Many movie lovers are familiar with concepts such as prequel and sequel. Book writers, film directors and producers are now producing sequels and prequels to popular works quite often. Sometimes this practice is just a way to earn extra money, and sometimes it is a desire to prolong a wonderful story.
What is a sequel
The sequel is translated from English as "sequel" - "following something" or "continuation". In fact, this is a continuation of the plot of an already "published" work.
Moreover, the narration usually begins from the moment at which it ended in the previous part.
This concept is applicable both to cinematography and to the world of fiction and computer games.
Some of the most successful and popular modern sequels in the world of cinema are the sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean, The Matrix and others.
You should not think that sequels are a new trend, previously they also filmed sequels to sensational films. For example, several parts of the film "King Kong" were released, and more and more parts of "The Terminator" are still being filmed by various directors.
Sequels in the field of computer games are in great demand. It should be noted that the following parts of popular games are released quite quickly.
There are many examples of sequels in the world of fiction. This is the detective series by Conan Doyle about Sherlock Holmes, the saga about the adventures of "Angelica" An and Serge Golon and many other works.
Women will surely remember a very well-written sequel to the classic "Gone With the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell - "Scarlett" by Alexandra Ripley.
One of the first creators of the sequels was Daniel Defoe. At the beginning of the 18th century, he was struck by the large fees from his novel "Robinson Crusoe", wrote the book "The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe." Unfortunately, it did not bring the author either fame or big money.
Sequels are not always successful. In pursuit of profit, many unscrupulous businessmen quickly shoot the sequels of sensational films, but often such films fail at the box office and are criticized.
What is a prequel
Prequel (translated from English "prequel" - "prehistory"). This is the name of the film (book, cartoon, computer game), in which the plot precedes the previously shown events in this work.
The prequel is created in several cases. For example, the author put a bullet point by completing the work, exhausting the plot line or killing the main characters in it. The sequel is likely to fail, but the backstory may interest viewers (readers).
It so happens that when making a film about adventures or superheroes, the authors are overly addicted to special effects, while the plot "sags" and the viewer may not understand the story, motives and feelings of the protagonist. Why is he like that and why exactly such actions does or makes certain decisions. In this case, it makes sense to make a prequel to show the beginning of the story.
Another reason for the prequel is commercial gain. In this case, filmmakers are simply trying to "squeeze the last juice" out of the popular film.
The most obvious example of a prequel is George Lucas' movie epic Star Wars.
The director promised fans to return to the fate of Luke Skywalker 20 years after the release of the first film. He successfully fulfilled his promise, and in 1999 the first episode of the new Star Wars trilogy - the blockbuster The Phantom Menace - was released. It was then that such a concept as a prequel came into wide use.
Another of the first successful prequels can be called the second part of the adventures of the archaeologist Indiana Jones ("Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", 1984) - this was the background to the film "Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark" (1981).
Among modern paintings, the following prequels are very popular: "X-Men: First Class" (2011), cartoon "Monsters University" (2013), "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (2011), "Red Dragon" (2002).
Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather 2 is both a sequel and a prequel at the same time. This picture has already become a classic in its genre, has collected a huge number of awards and won worldwide fame.
Popular movie terms
In addition to the prequel and sequel, there are other movie terms.
Midquel is a film in which events develop in parallel with the plot of a previously released picture. They do not continue the plot, but complement its line.
Trikvel (translated from English three - "three" and sequel - "continuation") is the third of the films made. Unlike the trilogy, the paintings are not one three-part work.
The trilogy is essentially three full-fledged films, closely related to each other by one storyline. Trilogies are usually filmed if the original source (the book on which the script was written) is very voluminous, or the author originally conceived the narrative in three parts. A very successful example of a trilogy is The Lord of the Rings, based on the works of Tolkien.
The remake is a new interpretation of an already existing film. It is worth noting that it is the remakes that are most often subjected to negative criticism from viewers.
