Featured Audience Ratings

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  <B>Battle Royale</b> has impressed many and is loved by a lot. I must have missed something. I liked the concept of the film and enjoyed some it. But I guess what really put me off was some of the dialogue and some of the acting. It was just too cheesy for me. I… More
  <B>Battle Royale</b> has impressed many and is loved by a lot. I must have missed something. I liked the concept of the film and enjoyed some it. But I guess what really put me off was some of the dialogue and some of the acting. It was just too cheesy for me. I couldn't get passed it. Plus a lot of the gory parts looked really fake. I know they are but you want it to at least look realistic. It just wasn't a movie for me.

• Kase V

  
  'Battle Royale' is clearly a huge underground hit for many good reasons, even if the acting is a little poor from the young students. Kitano gives a great performance however, and the pace is brisk while the violence is plenty. The film most superbly succeeds in its a… More
  'Battle Royale' is clearly a huge underground hit for many good reasons, even if the acting is a little poor from the young students. Kitano gives a great performance however, and the pace is brisk while the violence is plenty. The film most superbly succeeds in its a production design and atmosphere whilst being a social commentary that is pretty poignant. The teenage drama is a little soapy but its easy to forgive their performances, seeing as the film in its entirety is extremely potent. 'Battle Royale' is definitely recommended for any Tarantino fan or someone looking for an original viewing experience because yes, this film was made before 'Hunger Games' was even written. The similarities may be uncanny, but this vision of teens fighting to the death makes for a better production.

• Chris W

  
  I've finally gotten around to seeing this, and yeah, it's quite a film. First off: the elephant in the room. The Hunger Games isn't a complete rip off of this. Yeah, it's similar, but as I said in my review for that one, it's just another variation on a… More
  I've finally gotten around to seeing this, and yeah, it's quite a film. First off: the elephant in the room. The Hunger Games isn't a complete rip off of this. Yeah, it's similar, but as I said in my review for that one, it's just another variation on a theme. The biggest difference between this and that is that one has more world building (and is slightly better in that regard), but this one has a lot more guts, and was thankfully not compromised when it comes to the dark and gritty subject matter. Not only that, but this film is a lot easier to tell what's going on too, as the camera isn't shaking every few seconds. The satire (and yes, it is clearly a darkly comedic satire) is fairly broad, but it gets the point across. Japan is getting frustrated with youthful rebellion so they come up with an extreme way to deal with it: randomly select entire classes of 9th graders and force them to battle to the death on an island. Awesome. It's a pretty pointed look at the competitiveness of the educational system, and really does a good job with the broad strokes. Plus, the bloodshed is a lot more effective and shocking since the kids all know each other very well, unlike THG where the kids don't really know one another very much. The film is quite shocking, and it amazed me how many times I noticed that my jaw had dropped. This is gruesome, but there's definitely a sense of tongue-in-cheek to this, namely with the instructional video, and the way the adults regard the situation. I kinda felt bad for enjoying this at times, and the fact that the film is really tonally ambiguous is somewhat problematic, but overall, this film is quite amazing and compelling. There's some character development, but just enough to keep most of the characters from being complete fodder. In a movie like this, its expected that some characters will get priority over the others, and that's fine. Those characters get the most development, and it's done decently. I just wish that it was possible to have more development for more of the players. The performances are decent though, for the most part. Occasionally some of the acting sticks out as rather melodramatic, but not enough to wreck things. Now, the violence. Damn! Like I said, I got pretty shocked at times. This film is brutal, inventive, and the rough stuff is executed quite well. Some of these set pieces were just dynamite, and I loved the creativity they put into some of these kills. The film does somewhat fall apart a bit towards the end, but it ended satisfactorily enough for me I suppose. All in all, this is definitely a must-see. Obviously it's not for the squeamish, but come to it with an open mind and I think you might find something good to take away from it.

