Pop Culture Pick: Prequels That Prospered

Turning back time successfully

Welcome to Pop Culture Pick, a catch-all for subjects I want to highlight outside of the usual weekly Weekend Watch columns. In this edition, with Mufasa: The Lion King on the way, I’m digging into successful prequels. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite and Threads/Instagram: @jammerwhite

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This Friday, Disney unleashes the latest live-action adaptation of its cartoon canon, though with a difference. Not only does The Lion King: Mufasa continue the all-CG production spearheaded by Jon Favreau’s 2019 version of the main tale, it’s also a prequel to that story, following how Mufasa and Scar became adoptive brothers years before their relationship curdled into vengeful murder. I’ll be sharing my thoughts on the new film –– directed this time by Barry Jenkins –– in my Weekend Watch column on Friday, but it spurred me to look at film prequels.

They’re often decried as a waste of time since we know where the story is going, but there are still some that work. Here’s my list…

The Godfather: Part II (1974)

It’s rare, even in these days of endless intellectual property expansion, for filmmakers to pivot straight into a prequel with the follow-up to their wildly successful first offering. But Francis Ford Coppola did; turning back the clock to the earlier days of Vito Corleone, as played by Marlon Brando in the original. Here, Robert De Niro takes over the role for a film that many consider superior to the original (which is saying something).

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Putting aside its somewhat troubled production history, Rogue One succeeds as a prequel to 1976’s Star Wars in ways that the prequel trilogy couldn’t have hoped to. For a start, it tells a brand new story only nodded at by George Lucas’ original, chronicling the mission to locate plans showing a key weakness in the Death Star. It’s also got some memorable characters, including Alan Tudyk’s former Imperial Droid K-2SO, Felicity Jones as the driven Jyn Erso and Diego Luna’s conflicted Rebel agent Cassian Andor. Talking of… To dip back into the fact that Tony Gilroy was drafted in to help with re-writes and re-shoots, that overhauling also led to the superb spin-off series Andor, itself a prequel to this film, which is in many ways even better.

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014)

The Apes trilogy that ran between 2011 and 2017 was a worthy successor to the movies that began back in 1968 with the original adaptation of Pierre Boulle’s novel. While Rupert Wyatt’s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes was a sturdy start to this new run, it was Matt Reeves who truly brought the franchise to life. Dawn is his high water mark, expanding on the themes and ideas and bringing deeper storytelling to the tale of Caesar (Andy Serkis, who along with the movie’s effects team created some of the best CG apes in existence).

Prey (2022)

While it might not technically be a direct sequel to the 1987 action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, it’s actually a better movie in many ways. Amber Midthunder stars as Naru a member of the Comanche Nation, who battles both her patriarchal tribe’s attitudes and a sophisticated alien hunter for survival. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, it’s a powerful thriller that boasts great set pieces and real character work.

Wonka (2023)

After the double bill of delight that was Paddington and its even more charming sequel, I was at first sorry to see that co-writer/director Paul King wouldn’t be returning for the third. Instead, he brought us Wonka, which charts the younger days of Willy Wonka, or at least the version of him played by Gene Wilder in 1971. Timothée Chalamet makes for an excellent Wonka, and the songs are quirksome and clever.