By David Weiner
4:23 PM PDT, March 26, 2012
Instead of wars, there's Rollerball... The mid-'70s were ripe with sci-fi movies depicting a dystopian and/or post-apocalyptic future, from Soylent Green and The Omega Man to Logan's Run and the Planet of the Apes series. Enter 1975's Rollerball, starring James Caan, the story of a futuristic, corporate-controlled society in which the elite enjoy watching regional teams battle it out to the death in a controlled arena. Sound familiar? Just for the record, make sure you watch the 1975 version of the film and avoid the cringeworthy 2002 remake at all costs.
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Rollerball
MGM
Instead of wars, there's Rollerball... The mid-'70s were ripe with sci-fi movies depicting a dystopian and/or post-apocalyptic future, from Soylent Green and The Omega Man to Logan's Run and the Planet of the Apes series. Enter 1975's Rollerball, starring James Caan, the story of a futuristic, corporate-controlled society in which the elite enjoy watching regional teams battle it out to the death in a controlled arena. Sound familiar? Just for the record, make sure you watch the 1975 version of the film and avoid the cringeworthy 2002 remake at all costs.
Death Race 2000
Producer Roger Corman's 1975 high-octane cult classic starring David Carradine and Sylvester Stallone is set in the bleak and politically oppressive year of 2000, and the world is whipped into an annual frenzy with the start of the Transcontinental Death Race, a three-day, high-speed, coast-to-coast competition in which the driver who racks up the most points by killing spectators, pedestrians and other unlucky passers-by wins it all. But will a covert faction of Anti-Race revolutionaries derail the devilish fun for good? Sex, humor, political tumult and just enough gratuitous violence make this low-budget cult flick a must-watch.
The Running Man
Lionsgate
Arnold Schwarzenegger provides plenty of one-liners in this 1987 deadly future game show parody based on the Stephen King book (writing under his Richard Bachman pseudonym). Think American Gladiators meets The Most Dangerous Game and you get the drift, with Ah-nuld declared an enemy of the state and on the run from WWE-style celebrity executioners looking to take out unlucky competitors for big ratings. While the movie shies away from totalitarian politics, the 1982 book details a lot more of the government intrigue and even features an eerie 9/11-reminiscent skyscraper assault.
Battle Royale
Anchor Bay
The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins reportedly denies that she ever heard of or saw this hugely popular Japanese flick released in 2000 before writing her bestseller, but it's undeniable that Battle's themes largely resemble the The Hunger Games action. Set in the "day after tomorrow" future, Battle Royale follows a class of students who are unwittingly transported to a remote island and told that they must kill each other off to survive, with the last student standing crowned the victor. And just in case the kids want no part in the violence, they are strapped with explosive necklaces that will blow their heads off if they don't kill each other within three days -- or try to escape. Maybe they can add those explosive necklaces to the big-screen Hunger Games follow-up, Catching Fire?
The Most Dangerous Game
Anyone who sees The Hunger Games should know that the plot device originated with The Most Dangerous Game. The well-read 1924 Richard Connell short story about a maniacal aristocrat who turns a big-game hunter into the hunted is widely regarded as the foundation for Hollywood's obsession with the man-hunting-man genre. The 1932 film adaptation stars Joel McCrea as Rainsford, who washes up on the remote island owned by Zaroff (Leslie Banks), the bored aristocrat looking for new excitement by hunting "the most dangerous game" -- man. As the hunt begins, Zaroff sets out to make his kill with weapons including a large bow and arrow. Hmmmm…
What Influenced The Hunger Games?
Lionsgate
By David Weiner
Jennifer Lawrence calls The Hunger Games a "futuristic Joan of Arc," and you don't have to look too closely at the dystopian film adaptation's age-old plot and futuristic setting to see story inspirations ranging from Lord of the Flies, The Lottery and The Most Dangerous Game to Stephen King's (writing as Richard Bachman) The Long Walk and The Running Man. We're breaking down five films that may have influenced the blockbuster hit. What do you think?
Jennifer Lawrence calls The Hunger Games a "futuristic Joan of Arc," and you don't have to look too closely at the dystopian film adaptation's age-old plot and futuristic setting to see story inspirations ranging from Lord of the Flies, The Lottery and The Most Dangerous Game to Stephen King's (writing as Richard Bachman) The Long Walk and The Running Man. We're breaking down five films that may have influenced the blockbuster hit. What do you think?