12 Foreign Films That Show Hollywood How A Genre Film Should Be Done

Country: Japan

Genre: Action

Plot: A class of 41 schoolkids are put on an island and forced to kill each other. It's not as similar to The Hunger Games as it sounds; it's in Japanese, it's far gorier, and the characters and backstory are very different.

Battle Royale is extraordinary. The film triumphs largely thanks to its brilliant mix of dramatic moments and genre thrills, which makes it one of the most powerful thrill rides you'll ever experience.

The film's main lesson for Hollywood is that spectacle and substance will often have a mutually beneficial relationship. The film's dramatic elements and bleak depiction of savagery make the action more disturbing, while the violence and intensity conveys the film's thought-provoking themes and social commentary.

Here is a film where the substance and style work together perfectly, proving you can have both thrills and drama without sacrificing either element. Battle Royale takes the time to flesh out its characters and add lots of effective emotional moments, making this more or less a perfectly formed thriller.

It's also important to check out the special edition, which has stuff that, unlike other special editions (George Lucas, we're looking at you), really adds to the film. A sequel was released three years later; unfortunately it's atrocious and more or less glorifies terrorism.

When Hollywood did a similar premise with The Hunger Games they did it well, but most of the time they'd probably mess up.

Remake?

Unless you count The Hunger Games, no.