Buzz
Imitation is often considered the most genuine form of flattery. However, it is essential to understand when admiration crosses the line into outright copyright violations, especially by smaller movie studios that replicate successful blockbusters by 'borrowing' their plots, characters, and even footage.
Typically, a small studio will give their movie a title that closely resembles the original and release it around the same time. In some cases, these studios even market their imitative films as sequels to the original works, leading to confusion for viewers and frustration for the original creators.
Spoiler Alert: We'll be revealing key details from these films.
10. Queen Kong (1976) - A Ripoff of: King Kong (1933)
Queen Kong is an abysmal imitation of the 1933 classic King Kong and its 1976 remake. While both King Kong and Queen Kong share similar plots, the latter suffers from a notably inferior cast, dreadful dialogue, and subpar special effects that might even cause eye strain.
In Queen Kong, a female film producer travels to Africa to make a movie with an all-female cast, but only needs one male actor. Rather than holding auditions, the producer conspires with her actresses to abduct a man named Ray Fay, whom they drug and keep captive in a sack on their ship.
In Africa, they encounter bikini-clad white women who quickly decide to offer Ray Fay to their enormous ape queen, Queen Kong. The women present Ray Fay to Queen Kong, but she refuses to eat him, having developed a romantic attachment to him instead.
Queen Kong is transported to London where she escapes and goes on a destructive spree. Since there is no Empire State Building in London, she climbs Big Ben and battles helicopters that look like cheap toys no five-year-old would even want to play with.
At this moment, Ray Fay chooses to deliver a televised address in which he likens Queen Kong to all oppressed women. Guess he had begun to fall for her as well. We also learn that he proposed using a giant bra.
9. James Batman (1966) - A Mashup of: James Bond (1962–1965) and Batman (1966)
Batman has a loyal fanbase. This is why the first two Batman films were created by enthusiasts without DC Comics' permission. The first Batman film was Batman Dracula, a live-action production from 1964. This should not be confused with Batman Fights Dracula, a similar knockoff released in 1967, or The Batman vs. Dracula, the official animated version released in 2005.
Andy Warhol's Batman Dracula was created by the artist and shown only to select private audiences. It was never made publicly available, and its plot remains a mystery. Although once thought to be lost, some clips eventually surfaced on YouTube. Despite these clips, the plot remains indecipherable, though it is generally considered to be a comedy. Warhol's Batman Dracula was followed by Alyas Batman at Robin (Alias Batman and Robin), which debuted in the Philippines in 1965.
The inaugural Batman movie, Batman: The Movie, was released in 1966. That same year saw the debut of the Batman TV series, both of which sparked numerous imitations such as The Wild World of Batwoman, also released in 1966.
The Wild World of Batwoman features Batwoman and her Batgirls as they battle the villain Rat Fink, who schemes to steal a highly valuable atomic hearing aid. After facing legal issues, the director decided to rename the film to She was a Hippy Vampire.
In 1966, the Philippines saw the release of James Batman, a film that united James Bond and Batman as they teamed up to stop a nefarious criminal organization bent on eradicating humanity.
In the film, James Bond and Batman initially refuse to cooperate, each attempting to outdo the other and jeopardizing their mission. Eventually, they put aside their rivalry and join forces when they realize that their competition is undermining their objective.
8. Mac and Me (1988) is a blatant imitation of Steven Spielberg’s iconic 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Mac and Me is a glaring knockoff of Spielberg's blockbuster E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. It arguably doesn't deserve to be called a movie at all, as it feels more like a 90-minute commercial for brands like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Mars, Incorporated, as the producer strategically placed their products throughout the film.
The name Mac, which refers to the lead alien in the movie, seems to be a nod to McDonald's, even though the creators claim it stands for 'Mysterious Alien Creature.'
Mac is the youngest member of an unusual alien family of four, who escape from a NASA holding facility and are pursued by the authorities. He finds himself hitching a ride with Janet, a widow moving with her two sons to a new home.
Strange events begin to occur at the new house. Radio-controlled cars operate without batteries, the television turns on by itself, and Mac takes great delight in causing chaos, even using a chainsaw to wreck the family’s living room.
One day, Eric, the younger of Janet’s sons, spots Mac, a mischievous creature, and follows him. However, Eric ends up falling into a lake but is saved by Mac. Eric tries to tell his mother Janet about Mac, but she believes he’s simply suffering from a strange illness called 'schizo-freakia.'
