The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Of Prequels

The Ugly Exorcist: The Beginning Exorcist: The Beginning is a perfect example of how studios can even wreck failure. By all accounts the script Morgan Creek had for their prequel was no gem, but it did mark a shift for the anemic franchise away from over the top gore towards a more haunting and contemplative film. Morgan Creek feared the changes though and cut production of that script midway through filming, forcing a new - more action and gore based - version of the script to be completely re-shot. The new version became Exorcist: The Beginning, one of the worst movies of the year by many accounts. What makes this one truly ugly though is the production of the original script eventually did get finished and turned out to be a far superior film (though still not a very good one) by the name of Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. What does this teach us? Hollywood sucks. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd is the worst kind of prequel - the money grab. These are easy to pick out. When watching a trailer simply ask yourself three questions. Are the cast of the prequel a bunch of no name actors? Does the prequel look visually similar to it's predecessors? And, most importantly, is it from the writers and or directors of something mindbogglingly awful? If the yeses are piling up then beware; a studio money grab trap has been set. Time has shown with movies like Butch and Sundace: The Early Days and The Dukes of Hazard: The Beginning (and the George W. Bush Presidency) that nothing good can come of this formula. If someone tries to convince you otherwise bludgeon them to death immediately because they've been infected. They are a zombie now. Put them out of their misery, and, above all else, protect yourself.