Sometimes, the student surpasses the master. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for films that outshined the movies they were largely seen as imitating, becoming even bigger success stories.
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00:00Sorry about the house, sir.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're
00:07counting down our picks for films
00:09that outshined the movies they were largely
00:12seen as imitating, becoming even bigger success stories.
00:15Thank you for your consideration.
00:21Number 10, Slither.
00:22When it comes to James Gunn's horror comedy Slither,
00:25distinct similarities can be traced to not one,
00:27but two classic B-movies, David Cronenberg's Shivers
00:31and Fred Decker's Night of the Creeps.
00:38And while these early films laid the groundwork
00:40by introducing the creep-tackler idea of slug-like creatures
00:44turning people into ravenous zombies,
00:46it was Gunn's unique blend of humor, gore,
00:48and over-the-top designs that made Slither truly stand out.
00:52Ah.
00:53Ah.
00:57Unfortunately, despite being a critical darling,
01:00it was a box office disappointment,
01:02only slithering away with $12 million
01:04against a $15 million budget.
01:06But it has since gained a dedicated fan base,
01:09ultimately enjoying wider recognition than the movies
01:12it's borrowed from.
01:17Number 9, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2.
01:21And when I arrive at my destination,
01:25I am going to kill Bill.
01:27Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to taking inspiration
01:30from films of yore, notably Grindhouse and Samurai Classics.
01:34After all, the writer-director is a true lover of cinema
01:37and wears his influence on his sleeve.
01:39And so there's no denying that Tarantino's two-part revenge
01:43epic Kill Bill borrows heavily from Toshiya Fujita's Lady
01:47Snowblood.
01:48Nani yueta?
01:51Urami.
01:51Both films follow a skilled female warrior
01:54on a bloody quest for vengeance, employing
01:56stylized violence, stark visuals,
01:59and non-linear storytelling.
02:00However, while Lady Snowblood remains a cult favorite,
02:04Kill Bill brought these themes to the mainstream,
02:07cementing Tarantino's reputation as a master of genre-bending
02:11filmmaking in the process.
02:13You and I have unfinished business.
02:18Baby, you ain't kidding.
02:21Number eight, Top Gun.
02:24God damn, you son of a b----.
02:26Talk about an aerial dogfight.
02:28The late 80s saw two movies centered around fighter pilots
02:31proving themselves in high-stakes situations.
02:34Yep, both Iron Eagle and Top Gun capitalized
02:37on Cold War anxieties and a sheer need for speed.
02:41I feel the need, the need for speed.
02:46Ow!
02:47Before you run to the comments saying
02:49that it was Iron Eagle that copied Top Gun,
02:51it was actually the latter that came out
02:54months after the Louis Gosselin Jr. starring flick.
02:57Unfortunately for Iron Eagle, though,
02:59it couldn't quite lift up as Top Gun
03:01soared to much greater heights.
03:02This was thanks to its high-octane action sequences,
03:05iconic soundtrack, and undeniable charisma
03:08of a young Tom Cruise.
03:10In short, it took audiences' breath away.
03:14Number seven, King Kong.
03:19The timeless classic King Kong has
03:22seen its share of blatant ripoffs over the years.
03:24But Kong's adventures are also perceived
03:27as being a copy of another, 1925's The Lost World.
03:30Ah!
03:30Ah!
03:31Ah!
03:31Ah!
03:32Ah!
03:32Ah!
03:33Ah!
03:33Ah!
03:34Ah!
03:34Ah!
03:35Ah!
03:35Ah!
03:36Ah!
03:36Ah!
03:37Ah!
03:37Ah!
03:38Ah!
03:38Ah!
03:39Ah!
03:39Ah!
03:40While old Hollywood is flooded with examples
03:42of recycled concepts, this one takes the cake.
03:45It's Kong!
03:46Kong's coming!
03:47Ah!
03:48When did King Kong come?
03:50The Lost World, like King Kong, Features
03:52humans venturing into uncharted territory
03:54and interacting with oversized creatures.
03:56And while The Lost World doesn't have a giant ape,
03:59it does feature the signature stop-motion technique
04:01seen in King Kong.
04:03Both are significant to cinema's history.
04:05But it's King Kong that stands as the most popular.
04:08the film's impact is still resonating today.
04:10♪♪
04:17Number six, Armageddon.
04:18Remember the Y2K panic in the late 90s?
04:21Studios seized the moment with an onslaught
04:24of apocalyptic films.
04:25♪♪
04:29And in 1998, Deep Impact released in May,
04:32with Armageddon coming out a month later in June.
04:35Half the world's population will be incinerated
04:37by the heat blast, and the rest will face
04:39the death of a nuclear winter.
04:41Yes, I believe.
04:42Both rode the space meteor disaster wave.
04:45However, controversy arose when Deep Impact screenwriter
04:49Bruce Joe Rubin accused a Disney executive
04:51of stealing his idea during a lunch meeting.
04:54Even though the latter received better reviews
04:56and was praised for its scientific accuracy,
04:58Armageddon outperformed Deep Impact at the box office.
