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Dueling Movies: Difference between revisions
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| ''Orange County'' || ''Stealing Harvard'' || 2002 films about two guys finagling their way into the good graces of a prestigious university. || || Neither did well at the box office, but Orange County is considered better and has a better following today. The public was introduced [[The Good Guys|Colin Hanks]] (''OC''), but was already sick of [[Tom Green]] (''Harvard'').
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▲:It isn't easy being green for [[Development Hell|would-be]] third contender, ''Green Arrow: Escape From Super Max''. ||One is based on a long-running second-tier ''[[Internet Backdraft|(perhaps)]]'' DC icon, one is based on a [[The Green Hornet|cult TV show]]. Both had to correct for [[Weaksauce Weakness|silly weaknesses]] (yellow and [[Sidekick Ex Machina|reliance on]] [[Bruce Lee]], respectively). ||''[[Cracked.com]]'' made [http://www.cracked.com/article_19015_green-lantern-vs.-green-hornet-telling-them-apart-5Bchart5D.html a chart] pointing out how similar the two movies were. In the end, ''Lantern'' got thrashed by critics and is proving to be a total disaster at the box office for [[Warner Bros]]., who were marketing it as their big movie for the summer of 2011. By contrast, ''Hornet'' got mixed reviews but made back its budget nearly twice over, so it looks to be the winner.
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| ''[[Antz]]'' || ''[[A Bug's Life|A Bugs Life]]'' ||The first example of Pixar and Dreamworks really dueling. Featuring ants as their main protagonists, the ant worker hero, who wants to stand out among the millions of other ants, falls for the ant princess, who seems an almost unattainable love interest. The ant hero goes on a long journey to a bug city, which is actually a pile of human garbage. And then he returns and gets the girl. ||Apart from the ants being protagonists, almost nothing else about the films was the same. [[A Bug's Life|A Bugs Life]] had a very cartoonish design, while [[Antz]] had a more realistic design of the insects. Antz had dark humor, dialogue and themes all around, while [[A Bug's Life|A Bugs Life]] was aimed at children. Just the same, thanks to the ants, they were ''both'' considered to be ripping ''each other'' off. (Fact is, Jeffery Katzenberg, though responsible for getting ''[[Toy Story]]'' greenlit, had just been booted from Disney, was furious at them, and knew about the next Pixar project; the competition was intentional.)|| Both films were a success with both audiences and critics, as well as financially, but ''[[A Bug's Life|A Bugs Life]]'' won by bringing in $200,000,000 more than ''Antz'' thanks to appealing more to kids and better promotion.
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|''[[Jurassic Park]]'' || ''[[Carnosaur (film)|Carnosaur]]'' ||The latter is basically [[The Mockbuster|a low-budget clone]] of the former, with less philosophy and capitalism and more gore and mad scientists, by [[Roger Corman]], the master of movies [[B-Movie|several grades lower than B]]. ||This example is mostly notable for the fact that the imitator actually got into theaters first, due to a massively quick shooting schedule. Also, Harry Adam Knight, author of the deliberately trashy novel ''Carnosaur'' was based on, has gleefully pointed out that one scene in ''Jurassic Park'' occurs in ''his'' book, but not Michael Crichton's. ||''[[Jurassic Park]]'' held the record for highest grossing film in history for several years, until ''[[Titanic]]'' broke it.
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| ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]'' || ''[[The Thin Red Line]]'' ||Both films were released in 1998 to rave reviews. Both featured an all-star cast of actors clambering over each other to appear in bit parts; both featured a 30-minute extended bloody assault on a bunker in the first half of the film followed by a long tramp across the countryside punctuated by violence.<br /><br />One is in Europe, one is in the Pacific. Both had HBO [[Spiritual Successor]] miniseries. ||''SPR'' came out several months ahead and had the natural crowd appeal of Spielberg, while reclusive director Terence Malick spent extra time on ''TTRL''. Veterans groups complained ''TTRL'' was insufficiently sympathetic to the Allied cause, while critics complained that the second half of ''SPR'' was too mawkish. ||''Saving Private Ryan'' by far among the general public, while ''The Thin Red Line'' is still in heated contention with ''SPR'' among critics and film buffs. <br /><br />Of related series, ''[[The Pacific]]'' is more often compared to ''[[Band of Brothers]]'' than ''TTRL''.
