Similar Plots. Who Copied Who?
In a field saturated with content, some close calls are inevitable. After all, most ideas are offshoots of pre-existing ones. Coincidences are common, but some of these films are WAY too similar.
The Wild & Madagascar
Released by Disney and Dreamworks, respectively, The Wild and Madagascar have plots that are so identical that they are basically the same. Both movies feature a group of zoo animals who escape their confinements to venture back into their natural habitats in Africa and Madagascar.
The Wild & Madagascar (Cont.)
Everything from the choice of animals to the underlying themes is shared between the two, with the only exception being the critical reception of the movies. Madagascar is a well-known and loved classic, while The Wild is cited as an extraordinarily derivative and poorly produced film.
Finding Nemo & Taken
As improbable as it sounds, these two movies have more in common than you think. The essence of each film captures a father who will do anything to get their abducted child back. But that’s not where the similarities end.
Finding Nemo & Taken (Cont.)
Finding Nemo and Taken involve the fathers traversing through foreign lands to get to their offspring. They also form allies along the way, one a forgetful Blue Tang and the other a retired CIA operative, who help them accomplish what they set out to do.
The Prestige & The Illusionist
Abracadabra, we present to you two identical premises to two very suspiciously similar movies. The Prestige and The Illusionist dapple in the world of magic, with rivalry and love taking the wheel as the audience witnesses the highs and lows of fame.
The Prestige & The Illusionist (Cont.)
Not only are the plots alike, but the films were also released in the same year. Again, the setting of both films is in the late 19th to early 20th century, probably to emphasize the influence that magicians and magic had on people and, therefore, highlight the protagonists’ professions.
Deep Impact & Armageddon
The apocalypse is a legendary event that many works of fiction revolve around. However, they aren’t near each other, unlike Deep Impact and Armageddon. Released just two months apart in 1998, the science fiction films involve a meteor that threatens to wipe out all life on Earth.
Deep Impact & Armageddon (Cont.)
Teams of astronauts are sent into space to destroy the celestial body before it comes into contact with the planet. Deep Impact has a more somber, thought-provoking perspective to it. On the other hand, Armageddon is an action-packed thriller. As for the movie posters, they’re very much alike.
Knocked Up & Juno
In the summer of 2007, two twin comedy movies, Knocked Up and Juno discussed relationships and pregnancy in parallel ways. One features a teen pregnancy in which, after much consideration, the father decides to stay in the picture. And the other…
Knocked Up & Juno (Cont.)
Features, you guessed it, an unexpected pregnancy where the father also steps up to take responsibility. As if that was not a resemblance enough, the mothers in both films push their partners away to raise the child on their own. Original much?
Knocked Up & Juno (Cont.)
Later, all of the involved repaired their relationships and lived blissfully ever after. It’s a good thing that the producers of these comedies know how to be a sport, or these movies would have landed each other in court. Looks like we all love a happy ending.
Dances With Wolves & Avatar
James Cameron has explicitly heralded Dances With Wolves as the inspiration for his blockbuster franchise, Avatar. He essentially incorporated the plot elements of the 1990s movie and viewed it through the lens of science fiction in what could only be a stroke of genius.
Dances With Wolves & Avatar (Cont.)
The blend took off, and the world of Pandora with its complex commentary on cultural assimilation, colonization, and environmental destruction was birthed. These ideals are explored in both works through the eyes of military men who grow disillusioned upon being taken in by indigenous tribes.
Churchill & The Darkest Hour
Ignoring the obvious fact that both the movies are historical films about the same individual, Churchill and Darkest Hour seem to have no distinguishing features apart from being two different movies. It’s one thing to hit theaters in the same year as the other…
Churchill & The Darkest Hour (Cont.)
But it’s another thing to take the same perspective, events, and character study to make different biopics. As to which film is the better of the pair, Darkest Hour takes the cake with generally favorable critical reviews, while Churchill has not received the same praise.
Olympus Has Fallen & White House Down
Out of all the pairs of films on this list, this one has the greatest number of marked differences. The story centers around a disgraced Secret Service agent on a quest for redemption and a police officer hoping to join the agency.
Olympus Has Fallen & White House Down (Cont.)
Besides that, Olympus Has Fallen takes a grittier approach to their narrative, while White House Down is reminiscent of buddy-cop films. Apart from that, the remaining elements of the films resemble each other in terms of conflict and resolution.
Spectre & Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
When James Bond and Ethan Hunt go up against each other in theatres, you know its going to be a wild ride. What could have been the Barbenheimer of 2015 was shrewdly averted when the makers of Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation recognized the need to postpone the film’s release date.
Spectre & Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (Cont.)
The two franchises, though not following entirely identical plots, entail similar protagonists, premises, and fall in the same genre. Though Rogue Nation hit the theaters only four months after Spectre, the delay was necessary to ensure that the films did not adversely affect each other’s performance.
This Is The End & The World’s End
Two incredibly homogenous titles of two twin comedy apocalypse movies, This Is The End and The World’s End, were released hardly a month apart from each other and feature an ensemble cast of renowned actors.
This Is The End & The World’s End (Cont.)
The two movies encompass the events around a group of partygoers who are forced to work together to save a dying world. The only difference between the films is their setting: one plays out in America while the other is in England.
Friends With Benefits & No Strings Attached
Released just six months apart in 2011, Friends With Benefits and No Strings Attached follow an eerily similar storyline. Both movies feature two friends who decide to engage in a casual, no-strings-attached relationship, only to find their emotions getting in the way.
Friends With Benefits & No Strings Attached (Cont.)
Despite nearly identical premises, the films offer slightly different tones. Friends With Benefits leans more on the comedic side, while No Strings Attached has a more heartfelt, romantic edge. Even with these small variations, the core concept remains indistinguishably similar.
Friends With Benefits & No Strings Attached (Cont.)
Both films explore how complicated casual relationships can become when feelings are involved. With star-studded casts and plenty of romantic tension, these movies feel like two versions of the same story, leaving viewers to wonder who copied whom.
