Right. And the story about the outcast/loner who must become a hero, fight an evil monster with a diabolical master plan- which the hero then prevents at the very last second with the countdown at 01:00- is the height of originality and devoid of any cliches.
A lot of stories when broken down in their simplest form are actually quite similar:
Cassablanca / Of Mice and Men - a tale of sacrifice and hardship where the main character has to make hard choices and sacrifices to protect those whom he holds dear.
Enemy Mine / Comrade - two enemies of war are thrown together and realise that they aren't so different after all - friendship ensues.
Thor / Meet Joe Black - a god or powerful supernatural being becomes mortal and learns the value of love and humility.
Hamlet / Payback / The Count of Monte Cristo - a man devotes everything to taking revenge on the people who have wronged him by using deception, violence and cunning.
There are hundreds if not thousands of examples. The point is, there's a reason why these themes or plotlines are similar - they're universal to us; they appeal to us because they're things we can all identify with, that we all understand somehow, so we as the audience can engage with the story in a meaningful way. The only difference is
how the stories are told, what phrases, nuances, narratives are used. But underneath all that, they're all essentially the same.
Does that make the story any less powerful? No.
