This is usually because, whilst watching the credits, we are still so engaged with the fictional world that we’ve just submerged into that we want more. Sometimes, this hope is fulfilled. If a film has succeeded at the box office, these hopes of prequels or sequels often become reality – why wouldn’t the producers commercialise a series of films? Hunger Games, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, are just some examples of the greatest franchises that have changed the course of cinematic history. But the question remains; are prequels or sequels the best?
Whilst it is always nice to resume back to where we left fictional characters, I think prequels are usually the most rewarding of the two. When we watch a standalone film, it is always amidst action that has already been set up, and often we must presume and infer certain characteristics without fully having the justification for them. Take The Batman (2022) and Joker (2019), for example. The Joker is a classic villain who we accepted until his very own prequel was released and we witnessed first-hand his villain origin story. It added layers and complications regarding mental health issues that couldn’t have been touched upon in the original films.
the disappointments can be greater when it comes to a sequel, especially if your favourite characters aren’t where you imagined them to be
A prequel can give great opportunity to expand its universes characters and move them from a two-dimensional character to a well-rounded individual. As a nosy person who loves explanations, witnessing the period before the original film is always really exciting to watch.
Saying this, a sequel can also cause great excitement in the film world. It is nice to resume in a universe that you are already familiar with and can be fun to see what the characters have been up to. However, the disappointments can be greater when it comes to a sequel, especially if your favourite characters aren’t where you imagined them to be.
For me, Trainspotting is the best film to ever have been created by humanity, yet I was wildly disappointed by T2 - its sequel. Sometimes it can harm the film’s original messages – in this case I felt betrayed by T2 because it seemed to subvert all of its predecessor’s outlandish methods. The deviant subcultures and ‘fuck you’ attitude that was displayed in the first film were completely shattered in the second one.
That being said, there have been many sequels that I have enjoyed, and I am certainly not advocating a boycott. I think that prequels just offer more valuable insight into characters that you already know and can make the storyline tighter.
Whilst we will never be able to learn the whole history of a film universe, prequels certainly capture character’s pasts in ways that add depth and understanding that would’ve been difficult to include in the original.