In response, Janet calls her psychologist friend, Debbie, to evaluate Eric. Eric tells Debbie all about Mac, and together they come up with a plan to capture the alien. During the confrontation, Mac gets injured, but Eric and Debbie manage to treat him using a can of Coke.
Eric grows closer to Mac and decides to take him to McDonald’s, where Mac performs a quirky dance on the counter while wearing a teddy bear costume. Later, Eric, Debbie, Debbie's sister Courtney, and Eric’s brother Mike, continue to bond with Mac by feeding him Coke and Skittles while driving him out to the desert to reunite him with his family.
Upon finding Mac’s family, they are found in a near-death state, but with some cans of Coke, they are revived. They all head back to town, where the alien family sneaks out of the van to get some watermelon and Coke from a nearby gas station.
The police arrive at the scene to arrest the aliens, but Mac’s father grabs a security guard’s gun and starts a shoot-out with the officers, which ends when the gas station explodes. Tragically, Eric dies in the blast but is revived by Mac’s family using their powers.
The 90-minute commercial concludes with the alien family being granted U.S. citizenship. However, there is no explanation for how the alien learned to use a gun or what happened to the others who perished in the explosion.
7. Terminator II (1989) Sequel To: The Terminator (1984) Copycat Of: The Terminator and Aliens (1986)
Terminator II is a direct imitation of two James Cameron films: The Terminator and Aliens. As if that weren't enough, Terminator II was released as a sequel to The Terminator a full year before the official sequel came out.
To set itself apart from its blatant imitation, the official Terminator sequel (aka Terminator 2: Judgment Day) uses the Arabic numeral '2' for its title, while the copycat opts for the Roman numeral 'II.' The copycat also carries an alternative title, Shocking Dark.
Terminator II takes place in the year 2000, with Venice, Italy, overrun by humans who have transformed into man-eating monsters. Sarah, from The Terminator, is the protagonist of the movie. She battles and escapes the monsters with a girl named Samantha, who symbolically adopts Sarah as her mother.
Both women flee to the future using a time machine. However, they are pursued by a machine (The Terminator) intent on killing them. The Terminator finally traps them, but Sarah manages to 'defeat' it by throwing a device from the time machine. The Terminator grabs the device and is transported to a time period known only to the director, Bruno Mattei.
6. Legends Of Oz: Dorothy’s Return (2013) Sequel To: The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return is an animated movie inspired by Dorothy of Oz, a novel written by Roger Stanton Baum. Roger is the great-grandson of L. Frank Baum, the writer of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the novel that became the basis for the iconic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
In Legends of Oz, Dorothy returns to Oz, where she and her new friends—a talking owl, a doll, a guard, and a talking tree—attempt to defeat the Jester, the brother of the Wicked Witch of the West. The Jester uses the late witch’s broom and crystal ball to disrupt the order of Oz.
The film was a total disaster, grossing only $1.9 million out of its $70 million budget. It was financed by an estimated 1,000 investors, each contributing at least $100,000 for a share of the profits.
5. Snakes On A Train (2006) Copycat Of: Snakes On A Plane (2006)
Snakes on a Train is a poorly written imitation of Snakes on a Plane. Produced by Asylum, a small production company known for mimicking upcoming Hollywood blockbusters and releasing them right before the original films, Snakes on a Train premiered just three days before Snakes on a Plane.
In Snakes on a Train, Brujo and his girlfriend Alma embark on a train journey to Los Angeles, where they plan to meet a magician who will lift the curse causing Alma to vomit snakes.
The first hour of the movie lacks action, but everything changes when a massive snake swallows a girl. Then, a character has his heart ripped out. Two narcotics officers also get into a shoot-out that continues even after one is shot in the neck and the other in the face.
The film concludes with Alma transforming into a massive snake that devours the train and its passengers. Some passengers manage to escape, but the giant snake relentlessly pursues them until a magician intervenes and makes it vanish.
Afterward, the survivors make their way to Los Angeles, while the audience is left questioning why the magician only appears in the scene where he makes the snake disappear. Meanwhile, one of the female survivors is bitten. No one knows if she will turn into a snake, but we’re certain that the answer will be revealed just before the release of Snakes on a Plane 2.
4. Superman (1987) Copycat Of: Superman (1978)
Superman (1987) is a copy of the original Superman film from 1978. Produced and cast by Indians, it is often referred to as Indian Superman, though it was marketed as Superman. For the sake of clarity, we will refer to it as Indian Superman from now on.
