More often than not, big-budget Hollywood films tend to inspire low-budget rip-offs. Some of them end up being terrible and on rare occasions, they end up being a lot better than the original films. At times audiences end up getting confused about the actual film that they intended to see.
The demand for direct-to-video movies has kept on increasing over the years and this means there will definitely be more rip-offs.
Updated on May 3rd, 2021 by Kristen Palamara: People trying to capitalize on an exciting and successful trend isn't new and the approach hasn't changed at all over the years. Low-budget movies still try to copy the success of a recently released movie that has become popular with fans. Most of these movies aren't worth checking out as the blockbuster is typically better, but some of these movies are surprisingly good. And while some of them might not actually beat the original, they are still solid movies that are worth checking out for fans of the original.
Paranormal Entity (2009) – Available on Pluto TV
Paranormal Entity was released a few years after the more successful phenomenon Paranormal Activity that used found footage in its ghost story of the paranormal harassing a couple in their new home.
Entity uses the same approach and adds an extra twist to its plot that Activity didn't have. It follows a paranormal investigator who was tried and imprisoned for murdering his sister, but he tries to prove his innocence and that demons are to blame for his sister's death by catching them on film.
Piranha (1978) – Available on Tubi
Piranha was released a few years after Jaws and tried to capitalize on the new success of killer creatures lurking beneath the ocean's surface. Piranha is like Jaws, but with thousands of military-created killer-piranhas terrorizing beachgoers.
While Piranha isn't necessarily better than the classic Jaws, it's an enjoyable watch and a B-movie that completely recognizes what it is and doesn't try to be anything it's not. The movie plays into the camp and that's what makes it enjoyable.
Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies (2012) – Available on Tubi
Abraham Lincoln Vs. Zombies was released the same year as Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and is an obvious B-movie remake that replaces zombies with vampires.
Both movies take place during the U.S. Civil War and re-imagines President Abraham Lincoln as a hunter of supernatural creatures. Although both movies have been criticized for plot, the rip-off has been praised for the acting of Bill Oberst Jr. as Lincoln and has a better approach to tone given its outrageous plot than the Blockbuster.
War Of The Worlds 2: The Next Wave (2008) – Available on Prime Video
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave was released a few years after the Blockbuster War of the Worlds starring Tom Cruise and based on the H.G. Wells novel was released.
This Mockbuster portrays a sequel to the movie and the book and stars C. Thomas Howell as a scientist who is tasked with trying to figure out how to defeat the aliens a second time. The aliens plan to open up a portal between Earth and Mars so they can invade again, and while this new plot point makes the plot a little more convoluted, it's still a fun ride.
The Day The Earth Stopped (2008) – Available on Tubi
The Day the Earth Stopped, also starring C. Thomas Howell, came out the same year as the big Blockbuster remake of the original 1950s movie The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Both movies are extremely similar, to the point that 20th Century Fox threatened legal action after The Asylum released the movie, but they also have very similar reviews and ratings on Rotten Tomatoes meaning that it's likely any fan of the big Blockbuster would also enjoy the Mockbuster.
Atlantic Rim (2013) – Available on Peacock
Atlantic Rim might appear like a sequel, prequel, or spinoff to Pacific Rim but it's not. It's a low-budget imitation. Interestingly, it's way more enjoyable than the original movie starring Charlie Hunnam. All the excessive special effects are replaced with edge-of-your-seat action.
Just like in the Pacific Rim, giant robots are created to help fight monsters that are emerging from the ocean. In both films, the giant robots are piloted by skilled people.
Transmorphers (2007) – Available on Tubi
According to Rotten Tomatoes, the only good Transformers film is Bumblebee (91%). It also happens to be the only one that wasn't directed by Michael Bay. The Bay films in the franchise have tomato scores that are as low as 15%.
Transmorphers just happens to be better than the Bay films. For a B-movie, the visuals are unexpectedly good. In the movie, a race of transforming aliens conquer the earth and force humans to live underground. Eventually, a group of humans stages a rebellion.
Apocalypse Earth (2013) – Available on Peacock
The science-fiction thriller rips off both After Earth and Oblivion. In it, a group of people decides to flee earth using a spaceship when deadly aliens attack. A military commander organizes the evacuation and so the people look forward to a better future.
They land on another planet but things aren't as rosy as they expected. As soon as they arrive, an army of fierce creatures attacks them, forcing them to do everything they can to defend their lives.
I Am Omega (2007) – Available on Tubi
While critics were divided about Will Smith's film I Am Legend, its rip-off was surprisingly well-received. Events take place in a post-apocalyptic world where Los Angeles has been colonized by cannibalistic zombies thanks to a rare form of genetic infection.
I Am Omega was released a month before I Am Legend and viewers were said to have been actually confused about which one was the original. That was probably the point.
Android Cop (2014) – Available on Peacock
To the disappointment of fans, the much-publicized, big-budget 2014 Robocop reboot didn't turn out as good as any of the films in the original trilogy. Luckily, there was a much better imitation that was released in the same year.
The mindblowing Android Cop starred underrated action star Michael Jai White as a law enforcement officer who had a robotic partner. The two ventured into a forbidden zone in the city where everyone was sich in an attempt to find out the real reason for the menace.
Ghost Hunters (2016) – Available on Pluto TV
This is as direct a rip-off as they come. While the Ghostbusters reboot was highly divisive, the same can't be said about Ghost Hunters. An enjoyable and sometimes scary ride, It's one of the films that deserves the tag "it's so bad that it's good."
The plot revolves around a group of paranormal investigators who visit a house where a couple was murdered by a serial killer. They then try to free the souls of the couples from their bodies. There is also a shocking twist when it turns out that one of the investigators is the serial killer.
Hercules Reborn (2014) – Available on Tubi
The lead actor isn't as bulked up as Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson but he sure does a good job as Hercules. What's even better is that the lead actor is none other than WWE superstar John Morrison. There ought to have been a Wrestlemania match to determine the best Hercules.
While Johnson's big-budget film received mixed reviews from critics, Morrison's B-movie was anything but dull. In it, a man whose wife has been kidnapped seeks help from Hercules. The hero who had been previously accused of murdering his own family accepts the rescue job in an effort to redeem himself.
Rise Of The Zombies (2012) – Available on Tubi
Anticipating the release of World War Z, Assylum Studios released the horror film the Rise Of The Zombies. The movie stood out for its excessive gore, fast pace, and solid dialogue. Critics labeled it as surprisingly good for a B-movie.
The plot centers on a group of survivors who flee to Alcatraz Island after a deadly water-borne virus leads to a zombie outbreak in San Francisco.
Bound (2015) – Available on Tubi
The Fifty Shades Of Grey movies have often been criticized for not being as good as the books. The first installment in the franchise even received a Golden Raspberry Award for "Worst Picture." Luckily, there was a better alternative in the direct-to-video arena.
Bound was a rip-off of Fifty Shades Of Grey with some minor changes. Here's the lady named Michelle is the wealthy one, not the man she gets intimate with. Other themes, including the BDSM and dominant men, are quite similar.
The Final Level: Escaping Rancalla (2019) – Available on Prime Video
The Final Level: Escaping Rancalla rips off Jumanji: The Next Level. Even though it was entertaining, the big-budget film starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Kevin Hart didn't quite match up to its predecessor. For audiences that were disappointed, there was a consolation
The Final Level: Escaping Rancala revolves around an arcade manager who makes the shocking discovery that her brother was sucked into one of the games. In order to find him, she and her two friends decide to enter the game too.