A number of years ago I did a companion piece where I saw two long movies on the same day, The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. Recently I did the same thing, seeing two similarly themed movies on the same day: the current blockbuster The Hunger Games and a Japanese horror classic released in 2000 to which The Hunger Games has often been compared, Battle Royale. While there are many common traits to the films, the violence involving children is the overwhelming theme that has drawn the attention of many. In both movies there are games which are held which entail young children and teens entering into a competition which has them killing each other, with a single survivor declared the winner.

Battle Royale has received both acclaim and disdain over the years. The film based on the 1999 novel by the same name, written by Koushun Takami, was directed by the late legend Kinji Fukasaku. The film, a top 10 all-time blockbuster hit in Japan, is a thought provoking yet horrific story. There are times the film is gory, and a unique characteristic of the film is the occasional comedic moment. The action is virtually non stop, and while I personally enjoyed Battle Royale over the more contemporary Hunger Games, that takes nothing away from The Hunger Games as it is a quality movie; but I can see why Quentin Tarantino stated that Battle Royale is his favorite movie of late, stating: "If there's any movie that's been made since I've been making movies that I wish I had made, it's that one." This grindhouse type of film is filled with meaning and graphic, horrific images.

To See Tarantino's list of his top 20 movies, including his top movie Battle Royale, click on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv0WlHbBhdc

To see the trailer for Battle Royale, click on the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIuRjqcpuGQ

Meanwhile, The Hunger Games has had the 3rd largest opening grosses for a feature film, and the largest non-sequel opening grosses of all time. Based on the 2008 book by the same name by Suzanne Collins, the movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where there are 12 districts. There is a random lottery draw which has a young child or teen male and female from each district compete in a nationally televised game where the contestants fight until the death. The Hunger Games is well filmed, well acted, and deserving of the studio hype and success it has received. The comparisons between Battle Royale and The Hunger Games are well known, and while many critics are critical of The Hunger Games for its apparent similarities to Battle Royale, I don't think the comparisons end there; and most notably, in many ways, the theme of violence among children goes back even further than these two films. The film that comes to mind for me is the classic The Lord of the Flies, first published in 1954 and turned to film in 1963. To negatively critique The Hunger Games for lack of creativity is a little disingenuous as it is likely the themes that come about from these movies are rooted deeper in history than many acknowledge.

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