November 2014 Movie Prequel Guide: A Checklist

As Halloween quickly approaches, I thought I’d put together another Prequel Guide. Today’s post will focus on the wide and limited releases set to come out in November. As you will see, this month is actually a little skimpy on non-original films.

However, just like every month, there are some book-to-film adaptations as well as a few prequels to watch before seeing the subsequent sequels/spin-offs.

I’ve categorized the different “prequel materials” below as Essential, Useful, and Extra (if necessary).

Enjoy!

Useful:
Comics – The Big Hero 6 franchise started by a series of Marvel comics. They first appeared in 1998, making them a relatively new (and easy to binge on) commodity.

Useful:
“Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen” by Jane Hawking – The Theory of Everything is based on Jane Hawking’s firsthand memoir looking into the life of Stephen Hawking. If there was a book to binge, I’d have to think this would be at the top of my list.

Essential:
Dumb and Dumber – Like the Anchorman sequel, you’d think I’d be super excited about a new Dumb and Dumber movie. And while I will see Dumb and Dumber To, I have to think this is a cash grab. Either way, I’ll take any excuse to watch the original. By the looks of the trailer, the sequel has a ton of recurring jokes.

Useful:
“The Homesman” by Glendon Swarthout – The Tommy Lee Jones starring and directed adaptation is another book-to-film adaptation you could read.

Useful:
“Then They Came for Me” by Maziar Bahari and Aimee Molloy – Jon Stewart’s directorial debut is actually based on a true story that’s chronicled in Maziar Bahari’s memoir. Check it out if you have time!

Essential:
The Hunger Games film franchise – I can’t imagine seeing the third (out of four) film in a franchise without seeing the first two. This is especially true given the events of the first two films.

Useful:
“The Hunger Games” book franchise – Out of all the YA adaptations, I can’t think of a story that is better told and adapted to screen than the Hunger Games franchise. With that being said, I’d definitely read the books first if you get the chance. However, I’ll warn you the third book (simply titled “Mockingjay”) is the weakest of the bunch.

Useful:
“Alan Turing: The Enigma” by Andrew Hodges – November is a good month for biographical movies with Alan Turing’s story facing-off against The Theory of Everything. If you’d like to get the full story behind Turing’s life (and legacy), I’d suggest Andrew Hodges’ biography.

Useful:
The V/H/S film franchise – I’m notoriously afraid of horror films. However, for some reason I’ve seen both V/H/S and V/H/S/2. They definitely have their merits and lead me to be somewhat excited about yet another horror anthology. You could definitely catch up on these films before seeing Viral.

Essential:
Horrible Bosses – Given the returning characters, I’d watch the original Horrible Bosses before going into the sequel. However, if you’ve already seen the first film, I don’t necessarily think it’s worth re-visiting.

Useful:
The Madagascar film franchise – This one is tough because I don’t think it’s exactly “Essential” to watch the original Madagascar films to see Penguins of Madagascar. However, will you appreciate the penguins as much without seeing them? No way. Personally, I’d suggest watching (or re-visiting) the older animated films but you probably don’t have to.

There you have it! Post any I missed below in the comments.

Follow me on Twitter @jmacle