Quentin Tarantino Slams Hunger Games for Allegedly Ripping off Japanese Classic

Quentin Tarantino addressed one of the most discussed comparisons in modern blockbuster culture as he criticized The Hunger Games for its similarities to the Japanese classic Battle Royale. The filmmaker explained why he believes the franchise by author Suzanne Collins drew heavily from the 2000 film without acknowledgment.

Quentin Tarantino claims Hunger Games ‘ripped off’ iconic Japanese movie

Quentin Tarantino said on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast that The Hunger Games “ripped off” the Japanese film Battle Royale. He said the similarities between Suzanne Collins’ franchise and the 2000 dystopian film are so strong that he cannot understand why no one ever pursued legal action. Tarantino ranked Battle Royale at No. 11 on his ongoing list of the 20 greatest movies of the 21st century so far.

Tarantino said, “I do not understand how the Japanese writer didn’t sue Suzanne Collins for every fucking thing she owns.” He added, “They just ripped off the fucking book.” He said book critics “never called her out on it” because “stupid book critics are not going to go watch a Japanese movie called Battle Royale.” Tarantino added that film critics reacted differently once they saw the movie, saying, “This is just Battle Royale except PG.”

Tarantino described his first viewing of Battle Royale while in Japan during early Kill Bill scouting. He said director Kinji Fukasaku invited him to a private screening. Tarantino said, “I had no idea what the fuck I was about to see. And holy fucking shit! I don’t even know what I saw. It was so wild.”

He also discussed attending a midnight screening at the Seattle Film Festival months later. He said, “Nobody had seen this in America yet. I knew what they were going to see. This is going to deliver more than they even know.” He added, “They are not prepared for how this is going to deliver. To have that knowledge was power.”

Tarantino also discussed the impact he believes certain films have had on filmmakers and audiences, citing examples during the conversation. He continued unveiling his ranked selections and will present the top 10 titles on the next episode of the podcast.

Source: Comingsoon.net