Quentin Tarantino Slams 'Hunger Games' for Allegedly Copying 'Battle Royale'

Quentin Tarantino has publicly criticised the hugely successful 'Hunger Games' franchise, claiming it heavily borrowed its core concept from the Japanese cult classic 'Battle Royale.'

During a recent appearance on Bret Easton Ellis's podcast, the two-time Oscar-winning director expressed frustration over what he sees as clear similarities between the two stories. Tarantino argued that the original Japanese novel and film were effectively copied and that the similarities were overlooked by many Western critics, especially in the early days of the book's release.

He suggested that many American book critics were unfamiliar with the Japanese source material and therefore praised 'The Hunger Games' as highly original, while film critics who had seen 'Battle Royale' immediately noticed the resemblance once the movie adaptation arrived in 2012.

Image Courtesy: Prime Video

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'Hunger Games' and 'Battle Royale' Similarities

'Battle Royale,' released in 2000 and based on Koushun Takami's 1999 novel, takes place in a dystopian Japan where schoolchildren are forced by a totalitarian government to fight to the death until only one survivor remains. The 'Hunger Games,' written by Suzanne Collins, follows a similar dystopian theme, where teenagers from different districts in the nation of Panem are selected to compete in a deadly, state-controlled televised event.

Despite these comparisons, Collins has previously rejected claims that her work was inspired by 'Battle Royale.' She has explained in earlier interviews that she was not aware of the novel or its author until after she had already completed her own book. At that point, her editor advised her not to read it to avoid influencing her creative direction.

Image Courtesy: IMDb

The 'Battle Royale' franchise later received a sequel in 2003, titled 'Battle Royale II: Requiem.' Meanwhile, the 'Hunger Games' series has grown into a global blockbuster, with five films released since 2012 and a sixth instalment, 'The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,' scheduled for theatrical release in 2026.

Tarantino has long praised 'Battle Royale' as one of his favourite films, often listing it among the greatest movies ever made, which adds weight to his ongoing criticism of how the original story has, in his view, been overshadowed by its Hollywood counterpart.

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