Movies that stole ideas from other movies...

[Sandor 798]

Recently I saw the German/US production Fear Dot Com.

It's a terrible, annoying film. The writing, acting, etc. Blaahhh...

But the most annoying thing about the whole film is that it steals scene after scene from other films.

Especially The Ring.

I could compile a list of all things stolen from The Ring, but it would be longer than most members would like to read anyway.

I don't mind films paying homage to other films. I don't consider that stealing perse. So 28 Days Later for example, is not a thief of George A. Romero's zombie films in my opinion.

And even a film like Predator is not stealing from Alien. It copies elements from Alien no doubt, but it does it with a lot of respect and at least, by setting the story in the Latin jungles, tries to give the concept an original twist.

Fear Dot Com however, does very little effort to be 'original' or to remain 'respectful'. It is a true thief among films.

I hate it.

[QMM 4]

All of Tarantino's movies

[Sandor 798]

Tarantino pays homage to many films, from Kung Fu to blackplotation pictures, but he does it with so much flair and originality (and often improves old ideas!), that it sounds foolish to me to call his approach 'stealing'.

[crocodile 8,056]

The twist ending form The Sixth Sense was reused in The Others two years later. But the latter is a better film, because THE BIG TWIST ENDING is there not only to make a big surprise. It has a purpose. The whole religious subplot builds slowly to the finale. Besides, it is one of the best told mystery stories in recent memory has Nicole Kidman that looks like Grace Kelly

I could compile a list of all things stolen from The Ring, but it would be longer than most members would like to read anyway.

The Ring itself is also a compilation of older ideas that looks effective at first, but, ultimately, it doesn't make any sense whatsoever.

Karol

[Romão 2,276]

Dark City and The Matrix.

[tpigeon 3]

Many of Tarantino's techniques, however, are borrowed from the likes of Scorsese, Allen, Fellini, and Bergman, all of whom used knowledge of previous films to build their own, which allowed them to do new things and go different directions. Stealing? I don't know. It depends on how you define it. Film, like any other communication medium, is not something you can do something "totally original" because filmmakers build their knowledge of cinema based on what has already been seen. Even avante garde film acknowledges patterns and conventions of existing norms and genres. In that sense, a film can't be completely original. But the difference between a good film and a bad film is how it builds upon that knowledge. Originality and creativity are indeed possible, but not in the sense that some people expect. It's a matter of assembling known or familiar elements into something new, and different, creating a fresh image. Bad films bow to cliche and recycle old images without any effort or creativity.

What Roald is talking about (reflexivity) is a tough subject in Film. Tarantino obviously knows his genres and sub-genres inside out and pays them homage, as Roald says. But the only difference between someone like him and a hack is that he consciously does it and wants the viewer to realize it, whereas a hack does not. Does that let a guy like Tarantino off the hook, since his films tend to be a pastiche of differing styles and narratives? It's tough to determine when reflexivity enters into the picture.

A narrative in the form of moving images is a very complex beast. There is no questions that images create meaning, but what that is and how a given film creates it is often not given the thought it should be. To process the images and understand the narrative, a viewer must be familiar with norms that define a film, a genre, an action, etc. But does that make all films cliches if they assemble images based on what has previously been created or seen? I stand by my argument that originality and creativity is possible with Film for the reason that it is such a complicated machine and that different known elements can be assembled and constrcuted together to interact with each other in new and creative ways. A good film does that. This allows for reflexive fare to be new and different even while recycling old images, for whatever reason. But as cinema becomes older, refexivity is becoming more prominent and exists in many different ways. Like I said, it complicates everything.

Ted

[Sandor 798]

What Roald is talking about (reflexivity) is a tough subject in Film. Tarantino obviously knows his genres and sub-genres inside out and pays them homage, as Roald says. But the only difference between someone like him and a hack is that he consciously does it and wants the viewer to realize it, whereas a hack does not.

I agree Ted.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

But the most annoying thing about the whole film is that it steals scene after scene from other films.  

Especially The Ring.

Which was a remake anyway...

[Ollie 1,069]

So many movies take formulas or rip ideas from other films. Even some of the top movies, both box office champs and critically acclaimed films, are guilty.

These past 15 years have seen a large influx of remakes, sequels or retreading old ground. It's one of the reasons I don't go to as many movies as I used to. I get the constant feeling of "been there saw that".

[Dr.ZacharySmith 0]

I have just watched "Lady SnowBlood" 1 & 2... This is the Japanese series that is meant to have inspired Tarantino to make Kill Bill 1 & 2.

[tpigeon 3]

I heard that Tarantino originally planned it as one movie, but Miramax convinced him to split it into two meaning more money for everyone.

Ted

[Erik Woods 569]

Radiers of the Lost Ark. One gigantic homage to Saturday Matinee Serials.

And Spaceballs... I mean, that film totally ripped off Star Wars.

