6 Prequel Movies Ranked, From The Most Useless To The Most Relevant

When it comes to Disney live-action remakes, there are very few that are met with open arms. In the case of The Lion King (2019), it was not only live-action, but it didn't do much to separate itself from the original. While the animation in its prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King (2024), looked better, it also suffered from a lack of clear reason for being there in the first place.

Exploring Mufasa’s rise from an outcast cub to king of Pride Rock, audiences weren't completely uninterested in the story but struggled to find its purpose. We love Mufasa but never had to know much about who he was or how he became king, and it ultimately became a largely unnecessary film that failed to stand out.

A sequel to the equally controversial Prometheus (2012), Alien: Covenant (2017) was the second part in the prequel series by Ridley Scott to explain the origin of the xenomorphs from Alien (1979). The film follows a crew traveling to a planet to colonize and procreate, but they find one harboring a dark secret that leads to the first iteration of xenomorphs.

The problem with Alien: Covenant is that while it's fun, gross, and chaotic beyond measure, it's not anything that couldn't have been explored in Prometheus as well. The film proved that we didn't need multiple prequels, and what this film boiled down to was an exciting conclusion and a meandering plot.

John Carpenter's The Thing is a staple in sci-fi horror and completely unforgettable for its body horror and practical effects. Its prequel, The Thing (2011), had many elements reminiscent of the original but struggled due to its over-reliance on CGI.

As a narrative, the film keeps the spirit of the original and brings us a new chapter that explains how the team in the first film was cursed to deal with the alien entity as well. It was a fun addition to the film's conclusion, though it could've worked better if the effects were stronger.

We had already seen a prequel to Planet of the Apes (1968) with Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Caesar's Rebellion. But Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) not only expanded on the lore, but also grounded the narrative and brought excitement and tragedy to the decades-old storyline.

Seeing Caesar grow into a highly intelligent ape who wants acceptance and to be treated respectfully immediately endears you to his story. But seeing how the apes eventually take over at the end, and what happens to humanity, sends a chill down your spine, making this prequel a must-watch.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) showed us Indiana Jones beginning his endless battle to save history and fight Nazis, but Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) gave us a glimpse of what he was up to before the war heated up.

While there are some questionable choices in the film, Temple of Doom defined who Indiana Jones would become and saw him as an epic action hero in a situation most people likely wouldn't survive. It's a subtle prequel, but that works to its advantage, as we finally understand that Indy was always cool long before he found the Ark of the Covenant.

Star Wars is a franchise that's no stranger to prequels, and with the addition of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), no one would have expected it to be as amazing as it turned out to be. For a simple tale to explain how the Rebel Alliance got the plans to the Death Star, what we were treated to was a true war story driven by its characters.

Rogue One is exciting, scary, and heartbreaking, and its conclusion is easily one of the best endings in the franchise. Seeing how it connects directly to the beginning of A New Hope not only gives that film even more credit; it makes its events weightier because we know what was sacrificed.