The real Hunger Games. Japanese flavour, no american sauce what-so-ever.
It's a good movie, but it is not as good as the book. I missed some parts of the story, like Shuya's passion for music and Mitsuko with those two boys that she killed. I think that the story would be better adapted as a tv show with 8~10 episodes.
Battle Royale is a campy wonderful Japanese film that is by no means perfect, but is certainly enjoyable if you aren't the type to roll your eyes over some silliness or overacting. The director's cut is honestly a bit too long with some very unnecessary scenes attached to it, so avoid that for a first time watch.
1 / 2 directing & technical aspect
1 / 1 story
1 / 1 act I
1 / 1 act II
1 / 1 act III
0 / 1 acting
1 / 1 writing
1 / 1 originality
1 / 1 lasting ability to make you think
0 / 1 misc
8 out of 10
I didn't like it that much. It was too cheesy and a somewhat poorly explained for my taste.
came here to watch in 2018 this movie...someone said hey you didnt watch this? Go watch... well... kind of i feel it was a wasted time but hey.. i just warn you, it's a boring movie, where you see kids killing them selves and nothing more
probably this movie is good for kids from 16 to 20 years... after that age i think we want a more richer script
This film was recommended to me long ago during my video store running days by a customer of mine that shared the same tastes in flicks. I never got around to it though, so many movies, so little time. This past year I found myself at Ai-Kon and there was a ‘Battle Royale’ panel which, due to that long ago reccomendation I attended. After asking many questions, I decided I needed to read the book first and try this out. Just finished the book today and watched this film. The book, was probably petty original until Hunger Games stole its momentum (and questionably plagiarized this), felt a little young adultish, with some gore added. This movie was more adult with even more gore and lots of fun. An enjoyable ride... though I think without the book’s background on the characters this could be a bit of a mess as it jumps everywhere. Luckily the book readers can fill in the blanks. Glad I did it in this order!
Same concept as The Hunger Games, its a bit disappointed, I was expecting some sick weird scenes to make it more interesting but instead there were some nice kills but the movie is filled with unnecessary drama and gossip, also it tilted a bit towards the silly side towards the end which kind of ruined it even more.
On one hand, it's a live action anime with all the cheese and melodrama and spikey hair villain and nonsensical action scenes and whatnot and a really misplaced classical soundtrack on top.
But then again, it has some genuine moments of actual characters and reflections and arty sequences that don't belong in the genre but that lifts the movie experience.
Quite often when I watch hyped up clever movies, I find them being simpletons dressed up in a suit. In this case, I feel like it's the other way around, though I struggle to put my finger on why.
Maybe it's just that Takeshi Kitano magic that got me wrapped around his finger.
Sat through the first 35 minutes of this expecting to see a lot of brutal violence. What I saw was a bunch of Japanese actors who can't act, and some ridiculous "kill" scenes that had less violence than the Jurassic Park franchise. Whatever the opposite of steroids is...this was Hunger Games on that. This blew chunks.
Kinji Fukasaku has to have been a genius. Not only can he make something so profound as Battle Royale from such a relatively simple story, but he also makes you care for each and every character of a giant cast while doing so.
Battle Royale is a very good piece of cinema, and leaves a lasting impression. Recommended!!!
Semi-dystopia in the classroom, as unruly students assault a teacher and get the whole class shipped off to a deserted island. There, recent legislature doth decree, they'll fight to the death for the nation's amusement and, presumably, to serve as a cautionary tale for similarly rebellious juveniles. Learning the ground rules alongside the aghast students is quite a ride: randomized weapons, explosive neck collars, daily fatality announcements and roving danger zones to keep participants from just picking a spot and camping out. Witnessing the swift divide between the everyday kids who are out of their depth and those who are immediately, passionately bought-in is equally stunning.
With forty-odd faces to chew ammo, it's impossible to feel complacent - somebody dies every couple of minutes - but also difficult to keep track of all the names and faces. Several attempts are made to hand-pick a few key personalities, to really get under the skin of why they are the way they are, but I found these segments too daydreamy and simplistic, like a bad anime. Shallow answers to dense, personality-defining questions.
