Movies With Basically The Same Plot

Plot: A hero travels to a new frontier. He meets and bonds with the land's indigenous people. This leads him to defend them against colonialists.A hero travels to a new frontier. He meets and bonds with the land's indigenous people. This leads him to defend them against colonialists.

Same: On the surface,On the surface,Dances with Wolves.andAvatar.Avatar could not look more different. Zoom in, though, and you find distinct similarities.Wolves.John Dunbar sustains a leg injury that nearly requires amputation, andAvatar.Sully is confined to a wheelchair after losing his legs. After joining the Sioux and Na'vi cultures, the men learn the native language and fall in love with a key woman. Both Dunbar and Sully lead their adopted tribes against white colonialists in the endings.

Different:The main difference is thatDances with Wolves.Dances with Wolves is set in the American West following the Civil War.Avatar.Avatar is a science fiction story set in Pandora, a nonexistent world. The Na'vi are a made-up group with a fictional background. The Sioux, however, are real people.

Plot:An enthusiastic young law enforcement official joins an "extreme" activity for a criminal investigation. He confronts an enigmatic leader who might or might not be bad. The agent gets stuck in the world he is investigating.

Same:These two movies, released 20 years apart, share a protagonist. He is an FBI agent or a cop working with the FBI. Both leads fall in love with a woman central to their investigation. After adventures, both heroes sympathize with the leader, letting him escape in the end. The films also share a finale where the disillusioned hero leaves his agency.

Different: Point Break.Point Break centers on surfing, whereasThe Fast and the Furious.The Fast and the Furious is set in underground car racing. We see the heroes' jobs at different times.Point Break.Point Break shows Johnny Utah is an FBI agent, butThe Fast and the Furious.The Fast and the Furious hides Brian O'Conner's undercover status during the first act. Utah works with a partner; Brian acts alone.

Plot:A housebound protagonist with voyeuristic tendencies watches a suspicious neighbor and believes he killed someone. Since he cannot leave the house, collecting enough proof for the authorities is nearly impossible.

Same:Alfred Hitchcock's classic and D.J. Caruso's teen drama share nearly the same ideas. They involve someone spying on neighbors with binoculars and seeing a possible wrong. The main characters both have a female sidekick who helps them prove their theories. Breaking into the suspect's home while he is gone creates a suspenseful moment in both films. Even if you haven't seen them, you can likely guess the hero's suspicion proves true, leading to a final clash with the villain.

What's Different:The protagonist's limitations differ in these films.Rear WindowJeff Jefferies is in a wheelchair recovering from a broken leg.DisturbiaKale Brecht, however, is under house arrest after attacking a teacher in school.

What's the Plot: A hotshot gets a chance to show his skill in a world he always wanted. He quickly shows a willingness to take risks, making him a natural champion.

What's the Same: Tom Cruise plays the lead role in both movies, and his success is phenomenal.Top GunThis was for him, so he wanted to repeat the formula four years later. The characters he plays, Maverick and Cole Trickle, both have a "need for speed." A firm, older figure guides them, and the men naturally have a love interest. A hotshot needs a rival, so Maverick and Cole each deal with someone whose recklessness about not caring about anyone except themselves bothers them. Remember that both heroes use their risk-taking to win in the end; you can be proud.

What's Different:Top GunThis film is set at a naval air station, so Cruise flies jet planes at high speed.Days of ThunderThis movie takes place in the world of NASCAR, so a superstar drives a fast car.

What's the Plot: A rough-edged young woman meets a wealthy man. He helps her develop style and class. They fall in love.

What's the Same: Pretty WomanVivian is basically an R-rated version ofMy Fair LadyEliza Doolittle. After meeting their rich men, the women learn manners. Their slips into lower-class behavior can be funny, but their change into swans is sweet. Each woman has an open heart, letting them give back. They teach Edward Lewis and Henry Higgins how to find real love.

What's Different:The main difference is how the women meet their men. Eliza meets Professor Higgins when he picks her to settle a bet about teaching anyone to speak like royalty. Vivian, however, is a sex worker whom Edward pays a few thousand dollars to be his companion for a week.My Fair LadyThis movie is also a musical, whilePretty Womanis not, despite its great soundtrack.

