10 Movies Nobody Wanted To Admit Were Actually Remakes

JJ Abrams' filmography isn't exactly regarded for originality, with his output consisting of two Star Wars and one Mission: Impossible sequel, a Star Trek reboot, a follow-up for that Star Trek reboot and Super 8, which might be an original concept but is clearly and very heavily indebted to the golden age of Amblin movies.

There's no denying that he's a competent director of effects-heavy blockbusters, but he's never shown an urge to take any great risks creatively, which is why Star Wars: The Force Awakens felt so reminiscent of A New Hope, and was almost too reverential in trying to replicate what had worked for the franchise in 1977, even with a fresh coat of CGI paint.

Almost 40 years later and here we were once again, with an apparent nobody from a desert-like planet becoming embroiled in an adventure with galaxy-wide implications, teaming up with rebels to take down a weapon with the potential to destroy planets with more than a little help from Han, Leia and Chewie, battling against the forces of evil led by a black-clad villain in a mask with family ties to the main characters, who does the bidding of a shadowy figure content to lurk in the background, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Nostalgia is an increasingly important currency in how Hollywood markets their franchises, but The Force Awakens leaned in far too heavily when it really should have attempting something the likes of which we'd never seen before.