Battle Royale (2000)
User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 54 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 54
  3. Negative: 1 out of 54

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  1. ScrawnyPunk
    Apr 9, 2013
    7
    If you are a fan of Asian action, horror, or sci-fi, this is on your "must" list. If you are merely a fan of dystopian fiction, then you should probably see it as well. If you are unaware of the plot, a quick view on Wikipedia will help you out. Basically, The Greatest Game meets 1984.

    This is WAY better than a certain unnamed American pretender...but not nearly as engaging as the bo    ok. I love me some Beat Takeshi, but his character felt a little wrong here. If you haven't read the book, do so it should take you a couple of hours at the most. But watch the movie first.… Expand
  2. Tokyochuchu
    Mar 6, 2013
    10
    Battle Royale is truly one of my favorite films of all time. It's exciting, sad and full of half hidden messages about society, culture and the value of innocence. Better yet, for a film so soaked in blood thirsty action scenes, Battle Royale comes off feeling distinctly 'anti-violence'.
  3. McCorpse
    Feb 23, 2013
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. its a pretty hard concept to get over. A class of grade 9 students, whats that? 15 years old are all forced to fight to the death. If you are able to get passed that then you'll be treated to a very violent and entertaining film. You get to watch as the ticker counts down 41 students as the die one by one. There are a bunch of flash backs and a little bit of a introduction that gives us a bit of an idea who these kids are and what their personalities are before we have to watch them alll die. Its quite brutal and relentless in its violence(especially the scene where everything is being explained to the class and some of the students are used as demonstrations to how things work) but also has a very small amount of cheesyness to it. Some of the people get shot a bunch of times and then hop back to their feet to fight some more. This could be overlooked if it happened once but it happened a few times and became laughable after a while. Still though the brutality overshadows the comedy and its a very dark yet entertaining movie.… Expand
  4. aaronmwolford
    Feb 20, 2013
    8
    There is no denying the raw violence and gruesome visuals portrayed in "Battle Royale." While the students seriously have their priorities mixed up, this film is simply fun. "Battle Royale" is sure to go down in history as a cult classic.
  5. moonman1994
    Jan 28, 2013
    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!… Expand
  6. moviebuff_420
    Oct 8, 2012
    9
    where to start,this is absolutely a thrilling teenage killing masterpiece by Kinji Fukasaku. Best thing is that all the melodramatic turns between teenagers about their friendship,love and sacrifice,quite make it as semi psycho-thriller. the violent and breathtaking scenes with political set-up really steals the show. this is first japanese movie i have ever seen,feeling like it is the best. I always knew japan is a great country but never knew that they are this good with cinema.now i am gonna search over and watch every japanese good movie. Thumbs up to all the cast and the crew who made this. 素晴らしい仕事の連中… Expand
  7. Sasa7
    Sep 13, 2012
    4
    Neznam kako gledaoci i kriticari smatraju ovaj film pod "ozbiljnim" ?!? meni je ovo nalik na neku japansku parodiju i sprdačinu ..ko je pogledao film,nadam se da ce shvatiti zasto to mislim..
  8. ChuckPalantine
    Jul 8, 2012
    7
    I admit that during and directly after viewing this film I didn
  9. ofchughes
    May 31, 2012
    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.
  10. davehopkins
    May 28, 2012
    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.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Sara Stewart
    May 25, 2012
    75
    This one's a thoroughly campy exercise in teen melodrama and Grand Guignol gore (how gory? it's one of Quentin Tarantino's favorite movies), the other (The Hunger Games) a straight-faced action picture.
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  2. 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.
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  3. 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.
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