The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of Prequels

This summer hasn't exactly been the strongest for films in recent memory. However earlier X-Men: First Class stood out as a rare infusion of originality into the mainstream and over the last few weeks glowing reviews have been rolling in for Rise of the Planet of the Apes which led us to thinking... have we now hit a positive trend this summer: the franchise prequel? What makes a prequel work in today's movie-making environment? The expectation to be different. For today's writers and directors it means carte blanche (to a degree) to do something new and innovative with a movie franchise whose image has decayed over the years from poor sequels and daft creative decisions. With big name prequels for the Spider-Man and Alien (Yes, Prometheus is a prequel. I don't care how much Ridley Scott denies it) franchises on their way now it's a good time to take a look back at what exactly makes a prequel good, bad, or ugly. The Good The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Yes, yes, yes, it's a prequel. A lot of people don't realize it and we suppose it's not exactly crystal clear on first viewing, but Sergio Leone's epic film actually comes before the rest of the films in the Dollars trilogy, as shown by Clint Eastwood's Man With No Name retrieving the iconic poncho! Instead of bashing viewers over the head repeatedly with, "Oh, this is where that started," moments you get a stand alone feature that provides depth to the series without jeopardizing the quality of the movie in the process. The slow assembly of Clint Eastwood's signature style, the influence of the Civil War on his character, and lack of a comical continuity bound titles like Dollars and a lot of franchises would do well to follow this structure. I suppose it also helps of course that the film itself is a masterpiece - transcending genre through wit and style. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Temple of Doom isn't the best Indiana Jones movie, but it is a distinguished runner-up as a part of one of the most consistent trilogies of all time (if I had my way Crystal Skull would be locked up in Hanger 51 right next to the Arc of the Covenant, Rocky V, Speed 2, and hipsters). This one is also not the clearest prequel for the uninitiated - officially only the opening text indicating the date and location confirm that it comes before the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The reasoning was quite reasonable though. Lucas and Spielberg wanted new villains. I can live with that because even though the shift doesn't make it the best Indiana Jones film; it gives audiences a much appreciated intermission from the Nazi mysticism which drives the other two films. X-Men: First Class There's a legitimate argument that states X-Men: First Class (and to a lesser extent Rise of the Planet of the Apes) is too much of a reboot to be considered a prequel. Allow me to debunk this myth. The single most important element in deciding if a movie should be considered a prequel or a reboot is "the whiteout factor." As in, would doing something in my new movie require me to whiteout something from a previous installment in order for everything to make sense. By the letter of the law, First Class does technically violate the whiteout rule because of a short flashback scene in X-Men: The Last Stand involving the character of Jean Grey. However, the discontinuity between the two is the equivalent of a typo. To be disqualified for whiting out a more substantial amount of story discrepancy is required. With this rule in place we can properly categorize Batman Begins as a reboot origin story because its clear sequel (The Dark Knight) breaks the whiteout rule significantly by using The Joker a second time. J.J. Abrams also makes intentional use of the "whiteout" in Star Trek. The story of the time traveling Romulans was specifically designed to create an alternate reality within the Star Trek universe not bound by William Shatner's series or any of the later incarnations. By whiting out the entire future of the USS Enterprise Abrams gave himself creative control to take Chris Pine and company anywhere he pleases in future installments. We're okay with this disqualifying it from prequel status because it's the smartest reboot concept we have ever seen. Still, movies like Batman Begins and Star Trek make use of early historical starting points for a reason. They serve as a mechanism to introduce characters and their relationships to new audiences in an accessible manner. X-Men: First Class differs from the reboots, if only so slightly, by acknowledging the prior films during the gathering mutants montage. The acknowledgement is small but effective in linking old and new versions of characters like Xavier and Magneto in audience's minds. Again, success is marked by minimal overt connection between films. X-Men: First Class spends five seconds telling you it's a prequel and two hours entertaining you with a new film. Sadly, most prequels don't subscribe to this formula...