10 Sci-Fi Movie Rip-Offs You Won't Believe Exist

8. Metal Man

Nukie ET the Extra-Terrestrial
Summer Hill Films

You might take one look at Metal Man and assume that it's a "mockbuster" produced by famous knock-off studio The Asylum, and though it was indeed released mere months after 2008's Iron Man, it was actually produced by a lesser-known outfit called TomCat Films (also responsible for 2012's Hulk rip-off, The Amazing Bulk).

Metal Man follows a college student (Samuel Nathan Hoffmire) who dons a lawsuit-worthy Iron Man-esque suit to battle crime - namely an evil megalomaniac and his... ninja henchmen. Yup.

Clearly the name of the game here was tossing off a no-budget Iron Man clone with similar-looking box art to trick a couple of grandmas looking to buy Iron Man on DVD for their grandkids.

It's charmless slop-bucket filmmaking - if you can even call it that - and, to top the cynicism off, was subsequently re-released under the title Iron Hero in a craven attempt to wring a little more cash out of the enterprise.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.