12 Blatant Copycat Movie Pairs (And Which Was Better)

When Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim came out in 2013, film fans must’ve felt a sense of déjà vu as just a year previously Peter Berg’s similarly plotted Battleship, inspired by the classic board game of the same name, was released.

The two films went into production around the same time so although there was no idea poaching going on they were dubiously alike with both featuring a Planet Earth under attack from aliens, an American hero with a Japanese sidekick and flashy CGI battles fought mainly at sea.

Which One Was Better?

Neither performed spectacularly in the domestic American market, but while Battleship flopped Pacific Rim found a willing audience worldwide which pushed up its box office takings to a respectable $411 million.

The old ‘style over substance’ critique could be launched at either movie but whereas Battleship is visually impressive but a sh*tshow when it comes to dialogue and avoiding clichés, Pacific Rim claws ahead with more likeable characters, a better plot and infinitely better alien monsters.

If you need any more clues as to which is the superior movie, a Pacific Rim sequel is set for release next year but tellingly there’s no plans for a continuation of Battleship … which is probably for the best.