Hollywood loves mining existing franchises for more content, and one of their go-to moves is the prequel. When done right, prequels can add fascinating backstories and make us see the original in a whole new light. When done wrong, they feel pointless at best and can even ruin the franchise at worst.
Let’s hope Hollywood keeps the good ones coming and spares us any more flops. But knowing their track record, we wouldn’t hold our breath.
Here are some of the best and worst prequels to ever grace the silver screen.
The Best
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
A prequel to Indian Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Temple of Doom is a rip-roaring adventure, even if the film is not wildly popular among critics. Sure, it’s darker than Raiders and has some problematic elements, but you can’t deny the thrills of the mine cart chase and the rope bridge scene. While it’s not the best Indiana Jones film out there, for a prequel it does pretty well. With a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.5 on IMDB, the action-adventure film made a staggering $333.1 million at the box office.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
With an 84% critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.8 on IMDB, you’d best believe that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is a prequel that almost everybody likes. This gritty Star Wars (1997) prequel finally gave audiences the story behind how the Rebels stole the Death Star plans, and it’s a thrilling ride from start to finish. The new characters are compelling, the action is top-notch, and how it leads perfectly into Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977).
X-Men: First Class (2011)
As a prequel to X-Men (2000), First Class breathed new life into the franchise by going back to the beginning with Charles and Erik in the 1960s. James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are brilliant as the future Professor X and Magneto, and the period setting allows for showing off some groovy styles. The fact that the cast had a strong script to back their performances made everything come together beautifully. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes have given the superhero film an 86% rating while audiences have scored it a slightly better 87%. IMDB is just a little behind with a 7.7 rating.
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Although considered both a prequel and sequel, this legendary crime film deserves first place on this list simply because of its absolute brilliance. The Godfather Part II effortlessly weaves together the rise of young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) with the “present-day” story of his son Michael (masterfully played by Al Pacino). Robert De Niro’s Oscar-winning turn as the ambitious immigrant who becomes the ruthless head of a crime family is utterly captivating. The film has a 4.7 audience score and a 92% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Unsurprisingly, it has a 9.0 IMDb score.
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (1966)
Technically a prequel to A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and For a Few Dollars More (1965), this epic spaghetti western is a masterpiece in its own right. Scoring 97% on the Tomatometer with a 5/5 Audience Score and an impressive 8.8 rating on IMDb is no joke. But The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly seem to have managed it, with iconic performances from Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach, among others. It’s the ultimate showdown set against the backdrop of the Civil War.
The Worst
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)
The most anticipated prequel ever turned out to be the most disappointing. Nonsensical plots about trade disputes, wooden acting, and Jar Jar Binks all add up to a thoroughly unsatisfying return to a galaxy far, far away. There’s no denying that critics hate the film with a passion but, The Phantom Menace doesn’t fair very badly on Rotten Tomatoes: the film currently has a 52% critics consensus rating and a 3.5/5 audience rating. It’s got 6.5 stars on IMDb (also not bad). The point is, everybody hated The Phantom Menace when it first came out, but folks seem to be slowly warming towards it.
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas (2000)
Another needless prequel, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas shows us how Fred and Wilma and Barney and Betty became couples. Except it does so with lame gags, cheap sets, and none of the wit of the classic cartoon. Critics and audiences don’t find the film any different from the original live-action The Flinstones (1994) though. The romantic comedy scored a not-so-great 25% critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes and a dismal 3.7 stars on IMDb. Yabba dabba don’t, I guess…
Hannibal Rising (2007)
This prequel to The Silence of the Lambs (1991), admittedly a difficult film to match up to, tries to humanize everyone’s favorite cannibal, Hannibal Lecter, by showing his tragic childhood during World War II. But, by making him more of an antihero than a villain, it robs the character of his true essence, which is the fact that he’s evil. Although critics have shown their extreme dislike of the horror film (a ghastly 16% on the Tomatometer!), its 3.3-star audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and 6.1-star IMDb rating seems to convey that the general public is not entirely put off by it.
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
We can all agree that The Exorcist (1973) is perhaps the scariest movie ever made. Unfortunately, The Beginning, a prequel revealing Father Merrin’s first encounter with a demon, is one of the most boring. Terrible CGI, cheap scares, and a complete lack of suspense make this a franchise killer. Audiences were reportedly laughing at certain scenes that were meant to scare. The Beginning received a dreadful 11% critics consensus score and a 2.5/5 audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film received a slightly better 5.1/10 rating on IMDb.
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003)
No one was clamoring for the origin story of Harry and Lloyd’s friendship, but we got this abysmal prequel anyway. With none of the charm or laughs of the original (Dumb and Dumber – 1994), this buddy film is one we’d rather forget. With a 10% Rotten Tomatoes score, a pitiful 2.2 audience rating, and a 3.4 rating on IMDb there’s no denying that When Harry Met Lloyd is a prequel that should never have happened.
Sources: Business Insider, ScreenRant, BBC