Battle Royale (Batoru Rowaiaru)
Sub-Genre- J-Horror
In Attendance- Moi
Cast Members of Note- Go-go Yubari from Kill Bill is in this!
What's it about?- A Japanese Junior High class gets to go on a field trip... Granted, most field trips involve the zoo, or a trip to the local prison to do "Dances" for the inmates (I'm still sore from my 8th grade trip), but this one is way more fun than that; they get to kill each other!
Luckily, Mr Rourke let's them use Fantasy island to host their crazy little roustabout, although Tattoo isn't too happy about it. You see, Mr. Rourke promised him a week alone together on the island, filled with back rubs and candy canes... and with all of that thrown out the window in favor of kid on kid murder, he's a sad little midget. One of the kids kills him with a cheese grater right out of the gate anyways, so no worries.
With the half-man out of the way, the kids proceed to off each other in various ways; Karate, machine guns, barbed wire toothbrushes... one of them even gets the pleasure of using the most dangerous weapon of all... an electrified rag-doll!
I wont ruin the ending here, but suffice it to say that no one makes it back on the bus.
The Good- What a wicked little movie! The concept of junior high kids killing other kids in order to win their own freedom is a pretty strong meditation on society and where it seems sometimes that were headed. It's also a pretty cool premise for a movie.
I expected this one to be much more uncomfortable to watch than it was; don't get me wrong, it was disturbing, but it wasn't over the top nor offensive. I know the term classy seems out of place when discussing most horror, and especially a film with a premise like this one, but it fits.
This quote from the director pretty much sums up the message of the film: "He described the end message in the film, "Run", as his advice to the next generation."
The Bad- Seriously? Lego toys?
The Downright Horrendous- They're planning a U.S. remake... what a surprise. If there is a god, he won't let it happen.
The Gory- There is plenty of brutality on display here, and even though most of it is on the psychological level, there is plenty of the crimson glory on display to satisfy most horror fans.
The Naked- None of the dirty stuff here.
Best Line- "If I survive, can I go home?"... "Yes, but only if everyone else is dead."
What did we learn?- Listen to your teacher!
Rating- A This is what Horror should be... Smart, disturbing and thought provoking. I recommend owning this one for sure.
Final Thoughts- Go-Go is in this!
