Quentin Tarantino Criticizes ‘Hunger Games’ for Copying ‘Battle Royale’ as He Begins to Unveil 20 Best Movies of the 21st Century: Why Hasn't Suzanne Collins Been Sued for Plagiarism?

Quentin Tarantino appeared on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast to discuss his personal ranking of the 20 best movies of the 21st century so far. The Oscar-winning filmmaker disclosed his picks for positions 20 through 11:

• #20: Steven Spielbergs West Side Story
• #19: Eli Roths Cabin Fever
• #18: Bennett Millers Moneyball
• #17: Prachya Pinkaews Chocolate
• #16: Rob Zombies The Devils Rejects
• #15: Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ
• #14: Richard Linklaters School of Rock
• #13: Jeff Tremaines Jackass: The Movie
• #12: Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushados Big Bad Wolves
• #11: Kinji Fukasakus Battle Royale

Fans of Tarantino will not be surprised by his inclusion of Battle Royale, a 2000 dystopian thriller adapted from Koushun Takamis novel. The story follows a group of junior high students forced to fight to the death under a totalitarian Japanese regime.

Tarantino compared Battle Royale to The Hunger Games series, noting the striking similarities in plot. He expressed disbelief that the original Japanese team never sued Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games. According to Tarantino, critics failed to recognize the parallels, praising Collins work as original despite the obvious connection to Fukasakus film.

Recalling his first viewing, Tarantino shared that he saw Battle Royale while in Japan scouting locations for Kill Bill. Fukasaku invited him to a private screening, leaving Tarantino blown away by the films intensity. He later attended the Seattle Film Festivals midnight showing, describing it as one of the most thrilling screenings he had ever experienced.

In the same podcast, Tarantino highlighted Spielbergs West Side Story (#20) for revitalizing the directors career, calling it an exceptionally exciting work for the 21st century. He also praised Jackass: The Movie (#13) for being the funniest film he had seen in two decades, recounting how he shared it with the Kill Bill crew during production.

Tarantinos full list of his top 10 movies will be revealed in the next episode of The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast.

Author: Sophia Brooks