05:02♪♪
05:06It grossed $553.7 million worldwide
05:10and became the highest-grossing film of 1998.
05:13United States government just asked us to save the world.
05:17Anybody want to say no?
05:19Number five, A Fistful of Dollars.
05:21My mistake.
05:22More coffins.
05:24Many have called Sergio Leone's
05:261964 spaghetti western A Fistful of Dollars
05:29an unofficial remake of Akira Kurosawa's
05:311961 film Yojimbo.
05:35Two weapons.
05:37No, probably three.
05:39This is due to the numerous similarities.
05:41Both movies follow a lone drifter
05:43who plays rival factions against each other
05:45for personal gain.
05:46Kurosawa himself saw the similarities,
05:48and the accusations resulted in a successful lawsuit.
05:51♪♪
05:54Adios, amigo.
05:56Despite all the legal issues,
05:58the Gritty Clint Eastwood-starring film
06:00is credited with redefining the western genre.
06:03Eastwood's lone gunslinger would go on to be part
06:05of what's known as the Dollars Trilogy,
06:07with A Fistful of Dollars firmly etching out
06:10a legendary status for itself.
06:12Why do you do this for us?
06:15Why?
06:17I knew someone like you once.
06:18There was no one there to help.
06:20Now get moving.
06:21Number four, Olympus Has Fallen.
06:22Sir, there's been an intrusion.
06:24Please stand down.
06:25Let's go, move.
06:26In 2013, two big-budget action films
06:30about attacks on the White House
06:31and the subsequent efforts of a lone hero
06:34to save the day were released just months apart.
06:37♪♪
06:40Even though Roland Emmerich's White House Down
06:43arrived in cinemas first and featured big names
06:45like Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx,
06:47it was the Gerard Butler-starring actioner
06:50Olympus Has Fallen that hit its target with audiences.
06:54Sorry about the house, sir.
06:57It's okay.
06:59I believe it's insured.
07:01Fallen's intense action sequences and relentless pacing
07:04helped secure victory at the box office
07:06and even spawned several sequels.
07:08Meanwhile, White House Down failed to capture
07:11the same level of success,
07:12making it inferior to its counterpart on almost every level.
07:16Number three, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
07:18Many film buffs have been quick to cite
07:20the 1954 adventure film Secret of the Incas
07:24as being a direct influence
07:25for Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark.
07:32After all, both movies feature rugged archaeologists
07:35embarking on perilous quests in search of ancient treasures.
07:38In fact, many moments in Raiders of the Lost Ark
07:41bear a striking resemblance to those in Secret of the Incas.
07:44I don't like the competition.
07:47Even the main character dons similar outfits,
07:50right down to the fedora.
07:52Though Secret of the Incas paved the way
07:54for treasure-hunting tales,
07:55Raiders of the Lost Ark completely elevated the genre,
07:59elevated the genre, bringing it to unparalleled heights.
08:02It also made Harrison Ford's whip-cracking exploits
08:05as Indiana Jones ripe for a series of sequels.
08:11Number two, The Hunger Games.
08:12The dystopian young adult film genre owes a debt
08:15to both Kenji Fukasaku's Japanese cult classic Battle Royale
08:22and Gary Ross' blockbuster The Hunger Games.
08:25I volunteer as tribute.
08:27Both movies depict teenagers forced to participate
08:29in deadly competitions for entertainment purposes.
08:32Battle Royale offered a bleaker
08:34and more violent take on the concept,
08:36while The Hunger Games leaned into the fantasy element.
08:39Of the two youths forced fight-to-the-death flicks,
08:42it was Jennifer Lawrence's breakout performance
08:44as Katniss Everdeen,
08:46combined with the thought-provoking social commentary
08:48that propelled The Hunger Games to be most successful.
08:51Fair consideration.
08:54A global phenomenon,
08:56The Hunger Games franchise featured multiple sequels
08:59and inspired a new wave of young adult dystopian fiction.
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09:18Number one, The Fast and the Furious.
09:21You're gonna win.
09:24I'm gonna win.
09:26With over 10 installments
09:27in the Fast and Furious film series,
09:29it's easy to forget that the very first film
09:32was seen as a copy
09:33of the adrenaline-fueled thriller Point Break.
09:35For fans of the Catherine Bigelow-directed film,
09:38the high-paced action, undercover cops,
09:40and a charismatic leader with a questionable moral compass
09:43all sounded familiar.
09:45Tell me where she is and I walk away.
09:47However, while Point Break enjoyed moderate success
09:51upon its release,
09:52The Fast and the Furious tapped into the zeitgeist
09:54of pop culture,
09:55solidifying Vin Diesel's action hero status in the process.
09:58And by launching a multi-billion-dollar franchise
10:01with more sequels and spinoffs
10:03than you can shake a stick at,
10:04it's clear The Fast and the Furious
10:06has left Point Break in its dust.
10:09You almost had me, you never had me.
10:13Which film copycat did you enjoy more than the original?
10:16Share your thoughts in the comments down below.
10:18Let this be a lesson to all you ants.
10:22Ideas are a very dangerous thing.
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