Back from my 9 month trip, returning from sunnier climes to the glories of East Anglia. Happy. Happy...
Back from my 9 month trip, returning from sunnier climes to the glories of East Anglia. Happy. Happy. Joy. Joy. At some point a may bring myself to start up the old reviews again. We shall see.
Member since:09.03.2002
Reviews:25
Members who trust:2
I saw this film in the cinema last year, and eagerly awaited the DVD release. Now I have it, and I highly recommend it to any film fan, especially those who love gore-laiden cultish films such as this!
Thanks to the increasing rebellious behaviour of the future's youth, the government are forced to impose an act which will put the kids back in their place. Once a year one class is chosen to take part in Battle Royale. The lucky class are drugged, taken to an island and shown a cute introductory video which tells them that the only person who will be allowed to leave the island alive is the last person standing. Naturally, the kids are not too happy about this. But they don't get a choice thanks to the exploding strip strapped to their necks. Each is given a weapon and sent out on to the island.
Cue gore, tension and alot of fun. If that is your sort of thing, you won't be dissappointed by this film. Extremely well paced, the kids gradually pick each other off through a variety of gory and shocking methods. Leave it to the Japaneise to depict school kids gunning each other down in cold blood. Not that I am complaining, it all looks like good wholesome fun from here! As the film progresses it becomes a kind of gory big-brother, as you get to know the characters, and start speculating over which will be the survivor. It is equally interesting to see the different ways that the characters deal with the situation (there are 40 characters to start with, so there is alot of variety).
If you are a fan of special features, you won't be pleased. Here is a list of the sparce features on the disc:
Star and director filmographies Scene selection (I cannot believe they still get away listing this as a special feature) Original theatrical trailer Stills gallery Film Notes Asia extreme trailer reel
None of them too interesting. The film notes make a vaguely interesting read, but do not do the job that a short, well constructed documentary would. Not commentary, which is fair enough, as I am sure than not all involved can speak English.
I have few criticisms of this film. One would be the acting, which is very hit and miss (which I guess is to be expected if you have 40 child actors). The subtitles I am guessing are a little bit poorly translated at points. Certain pieces of dialogue did make me laugh. Other than that, if it sounds like your sort of film, you can't really go wrong.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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
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
Good op. I quite enjoyed the film too and it's a shame about the lck of extras. How much is it on DVD? Tom
hellyphant 22.04.2002 17:15
I thought this was a good review. I personally hated the film though. I thought it was totally sick - an evil idea. I suppose if I'd have looked at it as a comedy, it would have been better.
With the Japanese currently leading the way in thought-provoking cinematic violence its ... more
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Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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at an all-time high, and violence amongst the nation's youth is spiraling out of control. With school children boycotting their lessons and physically abusing thei...
At the dawn of the new millennium Japan is in a state of near-collapse. Unemployment is ... more
at an all-time high and violence amongst the nation's youth is spiralling out of control. With school children boycotting their lessons and physically abusing the...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
![Battle Royale [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78522790.jpg "Battle Royale [DVD] [2001]")
Mar 9th, 2002
(Mar 11th, 2002)
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