Film Review- The Craft: Legacy Downs Patriarchy With Fire & Magic

Ugh! Don’t you just love seeing the patriarchy burn?! Like a bunch of bras being tossed into a bonfire, unlike the original, The Craft: Legacy has its four leading witches stay bonded, and the twist is absolutely refreshing. While I am not always for sequels and remakes, especially with iconic films like The Craft, it was nice to see director and writer Zoe Lister-Jones, create a tale of witches that have each other’s back, especially against the boys and men that try to stab it.

I love a good tale of witches. The is something attractive about our womanhood and magic combining to make us unlimited because, if you are a woman, you know that NO’s are commonplace for us. We still don’t have our equality, which means rejection and bullying, by the hands of men, is amplified. Thus, when we meet Cailee Spaeny’s Lily, Lovie Simone’s Tabby, Zoey Luna’s Lourdes, and Gideon Adlon’s Frankie, we immediately know they are the losers of their school. Even though they are fierce in mind and spirit, everyone isolates and makes fun of them, of which Lily has a particular humiliating situation that seals her stay in “loserville.” Yet, as a viewer it is invigorating seeing these young girls have each other’s back and play with magic, leading to beautiful scenes and special effects.

Across gender lines, we all know what it is to be put down, and we also know what it is to wish somebody, especially a friend, was by your side in your felt demise. There is no place like high-school to either make you feel absolutely invincible or fatalistic. Thus, as the young girls surge in their powers and happily confront bullies, you pull for their vengeance as much as their confidence. Unlike the original The Craft, these young ladies don’t have malice desires beyond being magical. Therefore, it is really nice to see a “nerd” start to feel good about themselves, and if they had to bop a popular bully in the head or cast a love spell to do it, so be it. Yet, it would not be an occult film if it did not have some level of scares and things going wrong.
THE CRAFT: LEGACY – Official Trailer – Now On Demand

Let’s be honest; friendships are hard, and they don’t get exactly easier when you are apart of a community trained not to love itself. Call it a sign of the times and progress, but the excitement of The Craft: Legacy is that these witches truly become family. They like each other and their misadventures create a lightness in the film that proves, even when you fight with a sister, you still love her enough to fight for her. These young women are also worth fighting for: Gideon Adlon’s Frankie is super charismatic, Lovie Simone’s Tabby feels gentle and noble, Zoey Luna’s Lourdes appears fun and kind, Cailee Spaeny’s Lily shows that, even in heartbreak, you can be strong. These are likable characters that are discovering their power, and are happy, not competitive, with each other. WHAT!!!!!!!! WOMEN NOT COMPETING WITH EACH OTHER!!!!!!! ON FILM!!!!!!
THE CRAFT: LEGACY Vignette – Power

With David Duchovny in a surprisingly conniving role and Michelle Monaghan as the loving mom, with her own secrets, The Craft: Legacy has a few plot twists that definitely mark it for a sequel. While I did not find it as “scary” or “creepy” as the original, I did not mind. It truly stands on its own, and speaks to the younger generation that are going to call Craft: The Legacy their original. In the end, most women do want to get along and be powerful together, and this film bewitchingly captures that. The Craft: Legacy comes out October 28.