BRI and BRII

[Myopathy]

I just got finished watching Battle Royale II. I'm still deciding if I like it more than the original Battle Royale or not. Either way, I thought both movies were great. Has anyone else seen either movies? And what did you all think?

[Ness]

I have never heard of either of them.

[Fyrin]

I never heard of it also, what is it about?

[RuneLateralus]

The senior class of the worst high school is put on an island and each given a survival kit plus one tool/weapon. They are sent out on the island one by one and have to hunt each other until there is only one alive. The winner graduates.

[Myopathy]

The original Battle Royale movie was made in 2000 and is a Japanese cult favorite. To be concise, the plot involved a class chosen to participate in a "game" created by a new Japanese legislature called the BR Act. Basically, they are put on an island and given 3 days to kill each other until there is only one survivor. There's a lot more to the plot, but that's the broad one. It makes for a very interesting movie, and there's a lot of psychology in it, which is one of the main reasons I like it. The movie has the actress who played Go-Go Yubari in Kill Bill. It was because of her role in Battle Royale that she was chosen to play Go-Go. She has the same haircut and everything, just younger. Anyway, if you all haven't seen the movie, I highly suggest you do (unless you can't take gore very well). I have yet to meet someone who hasn't liked the movie.

The second Battle Royale, I believe, was released at the end of 2003. In the plot, the JP government has made an amendment to the BR Act, and another class is chosen. The students are paired up, and this time, they work together as a team to go up against a Japanese terrorist organization (Not just ANY terrorist organization, it stems from the first movie so I won't say more). This new revision changes the movie dramatically. But it opens up new doors and those new doors, I think, were well explored in the second movie.

I actually saw a person with the handle Dragon_Ash. Dragon Ash is a Japanese hip-hop(I think) band that did the theme song for Battle Royale I, Shizuka Na Hibi No Kaidan Wo. Great song.

[Myopathy]

On 2004-06-28 20:19, RuneLateralus wrote:
The senior class of the worst high school is put on an island and each given a survival kit plus one tool/weapon. They are sent out on the island one by one and have to hunt each other until there is only one alive. The winner graduates.


I don't think it has anything to do with graduation. Most of those kids had stopped going to school completely anyway, so I don't think they could've graduated either way.

[Fyrin]

hmm...
that movie Battle Royal sounds interesting. The GO-GO girl from Kill Bill is in that movie, thats cool.

I honestly never enjoyed watching the movie Kill Bill, but mainly because it seems like the plot been done in so many other films. This caused the film not to be all that interesting, but the action was cool.

[InfinityXXX]

My freind got suspended for bringing and reading that book in school. Where did you get the movie from? I can't find it anywhere thats not online.

[space_butler]

I don't think it has anything to do with graduation. Most of those kids had stopped going to school completely anyway, so I don't think they could've graduated either way.



actually most of them still went to school, it was just that one kid who gets his collar set off that had stopped and gne beck...and the winner gets to go home but could get called in to a future one luke the guy with the shotgun did (i cant remember the names http://www.pso-world.com/psoworld/images/phpbb/icons/smiles/icon_frown.gif )

[Myopathy]

On 2004-06-29 01:38, InfinityXXX wrote:
My freind got suspended for bringing and reading that book in school. Where did you get the movie from? I can't find it anywhere thats not online.


I originally downloaded it off Kazaa. It is not going to be released in any form in the US (Or at least there are no plans to). It's too sensitive a topic, and a lot of US companies feared that if they did release it, there was a chance that another school shooting would happen and then they would be screwed with a movie like Battle Royale that had youngsters killing each other.

[Deathscythealpha]

On 2004-06-29 12:02, Ezellaur wrote:

I originally downloaded it off Kazaa. It is not going to be released in any form in the US (Or at least there are no plans to). It's too sensitive a topic, and a lot of US companies feared that if they did release it, there was a chance that another school shooting would happen and then they would be screwed with a movie like Battle Royale that had youngsters killing each other.



Actually, the Japanese distributor decided it didnt want the move released in the USA.



Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266308/trivia)

'Despite the popular belief that Battle Royale has been banned in the United States, that's not the case. The production company, Toei, refuses to license the movie for North American distribution and has already rejected offers from several North American companies'


Dont know why Toei have refused to release it in the states. It has been out on DVD here in the UK for ages, and was shown on TV juts over a month ago. Maybe anyone interested in the film should try importing it from the UK.

And now onto my opinion. I thought it was a great film, throwing up lots of questions, like what would you do if put into this situation (ive tried this on alot of people, and no one can give a straight answer). Theres some pretty nasty deaths (the scene where the girl attacks the boy with the knife is quite brutal) but in my opnion nothing as extreme as some other films. Maybe its the fact that these are 14-16 childrne that are performing the acts make the film so shocking at times.

I havent seen the second film as that has yet to be released over here. I know someone at University has an imported copy, but i left for the holidays before i could borrow it.

Im currently reading the book (released recentaly by VIZ publishing, the same guys who release alot of manga) and its alot worse then the film. The author seems to like to go into graphic details on deaths (almost obsessed with describing head wounds!), there is alot more violent deaths (certain characters you see die in 'subtle' ways in the films get much more dragged out deaths) and just a different atmosphere. The film makes the school children out to be deliquants and thugs, almost deserving to have been put into the program. In the book they are just normal school kids, randomly picked to kill each other. The only problem i have with the book is the very boring politcal chit chat that occurs. Again the author seems to go into way too much detail to get some of his own views over, and there is alot of stuff in the book i think would have been edited out in other countries just because its not necessary to the plot.

I think i might start picking up the manga when i get back to university as i hear that has yet another take on the proceedings.

[lain2k3]

I have read the mmanga up to #5, the novel (best, IMO), seen the first movie, and the first half of the second movie.

The book is incredibly interesting, and has awonderfully sad storyline. the dialogue is great, too. the manga is also awesome, because it varies off the main story to give backgrounds to the characters.

The movies stories were good and all, but the production is very cheesey =/

[Myopathy]

It's more the US than the Japanese company. It is NOT banned, but US distributors refuse to release the movie in any form other than one of those "artsy" movies you can only see at those special movie theaters. Toei, obviously seeing Battle Royale as a big money maker refused to release it like that because they would make no money out of that. So it's a little on both sides, but the US distributors are just being too careful about the sensitive topic. They're afraid if they release the movie, then some school sooting occurs, they'll get sued and blamed.

[Phaesphora]

yeh, i have seen both.

the BR special edition [korean version, director's cut] is available with region 1 encoding through US retailers. a friend of mine runs an alternative media store and got me a copy for 23 bucks. all other versions [there are many] that i know of require an all-region player [not uncommon these days], but few of them support english subtitles.

the book upon which the manga and films are based is way more intense and i am not surprised that kids get sent home from school for reading it as it on several states' banned book lists as well as the FBI 'buzzword' list. it contains numerous graphic depictions of murder, physical and psychological torture, potential terrorist activity, and sexual assault. it was a tough book for me to get through. the films are sunday school material in comparison.

still, the performances in BR2 are at least as good as those in BR, and i think kenta fukasaku did his father proud.

damn my spelling.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: -Nightingale- on 2004-06-29 16:04 ]</font>

[space_butler]

BR2 is released in the uk, ive seen it on a couple of sites for £15. I think im gonna have to get the book as well as more of the manga now arent it...