YMMV / The Craft: Legacy

• Angst? What Angst?: In the ending, Helen doesn't seem even slightly disturbed after she found out her now-dead boyfriend was actually an evil warlock who tried to murder her daughter.
• Anvilicious: The film's aesops are generally unsubtle (though for some viewers this worked okay, such as with Timmy's storyline), but the message about toxic masculinity gets particularly heavy-handed: the Big Bad is revealed to be a blatantly misogynistic warlock who leads a 'men's rights' cult, murders a bisexual boy just for being 'weak' and 'unmanly', literally tries to steal a woman's power, rants about men being the 'natural' rulers of women and appears to have no motivation beyond being an evil woman-hater, while the young women opposing him are consistently portrayed as heroic and righteous; even when they think they've screwed up by inadvertently causing someone to commit suicide via a spell gone awry, it later turns out it was actually the villain's fault and they quickly make up.
• Ass Pull: Adam turning out to be a warlock who wants Lily's powers. While it was made blatantly obvious he was a bad guy throughout the film, his true nature and Evil Plan are abruptly revealed in the final twenty or so minutes. The only prior hints were some vague dreams Lily kept having and it's very disconnected from everything else that has happened up to this point. Nor is it made clear why he wants Lily's powers so badly when he already appears incredibly powerful himself. His murder of Timmy is also pretty out-of-nowhere and the only motive he provides is that Timmy had become "weak", though it conveniently means Timmy's ghost can spill the beans about Adam to the coven.
• Awesome Music:
  • The slower, creepier cover of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" used in the trailer is wonderfully eerie and fitting for the story, with some viewers even stating it was the best part of the trailer.
  • Sharon Van Etten's upbeat indie pop song "Seventeen", a reflection on being seventeen years old and everything it entails, which fits very well with the witches' Good-Times Montage showing them both experimenting with magic and being average teenage girls.
• Broken Base: The witches' outfits no longer being gothic or at least goth-inspired. Some point out that goth isn't as popular among teens as it was in '90s and the girls' outfits are in fashion for 2020 teens (strongly influenced by the Y2K aesthetic that had recently become popular again). Others feel this misses the whole point, because the girls are supposed to be misfits who don't follow mainstream trends.
• Captain Obvious Reveal:
  • The moment Lily is revealed to have been adopted, many viewers correctly guessed her birth mother was one of the witches from the original film, with Nancy being a top contender.
  • Adam being revealed as the villain wasn't all that shocking for a lot of viewers; he'd been antagonistic towards the girls for most of the story, the film emphasizes there's something sinister about him and by the third act there's not really any other options for a Big Bad seeing as the witches are portrayed as responsible and well-adjusted.
• Common Knowledge: A surprising amount of people believed the film was a remake of The Craft rather than a sequel, even after it was officially announced it was a sequel; a few less-informed viewers still thought it was supposed to be a remake while watching the movie at least until the final scene where Nancy shows up. In fairness, Legacy is clearly a Soft Reboot with similar plot beats, which may have led to some confusion. In an interview, Zoe Lister-Jones stated she intended for the film to be a Stealth Sequel, with audiences not realizing it took place in the same continuity until the final scene, though the advertizing shot this in the foot such as by showing Lily looking at photos of Nancy and emphasis on it being a continuation of the first film.
• Continuity Lock-Out: Generally averted, as aside from some Continuity Nods the film is largely independent of the first movie. A notable exception is the final scene with the appearance of Nancy Downs as Lily's birth mother; unless you're at least familiar with The Craft you'll have no idea who this person is and why they're significant.
• Fanfic Fuel: The film reveals that warlocks exist in The Craft's universe, which opens up several possibilities, such as whether there are benevolent warlocks and whether warlocks and witches could form a coven together.
• Improved Second Attempt: Over the years, some have criticized the original film's lack of diversity; out of all the main characters the only person of color is Rochelle, who is increasingly Out of Focus in the second half of the movie (although it should be noted her inclusion as a lead and non-stereotypical portrayal was Fair for Its Day). Legacy tries to rectify this by having a more diverse main cast; two of the four witches are women of color (and one of them is trans). This became a point of contention for some audiences and critics though; the film's marketing heavily played up the diversity angle only for Tabby and Lourdes to be little more than flat Satellite Characters to the white lead, Lily. It's especially egregious since Rochelle as a character is beloved precisely because she has her own story and agency, even if she is Out of Focus.
• It's the Same, Now It Sucks!: Some viewers felt the plot was at times overly-similar to the first film: a group of misfit girls form a coven with a new girl who is Unskilled, but Strong and get their own back on bullies, along with other story beats derived from the original. The latter-half does introduce some new elements, such as the Jerk Jock's positive character development and coming out story (which was positively received), the villain being revealed as a misogynistic warlock out to steal his stepdaughter's powers and Lily being Nancy's daughter, but some of these were criticized as underdeveloped (the plot point confirming it is a sequel rather than a straight remake is only revealed in the final scene).
