10 Movie Ripoffs Better Than The Original
2. Raiders of the Lost Ark Is Better Than Secret of the Incas
While it's no secret that Raiders of the Lost Ark is inspired by the classic adventure serials George Lucas watched as a child, it's easy to gloss over how liberally it "borrowed" from the 1954 Charlton Heston-starring film Secret of the Incas.
Throughout that picture, Heston's protagonist Henry Steele wears basically the very same outfit that would be canonised as Indiana Jones' (Harrison Ford) signature attire -a brown leather jacket, fedora, tan pants, over-the-shoulder bag, and revolver.
Beyond that, Secret of the Incas has several set pieces that appear to have been imitated or "homaged" in Raiders of the Lost Ark, especially the latter's iconic Map Room sequence. Hell, Raiders' costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis even later revealed that the film's crew watched Secret of the Incas numerous times, and she was ultimately surprised that the movie wasn't mentioned in the credits for its obvious influence on Indiana Jones.
It also has to be said, Raiders not only far surpassed the cultural relevance of Heston's film - which barely made a dent upon release - but exceeded its quality in every measurable way. Decidedly less-varnished and charming than Raiders, Secret of the Incas is largely regarded today as a curiosity for Indiana Jones fans and, honestly, little else.