• Jeff "

  
  A taut, gripping and dramatic action thriller that puts students to fight each other to the death till one winner .is left standing. Sound familiar? The Hunger Games basically ripped off the idea, and even though I enjoyed that film, I much preferred this one. The film does boast some… More
  A taut, gripping and dramatic action thriller that puts students to fight each other to the death till one winner .is left standing. Sound familiar? The Hunger Games basically ripped off the idea, and even though I enjoyed that film, I much preferred this one. The film does boast some good acting, and has a good plot that is sure to keep you entertained from start to finish. The film is well directed and is a lot more compelling than The Hunger Games, as it has a rawer, gritty intensity to the tone of the movie. Therefore it adds so much more flavor to the plot and it is a more violent, realistic piece of cinema. I'm not hating on The Hunger Games, but once you see this film, it's hard not to notice that the novel and subsequent film weren't influenced by this work. Entertaining and intense, Battle Royale is one of the best foreign films that has come out in the last twenty years. With effective pacing, director Kinji Fukasaku paints a visceral picture of a society using humans as pawns in a battle to the death, and it works very well. If you want a film that's very similar to the Hunger Games, but is a lot better, and then give this film a viewing, you're sure to enjoy it more and if you were disappointed by that one, this one may give you what you were looking for in a film. Very well done, and accomplished in terms of scope, concept and effective plot, Battle Royale is a great film that is a near flawless piece of cinema. Violent, memorable and well acted, this one stands in a class by itself.

• Eric S

  
  A sick, twisted, maniacal film about kids that are forced to kill each other until only one remains. Sound familiar? This film is actually a lot of fun and I enjoyed it. I didn't like the score that much and felt that some of the music could have been left out or used… More
  A sick, twisted, maniacal film about kids that are forced to kill each other until only one remains. Sound familiar? This film is actually a lot of fun and I enjoyed it. I didn't like the score that much and felt that some of the music could have been left out or used differently. I'm also not a fan of near death speeches (you know, saying your final words and then dying right after); it happens a lot in this film. "Battle Royale" isn't a masterpiece or a flawless film; it's a nice time killer.

• Randy T

  
  Adolescent sentiments mired in graphic violence. Not for the young or the squeamish.

• xGary X

  
  A Japan increasingly concerned with spiralling urban violence makes an example of troublesome teens by stranding them on a desert island with the sole purpose of making them kill each other off until just one remains. Kinji Fukasaku's magnificently tasteless satire on reactionary… More
  A Japan increasingly concerned with spiralling urban violence makes an example of troublesome teens by stranding them on a desert island with the sole purpose of making them kill each other off until just one remains. Kinji Fukasaku's magnificently tasteless satire on reactionary politics could be considered the logical conclusion of reality TV. The concept is a kind of cross between The Running Man and Lord Of The Flies. All the usual High School shenanigans are involved, but the introduction of lethal weapons throws the cliques, crushes and rivalries into a whole new light! The young cast are all great and Fukusaku was a veteran of Japanese Yakuza films and therefore a dab hand at stylized violence; the unrelenting drama and action of a type of slasher film where EVERYONE is the killer means it's virtually impossible to get bored! The sentiment can get a little heavy handed in places but Takeshi Kitano's surreal and sardonic host pops up at strategic intervals to routinely steal the show and stop the schmaltz before it goes too far. Certainly not as profound as it thinks it is, but it's a wonderfully entertaining and unique film that's destined to become a cult classic. Just avoid the dismal sequel (completed by his son after Fukusaku's death) like the plague.

