Battle Royale

Name: Battle Royale
Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller
Released: May 25, 2012
Duration: 114 min
Rating: 81

2012

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 7 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 191 Ratings

See All

7.8

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

7.8	Your Score
7.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 191 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Battle Royale

Now Playing: Battle Royale

Movie Details & Credits

Anchor Bay Films | Release Date: May 25, 2012 | Not Rated

Summary: In the near future, the economy has collapsed, unemployment has soared and juvenile crime has exploded. Fearful of their nation’s youth, the Japanese government passes The BR Law: Each year, a 9th grade class is sent to a remote island where they will be locked into exploding neck collars, given a random weapon, and forced to hunt and killIn the near future, the economy has collapsed, unemployment has soared and juvenile crime has exploded. Fearful of their nation’s youth, the Japanese government passes The BR Law: Each year, a 9th grade class is sent to a remote island where they will be locked into exploding neck collars, given a random weapon, and forced to hunt and kill each other until there is only one survivor left. [Anchor Bay Films]… Expand

Director: Kinji Fukasaku

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 114 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Stream On

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Eric Hynes

May 22, 2012

[Fukasaku's] genius is finding the overlap between teenage dreams and nightmares, between the intensity of first love and the terror of extinction. Read full review

Robert Koehler

May 24, 2012

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. Read full review

A.O. Scott

May 24, 2012

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. Read full review

Joshua Rothkopf

May 22, 2012

Kinji Fukasaku's slick, sick nightmare is best left to the quasi-banned realm where it exists as a perfect satire; when brought into reality, it's a touch awkward. Read full review

Sara Stewart

May 25, 2012

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. Read full review

Maggie Lee

May 21, 2012

Bloodhounds will lick their lips experiencing the re-launch of Kinji Fukasaku's trendsetting Battle Royale (2000) with 3D effects, which basically make the splatter scenes gorier and stickier. Read full review

Chuck Bowen

May 21, 2012

Maybe Battle Royale's ultimate punchline is its inexplicable ability to fool some people into taking it seriously. Read full review

SEE ALL 7 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

ofchughes

May 31, 2012

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.

6 of 6 users found this helpful60

MATM

Feb 7, 2021

I just watched "Battle Royale" in 2021, and it was so much fun to see again. I think this movie is the closest I have ever seen to a live action anime, and without any wire-fu or CGI. It is more about the shot composition and wardrobe style. There is so much blood, so clearly this film isI just watched "Battle Royale" in 2021, and it was so much fun to see again. I think this movie is the closest I have ever seen to a live action anime, and without any wire-fu or CGI. It is more about the shot composition and wardrobe style. There is so much blood, so clearly this film is not for everyone, but if on screen violence doesn't offend you, this movie is a must see. The appeal isn't all about the gore, though. It tells a really wonderful tale of youthful camaraderie and how any one of us could be just an inch away from becoming a killer if our expected societal protections were taken away. I give it an A - Make a point to go see this movie… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SuperiorOpinion

May 7, 2017

The greatest foreign film of all time. Perfect balances of horror, action, comedy, and social commentary.It remains exciting to the end and laid the groundwork for all YA properties of the past nearly 20 years.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

ThatPCGamer

May 1, 2017

Pros:
- Loveable Characters
- Amazing Score
- Unforgettable story
- Intense directing

Cons:
- Some cheesy acting
- Slow points

And no I haven't read the manga,
One of my favorite movies though.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Skullgirlsfan13

Jun 17, 2013

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Unlike my previous review of Hunger games; which I felt was an okay experience, but just was a bit confusing and didn't give a credible reason for its actions. This however is better in multiple ways. For starters this has a reason for its doings, which is that it's a government action to deal with the school issues of Japan. You see Japan is going through some difficult times with its school system, so I guess that the government wants to reduce the violent actions in schools by randomly choosing schools and then classes in those schools and putting them on a remote island to kill each other. Make sense to me. Okay so it might not make as much sense, but this is more serious in its own way. For starters I like how this one isn't focused on its visuals, but rather the psychological torment the characters are going through. For instance, the students in this movie make decisions that are all reasonable, like a couple kills themselves because they don't want to participate in this cruel act, some form an alliance to survive, some do or die because they want to live, and even a few who do it for the thrill. Now all that sounds deep and thoughtful right? Well most of the times it works, but it could've been improved if we knew the side characters a bit more, but it's still good. The performances are okay, no one really shines In this picture. Except maybe the teacher who's in charge of the Battle Royale, he was fun to watch, with his somewhat carefree attitude and yet doing these vicious acts that would make others cringe at least. Now what I love most about this movie is how well they got this idea down. Showing the psychological damage of this government action on multiple students and how they react to it, the violence feels more real, and the ending is a great conclusion to this story.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

ChuckPalantine

Jul 8, 2012

I admit that during and directly after viewing this film I didn

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

gzayas91

Jul 24, 2018

This is my Passion of the Christ, too violent and sick. Hunger Games Series were better than this garbage. I just personal cannot get into this.

0 of 7 users found this helpful07

SEE ALL 38 REVIEWS