Quentin Tarantino is not only a celebrated director but also a walking film encyclopedia. Above all, the Japanese film landscape has captivated the director. That’s why he doesn’t seem to be the biggest fan of The Hunger Games. He believes the idea is stolen from a Japanese cult film.
What does Quentin Tarantino say? The director sat two years ago in a talk show with host Dana Carvey (via YouTube) and talked generally about all sorts of things. His films, his family, and also about his podcast. During this, Carvey asked him which other film he would have preferred to direct.
Tarantino thinks and names Battle Royale, a Japanese cult film. He explains that The Hunger Games would be based on it, but immediately adds, The Hunger Games just stole from it, and without any hesitation.
He would have liked to direct Battle Royale.
The Hunger Games (‘Hunger Games‘) is one of the largest film franchises in the world. All films together grossed over 3.3 billion dollars, making it the 20th highest-grossing film franchise (via CBR). But what is Battle Royale?
A Bitterly Ironic Satire on Japanese Society
What is Battle Royale about? In a dire future Japan, society is in a catastrophic state. Unemployment is high and the youth behaves violently and criminally. To counter this, ninth graders are to fight in a game
for survival. The whole thing is also broadcast on television.
A scenario that doesn’t seem far removed from some public figures.
The film is based on a novel of the same name and is an explicit satire, which especially stirred up controversy due to the level of violence and the young protagonists. In Germany, the film was even indexed, which was only lifted in 2017. Afterwards, the film received an FSK-18 rating.
For fans of hard Japanese films, Battle Royale is definitely worth watching.
Was The Hunger Games inspired by Battle Royale? Officially not. Suzanne Collins herself said in an interview (via New York Times) that she didn’t know about the book when she started with The Hunger Games. Whether this statement is true cannot be proven, but the parallels are of course there.
- In both books, children/teenagers fight against each other
- Different weapons are available to the participants
- Both are dystopias in which the fights are broadcast for entertainment
Battle Royale did not invent the genre: While there are parallels, such stories already existed before in human history or in films. Suzanne Collins cites Greek mythology, the Iraq War, and general war theories as sources of inspiration.
In the subtext of the films, you can already notice a difference. Have you seen both films (or series) and which film do you like better? Let us know in the comments. If you also like to dive into survival genre games, you might find this useful: The 28 best survival games 2024 for PS5, Steam and Xbox
