PunctualDork

What are your thoughts on prequels? When have they been done well? Can they ruin a franchise if done poorly?

The term “prequel” essentially means work that is done after work, but taking place before other work. Like sequels, they can continue franchises both in continuity and money making ability. Unlike sequels, they’re never greeted with the same reverence as an entry in what is considered  the main series. Prequels are typically used to continue a series when there is no room left for a sequel or possibly if the writers wish to explore a particular character’s backstory. They are rarely graceful, often mediocre, and essentially harmless.

They usually have a tendency to trip over foregone conclusions. For instance, X-Men Origins: Wolverine uses the events of the Weapon X program and the formation of Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton as its climax – in spite of the fact that we know that he’ll appear in X-Men, X2, and X3 with those attributes. The same thing happens in X-Men: First Class, where Magneto and Xavier start out as close friends before leading opposing factions. These are foregone conclusions. Some would argue that they allow for foreshadowing, but I believe they make major revelations ultimately superfluous and lacking in tension.

To clarify, there is a different between prequels, origin stories, and reboots. A prequel can be an origin story and an origin story can be a reboot, but a reboot cannot be a prequel. Some people would argue that 2009’s Star Trek is all three, but it ultimately resets the franchise’s continuity – meaning that, technically speaking, it’s not a prequel. Usually, a reboot occurs once a franchise has encountered a full-on case of sequelitis. Friday the 13th is a great example of this. After eleven films, a television franchise, a terrible game, and tons of merchandise, people were pretty tired of the series. The series reboot, Friday the 13th (2009), was a much needed franchise reboot and was also seen as an origin story for Jason, but not as a prequel.

There are times when legitimate prequels retcon or attempt alter the backstory to the point where it can be mildly annoying. In this scenario, the prequels changes and subsequent consequences should have been mentioned in the original story, but aren’t. For example, in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, various characters interact with others that would meet again in the original trilogy, but there is no evidence of recognition. Looking at video games, Silent Hill: 0rigins crafted a romance between Dr. Kaufmann and the nurse Lisa that wasn’t apparent in the original Silent Hill. These changes are irksome, but don’t have a lot of bearing on the main series.

In terms of prequels I’ve enjoyed, The Godfather: Part II is a classic, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is awesome, Paranormal Activity 2 is the best entry in that horror series, and I actually have a soft spot for Prometheus. I don’t like X-Men: Origins Wolverine because it just continues dumb action bullshit Brett Ratner started in X3, I hate Hannibal Rising because it completely misses the point of the franchise, and Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd is just a bad movie in general.

I don’t care, I still love Star Wars.

The one set of prequels people love to label “terrible” is the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Nerds often like to cite midichlorians (which was not a retcon), Anakin Skywalker (young and old), and galactic taxation disputes as reasons for which the franchise was “ruined” by Episodes I-III. While I can agree that those elements make those particular movies a lot worse, the people that like to say “the prequels ruined the entire franchise,” are usually full of shit. They’ll still watch the original Star Wars, from start to finish, if you pop it in the DVD player. They’ll still get an arm’s worth of goosebumps when Vader reveals that he’s actually Luke’s Father at the end of Empire. They’ll still think it’s awesome when Boba Fett gets eaten by a giant desert vagina in Jedi. Not even the most cherished of series can ruined by a bad prequel. Especially if it’s easy to pretend that it doesn’t exist. Which it usually is.

We live in strange times. As an uncle to three precocious munchkins, I get suckered into watching modern children’s programming for several consecutive hours whenever I’m on baby duty. Wubbzy, Caillou, Yo Gabba Gabba, Max and Ruby, Bubble Guppies, and Sid the Science Kid are far too familiar for my liking by this point in my short life. That said, after investing several hours into these animated pieces of “edutainment,” I have come to one firm conclusion: kids shows today suck. I know, as an old person, I’m supposed to think everything new sucks, but believe me when I tell you that modern programming just doesn’t hold up. Clearly, these programs were crafted to turn our young ones into obedient, intelligent angels, but where’s the heart? Where’s the grit?

The great thing about ‘90s cartoons is that they could be silly and childish, but were also more inclined to be serious and mature. Shows didn’t treat children like dummies and weren’t so likely to shy away from adult themes. It is in honour of that kind of programming that this list has come together.

10. Ren & Stimpy

I don’t miss Ren & Stimpy. To be frank, I feel as though I have more brain cells today because I avoided watching this show too often. However, its impact has to be noted as without it Spongebob Squarepants wouldn’t have become such a runaway success. The series followed the adventures of a duo composed of a neurotic, asthmatic chihuahua and a dumb-as-toast cat. When the show was fired aired, it was described as frightening, violent, and low-brow. This approach to cartooning ultimately led to the dismissal of its first director. When the show came back in 1993, it was reformatted with more one-liners and fewer horror elements – eventually leading to four years of success (which is like ten years in kids show terms). When it was re-launched again in 2003, Ren & Stimpy explored more adult themes, including an explicit homosexual relationship between the duo. This led the show to be removed from television yet again after only three episodes.

