I’ve spent the better part of a month piecing together coverage of The Belko Experiment, which has now gone live over at Speculative Chic. Their editorial team did a great job helping me through the process. Much of that involved them being exceedingly patient. Regardless, I think the end result might be of interest to readers of dystopian fiction, fans of the films, and people into pop culture analysis.
If you’ve been a long-time fan of Beat Kitano Takeshi like I have, going on 25 years, then you’re familiar with Battle Royale. Ever since the rise of The Hunger Games series there have been grumbles from Battle Royale fans about how Suzanne Collins’ work is derivative. And now The Belko Experiment hits the scene, purposefully inviting such comparisons, as explained in my review.
Please click through to read the full (lengthy) text. Be warned, though, this is a departure from the typical Speculative Chic review, in that it straps on galoshes and jumps into the rabbit hole of academic overthinking. For me that sorta thing is fun — I mean, I’m doing it all the time in my head while I’m watching commercials, taking kids to Laser Tag, or listening to somebody talk about their day. Don’t worry, if you’ve discussed your day with me I won’t be posting a critical analysis of it online.
As always please let me know what you think in the comments section at http://speculativechic.com/2017/04/19/death-match-the-belko-experiment-vs-battle-royale-vs-the-hunger-games/ and let people interested in the subject know about it when you can! Thanks.
John Edward Lawson 