What's the Plot: The hero likes life with his owner. A newcomer arrives, threatening to steal the owner's attention. The newcomer finds his way outside the house. The hero then reluctantly starts a rescue mission to bring him back with a mixed group of allies.

Same: The Secret Life of Petshits the same story beats asToy Storyshows the lifestyle pets and toys enjoy when owners are gone. Besides a grumpy hero, both movies feature a villain who threatens the newcomer after he gets stranded outside. In Pets, the villain is an angry rabbit; in Toy Story, the villain is a mean kid who likes to damage his toys. Both movies finish similarly: the hero and the newcomer become friends after facing the adventure together. Both heroes also have love interests. One is a poodle; the other is Bo Peep.

What's Different:As the titles suggest, the hero and newcomer in Petsare dogs. In Toy Story they are a cowboy doll and a space ranger action figure.Petsdifferentiates itself by including strange animal behaviors in its plot. Toys are not alive, so Toy Story cannot have that kind of humor.

What's the Plot:The main character gets stuck in a time loop, forcing them to live the same day over and over. They try to find a way to stop the loop.

Same: The confusing problem causes constant trouble for Tree Gelbman and Phil Connors. Neither knows how or why they are in the time loop; they just dislike it. Waking up to a hit song signals their days reset. Tree hears 50 Cent instead of Sonny and Cher, so she wins on the earworm scale. Both finally see that getting free means becoming a better person. First, they must handle their repeated days, which constantly put them near people who annoy them.

What's Different:Groundhog Dayshows the scenario for comedy. On the other hand, Happy Death Day, despite humor, shows it as horror. Unlike Phil, who repeats a bad work day, Tree repeats the day of her own death. She knows she must face her end every night. The characters are different too. Phil is a TV weatherman; Tree is a college student.

What's the Plot: A first responder enters a situation where he must stop terrorists holding people hostage. He must face the well-dressed leader in the process.

Same:Besides similar situations, many other coincidences, big and small, link the heroes of these two movies. For example, each has a last name starting with "Mc" - Die Hard's main character is John McClane, while Sudden Death'Sudden Death' features Darren McCord as the hero. These men risk their safety to save a family member among the hostages. Their tense stories end with the men reaching the top of buildings, winning after facing the main villain.

What's Different:The main settings differ because Die Hardsets itself in a skyscraper and 'Sudden Death''Sudden Death' happens in a hockey arena. The people the heroes must save also change. McClane seeks to save his estranged wife, but McCord tries to save his daughter. McCord faces extra pressure trying to save the vice president of the United States. Their jobs vary; McClane is a cop; McCord is a firefighter.

What's Plot: A lawman and his crew face a siege in a police station. Heavily armed villains surround the outside, aiming to break in. The group must defend the station as best they can.

What's Same: John Carpenter aimed his 1976 adventure to echo Howard Hawks's classic Western. The plot of 'Assault on Precinct 13'shares a similar plot with 'Rio Bravo'. Each story features a lawman who gathers good people to survive a strike that leaves them outnumbered. Gangs outside have someone inside they want released. This setup creates action and suspense in both. A trusted right-hand man stands by the lawman.

What's Different:The setting separates these two movies.'Rio Bravo'Assault on Precinct 13 takes place in 1860s Texas, while'Assault on Precinct 13'is set in Los Angeles during the 1970s. Carpenter gained freedom from the MPAA rating system. He made the action in his film more graphic and realistic than Hawks could.

What's Plot: Teenage best friends face separating after graduation. Realizing they wasted their high school years, they decide to do all the reckless things they should have done. Wild antics follow.

What's Same: Both 'Superbad'and'Booksmart'create raunchy comedies built on sweetness. They celebrate teenage friendship and show the doubt that hits when best friends go different ways after high school. The main characters are old friends worried about the future. Supporting characters also have a familiar feel. Both films show a dorky friend who helps the main pair through their wild night. As teen comedies, they both build to crazy party scenes.'Booksmart'Beanie Feldstein looks familiar because she is the younger sister of 'Superbad''s Jonah Hill.