9. The Simpsons

The Simpsons originally launched in 1989, but it didn’t really hit it’s prime until the mid-nineties. Yes – The Simpsons, at one point, was a very good television show. Back in the day, the series managed to satire all kinds of real-life situations with atmospheric wit, strong humor, and near-peerless levels of writing. “The Bartman” was a dance everyone was doing at parties, Treehouse of Horror episodes were a solid mesh of humour and horror, and Homer wasn’t just a simple idiot. Unfortunately, the show hasn’t been genuinely funny in over a decade. In fact, most people can tell from listening to the show for a minute or two whether or not it’s one of the classic Simpsons episodes of old.

8. Rugrats

Rugrats was on television for fourteen years. It’s spawned three movies, two spin off television shows, and a gaggle of books and merchandise. It even earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Yup, this show was definitely Nickelodeon’s golden goose during the nineties. And yet, it had a profoundly simple concept: seeing the world as babies and toddlers do. From the perspective of adults, I’m sure everything that the rugrats experienced was mundane, but everyday was an adventure to Tommy, Chucky, Phil, and Lil. I loved this show. Even when I was too old to still be watching.

7. Freakazoid

Released by Warner Bros., Freakazoid was originally intended to be a straightforward television show about a supercharged hero and a menagerie of weird villains. That plan changed under the direction of cinematic giant Steven Speilberg, Tom Reugger, and the Animaniacs development team. Suddenly, Freakazoid had become a flat-out comedy, starring a somewhat inane superhero. Comparable to Animaniacs in both animation and comedic delivery, Freakazoid features an interesting mix of slapstick humour, fourth-wall breaking, satire, surreal humour, and pop-culture references. The only thing on today that compares is Family Guy.

6. Rocko’s Modern Life

Rocko’s Modern Life is the strangest television show I’ve seen released for any audience. Following the wallaby Rocko, a resident of the random-as-fuck O-Town, this cartoon was drowned in double entendres, sexual innuendos, and sequences that may lead you to believe that its creators were on acid during the development process. This may have something to do with the fact that the guy who developed the cartoon, Joe Murray, had no experience with children or cartoons, yet sought to appeal to audiences young and old. The humour is one thing, but the animation is striking in its own right. Astute viewers will find no parallel lines, but plenty of hand painted backgrounds, odd colour schemes, and human-like animals with odd dimensions.

5. Gargoyles

You know what was great about Gargoyles? Everything. Not only was this show nice to look at, but it commonly featured thoughtful storylines, mature characters, allusions to Arthurian lore, and a plethora of famous voices. Part gothic fantasy and part modern drama, Gargoyles was Disney Animation’s answer to Batman: The Animated Series. Unlike many of their other television shows, Gargoyles was well-rounded and treated its viewers like they had a brain. Each character featured a distinct personality (Goliath’s being “brooding”) and operated only at night when their stone curse was removed. Originally inhabitants of the tenth century, before the Vikings nigh eliminated their species, in this show the Gargoyles now have to adapt to modern society and determine who they can trust.

4. The Tick

It may not have been on television long, a mere 36 episodes to be exact, but this nineties comedy gained cult status instantly. It, naturally, followed the hulking, blue bodied Tick and his moth-like sidekick, Arthur. The show was more or less a parody of the superhero craze and chose to focus less on fighting bad guys and more on coffee-shop talks in between wild-goose chases. It’s still funny and usually the DVDs are pretty cheap if you can find them.

3. Daria

This show was tragically unappreciated and seen by far too many as just a Beavis and Butthead spinoff. Such was not the case. Where Beavis and Butthead asked the audience to point and laugh at society’s lowest common denominators, Daria required that same demographic to be embraced for non-superficial reasons. Daria (the character) was a smart misanthrope who voiced sharp opinions that most lacked the bravery to make public. She represented intelligent freaks and geeks everywhere, myself included, and while I can’t say that I understood much of the humour as a kid, Daria (the show) has certainly aged well.

2. X-Men

Admit it: as soon as you read “X-Men,” that totally badass theme song started playing in your head. X-Men existed long before superhero movies were actually a thing, and singlehandedly made an entire generation get back into comics. Not only did this cartoon replicate several important storylines from right out of the comic, but it also featured completely original storylines that dealt with important social issues of the time. It was super popular with kids. In fact, it’s one of the longest lasting show on Fox Kids – running five seasons and 76 episodes – and is also one of America’s most viewed and highest rated morning programs in history. Not bad for a few mutants.

1. Batman: The Animated Series

There was only ever one show that could take the top spot on this list. You could argue that it should have been another, but you would be wrong. Batman: The Animated Series is not only the best use of the Batman property ever (sorry, Nolan), but it even changed the franchise itself. Not only was Harley Quinn first introduced as a character in this series, but Mr. Freeze owes his incredibly popular backstory to Heart of Ice, a two-parter from the show which won an Emmy for outstanding writing. Batman: The Animated Series enriched the franchise it was based on though explored character development, but it also didn’t stray from issues like death, suicide, depression, and the abuse of substance. It treated kids like adults, and to this day is remembered fondly by millions. Hell, I still watch it on a regular basis. You should too.