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| ''Christopher Columbus: The Discovery'' || ''1492: Conquest of Paradise'' ||1992 was the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus landing in the Americas, and Alexander and Ilya Salkind (producers of the [[Superman (film)|Superman films]]) originally wanted [[Ridley Scott]] to direct a film about Columbus. Scott turned them down, but later began work on what became ''1492''.||Inevitably, the Salkinds sued Scott, but lost because the first proposal for ''1492'' predated the Salkinds' project||Neither did particularly well; ''The Discovery'' grossed a bit more, but ''1492'' had a better cast and received better reviews.
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| ''[[Dark City]]'', ''[[The Matrix]]'' || ''[[The Thirteenth Floor]]'', ''[[eXistenZ]]'' ||Each film centered around reality not being really real and [[It Was His Sled|just a simulation]] in the future, albeit for different reasons and created by different sources. ||Of course, the Matrix was a huge blockbuster, while ''Thirteenth Floor'' was viewed to be a copy. It's really not, as the two movies have almost nothing in common. The same applies to ''[[eXistenZ]]'', but with a generous helping of [[Body Horror]]. ||''[[The Matrix]]'' by a country mile. It re-used the exact same sets and camera angles as the previous ''[[Dark City]]'', causing much consternation by fans of the latter film such as [[Roger Ebert]].
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| ''[[No Country for Old Men]]'' || ''[[There Will Be Blood]]'' ||Auteur film about the dark heart of <s>America</s> a [[Memetic Badass|highly memorable]] [[Villain Protagonist]] isolated from humanity as he slowly eliminates his enemies in what looks like the desert of West Texas (where both movies were filmed). ||[[Bonus Points]] if you have to remember which film had the correct & apropos title.<br />[[Non-Indicative Name|Hint:]] One is about a middle-aged sociopath, one is about a serial murderer. || Tied. ''No Country'' won more awards at the Oscars of that year, including nabbing Best Picture, while TWBB is on many best-of lists. Lampshaded [http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_130_if-movie-titles-were-honest_p35/#2 here]
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| ''Knock Off'' || ''[[Rush Hour]]'' ||''Rush Hour'' was a comedy-action movie teaming martial arts star Jackie Chan with comedian Chris Tucker. ''Knock Off'' had a similar set up by teaming Jean-Claude Van Damme with Rob Schneider. ||While many people have accused ''Knock Off'' of being a [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Knock Off]] made to capitalize on ''Rush Hour'', they seem to be ignoring the fact that it was released a month before the better movie. ||''[[Rush Hour]]'' by a mile, which has also gone on to spawn 2 sequels.
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| ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'' || ''[[Krull]]'' || Fantasy films from the 80s, each was set in an exotic world ruled by an evil force. A fortress must be penetrated. ||[[The Dark Crystal]] was done by [[Jim Henson]] which meant, of course, [[Muppet|animatronic puppets]] while [[Krull]] was live action. ||Each have their fans, so let's just say it's a draw and leave it at that.
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▲:''[[Tintin|Destination Moon]]'' (1950), unrelated || ''[[Rocketship X-M]]'' ||''Moon'' was scientifically accurate, featured a script by [[Robert A. Heinlein]], and pretty much kicked off the "space adventure" genre of film; ''X-M'' featured [[Space Is Noisy|sound in space]], [[Space Friction|rockets stopping when the engines cut out]], and eventually ended up on ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''. ||Another case of the ripoff making it into theaters first; ''Destination Moon'' was famously advertised as "Two years in the making!", and ''X-M'' took advantage of it. ||''[[Destination Moon]]'' (film).
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| ''[[Independence Day]]'' || ''The Arrival'' (also, ''[[Mars Attacks!]]!'') ||[[Alien Invasion]] movies released in the summer of 1996 (or late autumn, in the case of ''[[Mars Attacks!]]!''). ||Aside from involving an alien invasion, they are ''nothing'' alike. ''[[Independence Day]]'' was the big-studio production with a big budget, big stars, big promotion and churned out an even bigger profit. ''The Arrival'' was intended to be more of a thoughtful thriller, with only one brand-name star (Charlie Sheen). It never had a chance. ||''ID4'': Can anyone actually remember ''The Arrival''? (Yes! The guy looked like [[Half-Life|Gordon Freeman]]!)
