Quentin Tarantino Bashes “The Hunger Games” For Simply Being A PG “Battle Royal”

By:Dominic La-Viola

“I do not understand how the Japanese writer didn’t sue Suzanne Collins for every fucking thing she owns,” he said. “They just ripped off the fuckin’ book. Stupid book critics are not going to go watch a Japanese movie called Battle Royale, so the stupid book critics never called her on it. They talked about how it was the most original fuckin’ thing they’d ever read. As soon as the film critics saw the film, they said, ‘What the fuck? This is just Battle Royale except PG!’”

Quentin Tarantino said this on “The Bret Easton Ellis” podcast. Which has not only made news but sparked some outrage online given his body of work.

Now, as a film nerd and someone who has always admired Tarantino’s work and vision, especially as an indie filmmaker who made his way into Hollywood during the indie boom. Which was a period of film history in which I was obsessed with during my early years as a cinephile. 

I have watched many films and rewatched many films, giving them a second chance due to Tarantino’s stamp of approval. As it said on the cover of the Blu-ray of ”Battle Royale”. 

So of course I saw ”Battle Royale” way before “The Hunger Games” came out in theaters, and while the first thought popped into my head upon seeing it, this is  nothing more than a PG-13 version of “Battle Royale”. 

Which is clear to anyone who has seen “Battle Royale,”  which is mostly all film critics, movie nerds, and cinephiles. 

Although there are some who also know their films and film history that are calling Tarantino out. Saying that he has no room to talk, considering he spent his entire career ripping off other movies. 

To which, that’s a valid statement, but not a valid argument, for he doesn’t rip off films. 

Tarantino famously steals from his favorite films. Taking different aspects from different films and making something new.

So much so, that he created an entire subgenre of film. He even had people trying to recreate what he did, and failed miserably. For years there was a flood of Tarantino knockoffs, that were merely trying to copy what he was doing. 

Now with all that being said, is he right… He is, “The Hunger Games” is a knockoff, that doesn’t compare to “Battle Royale”. Although I do think his statement is a little extreme. 

Yet I think he is getting what he truly wanted when he made that comment. Exposure for one of his favorite films “Battle Royale”. 

A film that I loved, but I don’t think mainstream audiences were ready for over a decade ago when they first started making “The Hunger Games” series, and if the film had gotten a wide release like “Parasite” did, I don’t think it would have been successful. 

In a post “Squid Games” world, I think the chances of “Battle Royale” being a  success with American audiences is highly likely. If Netflix got the rights and pushed it on the front page of its platform, I think it would quickly jump up the leaderboards. 

For I don’t think that American audiences were ready for the film upon its original release. Just as I believe as much as “The Hunger Games” was a direct rip off, I don’t think it hurt or stole “Battle Royal” thunder with American audiences.