10 Best Movie Prequels Ever

7. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Star Wars Rogue One Jyn Erso
Lucasfilm

While plans were long-announced for a new trilogy of Star Wars films that would kick off with The Force Awakens, did anybody want another prequel movie? Hell no.

Upon hearing that a standalone, one-off movie called Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was happening, even the most ardent of Star Wars fans struggled to muster up much enthusiasm for such a picture. But while The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and Solo: A Star Wars Story have all split opinion amongst audiences, the clear and above best Star Wars movie of the past few years has been Rogue One.

Featuring Felicity Jones' Jyn Erso as the central figure of the film, Rogue One was a breathe of fresh air in a Star Wars landscape that was becoming more and more cluttered. Taking place immediately before the events of 1977's Star Wars (or A New Hope, for the cool kids out there), Rogue One gave long-time fans the chance to see just how the Rebels managed to get the Death Star plans that are so pivotal to George Lucas' 77 effort.

What was so special about Rogue One, is that you know how it's going to end, you know that all of these characters have to die, yet you end up losing sight of that and instead become invested in the story and are wondering how things unravel.

Of the recent spate of Star Wars films, Rogue One is undoubtedly the best of the bunch.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.