10 Movies That Tried To Exploit Nostalgia (And Won)

7. Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle

The world collectively groaned when a sequel to 1995's classic adventure film Jumanji was announced, because knowing Hollywood's tendency to cynically shock movie franchises back to life without any clever or inspired reason to do so, why would Jumanji of all things be any different?

And even the movie's trailers didn't really suggest anything other than a bland tentpole flick appealing to the lowest common denominator. A pleasant surprise it was, then, when it turned out to be a genuinely affectionate and charming reinvention of the original film's formula.

By passing comment on how the very nature of games have changed over two decades - it's all about video games now, of course - Jumanji managed to serve up wacky set-pieces consistent with the tone of the original, but in a way that felt incredibly current.

More to the point, the nostalgia was actually sensibly restrained, with the film dishing up a touching tribute to Robin Williams' original protagonist Alan Parrish, by revealing a jungle house he built during his time in the game.

Unlike even many of the acclaimed and hugely successful films on this list, the new Jumanji knew exactly where to tow the line, such that even the most skeptical fans of the original ultimately had their defenses broken down by the film's persuasive charm offensive.

And better yet, the upcoming sequel, Jumanji: The Next Level, looks pretty damn great too.