• Jonathan H

  
  Japan's most controversial export in years has already achieved a certain cult status do its grisly violence and audacious plot, but as much as I wanted to like it, the bottom line is Battle Royale is just not that good. The basic narrative is razor-thin, the characters are… More
  Japan's most controversial export in years has already achieved a certain cult status do its grisly violence and audacious plot, but as much as I wanted to like it, the bottom line is Battle Royale is just not that good. The basic narrative is razor-thin, the characters are extremely underdeveloped, and any attempt to say anything meaningful or moving is ham-fisted and obvious, which quite simply isn't good enough for a film as in-your-face as this. The repetitive killings tend to obscure its attempt to establish a message, instead of highlighting it. The brutal violence, also, is slightly undercut by a sense of satire and irony as the filmmakers nod at cultural issues (children out of control, first-world laziness, etc.) but nothing ever gets beneath the surface, leaving us to merely "enjoy" the film as an action thriller in which a group of fairly anonymous teens murder each other in increasingly gruesome and inventive ways. I almost think Battle Royale would have worked better as an exploitation film, but its commitment to thematic concerns (however flawed they were) effectively prohibits it from ever being so. Ultimately, what you have is an attempt at a serious arty film, but it comes off as being a relatively entertaining slasher B movie that seems desperate to be more important than what it really is.

• c0up  

  
  'Battle Royale'. Teen melodrama overload and absurdly violent, with a tone that was too muddled for me. The film tried to address a lot of "big" issues, but I couldn't go with any of it because it felt like a spoof that wasn't one. The whole motivation… More
  'Battle Royale'. Teen melodrama overload and absurdly violent, with a tone that was too muddled for me. The film tried to address a lot of "big" issues, but I couldn't go with any of it because it felt like a spoof that wasn't one. The whole motivation behind forcing the students to kill each other was "you're mocking adults, this will teach you a lesson". If this was meant to be taken seriously in any way, it failed, and if it wasn't, then the humour angle didn't work either.

• Graham J

  
  Long before "The Hunger Games" novels and film took America by storm, this terrifying ultraviolent film was a visceral moviemaking punch to the gut. With "Games" sharing so much of it's mythology with "Battle Royale", it's easy to imagine… More
  Long before "The Hunger Games" novels and film took America by storm, this terrifying ultraviolent film was a visceral moviemaking punch to the gut. With "Games" sharing so much of it's mythology with "Battle Royale", it's easy to imagine Suzanne Collins had this film playing on repeat while writing. Give credit where credit is due.

• Reid V

  
  Overly-dramatic, overly-violent, and wildly-entertaining, this exercise in excess is quite the experience. Being the object of scorn by the adults of Japan, unruly teenagers are chosen at random to kill each other off one by one on a nearby island. Their once care-free living,… More
  Overly-dramatic, overly-violent, and wildly-entertaining, this exercise in excess is quite the experience. Being the object of scorn by the adults of Japan, unruly teenagers are chosen at random to kill each other off one by one on a nearby island. Their once care-free living, flipped upside-down in a way that will change, or take, all of their lives. From the the music to the acting, this film is boisterous, which puts an even more surreal spin on an already oddly enrapturing experience. Yet, rather than just have this be an empty vessel of shock and awe, director Kinji Fukasaku makes some interesting observations on generational conflict. The adults of this world say that the students deserve this due to their mockery. Yet, Fukasaku shows that what the kids are really guilty of is mimicry. Many instances in the film show how these kid's capability for love and violence are shaped by their parents. In fact, the kids that we do get to know are just trying to get by in a world that they inherited from the older generations. In other words, the arena that was already built for them. Sadly, any recent spat of reviews are sure to judge this film against the release of the titanic "The Hunger Games." However, as much as I myself like the Hunger Games novel, there are some very striking similarities aside from the whole government sanctioned death brawl that are sure to raise some brows. The seemingly professional fighters, the constant death announcements, & a character fighting for his sister, are other instances of eerie similarities between this tiny cult film and the Suzanne Collins behemoth. While not a blatant rip-off, one wouldn't be surprised if Collins had used this movie as a reference when conjuring up her story. Honestly though, it doesn't bother me much. There is room enough in this idea for two stories. Even though this one I'm sure was aimed to critique the masses, while the other will be to please.

• paul o

  
  Made my stomach sick but I had to finish it. Its great and shows us the moral flexibilities of children. Its not just an action movie. Its something that can actually be interpreted towards human nature. A great find and probably worth a second viewing if you're up to it.

