10 Movie Ripoffs Better Than The Original
Sometimes the ripoff just does it better.
Many proclaim that originality in Hollywood is dead, and that the industry is largely content to just recycle the same basic ideas ad nauseum for safe repeat profit. And then there are those movies that aren't just working from a similar elemental idea - they're very clearly cribbing from something that already exists.
While we as viewers are prone to view blatant ripoffs with a certain level of disdain, what with the number of low-effort "mockbusters" flooding the market every single year, there are rare instances where the inspired film is actually the better one. And that's surely the case with the following 10 movie rip-offs, which while undeniably singing from the same hymn sheet as other films and stories, actually came out on top where the overall execution is concerned.
In some cases, both movies are thankfully good, but in every single instance the ripoff film is actually the superior one, benefitting from its more full-throated direction, outstanding ensemble cast, and so on. The lesson here? Just because a filmmaker originated an idea, it doesn't mean they know the best way forward...
10. National Treasure Is Better Than The Da Vinci Code
Now to be clear, National Treasure was released in 2004, a whole two years before the big-screen adaptation of The Da Vinci Code came out, but it's hilariously obvious that the Nicolas Cage-starring action-adventure flick took cues from Dan Brown's bestseller released the year prior.
The success of Brown's fast-paced airport novel inspired a glut of junky, me-too globe-trotting adventure flicks with religious undertones, and while most have been quickly forgotten to time, National Treasure and its 2007 sequel have managed to endure.
A whole two decades after National Treasure's release, it has remained a popular classic, largely due to its light tone, decadent locations, and the charms of its cast - Cage being joined by Sean Bean, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, and Christopher Plummer.
The film's big strength is that, unlike The Da Vinci Code, which was aspiring to be great "pulp art" as both a novel and a film, National Treasure never once took itself too seriously, embracing the pulp but leaving the art at the door. And honestly, when was the last time you ever even thought about The Da Vinci Code?