’s because Top Gun: Maverick has a story it wants to tell. It just so happens to be in the Top Gun universe. It doesn’t want to just simply say, as so many legacy sequels do, “Hey, you used to like this thing! Look!”