• Dan S

  
  An excellent, extraordinary action film concerning a group of junior high Japanese students who are taken to a deserted island where they are forced by one of their teachers to fight to the death until there is only one man (or woman) standing. What sounds like a sick exercise in… More
  An excellent, extraordinary action film concerning a group of junior high Japanese students who are taken to a deserted island where they are forced by one of their teachers to fight to the death until there is only one man (or woman) standing. What sounds like a sick exercise in pointless violence is actually a thrilling, completely arresting view of a society gone straight to Hell. Think "Lord of the Flies" times a million, with an impact so great and a message so strong it will definitely leave one thinking a lot about society. The main point is not the violence and the great fight scenes, moreso the societal message that preaches the importance of letting youth be youth, with a swift jab to the Japanese parents to stop pressuring their kids to become geniuses, and show sympathy for their teenage angst and early struggles in life. Definitely not a film for all tastes, but it becomes a surprisingly deep and powerful tale as the film progresses. Definitely one of the better movies of the 00's, and without question worth a view.

• Jan Marc M

  
  A class of ninth graders was selected and forced to play a game of survival due rampant youth violence and delinquency in Battle Royale with confronting elements of politics, rebellion, and ethics. Controversial, gloriously disturbing, and brutally precise.

• Sophie B

  
  From the beginning this was a brilliant film that slowly became a romance. It was difficult to watch how these friends just started killing each other and although some of them gave it a try to remain friends and look out for each other, the only people who really did were Nanahara… More
  From the beginning this was a brilliant film that slowly became a romance. It was difficult to watch how these friends just started killing each other and although some of them gave it a try to remain friends and look out for each other, the only people who really did were Nanahara and Noriko. Brilliant characters. The thing that ruined it for me was the "twist" where Kawada supposedly "killed" them when it was only them three left. I didn't understand the point of this. I couldn't get if he really did use them or if it was just to make the audience think he had killed them. The teacher must have known that he was faking otherwise he wouldn't have sent the troops off. I don't really understand the teachers relationship with Noriko. He obviously liked her but then he gave up his ilfe for her? Also at the beginning I thought that the girl who won that game was Noriko so it was quite confusing. It was difficult to tell them apart and to remember all the characters so that was a down point. Brilliant.

• Lee ?

  
  Although I feel it's slightly over-praised, this is still one of the best movies to come out of Japan in recent years. Violent, dark humoured, but also moving too. It's a real brave and original film that, despite the controversial subject matter, is worth a watch at least… More
  Although I feel it's slightly over-praised, this is still one of the best movies to come out of Japan in recent years. Violent, dark humoured, but also moving too. It's a real brave and original film that, despite the controversial subject matter, is worth a watch at least once to appreciate the intended message of the movie to put the shocking nature of the story into perspective. Then once you've grasped the meanings and messages of the film you can then watch it again with a more sadistic mindset and enjoy the ensuing bloodshed as friends and classmates selfishly kill eachother off to be the soul survivor of the Battle Royale Program.

