Movie Showdown: Deja vu Movies

MOVIE SHOWDOWN: Déjà Vu Movies

Well, recently, a movie called “Olympus has Fallen” in which the White House is taken hostage has been released. Not long afterward, they released a trailer for a movie called “White House Down” to be released this summer. As the title suggests, it’s about the White House being taken hostage.

It seems as though this happens a lot through the years. Hollywood churns out sequels, remakes, reboots, and what-have-you. But sometimes when there is an original idea for a movie, it just so happens that someone else has the same idea at the same time. I call these “Déjà vu Movies.” This doesn’t include rip offs, where something becomes successful AND THEN other similar movies come out. Déjà vu movies are usually released around the same time. If you’re not familiar with how the industry works, there is a long process and a lot of politics with getting your idea onto the screen. And sometimes, you’re so involved in your work, you don’t notice when there is another project with the exact same premise. It happens a lot.

I’m going to take a few of those movies and pit them against each other in my own “Face Off.” So, remember, these are my opinions and yours will likely differ from mine and that's ok. This is just for entertainment.

Volcano movies: DANTE'S PEAK  VS.  VOLCANO (1997)

This movie is the more realistic of the two. And when I say realistic, I mean in concept. It's about a town that resides next to a dormant volcano that scientists believe is about to become active once again. It takes the story of Pompeii and basically turns it into a contemporary movie. It's a scary concept and provided for some thrills. Although, a lot of the situations in the movie are unrealistic, like driving through lava in a jeep and rowing through a flood of acidic water on a boat. The characters are likable though and it doesn't hurt having James Bond.

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This movie is has a less realistic concept. L.A.'s La Brea Tarpits is actually the mouth of a building volcano. For reasons unexplained, magma rises and the middle of the city becomes a bevy of lava spewing activity. Being in the middle of a more metropolitan area, this is a bigger and more elaborate disaster film. There's a lot of action and little sense. Tommy Lee Jones does his patented authoritative role in this movie while a young Don Cheadle works as his sidekick. They slip in some unusual social commentary into this one as well.

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Winner: Volcano

Volcano wins points with me because it's so bad, it's good. Tommy Lee Jones was capitalizing on his new found commercial fame after "Men in Black" and he was in top B-movie condition here.

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Asteroid movies: Deep Impact vs. Armageddon (1998)

You can tell just by the movie posters that this movie takes its concept more seriously than its counterpart. An asteroid is about to hit Earth and mankind scrambles in an effort to preserve itself both by lottery of people to dwell in protective shelter and by a team of astronauts to blow up the asteroid. This is a dramatic movie. There are a lot of interwoven stories between the characters and it gets very dramatic.

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This is a Michael Bay movie.

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Winner: Armageddon

I like how "Deep Impact" was more about the humans than the action on the asteroid. It's a very deep subject to think about. And no matter how redundant and boring "Armageddon" gets at times, Michael Bay can certainly bring the entertainment whenever I wanna turn my brain off. I'm also a sucker for Bruce Willis.

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Little kids in major league baseball movies:  Rookie of the Year  vs.  Little Big League (1993/94)

This is a quintessential 90's kids empowerment movie. A kid has an accident and gains the ability to throw a 100 mph fast ball and the Chicago Cubs recruit him as an active pitcher. It is a lot sillier than the other movie of its kind. A lot of tomfoolery and topsy/turvy stuff happens. Henry gets to experience fame at such a young age and a lot of supporting characters are over-the-top caricatures. Gary Busey is even allowed around this child.

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"Little Big League" is still a reach, but it presents its plot in a classier, more realistic manner. The child doesn't play on the Minnesota Twins himself, he is given the team from his late grandfather in his will. Billy is a regular kid with no special athletic powers. He just knows the game and is able to approach it from a fresh, innocent perspective while being a huge fan of his own team. The humor here, while silly, is heads and shoulders more sophisticated and the supporting characters are less cartoony.

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Winner: Tie

"Rookie of the Year" may barely edge "Little Big League" due to nostalgia and more memorable lines and characters, but "Little Big League's" writing is almost a witty satire on the sports world told from a child's perspective. I recommend both!