By
K. Harris "Film aficionado" (Albuquerque, NM) (TOP 10 REVIEWER) (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
With the emergence of "The Hunger Games" phenomenon of the last few years, the inevitable comparisons between that franchise and the cult novel "Battle Royale" by Koushun Takami have been plentiful. Sure, the two do share strong thematic and narrative similarities, but each has a distinctly unique vibe and explores the back story behind the violence in a different way. The film adaptation of "Battle Royale" by director Kenji F ukasaku garnered almost instant international notoriety in 2000 for its disturbingly bleak portrait of kids set upon one another in a violent death match. Despite being banned and reviled by many, the story's visceral and emotional punch was hard to deny. It was nominated for numerous Japanese Academy Awards including Best Film, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Screenplay and won that country's "Popularity Award." The rumor that Hollywood was flirting with an American remake has been circulating for years, but some seem to think that the film adaptation of "The Hunger Games" might have hurt the likelihood of this occurrence. In any event, I never had high hopes that an American interpretation could rival the original."Battle Royale" is being released in two incarnations, a film only DVD/ Blu-ray or "The Complete Collection" DVD/Blu-ray.Film Only: This includes the Director's Cut of the film. First, the story is about a future Japan whose economy is in collapse and whose cr ime rate is spiraling out-of-control. In an effort to temper this uptick in violence by the juvenile population, the government has sanctioned an annual contest. In the movie, forty-two middle school aged students are dropped off and left to battle one another for survival. They are armed and coerced into fighting, for there can be only one winner left alive. As often as I've seen this movie, it never fails to shock and disturb me as it is exceptionally intense and powerful. Some complain that it isn't as "good" as the source novel (which is a pretty common argument with most translations from the page to the screen), but I think this is a daring and audacious film that succeeds fully on its own merits. I'm not, however, a huge fan of the Director's Cut. I don't think the extra footage adds appreciable value to the movie and I don't love the extended finale. This version has no special features.Complete Collection (4 discs): The four discs are (1) Director's Cut of the film (see above), (2) Theatrical Cut, (3) 2003's "Battle Royale II" and (4) Bonus Content Disc. While I would certainly consider the original "Battle Royale" as a classic, its sequel is less so. It carries the same concept over to a new class with some variations on the original theme, but the major difference is that an underground plot by an unexpected terrorist cell plays a large part in this year's action. It's solid enough, I like it. It just lacks the emotional kick of the first film.Bonus Disc Content included in Complete Collection only. This is on a standard DVD even in the Blu-Ray set (but all three films are on Blu-ray). The Making Of BATTLE ROYALE, BATTLE ROYALE Press Conference, Instructional Video: Birthday Version, Audition & Rehearsal Footage, Special Effects Comparison Featurette, Tokyo International Film Festival 2000, Battle Royale Documentary, Basketball Scene Rehearsals, Behind-The-Scenes Featurette, Filming On-Set, Original Theatrical Trailer, Special Editio n TV Spot, TV Spot: Tarantino Version. It's a lot of Bonus Material, but it has been used on Special Edition International versions of the DVD and is not new to this set (although now it is subtitled appropriately). Blu-Ray films have 1080p video and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtracks. KGHarris, 1/12.
By
Daniella Obraztsov (Kansas City, MO) (REAL NAME)
This is a great time to release this collection, with the hype of the Hunger Games and all. I read this book and movie long before the Hunger Games, and when I started to read those books, I swore it must have been based on Battle Royale! Although the author of Hunger Games completely denies knowing of Battle Royale's existence before writing them, the premise is hauntingly familiar. Throw children into very dangerous territory, and the last one alive is the winner.Why would anyone want to watch such a demented film about children slaughtering each other? Curious minds and taboo stuff draws many people's attention. If it's done right, it can be an ominous masterpiece. And that's how I would classify Battle Royale. It is provocative, destined to cause controversy, and makes you think about the world in a not-so-great light. This is actually Quentin Tarantino's favorite film since he began directing in 1992, and you can see why. With the non-stop, gritty, brutal action and interesting characters, this is a taboo must-see.While the Hunger Games is good, it seems a little fluffy compared to this. This is very gritty and not for the faint of heart. If you are a Hunger Games fan and curious about this though, you'll definitely love it. Cult classic!
By
Double A ""All that we see or seem is but...
Love the movie. the music was really good too. I have to say it sort of does remind me of the Hunger Games, but this was such an epic (John Milton style, not modern use) film. I admit I bootlegged to watch it but who hasn't? All I can say is that I watch this movie whenever I can. If you get a chance read the book. it is so closely related to the movie but with more details. Highly recommend if you like COD battles and gore.
By
Chad Burna (REAL NAME)
< /div> These two movies are amazing! I've been watching European imports...aka bootlegs... since back in the day. These films on blu ray are going to take over every inch of my television in high resolution and make me appreciate the luxury of existence. More importantly, those special features I've watched a million times will have subtitles..."At the 2001 Japanese Academy Awards, the film was nominated for Picture of the Year, Director of the Year, Screenplay of the Year, Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Tatsuya Fujiwara), Outstanding Achievement in Music (Masamichi Amano), and Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording (Kunio Ando). The film won Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing (Hirohide Abe) and the Popularity Award, and Tatsuya Fujiwara and Aki Maeda both won Newcomer of the Year." -Wikipedia
Having seeing both movies I can rate the first movie as great movie and all the hype is deserve, but the second one is a slow piece together product were the actors even look bored to death, lost and without any spirit at all. Save some money and rent both movies first and compare it to each other before spending your hard earn cash! I am rating it four stars, because of the second movie fiasco, because in reality the only worth to buy is the first BR. The first BR deserves all the credit is a 4 stars on its on merits.
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