• Moral Event Horizon: Adam leaps over it when he murders Timmy for no reason save for the fact he thought he'd become "weak" for taking a level in kindness (and possibly because he was bisexual and once slept with Adam's son Isaiah), and set it up to look like a suicide.
• Nightmare Retardant: The moment where Lily slowly realizes her subtly out-of-character mother is not really her mother is pretty creepy...until she shapeshifts into David Duchovny via bad CGI, which deflates much of the tension.
• Older Than They Think: This sequel being standalone was actually part of a planned TV series or movie back in the 90s, focusing on the legacy of the original four witches after they'd left the school. It didn't get picked up, possibly due to competition from Charmed and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (or even Sabrina the Teenage Witch).
• Retroactive Recognition: Timmy's actor Nicholas Galitzine became more widely recognised as Prince Henry in Red, White & Royal Blue a few years after this film came out.
• Sequelitis: Even in otherwise positive reviews, the majority of viewers and critics feel The Craft: Legacy is inferior to the 1996 film (and critics weren't hugely enamored with that movie, either). The main criticisms include being overly-derivative of the first movie, the rushed climax, the lack of characterization for the girls save for Lily, the toned-down horror, multiple unresolved plot threads, and the lack of nuance in some of its themes. Not helping is that while The Craft had something of a uniqueness factor as dark fantasy aimed at teens was uncommon in the 1990's, these days supernatural teen dramas are a dime a dozen. While some appreciated Legacy's attempts to address topical social issues and its girl power themes, there's not much else to make it stand out.
• Special Effect Failure: Some of the CGI magic effects are distractingly obvious, especially in the more action-heavy third act. Some viewers have even compared the effects to ones seen in a CW show more so than a big-budget film. The shapeshifting scene with Adam is particularly egregious.
• Squick: It's suggested that Adam was responsible for washing Lily's bloodstained jeans (and presumably her bloody underwear too) from when she unexpectedly got her period. Her mother seems to think this was sweet and understanding of him, but considering that Lily and Adam barely know each other, in addition to Adam's sexism against women and authoritarian behavior becoming more pronounced, it comes off as creepy instead.
• Sweetness Aversion: A few critics and audience members have noted that while the film's emphasis on everyone being kind, inclusive and only using magic for good is wholesome and idealistic, it also results in large chunks of the film feeling like plot fluff - if not downright dull - due to a lack of meaningful conflict or dramatic tension, especially considering it was marketed as a horror/supernatural thriller. The heavy use of sparkles doesn't help.
• Tainted by the Preview: While the response hasn't been universally negative, some people expressed distaste for the trailer's 'showier' displays of magic such as the use of sparkles, feeling it doesn't fit the dark tone of the story, especially as the original film's approach to magic was initially more subtle and 'realistic'-looking before gradually becoming more grandiose. Some were also apprehensive about the trailer's presentation of the plot, which made it seem overly similar to the original's.
• Tearjerker: The scene where Timmy comes out as bisexual manages to be genuinely moving. He unexpectedly blurts out that he had sex with Isaiah during a game of 'two truths one lie'; the others laugh until they see his expression and realize he's telling the truth. Timmy breaks down in tears while the girls try to comfort him, saying he feels he can't even tell his best friend, that Isaiah "won't even look at [him]" since it happened, and how people will assume he's gay because he's attracted to men when he actually likes both men and women.
• They Changed It, Now It Sucks!:
  • Several fans and some reviewers have criticized the significantly Lighter and Softer tone and content compared to the first film, with some even finding the sequel boring and sluggish in places due to lacking serious conflict and stakes (especially in the middle act), while feeling the last-minute attempts at horror were half-baked. It's been noted that one of the things that stood out about the original film was its Darker and Edgier approach to teen movies, which is subsequently lost here. As a corollary to this, some fans also wished they'd kept the original's earthier and grungier goth-lite aesthetic (although Legacy's brighter, sparklier aesthetic does match the lighter tone).
  • Even amongst those who didn't mind this movie's Genre Shift from horror to a more light-hearted fantasy weren't keen on the Anvilicious ending, which has been unfavorably compared to the reviled Black Christmas (2019). Many people also criticized how the CGI-laden magic battle seemed like something out of a completely different franchise (while The Craft also used CGI in its climax, it blended it heavily with practical effects and is more of a psychological battle of wills than a straight-up duel).
