Cowboys and Aliens Steals Scenes, and Look-a-like Props from Past SiFi Movies?

Last night some friends and I went to see the new Harrison Ford movie, Cowboys and Aliens. From the very beginning, I started noting similarities between this movie and past science fiction thrillers, and had to wonder; did Jon Favreau steal scenes and look-a-like props from hit SiFi pictures of the past to make this movie? I am not a SiFi addict, but even with the few films I have seen, I could easily recognize the similarities. Here are just a few in no particular order.

Similarity #1

When I saw little Emmett Taggart, played by Noah Ringer, confronted by one of the aliens inside the upside down steamboat, I instantly thought of Sigourney Weaver in Alien when the alien got up close and personal, in her face.

Similarity #2

The metal wristband worn by Jake Lonergan, played by Daniel Craig, was a reminder of the one worn by the alien in Predator. Both were worn on the arm, both were used as a weapon, and both were used to destroy the alien(s) in the end.

Similarity #3

When the flying spaceships swooped in to pick up the unsuspecting people by extracting cables down and wrapping them around the people, I instantly thought of War of the Worlds (2005), where the people were grabbed in a similar fashion and then kept in cages underneath the spaceship. The only difference was in Cowboys and Aliens the spaceships only grabbed one person at a time, and kept them tightly tucked under their wing until they returned to the mother ship.

Similarity #4

Like the aliens in War of the Worlds (2005), the aliens in Cowboys and Aliens had three fingers on their hands.

Similarity #5

As Jake starts to remember what happened to him, we see Alice, played by Abigail Spencer, on a table being examined by one of the aliens. We then see her body turned into ashes. This again brought War of the Worlds (2005) to mind when the aliens were vaporizing the fleeing people.

Similarity #6

When Jake and Ella Swenson, played by Olivia Wilde, finally find the captured people, deep within the caverns beneath the mother ship, they realize the people are in a deep trance, brought on by a mysterious light. This immediately brought to mind Legends of the Guardians: the Owls of Ga'Hoole, where the captured owls stare at the moon, also in a trance like state.