Cool News
With One Week To Its Home Video Release... "Battle Royale" Red Band and Behind the Scenes Clips
Logo handmade by Bannister
Column by Scott Green
At a 2005 anime convention, a would-be Battle Royale distributor was asked why they never brought the infamous teenage deathmatch movie to North America. According to this distributor, after the Columbine shootings, the studio behind BR, Toei, screened the movie for their lawyers. Toei was then informed, that if they released the flick in North America, they'd go to jail.
But, times have changed. The frequently-compared-to Hunger Games has gotten a PG-13 rating and prominent coverage on the entertainment outlets. And, finally, Battle Royale is a week away from becoming widely available, with North America on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download scheduled for March 20th from Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Ahead of the release, AICN has a nice, red band sample to share
Battle Royale: The Complete Collection’s four disc setin collectible high-end packaging will include:
· Battle Royale Director’s Cut with both Japanese and English language tracks and English subtitles
· Battle Royale Theatrical Cut with both Japanese and English language tracks and English subtitles
· Battle Royale II with Japanese language and English subtitles
· Battle Royale Bonus Content with Japanese language and English subtitles
SPECIAL FEATURES:
· The Making Of BATTLE ROYALE
· BATTLE ROYALE Press Conference
· Instructional Video: Birthday Version
· Audition & Rehearsal Footage
· Special Effects Comparison Featurette
· Tokyo International Film Festival 2000
· Battle Royale Documentary
· Basketball Scene Rehearsals
· Behind-The-Scenes Featurette
· Filming On-Set
· Original Theatrical Trailer
· Special Edition TV Spot
· TV Spot: Tarantino Version
The Battle Royale release will include:
· Director’s Cut with Japanese and English language and English subtitles
BATTLE ROYALE: The Complete Collection Blu-ray (3 disc plus bonus DVD)
Genre: Action/Drama, Thriller
Street Date: March 20, 2012
Pre-book: February 22, 2012
SRP: $49.99
Cat #: BD24401
UPC: 0 1313 24401-9 4
Disc 1 – Battle Royale Director’s Cut:
Run Time: 122 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Format: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: Japanese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English
Disc 2 – Battle Royale Theatrical Cut:
Run Time: 113 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Format: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: Japanese and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English
Disc 3 – Battle Royale II: Revenge Director’s Cut:
Run Time: 133 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Format: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English
Disc 4 – Battle Royale Special Features DVD:
Run Time: 194 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Format: Full-Frame (1.33:1)
Audio: Japanese Dolby Surround 2.0
Subtitles: English
BATTLE ROYALE: The Complete Collection DVD (4 disc)
Genre: Action/Drama, Thriller
Street Date: March 20, 2012
Pre-book: February 22, 2012
SRP: $44.98
Cat #: DV24566
UPC: 0 1313 24566-9 0
Disc 1 – Battle Royale Director’s Cut:
Run Time: 122 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Format: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: Japanese and English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English
Disc 2 – Battle Royale Theatrical Cut:
Run Time: 113 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Format: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: Japanese and English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English
Disc 3 – Battle Royale II: Revenge Director’s Cut:
Run Time: 133 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Format: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English
Disc 4 – Battle Royale Special Features:
Run Time: 194 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Format: Full-Frame (1.33:1)
Audio: Japanese Dolby Surround 2.0
Subtitles: English
BATTLE ROYALE Director’s Cut Blu-ray
Genre: Action/Drama, Thriller
Street Date: March 20, 2012
Pre-book: February 22, 2012
Cat. #: BD23767
UPC: 0 1313 23767-9 0
Run Time: 122 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
SRP: $29.99
Format: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: Japanese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Subtitles: English
BATTLE ROYALE Director’s Cut DVD
Genre: Action/Drama, Thriller
Street Date: March 20, 2012
Pre-book: February 22, 2012
Cat. #: DV23762
UPC: 0 1313 23762-9 5
Run Time: 122 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
SRP: $24.98
Format: Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
Audio: Japanese and English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English
Readers Talkback
comments powered by Disqus-
+ Expand All
-
You've collected your last bit of dust.
-
March 13, 2012, 4:45 p.m. CST
I showed this flick to some of the girls I work with, big Hunger Games fans...
by some dude
... most of them hated it but a few of the girls loved it, well as much as you can love this sort of movie lol
-
I don't care what kind of horseshit they fed you. There is no way they would've gone to jail for releasing that movie. I don't care if it opened in denver the next day. A Serbian Film didn't get anyone arrested.
-
March 13, 2012, 4:55 p.m. CST
I've heard nothing but bad things about the sequel but should I shell out the extra cash for the sweet packaging?
by JackSlater4
-
March 13, 2012, 5:04 p.m. CST
Nevermind, trailer sold me well enough, I'll take war between children and adults. Complete Collection it is.
by JackSlater4
-
There was a lot of hype around it at the time, so gave it a shot. I didn't dislike it, but it is definitely one of those overrated movies. I'm going to go see Hunger Games and see how it compares.
