Considering the original D&D had halflings as hobbits and I know a fair number of people who did say “we can play LotR with this!” I’m talking like, Red Box, where hardcore LotR fans heard “hobbits, elves, and dwarfs” and nearly shit themselves in joy. And it’s not much different from games like Shadowrun using the rules of cybermancy by pulling from RoboCop, and while they didn’t cite it, people got it. This is subtle versions of what you’re saying is being explicitly noted.

And yes, those are different, but they are also not. To some people reading “men struggling to keep it together as they’re physically and emotionally blown apart” is “stupid dramatic Oscar bait” content, but Platoon is recognizable, easily consumed, and isn’t spelled out with emotions and shit.