Movie Copycats. We're not talking about the 1995 thriller starring Sigourney Weaver, although the subject matter is the same; copying. Theft, casual larceny, pikeying, pilfering – call it what seems most suitable.
In the context of entertainment and media, there may be many reasons for the theft of someone else's idea or 'bit' – it may be laziness and lack of creative spark, but in the end it is always because the original is superior in quality and reputation to the copycat.
The Man With No Name Versus Robocop
General king of cool Clint Eastwood, who is still pumping out Oscar winning performances and direction would be a good place to start. In the Spaghetti Western days of Sergio Leone in the 60's, Eastwood's character with no name dons a spin of his pistol after icing a bad guy then slots the gun casually into its holster.
Fast forward a good 20 years, and the film Robocop is in production in 1987. What else would a crime fighting, nigh on invincible cyborg-cop need to finish off this monster of a movie? Not unknown for a sci-fi movie to rip off an old western, and so Robocop donned the gun spin too.
Theft For A New Generation
The Matrix (1999) has been stolen a few times since it blew the minds of Generation X, sci-fi nerds and general despondents everywhere. Equilibirum (2002) had similar fight sequences and a disturbingly familiar use of acrobatics and gun techniques. Even the slow motion shots seemed a bit too soon after the Wachowski brother's classic.
A few years later and the exciting announcement that Batman Begins (2005), Christopher Nolan's star studded revamp of the Batman series, was to become a reality. The film, which was a more faithful adaptation of the comic book source, featured a Batman character learning to train and to become an ultimate opponent in a vein not too far from The Matrix and Equilibrium.
Yes, yes this may be a nod to the glories of past heroes, but the source of inspiration should be acknowledged as a mark of respect, lest the thief of the original be mocked and culturally castrated in public for all to see and revel in. So be aware and vigilant unless your artistic creation is to be duplicated or your creation is to be slated for being the guilty party in this crime.