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| ''[[Godzilla]]'' || ''[[Gamera]]'' ||[[Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever|Giant Monsters]] smash cities and battle other giant monsters.||The Godzilla series started in the lead in the "Showa" era with more and better films, but the "Heisei" series for both were a marked change. Despite having only a trilogy, Gamera had the better and more successful films overall when it went into a more realistic, [[Darker and Edgier]] direction. It dropped it with its own attempt at a third series, leading to a repeat of the Showa status-quo for the Millenium.||''[[Godzilla]]'' has had much more staying power and is still having movies churned out.
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| ''[[Troy]];'' ''[[Kingdom of Heaven]];''<br />''[[King Arthur]]''<br />(all 2004) || ''[[300]]''<br />''[[Robin Hood (2010 film)]];''<br />''[[Centurion]]''<br />(respectively) || [[Demythtification|Demythtified]] [[Sword and Sandal]] (would be) [[Epic Movie|Epic]] [[Follow the Leader|inspired by success]] of ''[[Gladiator]]'' using cinematography from ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|LOTR]]'' and [[Shaky Cam|stuttercam]] from [[Saving Private Ryan|SPR]] to capture massive battle scenes, seasoned lightly with a single tasteful [[Shirtless Scene|love scene]]. The hero employs the ancient sword technique of [[Adrenaline Time|Ramping]]. ||''Troy'' and ''300'' seem doomed to comparison, despite having little in common besides being about Greeks. [[The Siege]] in the 2004 flicks fell victim to [[Seinfeld Is Unfunny|Seinfeld Fatigue]] in the wake of a certain '03 [[The Lord of the Rings (film)|film]] and those ''Capital One'' ads. ''Kingdom'' was heavily [[Executive Meddling|cut up]] for the [[Vindicated by Cable|theatrical release]]. ||''[[300]]'' wins due to [[Fountain of Memes|popularity]]. ''[[Troy]]'' places thanks to [[Just Here for Godzilla|that one fight scene]] everyone wants to see. ''[[Kingdom of Heaven|Kingdom]]'' draws, due to the Directors Cut. ''[[King Arthur]]'' loses. ''[[Robin Hood (2010 film)]]'' is ''Gladiator'' [[Recycled in Space|WITH ROBIN HOOD!]] ''[[Centurion]]'' gets a leg up for being deliberately cheesy.
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| ''[[Tombstone]]'' || ''Wyatt Earp'' ||Historical westerns about . . . [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Wyatt Earp]]. ''Tombstone'' starred Kurt Russell, while ''Wyatt Earp'' starred Kevin Costner.||Costner was originally involved with ''Tombstone'' but left over disagreements regarding the script, deciding to make his own Earp pic. He even put pressure on studios to refuse distribution of ''Tombstone'', but guess which one made more money in the end... ||''Tombstone'' proved to be a hit and earned the better reviews, while ''Wyatt Earp'' flopped at the box office and got nominated for five Razzies.
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|''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' (2001) ||''[[Harry Potter (film)|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' (2001)|| First installments of high-budget film adaptations of popular and beloved fantasy series, with an overlapping viewer demographic, released within a month's difference of each other. || || A tie, or, better said, both films win. Both LOTR and HP were incredible box-office hits, grossing about $900 mln each, successfully launching their respective film franchises, [[Visual Effects of Awesome|revolutionizing the use of CGI in movies]] and [[Genre Turning Point|greatly raising the prestige of the fantasy genre]].
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|''[[The Descent (film)|The Descent]]'' || ''[[The Cave]]''<br />''The Cavern'' ||Horror movies with similar titles, made in the same year, and all three about a group of cavers who go spelunking, meet something unpleasant, and die.|| ||When it was released in America one year afterward, ''[[The Descent (film)|The Descent]]'' ended up becoming known as "Like ''[[The Cave]]'', but it doesn't suck." ''The Cavern'' is much more obscure than the other two, but definately the worst of the lot.
