The thrill of travelling back in time through fiction, studying how our favourite characters became the heroes we know and love, probing into the origins of a catastrophic event to learn what we could, is probably borne out of our primal curiosity to know how things came to be and how that could help us.
Prometheus unwrapped the mystery of who created the Aliens, The Hobbit trilogy showed us the daring adventures of a charming young Hobbit before he became Uncle Bilbo, Wonka showed how a quirky enigmatic young Willy Wonka began his chocolate empire, X-Men Origins: Wolverine showed how Wolverine become a callous, untrusting grump, and Rogue One showed how a motley crew of rebels stole the plans for the Death Star.
While there is still one more month to wrap up the year, and with Mufasa: The Lion King yet to release, it becomes increasingly clear that 2024 is the year of critically acclaimed prequels.
From Transformers One, which charts the humble beginnings of the Autobots, to Wicked: Part One, which looks at the original story of the Wicked Witch of the West through a subversive lens, we look at six films which mark 2024 as one of the best years for origin stories.
Alien: Romulus
Set between the events of Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986), Alien: Romulus follows a group of scavengers who board an abandoned spaceship in hopes it would get them to a prosperous planet.
This gritty survival thriller, which stays true to the cosmic horror theme of the original film, probes into the ethical dilemma of artificial life, through both the empathetic lens pointed at an Android and also through the grotesque body-horror perspective of a human-Alien chimera. Alien: Romulus brings back the retro-futuristic aesthetics of the original films while subtly adding to the vast mythos of the Alien franchise.
Transformers One
While it might not be a direct prequel to any existing film, Transformers One traces the younger years of the beloved leader of Autobots, Optimus Prime. Set in the home planet of the Transformers, Cybertron, this animated feature film was lauded for being a complex character study of the Transformers. Unlike its previous, live-action instalments, this film never relies on the Transformers’ interpersonal relationships with the humans. With no contrived Earth-centric subplots weighing it down, Transformers One trains its focus entirely on the Transformers and how their friendships are forged, rivalries are set ablaze, and how a leader is born.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
In Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, George Miller takes us back to his desolate radioactive wasteland where hope is dead and only the cunning survive. This prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road delves into the origins of Furiosa, and how she becomes the gritty warrior we know. Contrary to the fast-paced narrative of Fury Road, where the film is one long chase sequence, Furiosa is a complex character study. With magnificent visual language and a mythical story, Furiosa is an epic tale about the birth of a warrior.
A Quiet Place: Day One
While the first two entries in the franchise showed us how humans persevered in a world ravaged by aliens, A Quiet Place: Day One takes us to the day the horror was unleashed on Earth. Like the previous films, Day One also employs the brilliant design of the alien creatures to draw every bit of suspense, thrill, and horror. While the original film showed us how humans struggled to stay hidden from the aliens, Quiet Place wonderfully wrings horror out of the clash between our survival instinct and the chaos of an unknown alien threat.
The First Omen
The First Omen serves as the origin story for one of the most critically acclaimed horror films, The Omen (1976). This supernatural horror throws light on the sinister conspiracy that preceded the birth of the demonic child who unleashes terror in the original Omen. The First Omen follows a nun as she uncovers mysteries inside a Catholic orphanage in Rome. The film was lauded for bringing back the ominous tone of the original film, which opted for unsettling ideas over post-production techniques to thrill the audience.
Wicked
This prequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz takes us back to the younger years of Elphaba Thropp and how she ends up becoming the Wicked Witch of the West. A subversion of the classic good versus evil narrative, Wicked upends the beloved fairytale by showing us the troubled origins of Elphaba and how the world toys with our insecurities, thereby changing the trajectory of our lives. With colourful and thematic song sequences to guide us through the story, Wicked stays true to the DNA of classic fairytales while also imbibing it with modern sensibilities and a nuanced worldview.
