MovieChat Forums > The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) Discussion > Indifference about Battle Royale/THG com...

Indifference about Battle Royale/THG comparisons

posted 11 years ago by AmbrosiaAmbigula
42 replies | jump to latest

POST HERE if you're like me and you really don't care either way.

I've been a fan of Battle Royale pretty much since it came out. I remember a few years ago when The Hunger Games and Catching Fire were gaining a good bit of attention, I gave my sister a really hard time when she explained the concept of the book to me because it sounded like such a rip off of BR. I even made her watch BR to see the comparisons.

Eventually I read the HG book, and I liked it a lot. And I ended up reading all three, and eventually seeing the movies as soon as they came out.

The way I see it is there are a lot of similarities to BR, and some noteworthy differences. I get very annoyed when so-called fans can't see the similarities, and just as annoyed when people can't see bold differences. So, really, whether or not Suzanne Collins ripped of BR, I don't really care because people on both sides are annoying, MANY books/movies are more similar than these two and still manage to stand alone, and also Suzanne isn't the greatest writer and probably won't have another hit after THG so who really cares about punishing her. She took a rather unoriginal idea, created a really interesting universe with it, so kudos to her.

I'll keep enjoying all of the books/movies while I polish my diamond tiara, diamond bracelets, diamond necklaces, and solid-gold dress. If you care about the issue then you aren't welcome to post here because you care too much about inconsequential things. If you're indifferent, please feel free to post although I will not respond to you because I probably do not care for you or your opinions.

[–] CranberryNoVodka 11 years ago

I like both to be honest. There are similarities, but I think they're too different to compare as a whole. With Battle Royale(the movie version at least), I think the situation is a lot more violent since they can use guns of all sorts, poison, knives, and it's a lot of scarier in a way since the people actually know each other and can't even trust their friends. The Hunger Games uses a similar premise about survival and trust within the actual games, but other than that there isn't a whole lot left to compare. It's all a sick competition, but THG deals more with the government, revolution, and some biblical references. Battle Royale seemed to deal more with Darwinism and trust. That's just me. I liked both movies. I haven't read the Battle Royale book yet.

I'm feeling rough, I'm feeling raw, I'm in the prime of my life.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] AmbrosiaAmbigula 11 years ago

I had a copy of the book but I lent it to someone and never got it back, so I never got around to reading it. It's on my bucket list, to be honest.

Both stories have a cool concept at their core, so how can you go wrong? I think they both have a unique direction. One huge difference is scale. I think I prefer the brutality and surreal nature of BR in some ways, but I still love THG and its universe.

If people REALLY want to see two stories with similarities, look into the movie High Tension and the book it ripped off. Another situation where I like both stories regardless.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] AmbrosiaAmbigula 11 years ago

I agree with all of your points. And yes, I myself have seen the book/film in many American stores over the years. I'm not a manga fan at all, and even I was aware it was out there.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] summerinertia 9 years ago

Bring up your argument with the owners of 'Battle Royale'. They are the ones who wouldn't pay the distribution fees to allow it to be released in the US, not me.

[–] Mahmood-Buttrumps 8 years ago

You interpreting BR2 as BR is perfectly fine. We all interpret things according to our own minds.

[–] Block-Busted 11 years ago

Oh sure there are few scattered examples, most of which have alraedy been dragged out of mothballs by irate HG fans trying to bring down the Battle Royale legacy.

Untrue. Most people who is shouting ripoff accusation on this film don't really know about 'Battle Royale'. It's pretty much like how 'Pacific Rim' suffered similarly.

But a reality show where people have to kill each other? that's Koushun Takami's invention.

Not exactly. The game in 'Battle Royale' is not broadcasted nationwide.

[–] photondancer 11 years ago

> But a reality show where people have to kill each other? that's Koushun
> Takami's invention

Oh bollocks. The script for Series 7 was being written at the same time as Takami was writing BR. Similar ideas had been explored in a number of works written in the 1970s. And all of them were just adding tv cameras to ancient Rome's gladiatorial games. That's not a remarkable enough addition to call it a whole new genre, any more than making your detective work with a robot creates a whole new genre. They're just variations within a genre.

But thanks for the hearty laugh for implying Tolkien invented the good vs. evil plot.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] riekondoh-116-326404 9 years ago

Allowing both the main characters to survive in a game with one survivor so they could live happily ever after?

Hunger Games was *beep* awful and left such a bad taste in my mouth that I almost didn't watch Battle Royal 2, much lees series 7. Thankfully, Battle Royal 2 not only washed the bad taste out of my mouth but allowed me to throw back up that bad taste in a fountain of blood.

When will society catch on that this PG-13 death and violence is hypocritical and merely a marketing strategy?

[–] Mahmood-Buttrumps 8 years ago

It's so funny, prior to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire- Part 2 of 3, I doubt five people in a ten had ever heard of Battle Royale 2. Now, thanks largely to the plagiarism, it's probably become very popular for the first time ever.

The Hunger Games fans, you should thank Suzanne Collins and for giving the actual source movie she copied from a bit of a lift.

[–] photondancer 11 years ago

I've neither seen nor read Battle Royale. I'll probably get round to it one day. In the meantime I don't care whether it's similar to THG or not, and I still won't care after I've read/seen BR. It's completely irrelevant. Just as it's irrelevant that THG also has similarities to Series 7, The Running Man and The Long Walk, which I have read and seen. I don't care. It's not a criterion for judging a work's worth.

Anyone who thinks a book or film becomes worthless solely because it's similar to, or even a blatant ripoff of, another is a fool. Humans have been telling stories for thousands of years. There are NO original ideas. It's all in the telling. THG told its story well.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] summeriris 10 years ago

Well we all are entitled to our opinions. But it helps if when we spout out opinions we have't proved ourselves to be less than truthful. There is just something about posting contradictory things that makes a person like that opinions not worth that much.

And as for BR, I had never heard of it before THG and then I found out the facts about it's public awareness in the US. When you find out that the film was never released and the book was only sold in specialty shops and didn't sell well there, well you can really understand why she never heard of it. Nobody did. Including you if any of your posts are truthful.

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I am the Queen of Snark, TStopped said so.

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] summeriris 10 years ago

I am not the one in denial. And I've never been to Egypt, what's the water like? Watch out for the crocodiles.

_____________
I am the Queen of Snark, TStopped said so.

[–] Block-Busted 11 years ago

Although I believe Hunger Games would be better if it dropped all the sci-fi pretense and just ripped off Battle Royale more than it already did.

Ripoff accusation resulting from that would dwarf any ripoff accusation we're seeing here right now.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] Block-Busted 11 years ago

Cool story. Now goodbye.

[–] Mahmood-Buttrumps 8 years ago

I thought it was supposed to be "not a ripoff" of Battle Royale 2: Requiem, though...