Name two completely unrelated films with the same basic main plot device

[Professor Emeritus]

My mind was randomly wandering and I realized that "Signs" and "Mystery Men" have the same basic premise.

In both movies a group of loveable misfits with weird traits are trying to overcome some all-powerful existential evil. The entire movie their traits are emphasized as useless and almost counterproductive, but the movie climaxes when each of their weird traits surprisingly work together in an unexpected way to defeat the bad guy.


Heroes:

Graham's family
Weak-ass superheroes


Useless traits:

asthma, water phobia, swings hard but always strikes out
throwing forks, invisible when no one is looking, useless rage, etc.


Existential evil:

Aliens
Casanova Frankenstein


Final battle:

Kill the last alien, surviving due to asthma, water, and bat-swinging
Kill Casanova, surviving due to fork-throwing, invisibility, rage, etc.



But one is a superhero comedy and the other is a sci-fi thriller and no one would ever think of comparing them.

Think of any other examples where two movies from completely different genres are based on the same premise?

 

[MushroomX]

Predator & Home Alone; Both Protagonists have to use booby traps and smarts to fight off a physically stronger enemy.

 

[Won Won]

Looper and Deadpool 2

 

[Paper Boi]

Field of Dreams
Wayne's World 2

 

[semicko82]

The Lion King and Black Panther

 

[semicko82]

Avatar and Dances with Wolves

 

[semicko82]

Back to the Future 2 and It’s a Wonderful Life

 

[semicko82]

Mean Streets and Menace to Society

 

[re'up]

The reason is, in literature, tv, film, plays, all the way back to folk tales and mythology, we are all telling the same stories to reflect values, and structurally they all follow about the same path.

lol@ at Mystery Men, what a forgotten mess of a movie, from 1999? August, I think. it was one of those all time bad movies/flops.

 

[YOLO_JONES]

Olympus Has Fallen - White House Down

The Quest - Bloodsport

Robot Jox - Crash and Burn

Fast & Furious - Point Break

 

[DaylitoJames]

and

was pretty much the same damn movie

 

[ℒℴѵℯJay ELECTUA]

malcolm x & an american werewolf in london..

both main character's transforms into powerful extreme beings that shook up white folks..

 

[MushroomX]

I would also say The Dark Knight and Heat in a way. While the plot is different, there are some elements that are similar...

• Starts off with a Daylight Robbery
• Provides narratives not just for Batman, but also for the Criminals and the Legal Side (Harvey Dent/Gordan); Heat provides narratives for the Cops and the Criminals.
  
• The build-up leads to an exciting 3rd Act when all of the shyt pops off; Batman trying to stop Joker, along with the ferry bombs while Pacino's group gets into a intense shootout with De Niro.
  
• Also it breaths life into the city itself. Now just for the characters, but it makes it feel like the city itself is alive.

 

[TheGodling]

malcolm x & an american werewolf in london..

both main character's transforms into powerful extreme beings that shook up white folks..

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Menace II Society and Goodfellas