-
March 13, 2012, 5:11 p.m. CST
I've never looked at it as a work of art, but it's fucking great entertainment.
by Randy
Seriously, like it's a flawless action movie with one memorable fight or big set piece after another. However, the story, acting and overall filmmaking isn't great or anything, but the concept is great an executed as brutal as it ever will be on film. So for that, Battle Royale is a great movie, it has a lot of balls.
-
March 13, 2012, 5:13 p.m. CST
Of course Aqua Teens Hunger Games is gonna have better effects, acting, and overall story.
by Tikidonkeypunch
But Battle Royale will probably have the more stylish kills and battles.
-
March 13, 2012, 5:30 p.m. CST
one enjoyable blood bath, its not an oscar winner unless its a category for Most Overused Digital Blood Splatter...right next to Chocolate
by gk1
Im trying to get my girl to watch it before she goes and sees Hunger Games.
-
and all the advertisements are gonna say "Based on the book that inspired the Hunger Games" or some crap like that. There's a big difference between inspiring something and completely ripping it off.
-
Son of a pig.
-
March 13, 2012, 5:46 p.m. CST
been in netflix for a while...working version, optional subtitles..
by zom-bot.com
watched it a while back the last time US distribution was mentioned here. saw it, enjoyed it, but it's not an own for me...just my opinion. i didn't quite get the dystopic element mentioned in the other aicn article, or what the teacher's/main baddie's motivations were...were those things edited out? if the contest is a show, wouldn't the children have heard of it before?
-
The version I own has some extra flashback scenes that really flesh out some of the characters. And stylish battles in Battle Royale? I think not. They're high school kids. Most of the fights are chaotic frenzies, struggles for survival, or they just try and run away. Avoid the sequel like the plague.
-
March 13, 2012, 7:09 p.m. CST
If you REALLY wanna experience Battle Royale in all its insane, blood-soaked glory...
by captaincosmos
Try to track down the English adaptations of the Japanese manga put out by TOKYOPOP a few years back. Granted, the fucking thing was 12 volumes long, but they put out a 5-volume omnibus edition that you might still be able to find, either on Amazon or eBay. Totally worth the investment. Completely depraved and grotesque, but also, being as lengthy as it is, the manga series takes you into the stories/minds of each of the multiple characters with a depth that a 90 minute movie never could. As a result, you get totally caught up in each of their life-and-death struggles, even to the point of rooting for some of the more reprehensible characters, just because you're so invested in their story. And the gore... the gore... there is no way to describe the level of obsessive, loving detail the artist goes into in those pages. Truly disturbing, but absolutely mesmerizing. If you possibly can, check it out! My 2 cents.
-
March 13, 2012, 7:12 p.m. CST
So how do the Director's cut and theatrical differ?
by DreadPirateRoberts
The version I bought is the Director's I think. Has a lot of flashbacks, which DO help flesh out the motivations and characters. That said, is there anything else? And yes, Battle Royale II has no redeeming qualities.
-
If you're really interested in the story, read the book the movie is based on instead. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Royale It doesn't have quite as much background for the characters, but it's less graphic and perverse and gets to the heart of the story in a far more substantial manner.
-
because dubbed in screams just won't fly....
-
I own the novel as well. The manga is the best adaptation/version of the material, imo. Better storytelling than the novel (sorry, but the book is NOT well written), and visually, viscerally more exciting than the movie. I agree, the manga is absolutely perverse, but it fully commits in a way the film never could. So again... I recommend the manga for anyone who really wants the full BR experience. But, to each his own. CC
-
Thought it was just for horror nerds getting off on 15 year olds killing each other, but man, what a good movie. Hunger Games won't come anywhere near it. I really wish Mitsuko had been free for Kill Bill to be GoGo's partner. Boner city.
-
March 13, 2012, 9:18 p.m. CST
Woulda been nice if this version hit mainstream shelves earlier...like a year ago...
by REMcycle
...because now all the would-be fans who've never heard of it are going to hesitate upon first glance, writing it off as a "Hunger Games knockoff" instead of the awesome it truly is.
-
March 13, 2012, 9:18 p.m. CST
the_hawaiian_stallion, why did those Hunger Games fans hate Battle Royale?
by reise reise
Just curious. I think Battle Royale suffers from a melodramatic style that can be very unconvincing. Too many characters are able to talk about their true, deep feelings right before collapsing and dying. I also felt that the violence occasionally looked phony due to the actors; sometimes they would flop around in an unconvincing way or, in one instance, fall down before a gun was even pointed at them. Still, I think it's worthy of the attention it has received over the years. The entire sequence in the classroom where the students are prepped for the competition is classic and Beat Takeshi is always awesome.
