http://www.cracked.com/article_18813_5-reasons-hollywood-needs-to-stop-making-prequels_p1.html
I agree with their points, including this one in particular;
The Past Was Better Before We Saw It Happen
Has there ever really been a GOOD prequel to anything? Given their very nature aren't they as a storytelling device doomed to mediocrity at best?
Great article.
And I liked their take on Temple of Doom. I've never understood why people consider it a prequel. A prequel ought to set up a story. Merely having a movie take place before another movie isn't enough to make it a prequel. By that logic, Casablanca was a prequel to Close Encounters.
Sluggo said:
By that logic, Casablanca was a prequel to Close Encounters.
It all makes perfect sense now!
Sluggo said:
Great article.
And I liked their take on Temple of Doom. I've never understood why people consider it a prequel. A prequel ought to set up a story. Merely having a movie take place before another movie isn't enough to make it a prequel. By that logic, Casablanca was a prequel to Close Encounters.
I think your personal definition is too narrow. A prequel is a sequel that takes place chronologically before the other movie.
Temple of Doom takes place prior to Raiders: Prequel. QED.
Casablanca and Close Encounters aren't sequels, and therefore aren't prequels, but I think you knew this.
And, as to an earlier question: Godfather II?
IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!
"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005
"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM
"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.
xhonzi said:
I think your personal definition is too narrow. A prequel is a sequel that takes place chronologically before the other movie.
Temple of Doom takes place prior to Raiders: Prequel. QED.
Casablanca and Close Encounters aren't sequels, and therefore aren't prequels, but I think you knew this.
And, as to an earlier question: Godfather II?
Since Temple's "prequelhood' rests entirely on that the date at the start is earlier than the date at the start of Raiders, and were those numbers different, it could have been a sequal, a sidequal, or a gritty reboot, I think Temple's status as a prequel is weak at best.
I'd also say Godfather 2 has a pretty weak claim to being a prequel. It's a sequel, that has some flashbacks in it. Is "The English Patient" a prequel to itself? Is "Last Crusade" a prequel?
I'm still straining my brain to think of any actual prequels worth a damn.
A prequel ought to set up a story of an already existing movie with in the same 'franchise'.
I'm rejecting the standard definition as it doesn't work unless it is narrowed.
I never think of Temple as a prequel. I suppose by definition it is considered one because it happens before Raiders. However, it's completely unrelated and could take place just about anywhere on the time line. It just happens to have 1935 after the titles.
In fact, that's one of the things I like about it. It doesn't rely on the other films or characters. It's a stand-alone & complete adventure.
As far as good prequels are concerned - I think Godfather II is the gold standard.
I'm willing to concede that the 1920 film "The Golem" is in fact a prequel and brilliant.... but its a prequel to a film that no one has seen in almost a century, and the 1915 Golem film is lost.
So I don't know if that should count.
Well, actually, Temple does have one truly prequel moment, and that's the failed gun reach. Granted, that could have worked in a plain sequel as well, but a prequel IS a sequel, so... wait, what was I talking about again?
There is no lingerie in space…
C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.
I know. I as going to address that scene, but decided not to. It's a wink to Raiders, but works on it's own just as well.
Gaffer Tape said:
Well, actually, Temple does have one truly prequel moment, and that's the failed gun reach.
Actually, since that gag only is funny if it happened after Raiders, both to the audience and to Indy's expectations, I think that further weakens Temple as a 'prequel'
TheBoost said:
Has there ever really been a GOOD prequel to anything? Given their very nature aren't they as a storytelling device doomed to mediocrity at best?
Its why im really apprehensive about Ridley Scott making a prequel to Alien. It has alot to live upto. I just hope he hasn't lost his tallent for film making like George Lucas has.
TheBoost said:
Gaffer Tape said:
Well, actually, Temple does have one truly prequel moment, and that's the failed gun reach.
