Stacker selected 15 pairs of movies which have eerily comparable plots: All pairs on this listing have the identical fundamental plot when you strip away the small print.
Completely different films with the identical plots
Artwork imitates artwork
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Thematically, all storytelling follows one in every of 4 fundamental battle narratives: man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. himself, and man vs. society. In movie as in literature, these narrative frameworks are used throughout genres to inform tales of epic adventures, timeless romance, and noteworthy self-discovery.
Thus, a technique or one other, you get a number of movies which might be very a lot alike — and never simply in a “Star Wars is a Western” type of a means. Sometimes, administrators shall be open about their inspirations from, or reimagining of, earlier movies; and generally it’s only a whole coincidence. Or is it?
For this listing, Stacker discovered 15 pairs of movies which have eerily comparable plots. After all, the films differ in some ways, too. In a number of instances, the identical plot is wearing a distinct setting or style to make it look like one thing else fully. However all pairs of flicks on this listing have the identical fundamental plot when you strip away the small print. Try these movies that you could be by no means have realized are extra comparable than you thought.
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‘The Hidden Fortress’ and ‘Star Wars’
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“The Hidden Fortress” follows two Japanese peasants who, of their efforts to flee a struggle, agree to assist a person and lady throughout enemy strains. The peasants are unaware that the person is a normal and the girl is a princess. If that already sounds a bit acquainted, George Lucas admitted that Akira Kurosawa’s traditional 1958 image tremendously impressed him within the making of “Star Wars,” and plenty of similarities could be discovered all through. This contains telling the story from a peasants’-eye view (the peasants being C-3PO and R2-D2); the filmmaking strategies and scene transitions used; a slaveowner corresponding to Jabba the Hutt; and using handmaidens, as seen in “The Phantom Menace.”
‘Forrest Gump’ and ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’
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Two movies about males “born into uncommon circumstances” chronicle their life and instances similarly—in reality, they’re each tailored from their respective supply materials by the identical screenwriter. “Forrest Gump” follows a mentally disabled man and “Benjamin Button” follows a person born previous who ages backward, each of whom find yourself being a part of nice historic moments. Each movies chart the lives of males who’re totally different from others, who’ve a lovesick romance with a girl from their childhood, they usually even share comparable themes of private freedom.
‘Phantom of the Paradise’ and ‘The Rocky Horror Image Present’
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These fashionable, horror rock operas don’t simply occur to share genres. “Phantom of the Paradise” and “The Rocky Horror Image Present” additionally share plotlines so comparable that they had been truly billed as double options for some time. They each parody and are impressed by a slew of traditional horror tropes, heart on mad scientist creator pining after a love curiosity, and supply commentary on subversive gender roles, however their equally colourful aesthetics and artwork design. Although each are thought-about cult classics, followers of “Phantom of the Paradise” really feel it’s unjustly overshadowed in its legacy by “Rocky Horror” regardless of popping out a 12 months earlier.
‘Gremlins’ and ‘Transformers’
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Whereas these two “monster” movies look like they’re on reverse ends of the spectrum, they draw extra of a resemblance than one may suppose. In actual fact, an eagle-eyed YouTuber made a persuasive argument that the 2 are literally the identical movie, and created a video itemizing dozens of factors to show it. These embody oddly comparable plot particulars that embody an previous man discovering an alien creature, lead characters with comparable household buildings, and even every lead character receiving an alien as a substitute of the automobile he anticipated.
‘Iron Man’ and ‘Physician Unusual’
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It ought to come as no shock that two movies in the identical linked, cinematic universe ended up sharing similarities, however the truth that Tony Stark truly turns into Physician Unusual within the comics. However followers of the origin story movies have drawn comparisons between the final define of the plots and the trajectory of Tony Stark and Physician Stephen Unusual: Two rich, smug males who maintain debilitating accidents hunt down unorthodox therapies and find yourself using their genius to change into superheroes. Some even went so far as to dub “Physician Unusual” a “rebooted ‘Iron Man.’”
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‘The Fugitive’ and ‘Minority Report’
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Philip Ok. Dick’s 1956 brief sci-fi novella “Minority Report” loosely impressed Steven Spielberg’s 2002 sci-fi drama of the identical title. However even an informal viewer can not help however draw similarities to 1993’s “The Fugitive,” which stars Harrison Ford in a storyline borrowed from the true crime story of Sam Sheppard. Past each movies being led by an motion star who’s on the run from the legislation, on-line sleuths and critics have discovered quite a few different hyperlinks: Each important characters are framed for crimes they didn’t commit, noticed on subways by riders who noticed them in newspapers, change their appearances with the intention to cover, and uncover they had been finally arrange by colleagues.