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| ''[[Despicable Me]]'' || ''[[Megamind]]'' ||Animated movies released in the same year about a [[Villain Protagonist]].||''Despicable Me'' has also been called [[Batman|Penguin]]: The Movie due to the main character's visual similarities. ''Megamind'' has been referred to as [[Monsters vs. Aliens|Gallaxhar]]: The Movie. Again, for similar looks.||''Despicable Me'', period. It has gotten both better reviews and almost twice the revenue compared to ''Megamind'' (but ''Megamind'' is well on its way to becoming a [[Cult Classic]]).
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| ''[[The Abyss]]'' ||''Deep Star Six'' and ''[[Leviathan (film)|Leviathan]]'' ||For some reason, one of those unsolved mysteries of the universe, 1989 saw ''three'' submarine sci-fi thrillers.<br /><br />They all feature people trapped in confined spaces, ridiculous aquatic gear, monsters, and tons of water. ||It's not clear that one is the original and the others imitators, but ''[[The Abyss]]'' is generally regarded as the best, and the other two ended up [[Just for Pun|soggy]] (though they're both pretty entertaining in their own right). || ''[[The Abyss]]''.
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| ''[[Alien|Alien: Resurrection]]'' ||''[[Deep Rising]]'' ||A [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|rag-tag bunch]] of pirates/mercenaries, joined by the protagonist(s) and a number of original crew members (including the human villain, who decide later on that now would be the perfect time to [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|back-stab]] the survivors) try to escape from the bowels of [[Ghost Ship|a ship]] that’s hopelessly infested with a group of extremely lethal predators after the former crew [[Everybody's Dead, Dave|has departed/vanished]]. Both prominently feature an extended underwater action set-piece at some point. ||''[[Deep Rising]]'' came out in January 1998, ''[[Alien|Resurrection]]'' in November 1997. The latter had been in gestation far longer than that (pretty much since the release of the third film in 1992), but early script versions differ significantly from the movie that ultimately ended up in theatres. ''Alien: Resurrection'' was helmed by French director [[Jean Pierre Jeunet]], ''Deep Rising'' by [[Stephen Sommers]]. || ''[[Alien|Resurrection]]'' was the bigger film by far, with more big-name-stars, a larger budget, and an extensive marketing campaign. It failed to become the financial blockbuster-success that [[Twentieth Century Fox]] had hoped for however, and is considered [[Sequelitis|a major drop-down in quality]] from previous instalments of [[Alien|the series]]. ''[[Deep Rising]]'', while less successful financially by comparison, has gained a bit of a cult following primarily due to the [[Guilty Pleasure|sheer enjoyability of the movie]] and its habit of never taking itself seriously.
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| ''[[Catch-22]]'' || ''[[M*A*S*H (film)|Mash]]'' ||Deconstructive black comedy war movies released in 1970, with not much combat but a surprising amount of blood, starring ensemble casts of screwballs, [[Anvilicious|and most certainly not using earlier wars as stand-ins for Vietnam]]. ||If suicide is painless, perhaps that is the answer to the Catch-22. ||''Catch-22'', despite an all-star cast, got tepid reviews and flopped. ''M*A*S*H'' was a huge success, made [[Robert Altman]] famous, inspired an [[Recycled: the Series|even more successful TV series]], and helped usher in the 70's auteur era in general.
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| ''[[Million Dollar Baby]]'' || ''[[Cinderella Man]]'' ||Two emotional and evocative stories involving boxing, released in 2005. Both movies feature underdog stories of fighters trying to succeed where others would have them fail, each with the support of an engaging mentor. One ends happy, while the other one? Not so much.<br /><br />''[[The Fighter]]'' came out in 2010, a bit late to make weight, but it coulda' been a contender. ||This is a rare case of two excellent movies that happened to be released in the same year, instead of a studio quickly greenlighting a cheap imitation of the first. Both were directed by powerhouse directors (Clint Eastwood and Ron Howard), both with stellar casts and critical acclaim. Poor promotion doomed ''Cinderella Man'' at the box-office, while ''Million Dollar Baby'' was released during a more opportune time of the year, and was far more successful. ''Million Dollar Baby'' took home the Oscar, while ''Cinderella Man'' was mostly forgotten by the time nominations came around. ||''[[Million Dollar Baby]]'', though really, everyone wins. See both movies.
