10 Famous Movies That Faced Plagiarism Accusations

Hollywood's Copycat Controversies

Some movies pay homage. Others draw inspiration. And then there are those that borrow a little too much while replicating familiar themes, plots, or even entire scenes. Here are a few films that crossed the line from inspiration to imitation and ended up facing serious plagiarism accusations.

Inception (2010)

While not a formal lawsuit, the visual and conceptual parallels between Christopher Nolan's sci-fi epic and Satoshi Kon's anime masterpiece are too strong to ignore. Paprika features a device that allows therapists to enter patients' dreams. The claims are bolstered by a number of identical-looking scenes, including the physics-defying, folding hotel hallway and the shattering of a dream-world mirror.

The Terminator (1984)

This was more than an accusation and it was a successful lawsuit. amed sci-fi author Harlan Ellison sued, claiming the film's premise was lifted directly from his 1964 Outer Limits episode, "Soldier." That story, which Ellison wrote, also featured two soldiers from a dystopian future who travel to the past and battle. The studio settled, and later prints of The Terminator include an "acknowledgment to the works of Harlan Ellison."

The Lion King (1994)

The Lion King faced one of the biggest plagiarism controversies of all time as an animation film. The parallels are staggering: Kimba features a young lion cub in Africa whose father (a king) is killed, forcing him into exile before he returns to fight his evil, scar-faced uncle. Even the character designs for the main heroes, the villain, and the sidekick hyenas are nearly identical. Disney has always maintained that any similarity is a coincidence.

The Shape of Water (2017)

This controversy hit Guillermo del Toro's Best Picture winner hard. The estate of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Zindel filed a major lawsuit, claiming the film's plot was a direct copy of his 1969 play. The play is about a lonely cleaning woman at a secret military lab who befriends an intelligent aquatic creature in a tank and plots to rescue it from dissection. The case was ultimately dismissed.

The Matrix (1999)

Grant Morrison, the author of The Invisibles, has publicly claimed the Wachowskis lifted their core concepts from his comic. The Invisibles follows a cell of rebels fighting an interdimensional conspiracy that controls humanity, which is unknowingly trapped in a "prison" of reality. The parallels, from the "messiah" figure being trained (Neo/King Mob) to the "agents" in suits, are extensive.

The Hunger Games (2012)

There were several claims online, although the author, Suzanne Collins has always discussed that she never knew about the original conflicting material. The 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale (based on a 1999 novel) is about a totalitarian government that forces a class of high-school students onto an island to fight to the death until only one remains. The core premise is undeniably, uncomfortably similar.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Quentin Tarantino is famous for his "homages," but many feel Reservoir Dogs crossed the line. The 1987 Hong Kong film City on Fire has an almost identical plot: a group of thieves in black suits, a jewel heist that goes wrong, and an undercover cop among them. The most damning evidence is the final Mexican standoff, which is staged in a strikingly similar, if not shot-for-shot, way.

A Quiet Place (2018)

This horror hit faced immediate comparisons to Tim Lebbon's 2015 novel, The Silence. The premise is identical: a family must survive in a world overrun by blind, monstrous creatures that hunt purely by sound. A film adaptation of The Silence was already in development when A Quiet Place was released, sparking intense controversy over the timing and originality.

Cars (2006)

This is one of the most blatant plot-level comparisons in modern film. Doc Hollywood (starring Michael J. Fox) is about an arrogant, hotshot professional on his way to L.A. who gets stranded in a small, forgotten rural town (Radiator Springs), is sentenced to community service, falls for a local girl, and ultimately learns a lesson in humility. Sound familiar? Just swap "doctor" for "race car."

Pulp Fiction (1994)

This is another famous Tarantino "borrow." The single most iconic piece of dialogue in the film is Jules's "Ezekiel 25:17" speech. That speech is not from the Bible. It is lifted, almost word-for-word, from the opening crawl of the 1973 Japanese martial arts film Karate Kiba.