‘Battle Royale’ Trailer: The Original Hunger Games Finally Hits US DVD In March
It’s only about twelve years late, but here’s a US trailer for the Japanese filmBattle Royale, in which a class full of kids is forced to fight each other to the death on a remote island. The movie was released in 2000, and directed by renowned Japanese filmmakerKinji Fukasakubased on the novel of the same name byKoushun Takami.
Though it seems that nearly everyone who wants to has seen the film through various legitimate and less legitimate DVD releases,Battle Royalehas never been officially available in the US. That changes in March, when Anchor Bay releases the movie on Blu-ray — just in time for the theatrical release ofThe Hunger Games, which bears a striking plot similarity toBattle Royale.
See a trailer for the DVD release below.
Controversial at the time of its release, Fukasaku calledBattle Royalehis “words to the next generation” andsaidthat his interest in the material was related to a hatred of adults that arose in him during the ’40s, when he realized that the Japanese government had been lying about the reasons for fighting WWII.
Meanwhile,Suzanne Collins, author of the novel series upon whichThe Hunger Gamesis based, maintains that she had never seen or heard ofBattle Royalebefore writing her books. I find that difficult to believe — it seems like someone whose interests run to the sort of material represented inThe Hunger Gameswould have knownBattle Royale— but I suppose it is possible. The point is moot now, as both books and films are done, and can easily co-exist.
Battle Royalehits DVD on March 20;The Hunger Gamesopens on March 23.
