Top 10 Movies That Ripped Off 90s Movies

Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller "Black Swan" owes a considerable debt to the work of anime director Satoshi Kon. The story of a ballet dancer that's being haunted by her own mind comes at least partially inspired by Kon's film, "Perfect Blue." Both projects examine the notions of fame and performance from a mentally-disturbed protagonist. This isn't the first time that the filmmaker has borrowed from the movie either, as his film “Requiem for a Dream” features a reimagining of one sequence from the anime. They always say to steal from the best, and this Aronofsky proves that point in the case of this Oscar-winning movie.

“Independence Day” took the common sci-fi premise of an alien invasion and pushed the concepts to enjoyable extremes. "Independents' Day" sees to it that the alien invasion still happens, but the fight for survival doesn't manage to be anywhere as compelling. This version's special effects do the project zero favors in its attempts to set itself apart from the 1996 film. If you ever try to watch this inferior story, it should only be out of curiosity to see the many ways it steals from the Roland Emmerich hit. The movie might play well on the Syfy channel, but “Independents’ Day” exists as one of the more shameless rip-offs.

Have you ever watched "Home Alone" and wondered what it could be like with dogs? Well you're in luck, because "Alone for Christmas" does that and not much more. Beyond the less-than-stellar voice acting and janky mouth movements, this project comes off as vastly inferior to its 1990 counterpart. While the Chris Columbus film saw Kevin McCallister fend for himself against criminals, this homage has a forgotten canine attempting the same feat. They even have the dog use traps and fight against assailants in an increasingly absurd set of circumstances. In the shadow of its predecessors, "Alone for Christmas" clearly owes a huge debt to John Hughes' original idea.

Since the release of "Groundhog Day," several comedies have used the time loop concept to varying degrees of effectiveness. With the film "Palm Springs," the idea gets another twist as multiple people are included in the premise. This new wrinkle, along with a setting at a wedding, makes for an exciting sci-fi/rom-com all its own. With the dynamic of the two central characters locked in a loop together, you can imagine the hijinks and dramatic places that the story goes. It also helps that leads Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti have great chemistry together in the remixed idea. Building upon "Groundhog Day," this underrated gem has enough charms that make it one of the more effective rip-offs.

"Bug Bites: An Ant's Life" tries the impossible as it attempts to combine the spirit of both "A Bug's Life" and "Antz." This adventure ends up being a dubious attempt to confuse families into believing that it's just another Disney film. In a tale about ants constructing a new hill, the meandering plot tries to have insects interact in poorly-designed graphics. If you can manage to sit through this film, you definitely deserve a substantial reward or a refund. While the project is a clear rip-off, the animated story also struggles to reach the heights set by Pixar and DreamWorks.

Some consider "Go" to be one in a chain of "Pulp Fiction" rip-offs from the 90s. Whatever you want to call it, the interconnecting and non-linear crime stories clearly function as Tarantino homages. It's also fair to say that the darkly comedic tone makes this one of a host of tributes to the writer/director's style. On its own merits, the movie features up-and-coming stars like Timothy Olyphant and Katie Holmes in a well-paced film that director Doug Liman holds together well. "Go" might not be as sophisticated as “Pulp Fiction,” but it does have enough fun detours to appease crime movie fans.

When considering dinosaur movies from 1993, what films do you think of? Most people would likely say "Jurassic Park," but there was another dinosaur story from that year called "Carnosaur." Produced by B-movie legend Roger Corman, the goofy film is based on its own novel about a mad scientist trying to repopulate the world with prehistoric creatures. The producer even put the project into production in order to profit from the release of the Spielberg blockbuster. In contrast to that hit, "Carnosaur" doesn't have the special effects budget to effectively sell the sci-fi/horror story. Along with some campy acting, this rip-off mostly functions like a cash-in with similar subject matter as "Jurassic Park."

Some called this one a “Point Break” rip-off with cars and they’re not totally wrong. Paul Walker plays Brian, a detective that embeds himself in a team of street-racing smugglers. Just like Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Utah character, Walker's hero finds himself under the spell of the very people he's trying to bring down. While it utilizes some elements from Kathryn Bigelow's film, this movie lays the foundation for an entirely different and immensely successful series. This first entry doesn't quite eclipse "Point Break," but it does have enough car chases to set it apart from the early 90s film.

Many people tried to leech off of the success of "Titanic," including one ambitious animation team from Italy. With that in mind, "Titanic: The Legend Goes On" is a wildly misguided attempt to rework the ill-fated voyage into a kid's movie. In a densely-packed narrative with an unwieldy ensemble, this take on the historical tragedy uses music and talking animals to further confuse audiences. They also try to tell a love story that somewhat resembles the Jack and Rose romance, but it never comes together like it did in James Cameron's film. And then there’s the awkward musical numbers that only cause added headaches. Next to its many faults, the animation pales in comparison to the grand vision of the award-winning 1997 film.

James Cameron's "Avatar" was considered groundbreaking on a number of technical levels. Having said that, the film was not exactly the most original story. It's a classic tale of a man joining a native population in its revolt against foreign invaders. More specifically, the sci-fi movie resembles the Oscar-winning film "Dances with Wolves" and the Disney-animated version of "Pocahontas." Jake Sully's quest to join the Na'vi and combat Pandora's military occupiers plays out in a similar manner to those 90s classics. Among its own merits, "Avatar" does have a nearly unprecedented box-office run. Even as a rip-off, it's definitely the most sophisticated and visually stunning of its kind.