-Erik-

[Sandor 798]

An homage I can live with. Definately. Paying respect to the past.

If you guys would read more into the topic opener, you would refrain from every "smart comment" made so far and actually contribute something to the thread.

[Ollie 1,069]

I don't have the time to type such a massive list of films.

[Diego 21]

Dark City and the Matrix come to mind

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

Dark City and The Matrix.

Well the Matrix did borrow a lot of visual elements from the Japanese anime Ghost in the Shell too

http://www.mkygod.com/matrixgits/

[tpigeon 3]

Dark City is brilliant and visionary. The Matrix pales in comparrison, despite being a pretty good movie itself.

Ted

[QMM 4]

The Matrix did reuse a lot of the same sets, it was filmed right after Dark City wrapped.

[Morn 8]

I tend to think of back to the future as a bit of a doctor who copy cat. Traveling through time with an old guy and a young side kick (see the old 60's b/w doctor who people). I guess that's more like a predator situation though.

Shark tale is far to much like finding nemo.... and a pretty bad movie also.

To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything is a rip of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, yeah drag queens on a road trip....

[tpigeon 3]

Shark tale is far to much like finding nemo.... and a pretty bad movie also.

With the exception that it is an animated film with talking fish, the two films are nothing alike. They have totally different stories, different characters, and employ different styles and techniques when it comes to humor and narrative. And Finding Nemo is a much better film.

Ted

[Dr.ZacharySmith 0]

I don't know whether this strictly fits in this thread however I always felt that Roddenberry was more than a bit "inspired" by the old classic SF film "Forbidden Planet" when he wrote the Trek pilot, all those years ago.

[Morn 8]

tpigeon, the sharks are really quite similar. Especially that both movies have a vegetarian shark.

[tpigeon 3]

tpigeon, the sharks are really quite similar. Especially that both movies have a vegetarian shark.

Ahh, I don't remember the one in Shark Tale. I don't remember the plot details very well seeing how I thought the movie was rather forgettable. I do remember that the underwater world in that movie was much more close in resemblance to the human world than Finding Nemo's, which took much more joy in creating lush underwater environments rather than recreating Times Square Underwater. Shark Tale was also much more self-aware, forgetting to tell a story and using a plot as an excuse for all the pop-culture jokes. Finding Nemo contained some of that as well, but its emphasis was more on the story and characters.

Ted

[Red 75]

Many films lift ideas, etc. from other films, but only when it is done badly is it then considered stealing.

[Goldsmithfan 6]

Recently I saw the German/US production Fear Dot Com. I could compile a list of all things stolen from The Ring, but it would be longer than most members would like to read anyway.

Too bad The Ring ripped key elements from the story of The Changeling.

[BurgaFlippinMan 7]

tpigeon, the sharks are really quite similar. Especially that both movies have a vegetarian shark.

Ahh, I don't remember the one in Shark Tale. I don't remember the plot details very well seeing how I thought the movie was rather forgettable. I do remember that the underwater world in that movie was much more close in resemblance to the human world than Finding Nemo's, which took much more joy in creating lush underwater environments rather than recreating Times Square Underwater. Shark Tale was also much more self-aware, forgetting to tell a story and using a plot as an excuse for all the pop-culture jokes. Finding Nemo contained some of that as well, but its emphasis was more on the story and characters.

Ted

Shark Tale is a movie which seemed to assume that 5 yr old kids would have watched The Godfather...

[Morn 8]

Maybe not but I'd at least assume 5 year olds have some awareness of what the mafia is. Mafia is all over the place in films and tv these days.

[Trent B 337]

This maybe nothing... but when in Stargate when Ra's ship was nuked the explosion looked like they stole it from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country when Praxis' exploded. The only difference is they didn't have two shockwave rings, it was a tad less dramatic and it showed it compltely fading out in the middle unlike in Star Trek VI. Hell it was almost the same exploding sound...

[Damo 0]

I reckon Firewall stole the idea from Air Force One considering it's another Harrison Ford's family movie rescue kind of thing.

[robthehand 3]

Family-rescue movies have been going since a long time before Air Force One.

[Damo 0]

Really when was the first Family-rescue movie was made and what was it called?

[Romão 2,276]

Superman Returns and Superman.

[JMan 0]

How about The Incredibles to Sky High to the recent Zoom movie. Yuck! Although The Incredibles rock my world.

[JMan 0]

Some parts of Signs to some parts of WOTW.

[robthehand 3]

Really when was the first Family-rescue movie was made and what was it called?

How should I know? Would the original The Man Who Knew Too Much count? If not, then the original Cape Fear definitely would.

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

And Ford already did it in Patriot Games anyway.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

anything done in the movies was most likely already done at some other time, doesn't mean it was stolen.

Any movie that pay homage (hom, age, not o-mage) to another isn't stealing, but honoring.