10 famous films that are not as original as you think

There's an old theory that all fictional stories are based on just seven different plot types. With that in mind, it's no surprise that some films often sound eerily reminiscent of others or bear a striking resemblance to a classic book, but sometimes those similarities lead to something even more obvious.

– Stupid extras who ruined their scenes
– Crazy Marlon Brando stories
– Crazy story behind Dr. Moreau

Homage or rip-off? We leave the decision up to you.

The big crawl

Inspired by: Seven Samurai

Akira Kurosawa's “The Seven Samurai” was the inspiration for the western classic “The Magnificent Seven”, but the celebrated Japanese director was not a fan of the remake with Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen and called it “a disappointment”.

But have you ever noticed how closely Pixar's A Bug's Life draws on the story of Kurosawa's 1954 masterpiece? Just replace the village with an anthill, the marauders with locusts, and the samurai with circus beetles, and you have a tiny animated remake of one of Kurasawa's most famous films.

The tasteless science fiction film “Battle for the Stars” from 1980 is also a loose remake of “The Seven Samurai”, with producer Roger Corman shamelessly promoting it as “The Magnificent Seven in Space”.

Barbed wire

Inspired by: Casablanca

It's funny to think that “Barb Wire” was a dark and well-received comic before it was adapted into the cheesy 1996 film starring Pamela Anderson, for which the “Baywatch” star won a Golden Raspberry for “Worst New Star.”

The comic and the film were actually inspired by the popular 1942 drama “Casablanca.” However, the plot was moved from the World War II backdrop to the post-apocalyptic “Second American Civil War,” and the genders of the main roles were reversed.

Instead of bar owner Rick, we have Barb. Thankfully, Rick never let his norks out in Casablanca.

For a handful of dollars

Inspired by: Yojimbo

Sergio Leone's 1964 spaghetti western was supposed to be a direct remake of Akira Kurosawa's samurai bodyguard story “Yojimbo”, but the Japanese auteur refused to grant him the rights.

Leone was undeterred and made the film anyway, but a lengthy legal battle delayed the film's release for three years. The matter was eventually settled out of court, with Leone agreeing to pay Kurosawa 15% of the worldwide box office receipts of A Fistful of Dollars.

The Lion King

Inspired by: Hamlet

Disney's Africa-set animated film was touted as the studio's first animated film based on an original idea, but the filmmakers said they took direct inspiration from William Shakespeare's Danish play and the biblical stories of Joseph and Moses.

In case your Shakespeare knowledge is a little off, here's a quick reminder: Prince Hamlet takes revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has usurped the Danish throne, by murdering his brother – and the young prince's father – King Hamlet. Sound familiar?

Interestingly, The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet, while The Lion King 1 ½ is heavily influenced by Tom Stoppard's quasi-Hamlet spin-off Rosencratz & Guildenstern are Dead.

Alarm in space

Inspired by: The Storm

MGM's science fiction film Outer Space moved Shakespeare's tragicomedy from an island to a planet in space and swapped Prospero and Miranda for Professor Morbius and Altaira.

Robbie the robot is synonymous with Ariel, and instead of the witch Sycorax we have the Krell race. The film, in which Leslie Nielsen, the star of “The Naked Gun”, plays an early role, is considered a groundbreaking work of science fiction and was added to the American National Film Registry in 2013.

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

Inspired by: The Hidden Fortress

George Lucas has spoken very openly about how the original Star Wars was based on classic narrative motifs and ideas, but the most obvious inspiration is Akira Kurosawa's 1958 film The Hidden Fortress.

It's an epic story told from the perspective of two of the poorest characters (in Fortress they're two squabbling peasants, in Star Wars they're R2-D2 and C3PO) and follows an elderly warrior escorting a princess across enemy lines.

The film's influence continued to be felt in Lucas' work, and several themes – including princess doppelgangers as handmaidens – found their way into The Phantom Menace years later.

Ten things I hate about you

Inspired by: The Taming of the Shrew

This 1999 teen romantic comedy, starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles, is a modernized retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy The Taming of the Shrew. Set in Padua High School, a nod to the original setting, it tells the story of a seemingly unmarried young girl and her parents' efforts to find her a suitor.

And you just thought it was a high school movie.

Simply A

Inspired by: The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne's epic romance, set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, may seem like an unusual choice for a high school movie, but that's exactly what Will Gluck has done for his second film, Easy A.

Like the original, in “Easy A” (starring Emma Stone in her breakthrough role), the main character is publicly exposed for adultery by being forced to sew a red A onto her clothing.

Ice Cold Angels

Inspired by: Dangerous Liaisons

The 1999 psychosexual melodrama Cruel Intentions is one that should not be ignored, as it has rather lofty origins. Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, the film is actually an adaptation of the 18th-century French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, which also inspired Stephen Frears' 1988 drama Dangerous Liaisons.

The names of the characters remained virtually the same, but while Frears' lavish adaptation was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture, Cruel Intentions went on to have two direct-to-DVD sequels, something Laclos probably didn't have in mind.

Clueless

Inspired by: Emma

We are convinced that Jane Austen did not envision her 1815 novel “Emma” to be like “Clueless.”

Amy Heckerling's 1995 teen comedy, starring Alicia Silverstone and Brittany Murphy, changes the names and setting, but the spirit of Austen's book remains the same. Georgian Regency-era England is a very different place from Beverly Hills, but Emma – renamed Cher in Clueless – is still spoiled, complacent and blind to the dangers of meddling in other people's business.

– Terrible movies with great trailers
– The surprising origins of the Joker
– Terry Thomas' tragic end

Photo credits: Pixar/Toho Company/MGM/Disney/Columbia Tristar/20th Century Fox/Sony Pictures/Warner Bros./Paramount/Miramax/Universal