‘Rio Bravo’ and ‘Assault on Precinct 13’
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Horror director John Carpenter wished to make a Western however lacked the required sources, so he long-established the premise of the John Wayne traditional “Rio Bravo” into the up to date setting that was “Assault on Precinct 13.” “Assault” is finally a far totally different movie than the Howard Hawks Western—however each movies comply with an outnumbered group of hold-outs dealing with a final stand towards a bigger opposing risk; individuals unite in each films in a time of disaster; and one the character Lee in “Assault” is a direct reference to a personality in “Rio Bravo.”
‘The Prince of Egypt’ and ‘Thor’
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Followers of the animated movie “The Prince of Egypt” have noticed a number of uncanny parallels between this 1998 Dreamworks retelling of “The E-book of Exodus” and the primary “Thor” movie. Positive, each tales heart on brothers from noble households at odds with each other over their claims to the throne. However audiences have additionally famous similarities in dialogue between the 2 movies in addition to the primary “Avengers” installment, main some to imagine the arc of Marvel’s Thor character was instantly impressed by “The Prince of Egypt.”
‘Rear Window’ and ‘Disturbia’
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The resemblance between these two voyeuristic movies was so distinguished that one in every of them was taken to court docket over it, however the case was dismissed in 2010 because of the similarities merely being too normal. Whereas a choose decided “Disturbia” didn’t steal from the traditional Alfred Hitchcock thriller and the brief story it was based mostly on, each movies are about males confined to their houses who start a pastime as a peeping tom and who find yourself satisfied that their neighbor is a assassin. 2021’s “Lady within the Window,” based mostly on the 2018 novel of the identical title, is one other, more moderen iteration of the identical idea.
‘Level Break’ and ‘The Quick and the Livid’
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One’s about quick automobiles, the opposite’s about quick surfers, however individuals have observed some putting parallels between “Level Break” and “The Quick and the Livid.” They each monitor an undercover FBI agent infiltrating a gaggle of sportsmen for legal exercise, each brokers fall in love with waitresses affiliated with the criminals; and each movies even function scenes during which the agent and head legal bond over shrimp on the seashore. An especially humorous and useful information posits that they’re not simply comparable, however precisely the identical movie—save for Vin Diesel’s inclusion, in fact.
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‘Dances With Wolves’ and ‘Avatar’
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James Cameron has truly gone on file to confess “Dances with Wolves” was a reference level for his 2009 sci-fi movie “Avatar,” which is why many individuals have observed that the 2 are virtually the identical movie. In every movie, the main males depart their very own worlds behind for brand spanking new worlds, each of them have leg accidents, change into assimilated with the native peoples, fall in love, and finally go to battle. Regardless of how technically groundbreaking it was, a few of us couldn’t assist however really feel like “Avatar” was a film we’d seen earlier than.
‘High Gun’ and ‘Days of Thunder’
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The similarities are so sturdy with these two movies that some individuals argue “Days of Thunder” is secretly simply “High Gun 2.” The previous adopted the latter by 4 years with the identical director and producers on board, telling one other story a couple of reckless younger man attempting to flee the shadow of his father, who releases his rage by helming an enormous machine—this time, buying and selling in planes for race automobiles. Each males additionally fall in love with a girl who doesn’t put up along with his rubbish and are up towards a extra level-headed antagonist.
‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ and ‘Looper’
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It’s laborious to not no less than take some cues from as influential a time-travel collection as “The Terminator,” not to mention its sequel. In “Looper,” we’re thrown right into a future world the place mobsters can ship targets again into the previous to be killed by a hitman. One such hitman, Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), is finally tasked with killing his future self. Equally, in “Terminator 2,” John Connor (Michael Edwards) is focused by a future Terminator robotic and guarded by one from the previous. The character of Joe in “Looper” finally ends up aligned with each John Connor and the 2 variations of the Terminator, as effectively.
‘No Strings Connected’ and ‘Buddies With Advantages’
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It’s change into one thing of a well-worn joke that, in the identical 12 months, we managed to get two romantic comedies about sleeping along with your pal and trying to maintain issues informal, during which one of many leads from one movie even went on to marry one of many leads from the opposite movie. Each movies comply with the identical arc, touting a progressive method to informal, platonic intercourse, then see their star couple finally fall into a regular, monogamous relationship. Nonetheless, it’s a documented phenomenon of movies with comparable plots being launched inside a really shut timeframe.
‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ and ‘I, Robotic’
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For the reason that novel that “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” relies on got here out nearly 30 years after the brief story assortment that “I, Robotic” was based mostly on, it’s extremely unlikely that the 2004 Will-Smith-led sci-fi movie instantly ripped off the 1988 comedy noir. Nonetheless, it’s indeniable that each movies share some frequent threads. Each happen in a world during which people and non-humans should co-exist, and one during which the detective protagonist doesn’t belief these non-humans whereas being thrown into an investigation that includes them. Finally, the sinister plot is discovered to have been orchestrated by one such non-human with the intention to throw the remainder of them below the bus.
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