Few prequels have generated as much controversy as The Phantom Menace. Returning to the beginning of the Star Wars saga was one of the biggest cinematic events of the 1990s, but the movie's slow storyline, dull dialogue, and unpopular characters (like Jar Jar Binks) dragged it down. Fortunately, the other films in the prequel trilogy picked up the slack. | © Lucasfilm Ltd./20th Century Fox
The Fantastic Beasts films were designed to expand the world established by Harry Potter by going back decades before Harry's birth. Unfortunately, the second installment, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, became bogged down by complicated plotlines and an enormous number of characters. Some also believed there was a major disconnect between the source material and the film. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
2011's The Thing is a prequel that had a difficult job from the start. It had to offer fans something new and explain the events leading up to John Carpenter's iconic 1982 classic. While it's not the worst thing you can watch, its digital effects certainly haven't aged well, and its plot is rather similar to the original film. The result is a movie that, sadly, doesn't live up to expectations. | © Universal Pictures
300: Rise of an Empire functions both as a prequel and sequel to 300 because of its rather unconventional timeline that takes place before, during, and after the events of the original film. For the most part, the movie focuses on the naval battle between the Greeks and Persians. While the visuals are striking, the story and characters are rather weak and don't have the same impact as the original. | © Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures
After the success of the 2003 remake, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning is a prequel that tried to explain how Leatherface became the chainsaw-wielding killer people know and love. Unfortunately, the added backstory did little to make the character more interesting. The movie leaned heavily into gore and graphic violence without bringing much else to the table. | © New Line Cinema
Following the massive success of Snow White and the Huntsman, The Huntsman: Winter's War aimed to shift attention toward Chris Hemsworth's Huntsman. The expanded world definitely had potential, but the film's messy story and bloated cast left many wondering if this prequel was even necessary in the first place. | © Universal Pictures
Alien: Covenant tried to bridge the gap between Prometheus and the original Alien series, but the result was another divisive chapter. The movie contains some fantastic horror sequences, yet the film's plot was exceptionally messy and filled with questionable character choices. | © 20th Century Fox
Annabelle was billed as both a spinoff and prequel to The Conjuring. It was marketed as an expansion of the creepy doll's story after her memorable appearance in the 2013 hit. Unfortunately, the movie lacked much of the atmosphere and tension of its predecessor, and it relied too much on predictable jump scares. It certainly did well commercially, but most fans and critics weren't impressed. | © New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Pictures
The original Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid became a classic thanks in large part to the chemistry between Paul Newman and Robert Redford. This prequel, Butch and Sundance: The Early Days, attempted to show how the famous outlaws met, but the absence of the original stars made it difficult to reproduce the same magic. | © 20th Century Fox
The First Purge is a prequel that attempted to explain how America's annual night of lawlessness began. It was somewhat of a valiant effort, but the origin story sometimes feels more like a political thriller than the intense horror film many had come to expect of the franchise. In fact, there were many elements of the 2018 film that felt too formulaic. Certain scenes felt predictable and unexciting. | © Universal Pictures
Exploring the childhood and adolescence of Hannibal Lecter was an ambitious idea, but Hannibal Rising struggled to properly explain the mysterious villain who audiences knew so little about. The origin story removes much of Lecter's mystique and replaces it with a fairly generic revenge plot. | © The Weinstein Company/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas went back in time to tell the story of how Fred and Wilma met. The prequel was an unbelievable disappointment. It was criticized for its generic plot, weak humor, and rather obnoxious characters. The film was also a box office flop, very much following in the footsteps of the 1994 original. | © Universal Pictures
The story of Father Merrin before the events of The Exorcist sounds promising on paper, but the production became infamous for its troubled, rushed production. The result was a film criticized for its conventional horror approach, lack of psychological tension, and over-the-top horror. Everything that made the original such a classic was absent from The Exorcist: The Beginning. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
The Scorpion King was already a spinoff prequel of sorts to The Mummy Returns, but this direct-to-video prequel, The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior, went even further back. The movie suffered from a wide-ranging list of issues, which includes a low budget, poor special effects, and an extremely weak script. It's somewhat of a forgotten film, but it's still a stain on an otherwise popular film franchise. | © Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Trying to recapture the magic of Dumb and Dumber without Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels was certainly a bold decision. The prequel, Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd, recast the iconic duo with younger actors in the hopes of explaining the pair's origin story. As you might have already guessed, this film was largely a failure, as it lacked the charm and humor that made the original so popular. Some dismissed this prequel as a poor attempt to cash in on a beloved buddy-comedy. | © New Line Cinema
Prequels can be a tricky business. While returning to a beloved franchise and exploring what happened before the original story sounds easy, some movies often have the impossible task of living up to what came before. Occasionally, that has led to some truly atrocious films. With that in mind, we'll be listing some of the worst prequel movies of all time.