When it stays in its lane, Battle Royale is a wickedly harsh lampoon of the public hunger for fresh reality programming. It pulls no punches and airs the dirty details, sweeping us up in the thrilling, violent whirlwind of the chase / trap / kill and then making us feel bad about it. Without its tremendous legacy, though, which has inspired long-running franchises throughout pop culture, I'm not sure it would be as well-regarded as it is. Much more powerful as an influencer than a standalone film
Who cares about the book. This movie a masterpiece that stands on its own! There's a reason it's ripped off every few years.
People criticizing the style of acting or the reaction to getting shot, only watch Hollywood movies and think foreign films should be like them and less unique.
I'm a little disappointed with this movie.
The book is really amazing, it's the perfect combination of emotions and brutality. I think they wanted to reproduce the same aspects but it turned out to be a hasty representation
good movie...but the original book is way better
I only rate things when I've truly truly loved a movie. I watched this movie, for the first time, a month ago and didn't rate. I enjoyed it, but didn't rate it. Well, for the past month it's all I've been able to think about! Today, I've decided to"heart" it; It's only a matter of time until I watch it again.
What the f**k?! This is a terrible, terrible Japanese trash horror flick: a ridiculous plot, bad acting, terrible characters... To watch this unrealistic and not even funny (B-movie, strike that) movie through, was nearly torture.
It is entertaining...
But it could have been better, the concept is good...there were some silly deaths....
I thought this would be better based on all of the hype from past friends talking about it. To be honest it was just... okay. Some pros and cons include:
Pro:
1. Interesting idea.
2. Shibasaki Kō is really hot.
3. Gogo from Kill Bill.
4. Vic Romano from MXC.
Cons:
1. It just meandered along with whatever it was doing.
2. Cool guy who volunteered for the fight is really bad with automatic guns. I mean, Christ, he was less than two feet away from anyone and missed EVERY.SINGLE.BULLET he fired from that damn gun.
3. The anime hair is just too much. EVERYONE has it. I'm over it now.
Most of the acting belonged in a pantomime. The deaths…just comical!
Maybe it was supposed to be cheesy, but it didn’t feel intentional. It just felt…out of place and inept.
It's a very special movie with a great idea and well written.Although,in some points it feels like is fake and most of death's an the way they happen are totally unrealisting with bad perfomances as well.7.3/10 still enjoyed this one.
Like juvenile poetry, it claims to be about something deep, but it's really all just love and death.
That said, all ultra-violent movies should be this fun. Still, I would've liked it more if Japanese bullets actually killed people and not just make them sit down a beat.
Full Review: https://youtu.be/ObrWpnfBbMI
In 1999 author Koushun Takami released a dystopian horror book titled ‘Battle Royale’. The book’s premise was that of a totalitarian Japanese government making its citizens commit atrocities against one another in the name of keeping law and order amid an economic collapse. In 2001 Takami’s book was adapted into a live action movie directed by Kinji Fukasaku with help from his son Kenta Fukasaku who wrote the screenplay.
Both the book and the film stirred up huge controversies upon release. Mostly from groups that wanted to regulate & censor it into oblivion and distributors being wary of public backlash. It’s not just that the film features violent content - it features teenagers committing atrocities upon each other which was kinda rare up until that point.
The original title of the film is Batoru rowaiaru
They took a lot of libertys with that ending.
Pretty entertaining Hunger Games movie oh wait this premiered first
It surprised me less than the other time, it's still very Japanese, but it's fine
It's a little all over the place in actually having a purpose to the story, but it's still a fun movie and well made.
in the beginning its adjusting to the language overal a nice big brother killing spree, liked it
people who hate live actions is because they never saw BR
Great movie, with a great feel throughout.
Pero no olvidéis que la vida es un juego. Así que luchad... luchad por sobrevivir. Y averiguad si realmente lo merecéis.
Not so great like Hunger games, but they gave Idea for them.
I know its not related... But the manga is better
Excellent film - lets hope Hollywood don't make a complete mess of the remake......
Shout by KierBlockedParent2012-12-02T15:01:15Z
i was expecting to love this movie, but meh. kind of silly and over-acted, being shot with a machine gun dropping to the ground waving your legs in the air and then getting right back up sort of stuff. painful to watch at times - this is definitely not something i ever want to sit through again.