What's Different:The main difference shows the leads' genders.SuperbadSuperbad focuses on boys.BooksmartBooksmart focuses on girls. One of the movies is about girls.BooksmartBooksmart's main characters are gay, giving the movie a modern feel.

Minority ReportAn innocent man faces a crime he did not commit. He must flee, seeking proof of his innocence with a determined police officer chasing him.

What's the Same: The FugitiveThe Fugitive features Richard Kimble andMinority ReportMinority Report's John Anderton shares similar journeys after going on the run. Both men get noticed by a subway passenger reading a paper and try to evade a pursuer by moving quietly through crowded spots (a parade and a shopping mall, respectively). Since returning to their jobs requires clearing their names, the men use disguises to sneak in. Kimble and Anderton share experiences like surviving dangerous jumps, being betrayed by a friend, and facing that disloyal friend at a hotel or conference.

What's Different:The time period is a key difference.The FugitiveThe Fugitive is set in the '90s.Minority ReportMinority Report takes place in the future. Because the futuristic movie deals with 'pre-cogs' who predict crimes before they happen, Anderton is accused of a crime he allegedlywillcommit, instead of a crime he supposedly already committed.

What's the Plot: Two college freshmen fail to get into the popular fraternity, so they join one on the edges. With a group of other members, they try to get revenge on the fraternity taunting them.

What's the Same:Both movies feature John Goodman. He voices Sully inMonsters Universityand plays a coach inRevenge of the Nerds. A campus-wide Olympics plays a big role, giving the outsiders a chance to unexpectedly embarrass their rivals. Whether it is the jocks of the Alpha Betas or the top screamers of Roar Omega Roar, those rivals are a mean, annoying group that likes to make life hard for the heroes.

What's Different:The friends inNerds, Louis and Gilbert know each other before they start college. Sully and Mike Wazowski meet there. The humor in the two movies is opposite. The R-ratedNerdsuses crude jokes and shows a lot of skin as the underdogs win. The G-rated Pixar film keeps things much nicer. Interestingly, the monsters end up getting kicked out.

What's the Plot:An egotistical genius gets a nearly fatal injury. He uses new medicine to live. This process gives him amazing powers that turn him into a superhero.

What's the Same: Comic book origin stories often feel alike. However, the similarities betweenDoctor StrangeandIron ManStephen Strange and Tony Stark are arrogant narcissists. They become better, more compassionate people after facing life-threatening events. They gain superpowers as a side effect of their recovery. The men ignore women in their lives who still have feelings for them. Both men must use their new powers to stop a treacherous villain.

What's Different:Tony Stark gets saved by his own technology. Stephen Strange learns interdimensional magic from the Ancient One.the Ancient OneTheir jobs differ. Stark works for a defense contractor. Strange is a neurosurgeon.

What's the Plot: A long-established hero defends his home against a madman with a plan for any situation.

What's the Same: Batman and Bond both fight a chaotic villain. The Joker and former MI6 agent Raoul Silva show flair confronting enemies. The Joker uses a "magic trick" and conflicting backstories. Silva uses an opening monologue and a shooting gallery to test Bond's aim. Both prove they are masterful planners, getting caught on purpose to escape with timed distractions.

What's Different:The only real differences are in the specifics of the franchises.The Dark KnightThe Dark Knight is about a superhero, whereasSkyfallSkyfall centers on a more realistic secret agent.

What's the Plot:A young man gets an otherworldly being. That being copies or draws others of its kind, causing them all to cause trouble.

What's the Same:Billy from Gremlins and Sam from Transformersteen protagonists face wild, out-of-control predicaments. Pretty girls with daddy issues stand by them. The fathers of Billy and Sam are clumsy when doing house chores. Water plays a part in both stories. Most importantly, the films share a hero struggling to stop the strange creatures when they go wild.

What's Different:Scale is a big difference. Unlike the furry little creatures in Gremlins, Transformersfeatures giant robots. Another big difference is Billy taking more responsibility. He breaks a rule, getting his pet wet and causing it to multiply. Sam gets caught in a space conflict, drawing other Transformers to his town by unknowingly holding the AllSpark.