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| ''Prefontaine'' || ''Without Limits'' || Late 90's biographical films about Steve Prefontaine. ||Billy Crudup's depiction of the title character in ''Without Limits'' is generally better regarded, as is the directing and production; ''Prefontaine'' stands mostly on the basis of greater historical accuracy and a standout performance by R. Lee Ermey. ||''Without Limits'', although neither was much of a box office or critical success.
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| ''[[The Road]]'' || ''[[The Book of Eli]]'' ||Both are [[Apocalypse How|Post-Apocalyptic]]-themed movies with a male protagonist safeguarding something they hold dear. The former is trying to survive with his son and the latter is keeping the [[The Bible|last Bible]] on Earth from a [[Sinister Minister|corrupt priest]]. || Whilst the two movies deal with some similar themes, The Road is a much more methodical and [[Darkest Hour|bleak]] in its approach whilst The Book of Eli's placed more emphasis on action and had a more [[Fallout|Fallout-esque]] scenario || Critically ''[[The Road]]'' fared much better but just about broke even money wise. ''[[The Book of Eli]]'' had a significantly better box-office gross.
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▲:''[[The Expendables|Expendables]]'' may be a third contender. ||Both are capital "[[Incredibly Lame Pun|A]]" action movies based on series from other mediums about [[Badass Crew|rag tag groups of government agents]] who come together to clear their name: The former is [[The Film of the Series]]. The latter: An adaptation of Andy Diggle and Jock's re-imagining of a classic WWII DC comic as a group of Special Forces operatives during the War on Terror. ||''The Losers'' basically '''is''' ''The A-Team'', there's never been any doubt or denial that it played a major role in its re-imagining, the timing of the film releases are just unfortunate.||''The A-Team'' soundly trounced ''The Losers'' at the box office, grossing more in its opening weekend than ''The Losers'' in its full run, though both received lukewarm reviews. If ''[[The Expendables]]'' is counted, however, then it's a clean win by knockout.
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| ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' || ''[[Gremlins]]'' ||Both movies are comedies about ghouls threatening a society of humans. ||''Ghostbusters'' was about 3 scientists who start a business in catching ghosts and eventually deal with evil gods. ''Gremlins'' was about a teenage boy named Billy who gets a Mogwai named Gizmo as a pet, and after accidentally spilling water on poor Gizmo, new Mogwais, led by Stripe, appear and wreak havoc. ||On their opening weekend, ''Ghostbusters'' came out on top at the box office, and was praised by critics and audiences alike, which led to [[The Real Ghostbusters|a cartoon series]] and a sequel. But ''Gremlins'' wasn't a total flop as it was the runner-up in the first 6 weeks, and it too also had a sequel.
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| ''[[Oliver and Company]]'' || ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'' || Similar to the above, Bluth and Disney faced off again in 1988/1989 with films featuring dogs, little girls, and orphans. Charlie and Dodger look awfully similar, too. || ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'', released second, had to compete at the box office (and with the critics) against ''[[The Little Mermaid]]''. ||Both received lukewarm reviews. ''[[Oliver and Company]]'' vastly outperformed ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'' at the box office, but ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'' became a hit on VHS and spawned a sequel and a TV series, while ''[[Oliver and Company]]'' remains one of Disney's least-remembered films.
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|''[[Repo! The Genetic Opera]]''|| ''[[Repo Men]]'' || Both sci-fi films about a massive corporation in a [[Crapsack World]] that offers organ transplants to the masses, and who send "repo men" assassins to murder those who can't pay their debts. The former, also called Repo!, is a musical, while the latter is an action film based on the 2009 novel, ''Repossession Mambo''.<br />Despite the names, ''neither'' film is a sequel to the '84 SF cult classic ''[[Repo Man]]'', whose spiritual sequel ''[[Distaff Counterpart|Repo Chick]]'' was released in fall 2009. Confused yet? ||Although it has been reported that the concept for ''[[Repo Men]]'' was conceived in 2003, [http://www.terrancezdunich.com/blog/?p=2804 some two years AFTER the stage version of Repo! debuted], the author's essay at the back of the novel reveals that ''Repossession Mambo'' was his first novel, the one he fell in love with but couldn't sell, and had been in parallel development with the screenplay since 2001. ||''Repo!'' did OK business in a very, ''very'' limited release (i.e. 11 screens nationally), and has since become a cult classic. ''[[Repo Men]]'s'' first weekend gross, although easily bigger, did not match its multi-million dollar production and advertising budget. It also has a lower percentage of positive reviews than ''Repo!'' on [[Rotten Tomatoes]].
