The Hunger Games vs. Battle Royale

Before the “Hunger” there was a “Battle”

          Back in 1999 there was a book about kids forced to kill each other.  No, not The Hunger Games that came almost a decade later.  I’m talking about the Koushun Takami novel “Battle Royale”, which was turned into a film with the same name in 2000.  The film is directed by Kinji Fukasaku and is a tense, gory, and mostly brilliant piece of cinema.

The story is similar to those that have already watched or read The Hunger Games, the government passing a law that punishes teens for past transgressions. The kids must take part in a game where they are stranded on an island and only one of them will be left standing.  They are constantly monitored and are given updates as to who has died that day.  The film also counts down the kills starting from 42.  And unlike Hunger, you see just about every death, if not at least the bodies as they are taken out by the others or even taking their own lives.  “Battle Royale” moves really quickly and keeps you engaged throughout the film, even on the secondary characters and their back stories, some of which could have been movies in themselves.  We do follow a primary couple who are aided by a mysterious student not a part of the class who knows a lot about the games and how to survive, but there is another who also knows the game and is out to win.

While Battle Royale is not a perfect film, it far exceeds The Hunger Games in its characters, its central story, and its ability to engage the audience.  Of course Hunger Games will be more successful, it’s aimed at kids, it’s watered down, easily digestible, and almost cute.  Battle Royale is clearly made for adults, it’s violent, and powerful.  You don’t cheer for the deaths here like I heard during my viewing of Hunger Games.    Normally I try not to compare movies that have similar elements when I know it’s just the studios competing to see who can make the better ‘meteor crashing into earth’ movie or who can make the better ‘found footage’ movie.  This however is different, and point of fact, I did in fact like The Hunger Games, but when the better film gets the least amount of recognition it needs to be put out there.

The distributor of Battle Royale was smart to release the DVD/Blu-Ray as The Hunger Games was released in theaters for the older fans and the soon-to-be fans like me to discover.   And with it making a bazillion dollars now it looks as though Hunger is on its way to becoming the next Harry Potter franchise to rake in the money on the book stands (what little there are now) and the box office.  It doesn’t stop me from thinking about what an Internet critic called The Hunger Games after its release, he called it “Battle Royale with cheese”.  I am inclined to agree.

--Robert L. Castillo