Before we begin, let's clear up some misconceptions about this film. It was released in Japan at the end of 2000. It was not banned in the United States, which I have heard mentioned many times. Even I believed it had been banned, based on what I had heard. It appears the film just didn't find a distributor here in the US due to the fees associated. Additionally, there is speculation that distributors were afraid to touch it in the wake of the Columbine shootings. (Thanks, IMDB trivia!*)
Battle Royale has been in the public eye again recently due to finally having an official release stateside, as well as being compared to the Hunger Games. While they have the same basic premise, each author presents the conflict in their own way. To say the Hunger Games is a direct rip off of Battle Royale isn't completely fair. There are obvious similarities, but each movie is unique in its own way.
To make this review a bit easier, I'm going to list off my observations with brief clarification:
1. Battle Royale may have been a blue-print for the Hunger Games, but the Hunger Games is its own creature.
To say Battle Royale is a complete rip-off, you would have to say that a Kia Soul is a rip off of a Ford F-150. They are both automobiles, but the Soul could not be mistaken for an F-150. Having four wheels does not make all motor vehicles the same, just as having school aged kids fighting to the death doesn't make both movies the same.
2. Battle Royale is not as effective for an American audience as the Hunger Games.
I expected to love or hate Battle Royale. It turns out, I just thought it was okay. I had no real strong emotional reaction to the film. I had more horrified moments watching Game of Thrones yesterday. Does this mean Battle Royale isn't worth your time? I wouldn't say that. Some films come across well to an American audience, but Battle Royale loses something in the translation. I don't mean the literal translation either. The Japanese culture is very different from our own, starting with schooling. Classes are conducted in a completely different manner in Japan than here. When I watched Battle Royale, I was watching it with my cultural background. Were I watching it with a Japanese background, it may have meant something altogether different for me.
The Hunger Games was written by an American author who would bring different experiences and expectations to the story than a Japanese writer. It isn't better or worse, but writing with an American background can very well make your material speak to a fellow countryman. I'm not saying the Hunger Games is better because it's American.** I'm just pointing out that it may be easier for people with the same background as the author to understand and identify with. Suzanne Collins even set the Hunger Game series far in the future, a move that allows those who are in love with the idea of what America is to not disapprove of the book. Setting it in current day may have hurt it.
3. Battle Royale is a live action anime.
A lot of you haven't watched anime, and some of you have watched a lot of anime. Mark and I fall in the second category. We used to watch anime like it was going out of style. Nowadays, we rarely watch anime unless it has a particular hook, like zombies. While watching Battle Royale, all I could think is that it would have done better as an anime, especially a serialized one.
4. There is little to no character development.
Running this as a serialized anime would have provided the opportunity to solve the problem of having largely flat characters. As there are over forty students in Battle Royale, it's hard to flesh them all out. Instead, they play as one note characters with minimal personality. What interaction happens does attempt to highlight what the involved characters are like, but with no real development, it is hard to grow attached to the characters.
5. Dying is hard.
Do you remember being a kid? When you would play and pretend to die, it was an exaggerated moment. You would dramatically hang your head to one side, close your eyes, and stick out your tongue.*** I'm pretty sure none of the actors in Battle Royale had any idea what a genuine death looked like, as they all appeared to be done in the style of a four year old.
6. Battle Royale is not a terribly shocking movie.
I don't know if I should hold anime to blame, but Battle Royale didn't really shock me at all. I'm not desensitized to violence, and seeing the Hunger Games didn't ruin other similar films for me. I think with all the hype leading up to my viewing Battle Royale for the first time, I just expected something monstrous. The movie had trouble finding distribution in the US for over ten years! I expected something that I had never seen before. It turns out that watching anime prepared me for anything Battle Royale could throw my way.
7. The violence is cartoon-like in nature.
Granted, the cartoon it is like is an anime, but the violence could have been a whole lot worse. Blood sprays are exaggerated, just like in anime. The blood is kind of watery, and with such ham filled death scenes, Battle Royale never seemed overly serious. I know Quentin Tarantino is a huge fan of the film. It really shows in Kill Bill: Vol. 1, in the scene where the bride massacres a ton of henchman. Battle Royale has that same lack of realism. Once again, this isn't a bad thing. It's just an observation.
8. The plot is never really explained in a satisfactory manner.
There is some narration at the beginign of the film to set up why the activities presented are happening, but it never felt like enough of an explanation. Less time was spend explaining why the characters were in this position, while more time was spent watching them murder each other. There are intermittent flashbacks to shed light on the characters' motivations, but it is not enough to give you a real sense of who these kids were.
I didn't love the movie, but if you have the opportunity to catch Battle Royale, do so. It's always good to experience new movies. Granted, I wouldn't let my six year old watch it, but I wouldn't let my six year old watch Jersey Shore either. While Battle Royale did not shock and scar me, it was still a violent movie with a disturbing premise.
* I know it's not always a reliable source, but I believe they are correct in this. Other websites reported the same general information, albeit with their own interpretations.
** Merica! Yeah!
*** Maybe that last part was only something I did.
I tend to hear when American movies are banned or altered in foreign countries but how often are foreign films banned here in America ?
ReplyDeleteIt is actually very rare for films to be banned here in America. In this case, it appears the distribution rights were either too high or distributors panicked in the wake of the Columbine shootings. While people may call out for banning rather frequently, it isn't common place here.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I think Battle Royale did very well was touch on the distrust between the generations. In The Hunger Games, the fights to the death are mandated by a conquering force as a method of suppressing a defeated populace. In Battle Royale, they are essentially waging war against their own children, because the adult populace fear and hate them. In Hunger Games, the capital can hold the Games because they have the military force to do so. In Battle Royale, it is mandated by the will of the people and enacted into law by a vote. That makes the premise of Battle Royale much more disturbing.
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