THE CRAFT: LEGACY (2020) Reviews and Blu-ray, DVD release news

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The Craft: Legacy will be released in North America on Blu-ray and DVD on December 22nd 2020 via Sony Pictures. The film is currently available on VOD. Special features:

Franchise Legacy featurette
Powerful Story, Magical Director featurette
Four alternate scenes with introduction by writer-director Zoe Lister-Jones


‘Let the ritual begin’

The Craft: Legacy is 2020 American teen drama film about teenage witches get more than they bargained for via their new powers. The movie is a belated sequel to the 1996 movie of the same name

Written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones, the movie stars Cailee Spaeny (Pacific Rim: Uprising), Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, Zoey Luna, Nicholas Galitzine, with Michelle Monaghan and David Duchovny (The X-Files). Blumhouse and Red Wagon Entertainment produced the film for Columbia Pictures. Andrew Fleming, who co-wrote and directed the original, returned as an executive producer.

[May contain spoilers] Reviews:

“While ‘teen witches vs. toxic masculinity’ is an appealing elevator pitch, the theme isn’t as filled out here as it could be. Neither are the day-to-day struggles of the coven’s transgender and Black members, whose identities are affirmed with the depth of a well-meaning but brief social media post.” The AV Club

” …a lovely endeavor by Lister-Jones that feels like an essential cinematic moment for today’s teens. As a sequel, it gets far more right than it gets wrong and I love that, in spirit, it feels right in line with the original film. It definitely sets out to do its own thing here, which I really appreciated, and it does all this while delivering an empowering message for a new generation of outcasts.” Daily Dead

“For all its good intentions, the glossy production comes off like a feature-length episode of a network teen drama; nary a frame hints at the arresting energy of the edgy sleepover staple […] there’s no separating this movie from its predecessor. Invoking that nostalgia will certainly draw some viewers, but the link mostly hurts the new film, considering how mild it is in comparison to its inspiration.” Entertainment Weekly

” …it touches upon the topic of toxic masculinity that hurts young men, along with community and loneliness […] The director’s goal was to make a spooky, witchy film where the magic doesn’t necessarily play the main part in the plot, but is still an integral aspect of and teaches important lessons – one being that you cannot always rely on magic and simply waiting for something to happen. You have to work on it.” First Showing

“The study of toxic masculinity works, which I can only presume is an idea Zoe Lister-Jones had that made her sign on to the project in the first place, whereas everything surrounding that is a combination of bad writing and studio interference. Overbearing musical compositions also start blasting at the most inappropriate times leading to unintentional hilarity during what should be tense moments.” Flickering Myth

“There’s ultimately too much in the film’s rushed 94-minute runtime for anything to really breathe. The four young women are all excellent but apart from Spaeny […] none of them are allowed the time for any real story of their own or even any notable characteristics to distinguish them from each other.” The Guardian

“There are few if any scares here, right up to the anticlimactic final face-off where the witches strike back not so much with incantations but with what seem more like wannabe superhero moves. They’re more low-key X-Men than Hex-Men […] Legacy left me less than spellbound.” The Hollywood Reporter

Legacy represents multiple ethnicities, orientations, and genders, and it does it well. The characters’ minority statuses are not their only character traits, and that’s so uncommon that it merits noting. Also, this point seems especially important in a semi coming-of-age film. It’s really important to see yourself represented onscreen when you are becoming an adult, and this film truly delivers on that order.” Killer Horror Critic

“Ultimately, what I realized as the credits rolled–after a seemingly tacked-on ending tying this film to the first–is that I am not the target audience of this film, and that is perfectly okay. It’s going to hit differently for a younger generation of newbie horror fans and young women. What seems heavy-handed to me, may be exactly what they need.” iHorror

“Ultimately, this film lacks a bewitching quality. The witches get a music-video-like montage of their newfound powers, but it feels vapid without a strong motive. Gideon Adlon is given the comic relief role, but the other two friends (Lovie Simone, Zoey Luna) are superficially rendered. With that, this new film also recalls the original in its greatest flaw: by under-writing the characters of colour.” The New York Times

“ …Legacy is that rare movie in which such premonitions don’t pay off. Lily’s right to be skeptical of Adam’s motives, but the finale in which Duchovny gets to play the villain is no more stressful than the last act of your average Scooby-Doo episode […]  there’s nothing here that can compare to the fiery-eyed insanity of Faruza Balk’s performance in that film. The original Craft may be a mess, but it does have a legacy, and this ain’t it.” Variety

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Release:

The Craft: Legacy is released by Sony On-demand everywhere at the Witching Hour on October 28th 2020.

Trailer:

YouTube reviews:

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