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|''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]''|| ''The Pirate Movie'' || Both are adaptations of the famous [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] operetta ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' released around 1982-1983. The former is a filmed rendition of the then-running Broadway revival with much of the same cast; the latter is a very-loose rendition of the story with a few of the same songs (and some [[Movie Bonus Song|extras]]) and a generally 80's feel. || ''The Pirate Movie'' got to theaters first, in the midst of ''Penzance's'' Broadway run, and quickly faded away. Although a box-office bomb itself, the failure of ''Penzance'' was caused by [[Executive Meddling]], not lack of interest. ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' actually enjoyed a long run in ''one'' of the '''''92''''' theaters that showed it. ||''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'', with a higher [[Rotten Tomatoes]] score and a Golden Globe nom for Best Actress. ''The Pirate Movie'' bombed critically and earned a few Razzie nominations.
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| ''[[Evita]]'' || ''Eva Peron: The True Story'' || Both films are biopics of former Argentinian First Lady Eva Peron, the "Spiritual Leader of the Nation". The former is the film version of the [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]] musical; the latter is an Argentinian-produced biopic. || ''Eva Peron'' was put into production by the Argentinian Government to [[Take That|counter]] the musical's less-than-flattering account of Peron. Both films were released in the U.S. a week apart in December, 1996. ||''[[Evita]]'' ended up getting the most notice, including the [[Academy Award]] for its song "You Must Love Me."
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▲:(*''[[The Green Hornet (film)|The Green Hornet]]'') ||Two movies that came out the same summer (and one that [[Development Hell|would have]]) in which, after traumatic events, wealthy sons become masked super heroes with pimped-out mechanical aids; they also have butlers and/or a leggy [[Sassy Secretary]] (well, two out of three) and a really [[Cool Car|Cool]]/[[Weaponized Car]]. The heroes pose as apathetic playboys who own their own corporations and have a close friend/business partner who is also a minority. || Not only were Iron Man and The Dark Knight dueling movies, but they were also dueling between rival Super Hero Comic Companies during their release in 2008. ''Green Hornet'', on the other hand, was pushed back to Januray 2011 due to the studio converting to 3-D. ||Both ''Iron Man'' and ''Dark Knight'' received huge critical acclaim and did great at the box office, but ''The Dark Knight'' wins on a slight edge. Iron Man got a sequel sooner, but The Dark Knight did better critically and financially. And that's not to mention [[The Dark Knight]] winning the first ever acting Oscar for a Comic Book movie with [[Heath Ledger]] winning posthumously for his portrayal of [[The Joker]]. Green Hornet, when it [[Saved From Development Hell|finally was released]], it received mixed reviews and modest box office, which, in all fairness, is probably better than it would have done if it was released on time to compete with the other two.
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| ''[[Avatar (film)|Avatar]]'' || ''[[Alice in Wonderland (film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' ||[[Epic Movie|Big Movies]] from famously [[James Cameron|imaginative]] [[Tim Burton|directors]] with extensive 3D [[Visual Effects of Awesome|visual effects]] about a person who undergoes a physical change (and considerable [[Clothing Damage]]) in a dangerous [[World of Chaos]] where they're compelled to lead the oppressed animals/residents into battle against a person with a facial deformity and a Dragon. They also get admonished by blue people with glowing spots. Dreams and eyes are a big motif. ||''Avatar'' has a male protagonist who chooses to stay in the new world after fighting a ship called the Dragon; ''Alice'' decides to go back to the real world after fighting an ''actual'' dragon but has the option of returning. Both also include nods to ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|The Lord of the Rings]]'': ''Avatar'' had the same effects company and ''Alice'' had a few [[Shout-Out]]s. ||Both made a lot of money, both would be nominated for special effects awards. ''Avatar'' got significantly better reviews, however. Their respective DVD releases are a bit odd: ''Avatar'' released a [[Vanilla Edition]] while ''Alice'' rushed its DVD only a few months after its premier, which annoyed some UK distributors to the point where they didn't bother to play the film at all.
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