Film Faceoff: Battle Royale VS The Hunger Games

When society is falling apart and an uprising is looming, what better way to remind citizens about their place in society by making children fight to the death?

In Battle Royale, a Japanese action thriller released in 2000, the government instated the BR Act as a reaction to 800,000 youth boycotting school, resulting in a soaring juvenile crime rate. The annual BR Act takes one class from the school system at random and makes them fight to the death leaving only one victor. This was used as both a way to eradicate unruly youth and to scare the remainder of children in society; reminding them that the adults still maintained control.

In The Hunger Games, a science fiction adventure film released in 2012, a failed uprising results in the government dividing society into twelve districts. To remind the citizens about the unsuccessful rebellion and that the government is more powerful than the people who occupy the districts, a lottery is held every year where two participants between the ages of twelve and eighteen are selected from every district and are forced to fight to the death. The last person alive wins and can return to their district.

Although both films have a unique setting and a separate motive for the annual death match, the overarching message is parallel between the two. Battle Royale and The Hunger Games have a fragile society and the powers in charge use peoples fear of killing and dying to maintain order.  Even though these films are similar in almost every way, one still comes out on top and represents the child death match genre better.

Let’s take a closer look in the first ever CYNOBS.com Film Faceoff!

WARNING: Spoilers are ahead

Round 1: Violence

FF Violence

Battle Royale and The Hunger Games both revolve around a blood sport, so it should be assumed that these movies will be filled with gore, violence, and carnage. And for the most part that is the case, but they approach this onscreen violence in two very different ways.

The weapons available for use on the battlefield have a tremendous affect on how outrageous the killing can be. The Hunger Games arena was restricted to melee weapons, acts of God, and a few landmines. While this would normally put on a spectacular show filled with limbs being hacked off and skulls be crushed, the “PG-13” rating kept most kill shots off screen. This diluted the tone of the death match and kept audiences from having that horrifying feeling that would typically come with watching such an event.

Battle Royale started the event by giving every contestant a bag filled with food, water, and a weapon. The event only lasts for three days so with the supplies they were given the chances of contestants starving or dying of dehydration is unlikely; it is all about the killing. The major game changer with Battle Royale is that on top of the melee weapons that got distributed, they also included firearms and grenades. The firearms caused the death count to increase quickly, but this seems appropriate for an event that only runs for three days and has 42 participants. But despite the type of weaponry, where Battle Royale takes the lead over The Hunger Games in this category is with its “NR” rating.

Every kill shot is captured and the conclusions to the fight scenes are elaborate. Sticking a grenade in the mouth of a decapitated head then hurling it through the window of a shack to take down other participants is not something viewers get to see in a PG-13 rated film. Battle Royale captures the madness that comes with a death match and because of that it wins Round 1.

Round 1 Winner: Battle Royale

Round 2: Storyline

FF SToryline

Battle Royale and The Hunger Games have some blatant similarities built into their stories. The plot revolves around a boy and a girl that weren’t publicly in love prior to the death match, but developed feeling for one another during the event. The original rules of the event were compromised by the end of the match. Alliances were formed but self-destructed quickly. And the death match coordinator was punished appropriately. But even with all the similarities, the progression of the story felt completely different between each film.

Battle Royale had 42 participants at the start of the death match. This wouldn’t have a huge impact on the storyline except it seems like the film makers tried to include screen time for every person participating in the event. Without a doubt there are three main characters the story should follow; the boy and girl developing their relationship during the match and their protector.

But the film tries to touch on the conflict, back story, and death for almost every participant. The viewer never really gets a chance to develop empathy for the main characters until the final few minutes of the movie. And even then the ending is so open-ended that audiences are left questioning whether the couple’s perseverance during the match paid off. After the end of the match there is no sigh of relief, satisfaction of the outcome, or hope towards the future for the couple.

The Hunger Games did a great job highlighting every noteworthy participant in the games without trying to deviate from the two main characters. The back-story, evolution, and conclusion to the story were based around the boy and girl most prevalent to the plot. This let viewers develop an intimacy with the most important characters involved in the death match and had audiences invested in the outcome of the story. While there were peripheral conflicts included in the match, they only emphasized the importance of the main characters. This character development resulted in viewers feeling satisfied with the outcome of match despite the ending seeming open-ended.

Round 2 Winner: The Hunger Games

Round 3: Watchability

FF Entertainment

Even if the acting or story is great, there are a variety of other elements that can affect viewers’ immersion into a film. If the pacing is inconsistent, the filming is disorienting, or the soundtrack is ineffective, viewers will ultimately be left unsatisfied despite the brilliance of the message the film contains. This can lead to a “one and done” scenario where viewers find no value in re-watching a film. Battle Royale and The Hunger Games are polar opposites when they are put on a watchablitiy scale, and here’s why.

The Hunger Games delightfully depicts young love while telling a compelling underdog story. The pacing of the film is great and viewers never feel like scenes are dragging on. The antagonists are clearly defined and are represented brilliantly; it’s always clear who to hate and why. While the action scenes aren’t overabundant, the character development and the evolution of relationships is what keeps audiences compelled to watch until the very end. The ending is perfectly wrapped up and doesn’t leave viewers with a cliff hanger, but definitely has them yearning for a little more.

Battle Royale just seems to be a challenge to watch. It is not tremendously difficult to keep up with the subtitles, but the film jumps around frequently between side-stories. If viewers look away for a second they will likely miss dialogue that explains why people formed an alliance or are trying to kill each other.

The main antagonist never really gives viewers a reason to hate him to the point where retribution feels completely justified. As the film progresses, the coordinator of the death match actually starts to appear more human rather than a unadulterated source of evil. But it’s the ending that really left fans scratching their heads. It doesn’t seem like the main characters were any better off after the death match than when they were competing.

Round 3 Winner: The Hunger Games

Film Faceoff Winner: The Hunger Games

FF winner

If you’re just interested in having a couple beers and watching epic kill scenes over and over again, Battle Royale is the film to choose. But when it comes to having substance and a compelling story that will keep you engaged in the events happening on screen for 90 minutes, The Hunger Games is the clear-cut winner. It elicits excitement, sadness, anger, and joy as you follow the characters on their journey through extraordinary circumstances. If you need to decide on one movie in the child death match genre, The Hunger Games prevails.

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