Battle Royale (2000)
Metascore
81 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 7 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
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  1. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A.O. Scott
    May 24, 2012
    90
    American fans of "The Hunger Games" may not embrace - or even be permitted to see - Battle Royale, which is too bad. It is in many ways a better movie and in any case a fascinating companion, drawn from a parallel cultural universe. It is a lot uglier and also, perversely, a lot more fun.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Robert Koehler
    May 24, 2012
    90
    Departing from two decades' worth of domestic and personal dramas and returning to his roots as Japan's maestro of mayhem, Kinji Fukasaku has delivered a brutal punch to the collective solar plexus with one of his most outrageous and timely films.
  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Eric Hynes
    May 22, 2012
    90
    [Fukasaku's] genius is finding the overlap between teenage dreams and nightmares, between the intensity of first love and the terror of extinction.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 54 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. ofchughes
    10
    This is a great film by director Kinji Fukasaku. This is a must see for fans of Asian horror genre. The story is fantastic and shows how quickly the human condition can decay and decisions that sometimes have to be made to preserve your life.… Full Review »
  2. davehopkins
    10
    So kids you know Hunger Games, well this film blows it out of the water. This will go down as a cult classic. Beware your parents might flip kinda hardcore, not your standard hollywood twilight show here. Be sure to see the original as all knockoffs are crap.… Full Review »
  3. moonman1994
    8
    Bloody violent and exciting. It's extremely entertaining and will be an instant classic for anyone that it a fan of Asian horror/suspense films. A lot of people like to say that it's exactly like the Hunger Games but well it's not. Battle Royal focuses more on the psychology of making kids kill each other and less on the character development of it's leads. This is both a plus and a minus in my opinion. Yeah this movie is good and yes I would recommend it but to answer the question of "Is it better than Then Hunger Games" I'd say that completely depends on your taste in movies. They're both good films in my opinion but when you watch this film judge it as it's own film and don't try to compare it to the Hunger Games the entire time!… Full Review »
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