• Ariuza k

  
  I will say indeed the "Japanese" are some "fucked" up people to make a movie like this but I will say "Battle Royale" use to be my favorite movie. I was reading around 10 years ago about the controversy and they had a picture of a school girl in the paper… More
  I will say indeed the "Japanese" are some "fucked" up people to make a movie like this but I will say "Battle Royale" use to be my favorite movie. I was reading around 10 years ago about the controversy and they had a picture of a school girl in the paper getting shoot. And they indeed wrote- "Can a movie go too far?" Of course I wasn't interested in seeing it for the time because I thought it was going to be another "Running Man" movie. I only went to see it because one of my friends was seeing it with a lot of her friends and she wanted me to join. And so far I remember thinking how disgusting it was. I mean children killing themselves and stabbing and disemboweling each other just wasn't cool. Back then I would have seen it uncensored when it was first out and I hated it to death, but after many watches I would have called it the "Greatest Movie Ever Made!" Easy in my top 3 films of all time and this is my favorite action movie. Sometime in the future there national collapsed and there society begin to break down and children begin to resent there parents and as adults in general. Schools would be littered with violence, teachers and adults would be attacked and then the "BR" act would be in place. This survival simulation was created to offer children the true meaning of life. Respect and Value but to get that ever child must die until one is left alive. And I mean every child will die by there friends and class mates themselves. So the last one standing will go home a free person while there feeling the guilt of murdering so many to live. I believe at one stage during the film two friends ran out crying with each other because they were best friends and they wouldn't kill each other. Later you see them both dead with one shoot the other and the other "disemboweled" her. So the film itself is a take on 70s-80s "Japanese" action films and the film itself really shows just the editing, acting style, action of course. And as I said before this is my favorite action movie and my top 3 are. Die hard, The Inglorious Bastereds and of course this. Those movies of it's time played a major inspiration to this full on graphic movie. The acting is well how do I put it? Strange, I mean most of the kids are scared to kill each other and there a few kids smiling about this whole experiences. "Kiriyama" who is a 15 year old psychopath grabbed a machine gun and shot a group of students and one girl screamed for her life, and all he could do was smile and pull the trigger. So in any words the acting is perfect. The music is inspired by "Western" culture and 60s and 70s music of course to play it out like an old action movie of it's time. And even using the same technical way of "special effects". Such as when one girl gets her throat cut it has a rapid jump cut and she is spraying blood everywhere out of her neck. And yes the movie is ultra gory and violent is I may add. If you like at my profile photo I am one of the girls from "Battle Royale". Me as a person covered in blood from slaying my best friends. And I close by saying easily one of the most disturbing flicks of all time yet one of my all time "favorites". People should really have a look.

• Spencer S

  
  To simply state that this was an amazing action movie would be too singular. There are elements of political rebellion, moral superiority, and the always solid: favorable triumph between the factions of good and evil. To say that this piece of cinema was extradinary is less than… More
  To simply state that this was an amazing action movie would be too singular. There are elements of political rebellion, moral superiority, and the always solid: favorable triumph between the factions of good and evil. To say that this piece of cinema was extradinary is less than acceptable. The characters, each flawed but given license to stray, decide that just because there's a game, doesn't mean there will be a winner. Full of gore and teenage angst and murder, this is definitely in the forefront of Japanese cinema.

• E.J. B

  
  Battle Royale is a violent satire on the anxiety parents have towards their children. The fears of complete disrespect, attacks on teachers and authority in general, have led the Japanese government to pass a law called the BR Act. Delinquent classrooms are brought to a remote… More
  Battle Royale is a violent satire on the anxiety parents have towards their children. The fears of complete disrespect, attacks on teachers and authority in general, have led the Japanese government to pass a law called the BR Act. Delinquent classrooms are brought to a remote environment, with the consent of their parents, and are forced to kill each other off until one is left standing. The result is a film that plays almost like a video game. But the script devotes a lot of time to developing its student characters into people we really do care about. Not all these students are deserving to be placed inside this game. In fact, any of the problems that are established between the kids and authority can be traced back to failure of their parents and teachers to give them proper guidance in their lives. Some plot points and character arcs don't really make a lot of sense. But this is a film where inconsistencies don't matter. The concept is intriguing enough to promote thought and debate amongst its audience members. Any film that manages to do that is a pretty damn important one. Hopefully, some distribution company will bring this film to the North American market, or some competent filmmaker will consider remaking it. This is a violent, disturbing film that must be seen.

• Greg S

  
  A class of about forty Japanese 9th graders are selected by lottery to be shipped to a deserted island by the government, where they're given random weapons and forced to fight to the death, with the sole survivor granted his or her freedom. Despite the bizarre premise, it plays… More
  A class of about forty Japanese 9th graders are selected by lottery to be shipped to a deserted island by the government, where they're given random weapons and forced to fight to the death, with the sole survivor granted his or her freedom. Despite the bizarre premise, it plays out as a solid plot-driven action movie, with only a few notes of satire; it's surprisingly engaging watching the high schoolers form alliances and turn on each other and drop off one by one, and not nearly as perverse as it might have been.

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