Battle Royale... Like Schoolhouse Rock Meets Dawn of the Dead

Battle Royale (Batoru rowaiaru): 10 out of 10: Another classic is born. A fantastic combination of classical music and ultra-violence like a Japanese Clockwork Orange. Here is one Japanese film the major studios will not be remaking anytime soon.

The plot consists of a junior high school class sent to a deserted island, given weapons that vary in usefulness, and are ordered to kill each other. Oh and they have those exploding collars that are ubiquitous in sci-fi films today so if they don't kill all their classmates everyone dies.



The actors are actual kids and the film turns the bloody up to eleven. Add in child suicide, child prostitution, patricide, and worst of all basketball and you have yourself a winner.



Battle Royale falls solidly in the category of Dawn of the Dead or Kill Bill where it transcends its obvious pulp and horror appeal and says larger things about life as a whole.



But who am I kidding non-stop action, hot chicks in schoolgirl outfits, very dark humor and a great classical music score. Kind of like She's All That if Freddy Prinze Jr. killed a classmate every two minutes then had his head blown off by remote control. Throw in Anna Paquin dismembering Rachael Leigh Cooke with a fondue fork and that should give you the picture.



Man that movie would rule… Sorry went all fan boy there for a minute. Battle Royale has deep things to say about society and is an important landmark film. It is also a great movie if you like this kind of thing you sick bastard.




The Battle Royale Instruction Guide



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