Actually, since that gag only is funny if it happened after Raiders, both to the audience and to Indy's expectations, I think that further weakens Temple as a 'prequel'
Not really. That's how prequels work. You're supposed to watch them after the original. Well, at least to the audience. I'll give you Indy's reaction. That always left me scratching my head too. But I guess it could just as easily work that it shows he wasn't as suave back in the day and better prepared himself in the future.
There is no lingerie in space…
C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.
Boost:
sequal, a sidequal, or a gritty reboot, I think Temple's status as a prequel is weak at best.
Dang it Boost! We've been over this! If you want me to take you seriously, when discussing 'quels, you're going to have to learn to spell the word correctly!
Until then, your opinion is moo*.
Slugoo:
A prequel ought to set up a story of an already existing movie with in the same 'franchise'.
Agreed on the 'franchise' bit. But I believe that's covered by the sequel clause as well. Stories that happen later are not usually considered sequels unless they are in the same franchise. And not even then.
But what, books and comics, videogames, radioshows, and ballads can't have prequels now? Just movies?
Boost says:
Godfather II is not a prequel.
Anchorhead, the legend of Brian Daley said:
Godfather II is the gold standard of prequels.
I'll leave this to you two to sort out. I've never actually seen the Godfather movies.
Diddy solo's daddy said:
im really apprehensive about Ridley Scott making a prequel to Alien
Good point.
IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!
"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005
"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM
"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.
xhonzi said:
Until then, your opinion is moo*.
Well, your opinion is carp.
xhonzi said:
Agreed on the 'franchise' bit. But I believe that's covered by the sequel clause as well. Stories that happen later are not usually considered sequels unless they are in the same franchise. And not even then.
But what, books and comics, videogames, radioshows, and ballads can't have prequels now? Just movies?
I said movies because we are talking about movies. Just because I didn't mention ballads and the like doesn't mean I was deliberately excluding them. Don't be puttin' words in my mouth.
-Slugoo
Darth Solo said:
TheBoost said:
Has there ever really been a GOOD prequel to anything? Given their very nature aren't they as a storytelling device doomed to mediocrity at best?
Its why im really apprehensive about Ridley Scott making a prequel to Alien. It has alot to live upto. I just hope he hasn't lost his tallent for film making like George Lucas has.
The more I read about the Alien Prequels, the more I worry about them too. However, Ridley Scott has made a lot more movies than Lucas over the last 30 years, so he's had a lot more practice.
Your brain just makes s**t up!
A fate worse than death? Having your head digitally replaced with that of Hayden Christensen!
The Godfather Part II isn't a prequel. A prequel has to be entirely set before the events of that which it's ... erm ... prequeling (hey, I just made up a new word). Godfather II uses the young Vito story to parallel Michael's story, which is the sequel.
Look at it this way - if ROTJ had included flashbacks to a young Anakin, detailing his fall to the dark side, would we consider that to be a prequel? I don't think so.
I actually read the article in the OP just now. That is probably the most professionally written thing I've read on cracked. EVER. Very solid arguments, very few fart jokes.
I love Cracked. But that was just a little refreshing.
IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!
"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005
"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM
"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.
xhonzi said:
Boost says:
Godfather II is not a prequAl.
Anchorhead, the legend of Brian Daley said:
Godfather II is the gold standard of prequAls.
I'll leave this to you two to sort out.
Godfather II is not a prequAl, which is why it's so good. The parralel storytelling strengthens the sequAl.
If the flashbacks were by themselves (they'd be maybe 40 minutes long) and released as "Godfather: The Begginning!" I think we'd all think they wern't so good.
If, semantically, we had to call it a prequaal, then lets at least recognize that it might be the only good one because of how UNpreqaaly it is.
Moo moo moo!
IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!
"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005
"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM
"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.
xhonzi said:
Moo moo moo!
He's just lucky I didn't put him on ignore.
Which reminds me... time to take C3PX off of ignore. What's he been up to in the past 2 years, anyways?
IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!
"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005
"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM
"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.
Irregardless, I still think you are crazy.