Requel

What does Requel mean?

A movie that includes parts from an older film

Breaking down the term ‘Requel,’ it’s a kind of movie that borrows pieces from an earlier film in the same franchise but isn’t a straight-up remake or a direct continuation of the former film’s story. This means it’s not a sequel or prequel. You’ve seen requels before if you’ve watched Jurassic World, Ghostbusters, Halloween, Scream, or Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The term ‘requel’ has been floating around since the mid-2000s, but we don’t really know who first started using it. What we do know is that hardcore movie lovers, who we call cinephiles, love this term. They use it to describe movies that aren’t exactly sequels, prequels, or remakes, but share some characteristics with these categories. You’ll often spot this term being thrown around in online movie discussions, on platforms like Reddit or 4chan.

Requels often bring new concepts to the table but still pay homage to ideas or characters from past films in the franchise. So what makes a movie a requel? It’s all about these key features:

Example for using ‘Requel’ in a conversation

Hey, have you seen the new Jurassic World movie?

Yeah, I watched it last night. It’s a requel!

What’s a requel? I’ve never heard that term before.

A requel is a movie that combines elements from a previous film while bringing fresh ideas. It’s not a direct sequel or a remake.