That is totally ripped off!

[AndyC]

Was thinking about Star Blazers on another thread, and it reminded me of one of the strangest wholesale plot ripoffs I can remember.

I've been a Star Blazers fan since it first aired in Canada, when I was just a lad. I watched every episode of the Quest for Iscandar and the Comet Empire war.

In the latter, the Argo is considered obsolete and much of the team has been reassigned. Wildstar and friends are invited to a mysterious planet that might hold the answer to why a white comet is headed for Earth and how to stop it. Their superiors refuse, so they steal the Argo, making a narrow escape from the dock, and evading the new Andromeda, the biggest, fastest, snazziest ship in the fleet.

Some time later, Star Trek III came out. In that movie, as you know, the Enterprise is considered obsolete and much of the team has been reassigned. Kirk and friends are invited to a mysterious planet that might hold the answer to what happened to Spock and how to rejoin his body and soul. Their superiors refuse, so they steal the Enterprise, making a narrow escape from the dock, and evading the new Excelsior, the biggest, fastest, snazziest ship in the fleet.

At the time, it just amazed me that the mighty Star Trek franchise would copy a big chunk of a major motion picture directly from a relatively obscure Japanese cartoon.

Anybody else recall a plot ripoff that just made your jaw drop?

[Jamtoy]

Look at what Star Trek is doing now, Just on rip off after another.  Mostly rehashes of old story lines.  

The Crew returns to Earth of the past and it happens to be OUR day!

Some strange "Time Travel like thing"  has occured and the show end up with all the crew being killed and one of the members wakes up just about where the show started so that NONE OF THE EVENTS IN THE SHOW EVER HAPPEN!

When the ratings fall, strip the women naked, fire up the phasers and kill a bunch of people per episode.

WAR!  WAR!  WAR!  WAR!

[JohnL]

Judge Dread follows about 80% of the plot of Demolition Man. One of Dean Cain's direct to video/cable movies not only ripped off the shootout at the Cyberdyne building from Terminator II, they used the actual T2 footage!

[Brother Ragnarok]

There are any number of movies that rip things off totally wholesale, but I think I'll use my favorite example, Beyond Darkness.  In one movie you have first and foremost an Exorcist ripoff, complete with a "The power of Christ compels" you style line that's just different enough to not be sued over.  Much like those bacon-wrapped steak fillets (mmmmmm) that I'm terribly fond of, this film also comes wrapped in ripoffs of various themes from Evil Dead, Poltergeist and Hellraiser, as well as a musical theme that is just this side of Halloween.  

Brother R

[Vermin Boy]

The more I think about it, the more I realize that the Super Mario Bros. movie stole a lot from Buckaroo Banzai: an alternate dimension, accessed by going through solid rock, ruled by a manic character actor with goofy hair bent on merging and ruling both dimensions.

[Conrad]

Right.  My thunderbolts are out for Super Mario Bros, then.  

Super Mario Bros?  Is that the howlingly unsuccessful video-game transcription? That tanked big-time?  Major-league failure Super Mario Bros?

Okay, perhaps the curse of Buckaroo has stricken it already.  Heh heh!

[Conrad]

More a soundtrack item; the theme from "Friday the 13th" rips off "Halloween" in a big way, but manages to be just different enough to avoid lawsuits.  Then again, Friday the 13th and Halloween  - ah, what more can I say!

[AndyC]

Yeah, lots of successful movies have cheap imitators, and lots of general story ideas get borrowed again and again, but I'm looking for something a little more specific. The big budget Hollywood picture that almost copies directly from the script of a low budget indie film, b-movie, cartoon, etc. I mean, you look at the two, and it's practically the same story.

[Evil Matt]

Disney's "The Lion King" was damn near a direct rip of Tezuka's "Kimba the White Lion", right down to the evil uncle and the talking bird.

[akiratubo]

At the end of Godzilla 2000, Godzilla fought a shape-changing monster that wanted to absorb his power.  He destroyed it by unleashing all his power at once, which it could not contain.

At the end of Hulk, the Hulk fought a shape changing monster that wanted to absorb his power.  He destroyed it by unleashing all his power at once, which it could not contain.

[Conrad]

Dunno if it's really what you're after, but "Heat" (big$ movie) is mostly derived from "LA Takedown" (little$ TV film).

[Flangepart]

Comming up with totaly original storys is demanding.
    And Hollywood has "Blockbusteritis", that means they are afraid of anything that is not gurrenteed cash out the wazoo.
    They just don't take risks.
    Which means, we get the characters and plots the big wigs think most people want to see. Or, do we? Hummm....
    Audience identification....how many people can see themselves as characters , particulary the leads, in the film at hand? How much does that affect the choices the movers and shakers make in choosing a story to film?
    How much does that define the market?
    Like, you can get an audience to identify with an anti-hero. Hitchcocks FRENZY, for example, but then, how much does that encourage repeat viewing, by the majority of the film going audience?
    Just how willing are people to view "Original" storys, anyway?

[FearlessFreep]

They just don't take risks.

This is because execs have gotten very good at 'marketing product' rather then developing talent.  It's worse in the music industry.  Why take a chance on something new, on developing new talent,  when you can just produce something yuo know yuo can sell?

[jmc]

I think both HEAT and LA TAKEDOWN were directed by MIchael Mann, though, so it's more a case of a director remaking his own work on the big screen with a bigger budget and cast.   Though I've heard that some of the dialogue is word-for-word identical.

[Eirik]

Try to imagine the script for "Fast and the Furious"  (I know, I know - but try).  Now, everywhere it says "racing souped up piece of crap Japanese economy cars" erase that and write "surfing."  Voila!  You now have the script for "Point Break."

Also, I'm pretty sure the entire Matrix Trilogy is pretty much ripped off from an episode of the old PacMan cartoon.  

just kidding :)