chosen heroes taking down mighty empires, otherworldly monsters that creep in the dark,

and magical artifacts hidden from all but those brave enough to find them. Today’s

movies and TV still call on those same stories, changing the details to make it their own.

But sometimes, the similarities between a film and those that “inspired” it cross

the line. Here is Screen Rant’s list of Popular Movies That Stole Their Plots From

Other Films.

Alien

Director Ridley Scott immortalized his film career with 1979’s “Alien,” following

the crew of a spaceship slowly picked off by a murderous alien stowaway. Scott’s deep

space horror and vision of the future helped to shape a new age of science-fiction, but

the plot of the movie may not have been so original. Comparisons to the 1958 film “It!

The Terror From Beyond Space” have been made since the movie was first released, with

one producer admitting the film was shown on set to make sure they weren’t copying

it entirely. “It!” May swap out a distant alien world for Mars, and the Xenomorph for

a humanoid lizard, but entire scenes, sequences, and even the films’ finale are recreated

entirely. Since the original film was influenced by several classic sci-fi stories itself,

no lawsuits were filed. But the writers of “Alien” still have some explaining to

do.

Star Wars

George Lucas made no claims that he was creating a genuinely original story with his “Star

Wars” saga, calling on ancient archetypes – a princess in distress, a young hero,

a wise old wizard, and an evil masked villain – re-imagined in a galaxy far, far away.

The work of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa was another major influence. But when you

go back and watch Kurosawa’s “The Hidden Fortress,” it becomes clear just how much

Lucas adopted for his own story. The characters are nothing new, but the decision to tell

the story through the eyes of two bumbling tag-alongs is a direct lift. Elements of “fortress”

that couldn’t fit into “A New Hope” – were worked into “The Phantom Menace”

years later, and watching the movies back-to-back shows Lucas did more than follow Kurosawa’s

lead. He even included a nod to the movie in “Star Wars” itself, but the Imperial

Officer was force-choked before speaking the entire title (38:34).

The Fast & The Furious

The tale of Dominic Toretto and the “Fast & Furious” gang may have become a blockbuster

juggernaut, but it didn’t start out that way. Inspired by a magazine article exploring

the world of import street-racing in New York City, the script grew into a story of an undercover

cop infiltrating the community to sniff out racers robbing shipments of high-end merchandise.

Or in other words, a remake of Kathryn Bigelow’s “Point Break,” released a decade earlier.

Simply swap racers for surfers, and the structure of both films is almost identical: Keanu Reeves

and Paul Walker’s characters get close to the gang’s leader through the women in their

lives, fall in love, accept the gang as their new family, and refuse to believe they’re

the criminals that need to be brought down. In the end, both come to understand their

outlaw ways. But only The Fast & the Furious became a long-running franchise. Which is

the real shame.

Toy Story 3

As brilliant and important as Pixar’s “Toy Story” may be, it’s not as original as

you’d think. “The Brave Little Toaster” deserves some of that credit, released as

a children’s novel before it was adapted into a full-length movie. Starring household

appliances cast aside by their now college-aged owner, Rob, the team decides to find their

way to his dorm room, encountering terrifying obstacles along the way. Being thrown in with

disassembled or broken gadgets, and even winding up in a junkyard headed for disposal were

all re-imagined for the “Toy Story” series, particularly its second sequel. It shouldn’t

be surprising, since many of Pixar’s original staff worked on “Toaster,” including director

John Lasseter. Pixar’s animators telling the same story twice can be forgiven, only

because both films ended up as quality stories, meant to be as educational and entertaining

to children as they were to their parents.

The Lion King

As one of the films responsible for launching the Disney Renaissance, The Lion King stands

as one of the most beloved animated movies in history. The film draws from the biblical

tale of Moses, and Shakespeare's Hamlet. But fans of Japanese cartoons noticed a similarity

to "Kimba the White Lion," an anime series following a young lion cub who is forced to

grow up and take his rightful place as king. With scenes and themes copied from Kimba,

and early footage showing Simba as a white lion cub, it didn't help that voice actor

Matthew Broderick assumed The Lion King was related to the Japanese cartoon he had enjoyed

as a child. The director claimed nothing had been stolen, but script rewrites throughout

production meant it was possible. In the end, the studio behind Kimba deemed Disney too

big to fight, and took it as a compliment.

The Island

There's a good chance that most movie fans have never heard of "Parts: The Clonus Horror,"

but thanks to Michael Bay's "The Island," that doesn't mean you haven't seen the dystopic

sci-fi tale of clones seeking freedom. The 1979 movie showed a future where clones are

lied to about a desolate earth, never learning that they're being grown for their organs

to be harvested for the super-wealthy. One clone sees through the lies, escapes, and

eventually comes face to face with his sponsor. So when Michael Bay added Scarlett Johansson

and told the exact same story, the original filmmakers took legal action - eventually

settling out of court.

A Fistful of Dollars

The rise of spaghetti westerns in the 1960s made actor Clint Eastwood a household name,

establishing him as one of the most iconic cowboys in movie history. A Fistful of Dollars

began his rise to stardom, playing a gunslinger who drifts into a Mexican border town torn

between two families, and plays both sides in pursuit of gold. As it turns out, Akira

Kurosawa had the same idea for his film Yojimbo, swapping Mexico for Japan, and a cowboy for

a masterless samurai. When a lawsuit was filed, Leone claimed that both he and Kurosawa had

both been inspired by an even older play, and the dispute delayed the movie's release

for years. The settlement was more than worth it in the end, with Eastwood's "Man With No

Name" appearing in two successful sequels.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Just like Star Wars, George Lucas was open about the origins of Raiders of the Lost Ark,

shaping Indiana Jones in the image of classic serial adventures. But one film may have had

more of an impact than any other. "The Secret of the Incas" starring Charlton Heston may

not be a well-known movie, but Lucas was certainly a fan. Aside from hero Harry Steele looking

exactly like Indiana Jones in every way, the use of a secret key to illuminate the location

of buried treasure, and other similarities are impossible to ignore. The costume designer

on Raiders has confirmed that the crew viewed the film multiple times for inspiration, but

couldn't explain why George Lucas or Steven Spielberg didn't credit the movie they borrowed

from so heavily.

So what do you think of our list? Did we miss any movies that borrowed their plots from

other films? Let us know in our comment section and don't forget to subscribe to our channel

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