The Craft (2020)

November 7, 2020 5:42 PM

A continuation of the cult hit The Craft (previously), an eclectic foursome of aspiring teenage witches get more than they bargained for as they lean into their newfound powers.

Written and directed by Zoe Lister-Jones, the film stars Cailee Spaeny, Gideon Adlon, Lovie Simone, Zoey Luna, Nicholas Galitzine, with Michelle Monaghan and David Duchovny. Blumhouse and Red Wagon Entertainment are producing the film for Columbia Pictures.

In ‘The Craft: Legacy,’ the Coven Isn’t the Only Source of Magic
Review: 'The Craft: Legacy' Is A Kinder, Gentler Sleepover Flick (Pajiba)
The Craft:Legacy Is Afraid to Be Wicked (Vaniety Fair)
Fairuza Balk on the legacy of ‘The Craft’ and stepping back from Hollywood
“The Craft: Legacy” Atones For The Sins Of The Original

posted by urbanlenny (7 comments total)

Sadly, I found this pretty meh. It seemed to progress at breakneck speed, have no real grit or fun to it and the "twist" at the end was kind of just tacked on there.
posted by urbanlenny at 5:44 PM on November 7, 2020

I had hopes for this and it was just ... OK? Cailee Spaeny was great as Lily but I do think they rushed the entire "girls form a coven and now have powers!" stuff. It all felt a little toothless. I didn't mind what they did with Timmy -- that worked -- but I feel like some plot points were so fully underdeveloped (especially with the brothers!) and then the end battle felt really obvious and rushed.

The "twist" was bad and telegraphed so far in advance that it didn't have the impact it should've. I actually would've liked if they had dealt with that idea -- the actual idea of a "legacy" -- much earlier in the movie rather than it being a late non-surprise. (Like ... that was basically the idea we all had on Twitter a few years ago. It was the most obvious one!)

While I know it happens a lot, the trailer had different scenes or scenes that played out differently. I do wonder if there's a different movie here and it was just cut up to what we got.

I appreciated what this was trying to do and I think it was very kind to our protagonists. It just lacked the weird, messy darkness of its predecessor that helped ground it a bit more.
posted by edencosmic at 8:49 PM on November 7, 2020

Was kinda looking forward to watching this at some point and still will... eventually - but that's wierd; IMDB think's (as far as Metafilter is able to scrape it) it's called 'The Craft' when the full name is 'The Craft: Legacy.'*

'The Craft' put Fairuza Balk and Neve Campbell at pretty much the pinnacle of their careers? Rachel True and Robin Tunney never really made it. Interested to see the trajectories of the new cast.

Fanfare thread for 'The Craft' (1996).


*this might be a similar issue with the two X-Files movies showing up as the same name in Fanfare (and the autocomplete box), or something
posted by porpoise at 8:52 PM on November 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

I noticed just after I finished my post, when the credits were literally still rolling, the movie was less than 90 minutes long. They CLEARLY had additional time to expand on the coven's development and do some other things with their time but they for some reason went with what they had and that's kinda sucky.

but that's wierd; IMDB think's (as far as Metafilter is able to scrape it) it's called 'The Craft' when the full name is 'The Craft: Legacy.'*

Yeah it wouldn't even find it when I entered in the proper name so I had to use the IMDB link and this is what it came up as. It also described it as a remake of the 1996 film, which this movie is definitely NOT.
posted by urbanlenny at 9:32 PM on November 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

ModernGurlz, one of my favorite pop culture YouTube channels, posted an incisive video detailing the film’s shortcomings that I recommend if you were similarly disappointed.
posted by Ian A.T. at 7:56 PM on November 9, 2020 [1 favorite]

This felt like a total "How do you do, fellow kids?"

To a ridiculous degree.

More Harry Pottery magic than witchcraft.

Stuck around for the Duchovney but shouldn't have bothered.
posted by porpoise at 8:46 PM on November 9, 2020

I enjoyed it, but also I think everything has worn me down so much that things that are sweet and well-intentioned work for me much more now than anything remotely edgy.

I have no idea How Movies Happen, but it felt so short, and made me wonder whether COVID prevented them from doing re-shoots or things that would have resulted in a more fully-developed movie. I read in one of the reviews that the reviewer felt like it was the start of a series, and I agree. I think it could have worked, actually, as a more thought-out miniseries or something, giving the characters and the plot a little more room to breathe. Cailee Spaeny's character wasn't interesting enough on her own to carry as much of the movie as she did and I would have liked to know more about the other girls and what they were like and had going on before their fourth came to town.

All in all, I'm not sorry that I paid money to see it and support the people involved. Don't know that I'll re-watch.
posted by bowtiesarecool at 1:48 PM on November 12, 2020 [1 favorite]