+ Just published my first review in around 2.5 years !!!
+ Just published my first review in around 2.5 years !!!
Member since:09.09.2002
Reviews:88
Members who trust:82
I saw the original "Battle Royale" movie just over a year ago, after reading several reviews in magazines such as Empire. Battle Royale was a hard hitting, horror come action film in which a group of Japanese schoolchildren are kidnapped and taken to a remote island where they are forced to kill each other for entertainment. This was at the request of the government, in response to the growing unrulyness of children throughout the country. It was gripping, horrific and entertaining all in one. In short, it was fantastic.
Whilst I was researching for another Asian Horror movie, "The Phone", I stumbled across another movie, "Battle Royale 2 - Requiem". I was not even aware that a sequel was planned, let alone been made and distributed, so I quickly placed my order. About 10 days later, the DVD arrived through the post, and I eagerly popped it into my DVD player...
THE STORY - -------------------
"Battle Royale 2 - Requiem" follows on from where the first movie finished. Shuya Nanahara, one of the two surviving
victims of the first Battle Royale, has set up a rebel group called "Wild Seven". Their objective is to declare war on all adults, and the Japanese government, in response to the way they treated the children in the Battle Royale programme. Wild Seven underwent terrorist training in Afghanistan, and returned to the island where BR takes place to build a fortress. In turn, the government come up with a new idea, Battle Royale 2 - Requiem, with similar ideas to the first BR, but with new rules... The class of schoolchildren are kidnapped, fitted with explosive collars which explode if they break the rules or stray into forbidden areas. This time, however, the children do not fight each other, but must eliminate Shuya Nanahara, the leader of Wild Seven.
The movie starts almost identically to the first Battle Royale - the kidnap, the scared reaction when the students realise what is happening to them, the reality of deciding whether they will fight or die ! The action starts with a dramatic beach landing, reminiscent to the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan - and is just as bloody !
Directed By ... Kinji Fukasaku & Kenta Fukasaku Written By ... Kenta Fukasku
(This will probably not mean much to most readers, but I have left it in my review for Asian movie buffs !)
TRIVIA - -----------
1. The producers had to select just 42 student out of 6000 that auditioned for the role. 2. In Japan, cinemagoers started queueing at midnight on the day of release to be one of the first to see the film. 3. The box office takings for this film exceeded the original BR by 70%, and it has brought in over 4000 Million Yen in box office takings in Japan ! 4. The film's original director, Kinji Fukasaku, died of cancer part way through filming. However his son continued where his father left off and completed the movie.
OVERALL OPINION - ----------------------------
The first Battle Royal had a strong horror atmosphere to it - BR2 tends to steer away from that to concentrate more on the action genre (however the horror is still evident in some scenes). The other major, and contraversial topic that is evident is that of terrorism and, to some people, anti-americanism. One scene of the movie has two large towers being blown up and collapsing - reminiscent of 9/11. Another lists countries that the USA has bombed, and how many people it has killed in this process. I have researched some reports of this film, and opinion is mixed - some think that it is a direct attack on the USA and the way it mercilessly bombs its enemies, whilst others think that it is an attack on terrorism and war in itself, and how decisions made by adults can have a direct effect on children. My opinion is divided down the middle - I can see both sides of the argument. It is definately worth watching the film, and I would recommend it to anyone who is open minded about asian film. The political undertones can override the story on occasions, but overall it is an excellent movie.
OTHER INFORMATION - ---------------------------------
Running Time - 133 Minutes Language - Japanese with subtitles. Available from - Yesasia.com / eBay and other specialist Asian DVD suppliers.
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1977 - Action/Adventure - Director: Clint Eastwood - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring:Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Pat Hingle, William Prince, Bill McKinney
Action/Adventure - Director: Gore Verbinski - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Bill Nighy, Keira Knightley, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Chow Yun-Fat
It's been three years since Battle Royale's survivors, Nanahara and Noriko, escaped from ... more
the island and the world has descended into an Age of Terrorism. The Wild Seven, led by Nanahara, is an anti-state organisation that has declared war on the adults...
Advantages: Action packed sequel with an *explosive* finish (please pardon the pun!) Disadvantages: Just not enough personal interaction with the majority of the characters.
Advantages: Sequel to a brilliant film, good acting and good story line Disadvantages: Not as good as the previous and very similar to saving private ryan in places!
Advantages: Action packed sequel with an *explosive* finish (please pardon the pun!) Disadvantages: Just not enough personal interaction with the majority of the characters.
![Battle Royale 2 - Requiem [DVD] [2003]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78495831.jpg "Battle Royale 2 - Requiem [DVD] [2003]")
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