For this post, I would like to go over the various films over the past several decades and take a look at ones that are what I call “Rip-off” films. Now, I’m not going to include films from The Asylum production company since that’s all that they are known for and it’s too easy of a target, in my opinion. So….what do I mean by “rip-off” or “knock-off?” Basically, I’m referring to films that take their inspiration from far better films, but are either unable or unwilling to disguise the fact that they are influenced by better films. They could have very similar themes and ideas, and the execution of some of those things could very well warrant being called a rip-off. Does that mean they are awful? Not necessarily, but it does highlight the fact that these rip-offs are of a much lower budget and quality. I’m not going to include sequels, even though some of them do feel like rip-offs, so the Jaws sequels are off the list. Re-makes on the other hand, are absolutely fair game. These films won’t be in any specific order, but I will be grading them on entertainment value as some of them are legitimately fun to watch. What say we get this train-wreck going, shall we?
Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone
When Star Wars was released back in 1977, it shifted the course of film-making forever. It was one of the biggest hits of all time and got multiple re-releases and eventually sequels. But, it did end up getting its own fair share of knock-offs. Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone is one such film. Released in 1983, the film got clobbered by Return of the Jedi and was quickly forgotten. So, why is this a rip-off? Peter Strauss plays Wolff, an intergalactic mercenary that comes across a potential payday when three women are marooned on a barren planet. Wolff is clearly a Han Solo-wannabe that just wasn’t cool enough. Michael Ironside plays Overdog, a half-man, half-machine being that rules with an iron fist. Does that sound familiar. If you put Darth in front of that name, I’m sure you could figure it out. It’s a pretty blatant rip-off if you ask me. That being said, it’s a very entertaining ride. Peter Strauss is actually pretty good here along with Ernie Hudson. It’s not a good movie, by any stretch, but damn if it ain’t fun. I actually grew up with this one, so I have a particular fondness for it. Entertainment Value: 8/10.
Piranha(1978)
Jaws was a huge hit in 1975, even though it was kind of meant to be a bit of a b-movie. It ended up being one of the most successful thrillers of the decade and put Steven Spielberg’s name on the map as a director. Any successful film is going to be hounded by people who think they can come up with something just as successful or unique and most of the time it doesn’t work. Piranha is one of those movies. Honestly, it should have been called Jaws: The Ripoff. Instead of a man-eating shark, you have a bunch of tiny flesh-eating piranhas causing all sorts of havoc at a local lake when they are accidentally released from a pond. I will give the film credit, however: It doesn’t take itself seriously. Don’t believe me, check out the trailer. It’s just all sorts of bonkers, and it plays out almost exactly the way you would expect it to. You know what’s really funny? Piranha got a re-make back in 2010 which ended up being better than the original film. It’s a crazy world we live in! Entertainment Value: 7/10
Blue Monkey
Ridley Scott’s Alien got a fair number of rip-offs, some of which I may include on this list, but the one film that got a pretty blatant rip-off was James Cameron’s sequel, Aliens. Honestly, I can’t say that I’ve seen a more blatant rip-off than Blue Monkey. Aside from the fact that the film-makers had no idea what to call the movie, the movie’s callbacks to Cameron’s film are unmistakable. A character named Bishop? I’m pretty sure that’s just a complete coincidence. A creature that’s born from a human host and causes the person’s chest to explode? That’s a little more suspicious, but not necessarily conclusive. A giant bug that wraps people up in cocoons to be used as food? And it all takes place in a dark and claustrophobic environment? Okay, that’s it: I’m calling shenanigans! To be fair, when it comes to rip-offs, Blue Monkey is one of my favorites. There is actual effort put into this film and it does have a very atmospheric and creepy vibe to the whole thing. It’s one of the better rip-offs that I’ve seen in my life. Steve Railsback actually plays a good guy in this one and he’s pretty damn good. All the effects are practical, even if they aren’t always that good, but you can tell that the people involved here wanted to make the best monster movie they could make and I think they succeeded in a way. It’s just too bad that nobody saw the film as it’s out-of-print and mostly unavailable unless you know where to look. Entertainment Value: 9/10.
Psycho(1998)
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho remains one of the finest examples of American film-making and one of the greatest thrillers of all time. Why? Because it’s sharply written, well-acted and deliberately paced. It was also very shocking by featuring a fairly gruesome on-screen murder, which ended up as one of the most iconic scenes in all of cinema. While the sequels were not awful, there was no doubt in anybody’s mind that Anthony Perkins’ performance as Norman Bates was electrifying. Gus Van Sant’s re-make has absolutely no reason or right to exist. It is literally a shot-for-shot re-make that doesn’t even come close to the atmosphere or intensity of the original film. The casting is all wrong, especially Vince Vaughan as Norman Bates. I like Vince Vaughan as an actor, but he was the wrong person for the role, and that could be said for anyone that was cast in the film. When it comes to re-makes, 1998’s Psycho is one of the worst and a complete rip-off of the 1960 classic. Avoid this one like the Bates Motel. Entertainment Value: 1/10.
Godzilla(1998)
I’m not going to lie: I enjoyed the 1998 version of Godzilla. It had massive amounts of destruction and impressive visual effects courtesy of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin. It also featured a solid performance from Jean Reno and Hank Azaria. So, what went wrong? Everything else. The design of the creature, while impressive in size, bore no resemblance to the Toho creature of the same name. It was an overgrown iguana. Aside from miscasting Matthew Broderick as a geeky scientist(any other kind?), it also featured a mayor and assistant that were clearly riffs on the late film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. I felt that was pretty tasteless, actually. Again, the film is a fun disaster film ride, but it is NOT a Godzilla film. Toho was so offended by this film that in their 2004 film Godzilla: Final Wars, they included the 1998 version of the monster only for it to be pulverized by the true Godzilla. Pretty poetic, I thought. You don’t mess with the big G, ya dig? Entertainment Value: 6.5/10
DeepStar Six
In the late 1980s, there were a number of films that were set underwater: Leviathan, The Abyss, and DeepStar Six. The Abyss was more about coming into contact with potentially friendly aliens, while Leviathan was a serious monster movie in the vein of Alien. It was a pretty solid thriller with amazing creature effects and solid performances across the board. It stood pretty well on its own. DeepStar Six on the other hand, wasn’t as good. It had solid performances, but the visual effects were pretty rudimentary and the creature looked like an over-sized crab. The worst part is, is that the creature doesn’t show itself until at least 50 minutes into the movie, and that’s only because the characters make some pretty stupid decisions. Of the three films, this one felt most like a rip-off, because it was way too similar to the other ones. The Abyss and Leviathan differentiated themselves for the reasons that I mentioned, but DeepStar Six didn’t really try that hard. Oddly enough, I actually love this movie, in spite of all its faults and imperfections. It’s still a fun movie. Entertainment Value: 7/10.
There are definitely more rip-offs out there that I haven’t mentioned. Some I’ve seen, others I haven’t. If there any films that you feel are complete rip-offs of better films, comment below and I will catch you later!