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DVD REVIEW
Battle Royale (2000)
Starring:
Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Kitano Takashi
Director:
Kenji Fujisaku
Rating:
NR
Studio:
Toei
Review
Posted: 4.11.03
Spoilers: Minor/Major
Reviewed by
Jon Bjorling
Before I go any further I must
first say this, if the film ever receives
a proper stateside release, it will quickly become a cult
favorite. Sadly,
it probably never will, and once again, film audiences loose.
We will
instead be treated to another crappy SNL spin-off "comedy" or
yet another
mindless horror flick featuring a cast of pretty young stars and
starlets
with the acting range of tuna.
Okay, enough with the main stream film bashing and on with
the review:
The world of Battle Royale is one where, because of the rise
in poverty,
juvenile delinquency is at an all-time high. In order to combat
this
violence, the government institutes the Battle Royale Act. A
class is chosen
at random and sent to a deserted island where the students are
given weapons
and told to kill each other. When there is one kid left alive,
the game is
over and he or she may return home. If there is no sole
survivor after three
days, the collars that the kids wear explode.
In an American film, the kids would come together (except
for one or two
that will try to kill em all) under the command of the silent
loner, they
would rise against their adult oppressors, free themselves, and
escape the
island.
Not in this film. Here, the kids, knowing that killing each
other is the only
way off the island, kill each other. Or at least most of them
do. True, as
would probably happen in real life, some band together. But
also, like in
real life, mistrust would tear this groups apart.
The film is shot decently. There are bits and pieces that can
be nitpicked
about, such as some poor day for night shots. But Fujusaku is
competent
enough to make use of what he has to work with. He blends a web
of drama,
action, and dark humor that could put most American blockbusters
to shame.
Beat Takashi is fun as Kitano, the class' old 7th grade
instructor. He is so
perfectly evil. We can see his delight when he sees the panic
on the faces
of the kids after one of their own is murdered. Yet, he is not
over the top
enough for audience members to think that he's nothing more than
a very bad
man. He's simply a man who is fed up with the arrogance that
the youth of
today is showing. He is pleased to see the kids being fed a
little bit of
their own medicine for once.
As for the violence in the film, yes, the kids do murder each
other on screen. But many of the murders are either
cartoonist-like over the top
(there is a
scene in which the necklaces are established and we are shown
how they work,
much to the horror of our hero who watches his best friend's
throat become a
shower of blood.
This sounds far more violent than it actually
is.) or the
deaths are very Hollywood-esque. After seeing the film
City of God, I
realized that there is absolutely no reason that this film
should not be
released in America.
City of God's child on child violence is
far more
graphic and disturbing than anything in Battle Royale.
9
out of 10
The transfer is decent. Although,
having not seen the film in theaters
and not knowing Asia Extreme (the company that released this
version of the film) reputation, it's possible that the transfer to DVD made
the day for
night scenes completely obvious. I just can't tell for certain.
8 out of 10
There's only a single audio track
and it's the original 5.1 Japanese track.
Unlike some other import DVD's I've had, this track is perfect.
I did not notice any flaws.
8 out of 10
There are few extra features: The
original trailer, a stills gallery, the
filmographies, and a brief synopsis, comments by Mark Wyatt.
Nothing special here. Mark Wyatt's comments aren't that
interesting to read,
the filmographies are useless since most of the films listed are
very
difficult for American audiences to find (but worth looking into
if one is really that impressed by Fujisaku or the cast and
crew).
2 out of 10
This is a film destined for cult
status. When will a studio grow balls and
release this? This film is nowhere as violent as some of the
films that have
been released over the last few years. I urge everyone to look
for Battle
Royale, and buy it.
Overall DVD Rating: 9 out of 10
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