Today, the odds may ever be in your favor. Just as The Hunger Games was named by Amazon to be the e-tailer’s all-time best selling book series, the film adaptation starring Jennifer Lawrence hits shelves on Blu-ray and DVD. And as $684 million in international box office grosses might suggest, this one’s a fairly popular choice among movie fans. So as a site that invites movie fans of all walks of life to discuss their favorite films, we thought it proper to take The Hunger Games and build a little mini-marathon that you can act out in your own living room. Because if you’re into this movie, you may have a taste for blood. Or tough girls. Either way, pairing The Hunger Games up with some of cinema’s great fights to the death is far from a bad idea. Or perhaps you’re just a guy who is going to be asked to sit and watch the Katniss movie by the girl of your dreams. Why not propose a trade?
“We’ll watch the teen lit film if we can also watch one of these…”
With that in mind, we’d like to know which great blood sports you’d pair with The Hunger Games. But first, a few suggestions.
Battle Royale
The obvious choice. The fact that Suzanne Collins, writer of “The Hunger Games” books said that she’s never heard of Battle Royale is a tough on to believe. They’re dangerously close, and not just thematically. Then again, this one is still somewhat obscure to the layman. But a great recent Blu-ray release in the U.S. has made it available. Feel free to pair it up and compare and contrast for yourself.
Death Race 2000
No, not the one with Jason Statham. I’m thinking Carradine, Stallone and all the most ridiculous Roger Corman-ness of the 1970s packed into 80-minutes of mayhem.
The Running Man
It figures that this list would turn into an inadvertent plug for The Expendables 2. First Stallone, now Schwarzenegger. What can I say? When it comes to fighting to the death as sport, these two guys were doing it long before Katniss picked up her bow and arrow.
Gladiator
Enter another candidate for a future Expendables movie, Russell Crowe. In Ridley Scott’s ode to the original blood sport, the Romans put the wrong guy in the ring to face off with the gladiatorial best. Are you not entertained?
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing
Or just about any of the three Undisputed movies. This one pits perennial ass-kicker Michael Jai White against Scott Atkins, who also happens to be in The Expendables 2.
Bloodsport
Jean-Claude Van Damme in his prime (also known as any time). This 1988 actioner saw Van Damme in the ultimate underground fight to the death. And yes, I realize that I’ve named pretty much everyone in the new Expendables movie. Then again, it’s for good reason. You’re in good company, Katniss Everdeen.
What fight to the death film would you pair with The Hunger Games?