I heard of this film from a few friends, all of whom gave it rave reviews. So I bought it as a hit or miss and unfortunately for me it was way off target.
The stroyline is about a futuristic oriental state where children at school are becoming corrupt and fighting back against teachers. So to combat this the governement enforce the Battle Royale Act where a class every year is taken away to a desserted island to fight and kill eachother until one person remains. I guess just giving the pupils after-school detention didn't sor tthem out. Each pupil is given a weapon at the start, whether its a gun, an axe, or a dustbin lid in which they have to kill eachother. The plot follows a boy and a girl where they know that they'd have to kill eachother eventually. There's also a suitable albeit predictable twist at the end.
As plots go this is pretty orginal stuff, I would love to see an English remake if it came out. However the subplots of how everyone 'likes' other members of the class are a bit lame to be honest. Maybe its due to the different cultures but there are some several unintentionally funny parts due to this.
When I heard of this film, the plot sounded incredible to me. So I had to add it to my DVD collection, so what lets it down is the acting and script really. A would wait for a remake if there ever was one in English, but if not then if this hasn't put you off, go for it.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
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
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
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
Re-rated based on Ciao's insistence that such reviews are no longer considered "Off Topic"
Soho_Black 12.03.2006 11:05
I see you've posted this as a DVD review, but you've not mentioned the DVD. Are there any extras? If so, what are they and are they any good? If you add to this, or if you change it to be posted as a "Film Only" review, which can be done by accessing "edit review" in the top right of the review and changing the drop down menu under the "Which format are you reviewing?" question at the bottom, please let me know and I'll re-rate.
kitty17 28.02.2006 19:01
Thought you could have included much more information about this film, you haven't mentioned any specific characters or their acting, I would have liked a little more information about the plot and mood of the film too, Ellie.
With the Japanese currently leading the way in thought-provoking cinematic violence its ... more
only fitting that Kenta FukasakusBattle Royaleis being touted asA Clockwork Orangefor the 21st century. Based on the novel by Koshun Takami, the film opens with a s...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
With the Japanese currently leading the way in thought-provoking cinematic violence its ... more
only fitting that Kenta FukasakusBattle Royaleis being touted asA Clockwork Orangefor the 21st century. Based on the novel by Koshun Takami, the film opens with a s...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
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 spiraling out of control. With school children boycotting their lessons and physically abusing thei...
![Battle Royale [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78522790.jpg "Battle Royale [DVD] [2001]")
Feb 28th, 2006
helpful by (92%):
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