Blockbuster or mockbuster?

You've heard that Hollywood is virtually another world -- vaguely familiar yet removed from our own, governed by its own rules and morality. But did you know that within that universe exists another parallel universe -- a bizarro Hollywood? It is called the Asylum, a 13-year-old full-service B-movie assembly line of direct-to-video titles, and it is run by two mini-moguls with very large cojones.

Asylum has stumbled on a brilliantly realized idea: a discount mockbuster DVD season, which, if you squint, hews closely to the stories, and even the marketing, of blockbusters released every weekend. Who can tell the difference between "Transmorphers" and "Transformers," right? See if you can spot the B-movies below.

--Christopher Borrelli
Read the complete article about The Asylum and its knock-offs.
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How does The Asylum's version match up?<br> <br> <em style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold"> Similarities:</em> "Transformers" is about robot invaders who attack Earth and the ragtag band of humans who resist, "Transmorphers" is about robot invaders who attack Earth and the ragtag band of humans who resist; both have robots falling to Earth as dozens of large flaming rocks; "Transformers" stars Shia LaBeouf, who was in " Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," "Transmorphers" stars Bruce Boxleitner who was in " Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues"; it's hard to tell who's punching whom in "Transformers," it's hard to tell who's punching whom in "Transmorphers."<br> <br> <em style="font-style: normal; font-weight: bold"> Differences:</em> "Transformers" is a sequel, "Transmorphers" is a prequel; "Transformers" features good Transformers, "Transmorphers" features no good Transmorphers; despite the box art, Transmorphers attack the desert and outlying Los Angeles suburbs only, Transformers attack deserts and cities; Transformers are cars and trucks, Transmorphers are cars and cell phones.

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"

(DreamWorks)

How does The Asylum's version match up?

Similarities: "Transformers" is about robot invaders who attack Earth and the ragtag band of humans who resist, "Transmorphers" is about robot invaders who attack Earth and the ragtag band of humans who resist; both have robots falling to Earth as dozens of large flaming rocks; "Transformers" stars Shia LaBeouf, who was in " Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," "Transmorphers" stars Bruce Boxleitner who was in " Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part III: The Legend Continues"; it's hard to tell who's punching whom in "Transformers," it's hard to tell who's punching whom in "Transmorphers."

Differences: "Transformers" is a sequel, "Transmorphers" is a prequel; "Transformers" features good Transformers, "Transmorphers" features no good Transmorphers; despite the box art, Transmorphers attack the desert and outlying Los Angeles suburbs only, Transformers attack deserts and cities; Transformers are cars and trucks, Transmorphers are cars and cell phones.