Sony clearly wants to thread the needle of appropriately characterizing the new film while stoking audience nostalgia for its counterpart. An expert practitioner of the spiritual sequel, Richard Linklater especially indulges in the delight of crafting movies that rhyme with each other. Nearly 20 years after Paramount eagerly expressed interest in making “Dazed,” Linklater described the studio’s position on “EWS!!” In Linklater’s eyes, college symbolizes a fount of opportunity, a place where people can reinvent themselves, try on different identities, and embrace self-exploration. To put the lesson in a different light, per Willoughby: “Language is a construct, man.”