Rating: 
Summary: jaw dropping concept!!but not that far fetched THESE DAYS!!!
Review: in the near future the Government comes up with this sick idea to try to control the (") (UN") out of control youth.each year they pick a class of teenage students rebelious or not it seems,they bring them to a deserted island and force them to kill one another till there is only one survivor.AND THE LESSON IS!!!punishment for the unlucky class that got picked and i guess a scare tactic for the rest of the youth of the country/world. there is alot more to it i just don't want to ruin it or give anything else away.the special edition dvd comes out looking great and there are a bunch of features BUT!!! on my special edition directors cut none of the special features have subtitles so you can't understand anything anyone is saying(it has subtitles for the movie but not the extra's???????)anyway all & all the movie is great the only reason i gave it 4 stars instead of 5 stars is because alot of the dialog was bad and unreal for example(if i just got stabbed/shot/burned whatever my last words in my dying breath would not be telling this pretty girl holding me in her arms that"I THINK YOUR COOL"?????????????? no one would choose those words as there last words!!!!!!!!!!!the other thing that bothered me was the speed of the subtitles(TO FAST!!!) & alot of confusing unfinished sentences in the subtitles as well,sometimes as the viewer i didn't know how to take the dialog sometimes it would feel like im watching a movie for kids & then sometimes it would feel raw and real like i was watching a ARTISTIC MASTERPIECE!!! those things didn't help at all but they by no means ruined the movie either!!!! like i said all& all the movie is great!!!!! SCARY SCARY CONCEPT because its not so far fetched THESE DAYS!!! GOOD ACTING/DECENT DIRECTING/GREAT PACE/MASTERFUL ARTISTIC CONCEPT!!!/AND LAST BUT NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE LEAST PLENTY OF BLOOD BLOOD BLOOD!!!!!!!HURRY UP AND FIND THE DVD YOU WILL ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: the very definition of trite
Review: It makes me sad to see so many young people slobbering over this movie as A.) Somehow exemplary of "Japanese culture" [ha, ha, ha] and B.) A social commentary along the lines of Lord of the Flies Maybe said teenies need to go actually read Lord of the Flies, or perhaps learn something about Japan besides the childmind-stunted anime "culture" this movie caters to. Insult to injury comes from the very fact that this already heavy-handed story tries to deliver some didactic "relevant" message at the end. As in many trashy Japanese films, the director cannot help himself and tries to make his movie deeper than it is in the last 10 minutes. I'm not inherently against pulp cinema, but its a peculiar flaw of many recent Japanese films to try and add a special something--usually a bit of moralizing--in at the last minute, ultimately making the film unbearably pretentious (all other artistic considerations aside). Alas, yet another Japanese blunder for all the intellectual sophists of the world who love to bandy about words like "philosophy," "social," and "cultural". My distaste for this kind of film is so strong that if you do like this movie, we probably wouldn't get along. There's much to love about Japan (and Japanese film), but unfortunately this is all the exposure most impressionable minds get.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Bad
Review: It's ok, but the book is infinitely better. I was really expecting a lot more after reading the book and reading the other glowing reviews. I guess there was no choice about using very young actors considering the plot, but with the exception of Noriko, Takako, Shuya, Shogo and of course Kitano, the rest of the acting was pretty bush-league. If you like reading, skip the movie and just read the book. So much more than what you see on screen is contained between those magical pages.
Rating: 
Summary: Incredible
Review: Look at the reviews on this page. Almost 25 reviews, almost all 5 star. Wonder why? This is one of the greatest movies ever made, simply because of the plot. The amateur filming (shaky camera, etc) only adds to the rawness of this movie. Buy it right now, you wont find a movie that will make you think this much. 5/5
Rating:
Summary: Fun Fun Fun
Review: Lots of action and drama held together by an intresting idea. The subtitles are well translated but the extras are meaningless (no translation). If you like watching kids kill eachother (doesn't everyone) then just drop this in your shopping cart. It is far out and cool. (It seems that there are plenty of people selling it new if amazon doesn't restock it, so it isn't hard to get).
Rating:
Summary: HOLY *&^%! another japanese classic.
Review: Previously to viewing a copy of BR, I read the raving reviews from the other amazon customers..and you know what? I strongly agree with their 5 star ratings.
this movie doesn't pull any punches when it comes to violence, but at the same time it's also a social commentary regarding violence within today's high schools, (especially in america)and the bad bridge between the generation gap. beat takashi (brother) does a great portrayal as the sadistic teacher/controller KITARO. BR has influences from previous american flicks like the running man, lord of the flies,escape from new york and fortress (the necklace bomb "wedlock") what's disturbing is watching those cute japanese kids get slaughtered in so many ways(shootings,hackings,slashings,poison etc.) that it almost resembles a virtual videogame.
the ending i felt was anti climatic, but the flashback sequences adds much depth to the characters. too bad most americans will NEVER get to see this DVD Gem because of the contriversial content, but if ever there was a us adaptation like THE RING, director paul verhooven(robocop,starship troopers) would be my first choice and/or maybe quinten tarantino just as long as he doesn't make a cameo appearance like he did in his previous movies. BATTLE ROYAL; one of the best movies "made in japan".
Rating:
Summary: School shootings gone wrong
Review: Really a brillant film, but not really a suprise being based on a spectacular novel. Okay, it's more violent then your typical film, it's also very entertaining and enlightening. But more then anything "Battle Royale" is a very serious social commentary. And it really has nothing to do with the fall of respect and order in social structure like some may think. The most important key in the film is survival and trust. These students are put in this extreme situation and each person reacts and adjust in a very different manner. The novel and the film are in fact a social commentary on how our instinct will overcome every emotion when backed into a far enough corner. Some of the scenes in the movie were just too perfect in depicting such a human trait. I was really impressed with some of the things that happened in the movie. Overall the acting is above average, nothing special, but then again good acting. The direction of the film was great along with the great adaption to script. I was a little disappointed with the ending, but it doesn't take away from the root of the film. Already this film is being duplicated into other films. Even Quentin Tarantino has stated that his feature "Kill Bill" has alot of influence from "Battle Royale." Surely to be classic in the coming years. At the time of this review, "Battle Royale" does not have a US studio version of the film on dvd. If you do buy this, be sure to get the double disc director's cut edition. Unless you can speak fluent japenese, seeing as how many "editions" out there have terrible subtitling or sometimes none at all.
Rating:
Summary: Battle Royale. A Classic
Review: The movie which was made after the novel written by Koushoun Takami is Japan's "high-octane thriller." A story about a class of students forced to fight to death on an island by their fascist government. This movie shows how the bonds of friendship and trust are broken by the will of self-survival. The cinematography in thise movie wasn't awesome, but it didn't matter. Great characters, plot, and an amazingly original idea make this movie great. Not all will like it, but if you have read the novel and enjoyed it, you will also enjoy the movie.
Rating:
Summary: do yourself a favor
Review: This is a fantastically disturbing film but do yourself a favor, read the book first, the movie is great, the book is absolutely brilliant, so much more depth I garauntee that anyone who reads the book first will enjoy the movie on a whole different level...
you can thank me later...
Rating:
Summary: great movie
Review: This is a great movie. The plot: Children are refusing to go to school and disobeying parents, so the government institutes BR(Battle Royale) to put the kids in their place. Class 3B, 9th graders, are all drugged and shipped to a deserted island where only one student can be the survivor. Each student is given a bag with supplies for their three day adventure and a miscellaniouse weapon.
I liked this movie soooo much because it made you think and also because the interaction between the students was intriguing. After all how would you behave if you had to kill your friends and class mates?
| 