• They Copied It, So It Sucks!: Several people have pointed out how oddly similar the third act is to the climax of Black Christmas (2019) (also made by Blumhouse): the protagonist is kidnapped by an evil magic-wielding cult leader who hates women, then when all hope seems lost her friends arrive and after a battle they burn the bad guy alive. It wasn't so much the perceived 'copying' that was the main issue and more that Black Christmas was widely panned, so seemingly emulating it was a questionable idea. Indeed, Legacy's final act is often considered the weakest part of the film, though overall it got a better reception than Black Christmas.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Character:
  • Many viewers have opined that Adam's sons are underused. They receive little characterization or relevance to the plot, despite potentially interesting developments such as their relationship with their new stepsister Lily, Isaiah's sleepwalking (which is brought up once then forgotten about), Isaiah's romantic relationship with Timmy (whom Lily also has feelings for), and especially their father being a member of pagan cult; it's never made clear if the boys are aware of Adam's secret or if they potentially have powers themselves.
  • They brought back Fairuza Balk as Nancy, one of the most iconic characters from the original, and revealed her to be the main protagonist's biological mother to boot...and she's only in one scene right at the end, with next to no significance to the story. It could've been interesting to explore how Nancy is as a person now, whether she managed to regain her powers, her relationship with her daughter, even a potential redemption arc, but the movie does none of this, instead apparently leaving it all for a sequel.
  • They didn't bring back any of the other witches either, most egregiously in the case of Rochelle - considered to be the character with the most wasted potential in the first film.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot:
  • Throughout the film, the witches are shown using their powers to try and clean up their school, culminating in them casting a spell on resident bully Timmy to make him more sensitive to others. This seemingly backfires when it results in Timmy committing suicide after confessing his insecurities around being bisexual, for which the girls feel immensely guilty. This opens up a discussion around how they use their powers and whether they're potentially doing more harm than good despite their noble intentions; an earlier scene where Frankie uses violence to get back at a mean girl also raises questions around the fine line between justice and vengeance. However, it's soon revealed that Timmy was in fact murdered by Adam, at which point the moral implications of the girls' actions are brushed aside.
  • Many critics and audience members have decried that none of the witches save for Lily got individual story arcs, despite them having potential for interesting subplots. Lourdes is a standout example: according to Word of God and some of the deleted scenes she had an entire subplot involving her witch grandmother who mentored the girls and took Lourdes in due to her mother casting her out. It could've been really interesting to explore Latin American witchcraft and how Lourdes feels about her family situation, but unfortunately it all ended up on the cutting room floor. Frankie is also hinted to have potential insecurities about her appearance, which is a highly relevant topic given the prominence of social media, appearance-altering technology and their effects on self-image in 2020, but nothing is done with this.
• Took the Bad Film Seriously: The film got a lukewarm reception at best but many people praised Cailee Spaeny's performance as Lily, feeling she did a great job making Lily a sympathetic and likable protagonist. Likewise, Nicholas Galitzine got a largely positive reaction for his role as Timmy, with viewers feeling his performance helped make Timmy's arc more believable and heartfelt.
• Uncertain Audience: The film doesn't seem sure if it wants to appeal to the youth of today or nostalgic fans of the original; notably it's a Soft Reboot that follows many of the same story beats, but the only returning cast member is Fairuza Balk and she's relegated to a cameo. It also fails to set itself apart like the original did - for being a very grounded Low Fantasy that was different in a time before teen Urban Fantasy was mainstream. Legacy is very obviously derivative of Urban Fantasy as seen today, which alienated a lot of viewers.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: Helen for a lot of viewers, due to her making some extremely poor decisions when it comes to parenting. She chooses to move in with her long-distance boyfriend despite the fact her own daughter barely knows him and has never met his kids. She's supposedly a loving and responsible parent, but putting her teenage daughter (and herself for that matter) into a situation like this is a terrible idea. Then there's the fact she never told her daughter she was adopted and that she knows Lily's birth mother to boot, with Lily accidentally finding out after stumbling upon some documents, which is another example of questionable parenting that causes her daughter unnecessary distress.
• Visual Effects of Awesome: The scenes where the girls freeze time are pulled off well and are some of the most believable-looking magic scenes in the film.
• The Woobie: Lily managed to become this based on just the first trailer, as the poor girl unexpectedly gets her period in class, on her first day at a new school, and is publicly mocked for it by some other students. She's just moved in with her new stepfamily, where her stepbrothers are awkward with her at best and her new stepfather starts showing signs of being controlling and sexist. And then in the third act, in a short space of time she learns the boy she had a crush on committed suicide and thinks it's her fault because she put a spell on him, is ditched by her friends, finds out she's adopted, then finds out her crush was actually murdered by her warlock stepdad who attempts to forcibly take her powers.

---