The problem is nobody gets the difference between paying homage to something and ripping it off.
Back in 1977, the letters column of the late Cinefantastique magazine was full of rants from cranky people listing everything Lucas "stole" from. The fact Tatooine was a desert planet, and there was a reference to "spice" had some Dune fans pissed! IIRC, everything from Forbidden Planet to the Lensman novels were also mentioned. Others wondered what happened to the Lucas that had made THX-1138!
(Of course, some less informed critics would later claim the 1984 Dune adaptation was ripping off Star Wars. Go fig.)
Far fewer people ever catch the homage to the WWII epic "The Dam Busters" in the final Death Star Battle. Or that the medal ceremony looks like something else from WWII!
If any SF film is a Kurosawa clone, it's Battle Beyond the Stars. ;)