Prequels are hard to get right. Telling the story that comes before the story audiences know and love is tricky business, because by definition, everyone knows how they end. In most cases, prequels fail to expand upon the themes and story in any significant way, and end up being little more than summary of everything that happened before the interesting stuff.
Stories built on the bones of prior work can often feel constrained. Tell too much of a new story and run the risk of not feeling connected to the original piece of entertainment. Don’t tell enough of one and it feels like a waste of time. Trying to tell a new story is difficult, and when it comes to prequels, certain beats, characters, and events are already set in stone. It’s not hard to understand why prequels so frequently end up being disappointing. So it’s worth the time to call out some of those rare prequels that not only work within the constraints of their predecessor, but can even surpass the quality of the original.
Bumblebee was a tough nut to crack in terms of continuity, with its producers and cast remaining tight-lipped up to the film’s release. Even now, it’s still unclear whether the movie is still a part of Michael Bay’s Transformers universe, or if it represents a new continuity entirely. Regardless, it is firmly established as a prequel, depicting fan-favorite Bumblebee landing on Earth for the first time and getting involved in a series of battles and misadventures with human protagonist Charlie Watson.
While Michael Bay’s Transformers certainly weren’t lacking in spectacle, they never fully captured the spirit of the original stories, leaning into gritty realism and over-complicated designs. Bumblebee in contrast returns to a simpler, streamlined aesthetic, bringing back not only the designs of original the Transformers cartoon, but also the lighthearted tone that the Michael Bay movies abandoned. The stakes may be lower, but they also feel more meaningful, because the movie isn’t afraid to be upbeat, colorful, and even silly. It’s easier to care about the fate of the characters when they seem like they might actually have lives worth living as opposed to being vehicles (pun intended) for the next big action spectacle. By taking itself less seriously, Bumblebee far and away surpasses the original films, and proves that it truly understands what made the source material great.
Another prequel with big shoes to fill, Better Call Saul seemed like a questionable choice for a TV show, centered around a side character in one of the most popular TV shows to hit the airwaves, yet featuring none of the original protagonists. The more audiences saw, however, the clearer it became, Better Call Saul finds its success not in emulating Breaking Bad, but forging its own identity. Where Breaking Bad focused on shocking crimes and serious cartel drama, Better Call Saul deals more often in nursing home morality and thwarting bureaucracy, with the cartel drama as more of a side thing that creeps in over time. Despite being very distinctly a Breaking Bad spin-off, right down to the pacing and shot composition, Saul’s journey feels very different, being less gruesome but also more relatable. The show captures, even better than the original, a person who is sliding into grayer and grayer areas for their own benefit. While Walter White makes many decisions, even early on, that are difficult to justify, Jimmy presents as a much more likely character, someone who genuinely struggles with doing the right thing, walking the line between financial success and a sense of personal ethics. By depicting a character whose decisions are less extreme, but still gradually lead him down a dark path, Better Call Saul depicts the same descent even more effectively than the original show.
The Star Wars prequel trilogy includes some of the most contentious films to ever work their way into the mainstream culture. Originally released to widespread disappointment, opinions have swung back and forth for ages over whether the trilogy was an un-salvageable wreck or a flawed gem. Even then, few people could claim to have loved Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, and even fewer would bother defending the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars. That’s why it was such a surprise when the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated TV show released and turned out to be really quite good.
Set primarily between episode II and episode III, the series followed Anakin, Obi-Wan, and new character Ahsoka Tano, as well as several other significant characters from the films. Unlike the stiff acting and poorly aged CGI of the original films however, the show leaned into a simpler, more expressive style that complemented the unique flavor of the Star Wars universe. While it begins as a rather uneventful kids show, the narratives gradually become more complex as it continues, dealing with darker material and exploring some of more philosophical questions involved fighting a galactic war. Giving the characters of the prequels more space to breathe not only gives under-used villains a chance to shine, but also allows the show to fully explore the gradual character development that the films often rushed or ignored. While the prequel films still stand as George Lucas’ vision for these characters, The Clone Wars fills in a lot of the major gaps with a more compelling overall product.
It’s difficult to talk about amazing prequels without at least mention The Godfather Part II. The film is widely considered to be not only an improvement on the original, but one of the best films ever made. Technically the story is only half prequel, dividing its time between Michael Corleone’s present day story, and how his father Vito founded the Corleone crime family in the early 1900’s. It’s no small task trying to follow up a classic, let alone trying to do so while also telling two separate stories that inform and reflect each other in meaningful ways. Yet The Godfather Part II proves, that with enough time and talent, it can be done. The two story lines manage the rare feat of being equally engaging and important. Vito’s journey feels no less important than Michael’s and the film works tirelessly to ensure that both arcs are immediately distinct, yet reflected in each other. As the film moves closer and closer to its finale, the audience begins to realize that what they are watching is the same two stories played by different actors, with Michael’s slide into organized crime neatly mirroring Vito’s as they sacrifice more and more of their soul for power and respect. Though The Godfather is certainly no lightweight in terms of acclaim and legacy, The Godfather Part II has everything its predecessor had and more, an undeniably incredible achievement.
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