"It's a rip-off!" is a phrase you'll hear at least one person shouting when something becomes big or popular, because we all like to exert our knowledge on stuff when we thinks it's skimming too close to the boundaries of originality. Thing is, as more and more movies are released with every passing year, it's becoming more and more apparent that everything has been done before in at least one way, shape or form. And yet filmmakers have been "ripping off" one another for years; the trick is in just how well you can repackage the stolen elements and leave your own mark. Here we've gathered together 20 great films that were - at one time or another - accused of ripping off other works, be they immensely popular or little known. In a lot of cases, these "rip-offs" might have occurred purely by coincidence - in other instances, the lines are little more blurred. A work can't really be deemed a rip-off if the director or writers consciously acknowledge the influences of which people are trying to chastise them for, of course... which makes it even harder for people to decide whether something is a straight rip-off or a certified homage. How far do these works veer towards downright plagiarism? It's up to an artist to take what is familiar and use it to create a product that feels new and unique, to the point where whatever it is that helped hatch the idea is no longer traceable to such an extent that people won't end up rallying in the streets, screaming for blood. So whereas some of the movies mentioned here ended up facing lawsuits, others have been left alone entirely for a multitude of reasons. What's sure is that all the movies mentioned here are great works in their own right, accusations aside...
