The 10 Best Movie Prequels Ever Made

By Brian Frosti on July 21, 2014

Image via moviepilot.com

Everyone who knows anything about movies knows the sequel is almost never better than the original.

Yes, there are some shining examples that prove the exception to the rule, like Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight,” but all in all they tend to be shameless cash grabs that don’t add much to the world created by the original flick.

But what about prequels? Surely a movie that seeks purely to expand on the vague beginnings of a film you loved can’t be a bad thing?

Alas, prequels too are generally misguided, just ask Harry and Lloyd about how they met. However, there are many prequels that undoubtedly got it right.

So in honor of last week’s spectacular prequel “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” here are the top ten movie prequels of all time.

To clarify, any movie considered for this list had to be made as a direct prequel to something that came before, not just the first film in a series or a reboot of existing material, ergo “Batman Begins” doesn’t count.

10. “Monster’s University

“Monsters Inc” is widely considered to be one of the best Pixar movies to date and it still stands as my personal favorite. The story is as imaginative as it is hilarious and is a shining example of what Disney/Pixar is capable of.

The prequel, “Monsters University,” strikes very similar notes as it tells the story of how Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) became friends. It’s not as exhilarating as the original and its best jokes are references to “Monsters Inc” but the sequel as a whole is a worthy addition to the “Monsters” story.

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9. “Puss in Boots

When “Shrek” hit theaters it was an astounding success. The hilarious take on fairy tales, smart writing and pitch perfect voice acting by Mike Myers and Eddy Murphy make it one of the best animated films ever released by Hollywood.

Its prequel “Puss in Boots” is able to recapture that magic after an abysmal fourth installment: “Shrek Forever After.” Antonio Banderas delivers a fantastic performance as the titular Boots in this spaghetti western styled prequel.

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8. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes

We can’t have a prequel article inspired by “Dawn” without talking about “Rise.” This ambitious prequel successfully relaunched the acclaimed sci-fi series with a fascinating exploration of how the apes grew to be.

Sure it has a a mildly ridiculous title but Andy Serkis is incredible as usual and the unique drama it presents is captivating. Plus, it laid the groundwork for “Dawn” so that earns some points as well.

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7. “Red Dragon

“The Silence of the Lambs” remains one of the best movies ever made, and Anthony Hopkins’ performance as Hannibal ‘The Cannibal’ Lecter is nothing short of spectacular.

That gave “Red Dragon” a lot to live up to, particularly in the wake of the poorly received sequel, “Hannibal.” This prequel surrounded Hopkins with an all-star cast (including Edward Norton) and a solid director (Brett Rattner) to present a last hurrah for Hannibal Lecter.

Ultimately it fails to live up to its predecessor, but “Red Dragon” is still an exhilarating thrill ride and it’s a true joy to watch Hopkins in the role one last time.

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6. “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

You may not have known this one is a prequel, but “The Temple of Doom” takes place a year before the events of “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

This film solidified the Indiana Jones brand and delivered another fun and exciting adventure with everyone’s favorite archaeologist.

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5. “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

“The Lord of the Rings” is one of the greatest film trilogies of all time, maybe the best ever. So people were understandably excited for the prequel, though enthusiasm dimmed when it was announced that the short book was to be a trilogy.

But for all the shortcomings of “An Unexpected Journey,” the second prequel “The Desolation of Smaug” delivered on its potential.

It’s great fun to watch Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen as Bilbo and Gandalf and once Smaug is introduced the action gets kicked up to an eleven. That subtitle really is terrible though.

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4. “Casino Royale

This film barely sneaks onto this list as it could absolutely be considered a reboot. But I consider all the Bond films as one series, especially when you take Judi Dench’s recurrence into account.

This film jumped way back in time for Bond and is undoubtedly one of the best 007 flicks to date; many would consider it the absolute champ.

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3. “X-Men: First Class

Bryan Singer’s X-Men trilogy is an excellent example of superhero film making (well the first two are at least), and somehow Mathew Vaughn’s prequel manages to outshine all others by a mile.

James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender are brilliant as the younger incarnations of Professor X and Magneto and the whole period drama in general plays out wonderfully.

“First Class” remains, in my opinion, the best X-Men film to date and is absolutely one of the best prequels ever conceived.

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2. “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Sergio Leone’s finale to the “Dollars” trilogy is some of his best work, earning the praise of Quentin Tarantino who called it the best directed film of all time. This spaghetti western delivers another brutally violent and tremendously exciting adventure for Clint Eastwood’s famously quiet character.

This is not only a fantastic prequel but is genuinely one of the best movies ever made.

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1. “The Godfather: Part II

Yes, it’s a sequel. Michael is Vito’s son and it takes place after the original film.

But much of this film is told in flashbacks that star a young Vito Corleone (played by Robert De Niro). The original “Godfather” was considered to be the best film ever made by many critics around the world, then Part II came out and surpassed it.

By all accounts, “The Godfather: Part II” is the best prequel ever made.

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Honorable mentions:

Those were the ten best prequels, but they aren’t the only ones out there that were resounding successes.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

Okay, admittedly the prequel trilogy as a whole is bad. But “Revenge of the Sith” is absolutely the best of them.

This film is a non-stop action adventure that finally gave Star Wars fans what they wanted: Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader.

The dialogue isn’t great. Hayden Christensen is abysmal, and it can be cheesy at times, but all in all it’s an exciting movie and doesn’t deserve as much hate as it gets.

Star Trek” (2009)

This movie missed being in the top ten because no one is really sure what to classify it as.

JJ Abrams’ use of time travel can cause this film to be viewed as a prequel, sequel and reboot all at the same time. It’s one of the best sci-fi movies in years and the new cast does an amazing job of giving fresh takes on famous and loved characters.

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Karl Urban should all be commended on pulling off one of the toughest jobs in Hollywood with flying colors.

Prometheus

“Prometheus” falls short because it failed to live up to expectations in a big way. There has never been a more hyped prequel outside of Star Wars and the combination of Ridley Scott with an outstanding cast had movie fans everywhere giddy.

Unfortunately, the plot wasn’t anywhere near as exciting or suspenseful as “Alien” fans were hoping for, but in the end it was still an enjoyable movie and a serviceable prequel.

Also, how great was Michael Fassbender? We should just put him in every prequel.

Fast Five“/”Fast and Furious 6

Say what you want about the series–these two were great movies. They had the series’ expected adrenaline rush with fun performances and creative and unique stories.

The “Fast” movies don’t make the list as they’re more sequels than anything else, though they are technically prequels to “Tokyo Drift.”

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