MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Which "Twin Film" do you prefer? (Especi...

Which "Twin Film" do you prefer? (Especially if it was less successfu?)


I am not talking about movies that are about twins. I am talking about very similar movies that were released around the same time, often in competition with each other. For example Extistenz (1999) vs The Matrix (1999), or Murder At 1600 (1997) vs Absolute Power (1997), or Turner & Hooch (1989) vs K-9 (1989), or Bicentennial Man (1999) vs AI Artificial Intelligence (1999) etc etc. Here's a pretty extensive list of "twin films" for you to choose from dating all the way back to 1934: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_films

For me it's as follows:

ANTZ (1998) vs A BUG'S LIFE (1998)
The controversy behind these two movies is fascinating (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Bug%27s_Life#Controversy). But despite the fact that DreamWorks clearly, scandalously stole the idea from Pixar, I still prefer Antz. A Bug's Life is too silly for my liking and has always been one of my least liked Pixar films.

DEEP IMPACT (1998) vs ARMAGEDDON (1998)
As a braindead teen I loved Armageddon but as an adult I cannot deny that Deep Impact is a vastly superior film.

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (2013) vs WHITE HOUSE DOWN (2013)
Although both movies are pretty awful I prefer Olympus Has Fallen, only because that farfetched action sequence where plane attacks Washington DC and the terrorists storm the White House.

SPECTRE (2015) vs MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION (2015)
You wouldn't think these are twin movies but the plot of both these films involve "an iconic special agent chasing a secret criminal organization through Austria, Morocco and London as their own agency struggles to stay afloat." Both movies were box office hits but Spectre made more money. Personally I preferred Rogue Nation. Tom Cruise performs his own stunts and they're always breathtaking.

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My choices are almost the same of yours, except for Deep Impact vs Armageddon. Armageddon is too entertaining. While Deep Impact might be superior, Armageddon still wins in my book.

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Yeah, Armageddon is more entertaining. I am conflicted because I hate Michael Bay so much, but Armageddon, while inferior, is more fun than Deep Impact.

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Another one:

THE RAID: REDEMPTION (2011) vs DREDD (2011)
Both movies are about cops who have to survive being trapped in an apartment building owned by a drug lord. I love both movies, but The Raid is easily one of the greatest action movies ever made. Sadly, Hollywood plans on remaking this Indonesian classic and will without a doubt botch it up. What makes The Raid so great is how it showcases the Indonesian martial arts called "pencat silat" and I am certain this will not feature in the Hollywood remake.

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I disagree. I would call it a draw... a draw in the top, both are above any other modern action movie (with the only exception of John Wick).

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It's good to know that someone else has watched and appreciates The Raid. It's an injustice that not many people have watched it. :-)

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I recommended it yesterday! It's one of my favorite action movies.

https://moviechat.org/general/General-Discussion/5eae7f3e2fb70c7beb294477/Movies-like-John-Wick-or-Taken

The second one... damn, my problem with it is that it feels like two different movies in one (the first half and the second half), with a middle part which is an anticlimax. In my opinion, The Raid 2 should have covered only the story in the prison, leaving the rest of the story for a third movie. That would have been a hell of a trilogy.

By the way, the actor that plays 'Mad Dog' appears in the last John Wick movie. And he was the best part of it.

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I prefer the first Raid for its ingeniously simple premise. You can watch it in Indonesian without subtitles and still understand the plot. The second movie got a little bit too complicated but featured more impressive action sequences. That Hammer Girl and Baseball Guy were amazing!

By the way, the actor that plays 'Mad Dog' appears in the last John Wick movie.

I recognized him. And his partner was the villain who uses curved blades in that brutal kitchen fight scene in The Raid 2. It was a nice surprise seeing them both in John Wick 3.

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The Raid wins. While Dredd is good, the psychic sub-story was just uneeded. The Raid wins. But I like Ong Bak a little better.

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Is Ong Bak the one where someone kidnaps Tony Jaa's elephant? I think it's called The Protector where I'm from.

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No, that's The Protector (2005). Ong Bak (2003) is the one before that, where the villain stole a Buddha statue. Almost the same (throwaway) story but superior in every way in my opinion.

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If Pixar had decided to make A Bug's Life before Toy Story then Antz would have been the first computer animated film ever made since they released it before Pixar released A Bug's Life.

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A.I. came out in 2001.

I can't choose my favourite though. Usually one is good, but the other movie isn't.

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A.I. came out in 2001.

Hmm, you're correct. My mistake.

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Sixth sense and stir of echoes.
The sixth sense totally surprised me with it's ending but I prefer stir of echoes as the more rewatchable of the 2.

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I haven't heard of Stir of Echoes. I'll add it to my watch list since I enjoyed Sixth Sense so much.

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I like it. Kevin bacon and Catherine erbe.

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Cool thread! Thanks for the info. 👍

One odd couple I did not see featured on the Wiki page you provided was 'Mask of Death' (1996) and 'Face-Off' (1997). Each of the film's scripts were made around the same time, with 'Mask of Death' being created later despite getting a head start on the other for a public release.

'Face-Off' is by far the better movie in just about every conceivable way. 'Mask of Death' is actually not garbage. It is an average action B movie starring Lorenzo Lamas, of 'Renegade' fame, and Rae Dawn Chong from Arnie Schwartz's 'Commando'.

I think 'Mask of Death' to be the more believable of the two, if I'm being honest. The villains are the best thing about it. If you want to get away from the wire foo fighting stuff (which is pretty good, IMO) but still want to have a story close to the other with a made for TV budget feel, then 'Mask of Death' is 'The little Engine That Could' on a slow, rainy day. It might be called something else outside the USA.

https://moviechat.org/tt0117003/Mask-of-Death

~~/o/

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Interesting. This is another movie I've never heard of. Face/Off is one of the best action movies of the 90s and I know who Lorenzo Lamas is so I'll give this movie a shot if I can find it.

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Twinsters (2015)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980626/

A self made (but polished) documentary film about Samantha Futerman (American) and Anais Bordier (French). South Korean identical twins born in 1987 they were adopted separately and knew nothing about each other until 25 years later when a friend of Anais stumbled across Samantha's Facebook page. This is the emotional story of them meeting and getting to know each other.

Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y72med6m7ho



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