Catch it before it's remade
 Jul 21st, 2006
Advantages:
Intelligent, fantastic directing, Interesting, challenging, cult (niche) appeal
Disadvantages:
(generally) unknown cast, violent, controversial
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
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  skiesaregrey
About me:
18 year old student, Merton College, Oxford University. Studying French and Russian.
Member since:09.07.2006
Reviews:6
Members who trust:2
Review rated by 6 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
The first glimpse I got of 'Battle Royale' was a late-night showing on the Uk TV channel Sci-Fi. The premise sounded cheesy and enjoyable, (a class of school children is abducted and forced to kill each other to survive) and I had nothing better to do than sit back and watch a gory forgeign movie. Within about 5 minutes I realised that Battle Royale would surpass my expectations, and by the end of the film I had prepared myself to search out the DVD, and read up anything interesting on the topic. I found a wealth of tie-in material: the book on which the film is based, the manga comic based on the premise, and a whole online community of fans, cosplayers and cult film obsessives willing to share their experiences watching the film.
The plot quickly becomes more than an excuse to display violent deaths for young teenagers, and the political notions of the story are made very clear and strong. In a Japan where adults have lost control of their children, where schools are boycotted and the streets are unsafe due to gangs of unruly youths, the government (with the aid of the Japanese adult population) passes the 'BR Act', meaning a class of children, aged 15-16, from anywhere in Japan, is chosen by impartial lottery and abducted, taken to an island and given weapons. Having been fitted with explosive collars, their only chance of survival is to kill each and every one of their classmates and be the last man standing by the end of 3 days, otherwise none will survive. But the satire on a corrupt society where adults punish their children with sadistic games is not the only powerful message the film aims to portray. Almost all of the children have explored personalities (a huge feat considering the number of characters and the limited screentime) and almost all have a powerful message and comment to make. The gang of girls lead by the class valedictorian who succumb to paranoia, the class ''brain' who believes his intelligence should grant him priority to survive, and several doomed love stories are just some examples of the topics discussed.
The acting is all of an acceptable standard from the unknown members of the cast, and Japanese guru 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano plays the teacher and leader of the program with charisma and talent as is expected of an actor of his calibre. Another point worth noting is that this extended edition of the DVD offers a few extra scenes which make all the difference in the plot. The character of Mitsuko, (Kou Shibasaki) is portrayed in the original as extremely ruthless, and (unlike the majority of the film) can come across as somewhat 2-dimensional in terms of a typical seductive villian. However in the extended edition offered on this DVD, some key scenes involving her childhood and time at the school she attends show a great insight into her personality, and add all new meaning to her actions and words. The strong character insight portrayed in the rest of the movie for other characters is granted now to one of the most interesting personalities in the 'game'.
Now, the issue at hand is that New Line Cinema have recently bought the rights to remake this film, and an American version will likely be made around 2008. I am not objecting to this remake, as I always like to keep an open mind about such projects, however the likelihood is that a large number of people will decide to watch the American version simply to avoid the language barrier. And I think the most important thing right now is to ensure that as many see the original as possible in order o preserve it. The cult appeal is massive, and anyone who likes niche market films should fall for its originality.
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![Battle Royale - Two Disc Special Edition [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/76558346.jpg)
![Battle Royale [DTS Special Edition]-DVD](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/99739106.jpg)
by (17%):
22.07.2006 12:53
An excellent and tightly written analysis. Great stuff. Unfortunate that Hollywood is looking to pillage from a South East Asian flick again. With this and a remake of Oldboy in the pipeline it just highlights what a mine of quality and original flicks the region seems to constantly dig-up. Alboy
22.07.2006 09:56
being a bit of a slow reader i tend to avoid movies with subtitles, so i will probaly hang on for the watered down American one, another great review
21.07.2006 17:56
I can't imagine an American version of BR - probably wouldn't work.