The Indian Superman didn’t just borrow the original Superman's costume; it also copied the storyline and some footage. The key difference is that this version has been adapted for an Indian audience.
For example, Superman’s spaceship doesn’t land in the United States, but in India. There, he is adopted by an elderly Indian couple who name him 'Shekhar.' He attends school where he meets Gita and Verma.
After graduation, Gita becomes a news reporter, while Verma turns into a ruthless crime lord determined to destroy part of India and buy up the abandoned land. The film follows Shekhar as he attempts to thwart Verma, all while keeping his superpowers hidden from Gita. Sound familiar?
3. Dunyayi Kurtaran Adam (1982) Copycat Of: Star Wars (1977)
Turkey has produced a number of eerie copycat films that 'borrow' characters, footage, and storylines from well-known American films. For example, Rampage is Turkey’s version of Rambo, Badi (Buddy) mirrors E.T., and Supermen Donuyor stars a Turkish actor, Tayfun Demir, as Superman.
On occasion, filmmakers only take characters and footage while crafting their own storylines. One such movie is Uc Dev Adam (Three Giant Men), which shows Captain America teaming up with a Turkish wrestler to save the world from an evil Spider-Man.
Another notable example is Dunyayi Kurtaran Adam (also known as Turkish Star Wars or The Man Who Saved The World). This film not only uses characters and footage from Star Wars, but also 'borrows' music from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Dunyayi Kurtaran Adam was thought to be lost until the only surviving copy was recently recovered.
2. Titanic: The Legend Goes On (2000) Copycat Of: Titanic (1997)
Titanic: The Legend Goes On is yet another animated copy of James Cameron’s Titanic. Similar to The Legend of the Titanic, it features talking animals, including mice, cats, and even a rapping dog. However, unlike The Legend of the Titanic, it also 'borrows' characters from Warner Brothers and Disney animated films.
The Italian studio behind Titanic: The Legend Goes On made a rather comical mistake by using voice actors who weren’t proficient in English. This became clear when a young mouse, thanking a dog for saving it from a cat, said, “If it hadn’t been for you, I would ‘be’ now in someone else’s ‘digestion.’” The dog responded with an entirely unnecessary rap, which is meant to be the film’s highlight.
As in the original Titanic, Jack and Rose make an appearance. However, this time, their roles are switched. Jack, now called William, is the wealthy one, while Rose, now named Angelica, is the impoverished one.
As expected, the Titanic sinks in the end, but this time, everyone survives. Angelica also discovers her true mother aboard the ship and ends up marrying William.
1. The Legend Of The Titanic (1999) Copycat Of: Titanic (1997)
The Legend of the Titanic is an animated imitation of James Cameron’s blockbuster Titanic. Just like the original, Jack and Rose are present. However, in this version, they are represented by a human prince named Don Juan and a lady named Elizabeth, who is being forced to marry a greedy whaler called Maltravers.
Two mice are also on board the ship. One is Top Connors, who wants Elizabeth and Don Juan to be together, while the other, Ronnie, has his sights set on winning Elizabeth’s affection. Of course, Elizabeth is human and Ronnie is a mouse, but we’ll move past that detail.
Both mice try to convince Elizabeth to have her father cancel her marriage to Maltravers. In retaliation, Maltravers schemes to sink the Titanic and force Elizabeth’s father to sign a contract that grants him whaling rights as the ship goes down.
Maltravers partners with some sharks to sink the Titanic, but the sharks are unable to do it alone. So, they trick an octopus named Tentacles into competing with them in an iceberg-throwing contest, with the goal of sinking the ship using an iceberg.
Tentacles wins, just as the sharks hoped. However, the octopus quickly realizes the sharks' treachery and takes action to keep the ship afloat while whales rescue the passengers.
The story doesn’t end here. A sequel, Tentacolino (also known as In Search of the Titanic), was released in 2004. This time, Don Juan and Elizabeth find themselves in the mythical city of Atlantis while on a mission to recover the Titanic.
In this tale, they assist the king in defending the city from an army of rats and sharks commanded by Maltravers. In a nod to the rapping dog in Titanic: The Legend Goes On (which is discussed next), a shark named Razorteeth raps, with a chorus of oysters accompanying him. So, here we have a copycat that’s imitating another copycat.