-
... there were guys there as well but many had seen it already or already enjoyed asian cinema, anime, nerdy stuff in general. The girls who hated it hated it for much the same reasons you mentioned, they just didnt get into it and spent most of the time rolling their eyes. Now mind you these girls dont exactly have the best taste in my opinoin, twilight fans, etc. The ones who liked or loved it were again of a nerdier, geekier sort and loved everything about it. Mind you I've never read the Hunger Games so I cant say if they are good or not.
-
March 14, 2012, 1:06 a.m. CST
It's no coincidence that this is finally being released in the U.S. around the same time as The Hunger Games, right?
by Mr. Pricklepants
-
This kind of thing makes me worry that we are getting closer and closer to seeing the Twilight/tween rip-offs of great classic genre films like RoboCop, Predator, The Thing, and Alien. Alien + Twilight = a young female starship pilot falls in love with a biomechanical alien dude with a heart of gold. The problem is that he also has a nearly uncontrollable biological desire to impregnate his lover with a deadly parasitic spore that kills the host upon birth. The rival lover is no werewolf this time, but a male android named Tannhauser who has his circuits overloaded with passion when he meets the lovely young starship pilot. Predator + The Hunger Games = an alien teenager is sent to Earth on an initiation rite. He is tasked with killing seven humans worthy of battle with a superior alien warrior. Alien dude doesn't count on falling in love with an Earth girl, who teaches him the meaning of being human. Just as they think they can sail off into the sunset happily ever after, the parents of the alien dude show up on Earth with an armada of alien warships, ready to invade and enslave the human race. The young alien dude must choose between honor and glory, or helping the humans so that he can be with his human soulmate. RoboCop + Twilight = instead of focusing on a dead cop turned into cybernetic super cop, this tweeny romance version will focus on the Officer Lewis type female sidekick. This time she's a fresh from the academy rookie whose boyfriend is also on the force. On his first day on the job, the boyfriend cop is killed and then turned into a cyborg. Now his girlfriend cop must decide whether to let him go, or to defy logic and reach out to him through his cold chrome-finished armor-plated outer shell. Also, she is pregnant with his child, causing an uproar and scandal when the press leaks the story. When the cyborg cop boyfriend hears of this, his humanity overrides the machine side of his mind and he breaks out in a fit of rage. He goes on a rampage, destroying everything in sight. Now his girlfriend must talk him down while they are on the run from the military's best combat robots sent in to capture the rogue cyborg.
-
I'm a little confused about the "previously unavailable in North America" bit. I've had a DVD copy for years now. Not a great release, and when my friend ordered a copy off Amazon his packaging was completely different, but I'm pretty sure it's the same disc. Maybe they mean a "proper" release? Anyway, I'm so fucking pumped for this. I feel like the Director's Cut detracts a lot from the emotional gut punch of the film, with not one but three, (three!), unbelievably cheesy dream sequences/flashbacks. I mean, the flick is wrought with cheese, but the basketball scenes are a little much. I've been waiting for this on blu-ray forever now. glad I didn't cough up the extra dough for an import. That four disc is gonna be sick. Although I would love to own the Japanese six-disc set, with 3d blu-ray! Holy shit you guys.
-
I have read the novel in Japanese, and some of the English version, and the Japanese version is pretty damn good, while the English version, I think, suffers from translation issues. Either way, it goes into the backround of the society quite a bit. The manga, on the other hand, was FANTASTIC in Japanese, and very nearly completely re-written in English (adding a bunch of "humor" that wasn't in the original etc). I despise the English version. Minus the art, it's very nearly a completely different book. I wasn't in Japan for the premier of the original, but I was for the sequel. I bought the Japanese manga (a complete set) of the original film and my friends (male and female) sat around reading them and passing them on to the next before we went to the showing of the sequel. They all LOVED the manga, having never read the book or seen the film...and didn't like the sequel at all. Anyway, my $.02
-
The directors cut has some of the things you mentioned, and theres loads more blood splatters that are clearly cg'd in, when the original cut's effects weren't so (either) obvious or were practicle effects.
-
Just had to get that out of the way. I don't see the timing of the "official" release of BR as Hunger Games coattail riding, even if it is, because I'm virtually certain The Hunger Games was written as an R.L. Stine version of BR. Sure it doesn't rise to the level of out and out plagiarism, more akin to what I thought when I read Robert McCammon's Swan Song and said to myself "uh, someone's been reading The Stand...." It's amazing how little has been made of the obvious similarity between The Hunger Games and Battle Royale in the, er, mainstream media. Hopefully this will suffice as the American remake of BR and we can move on.
-
Yeah, I had forgotten about the English Adaptation which was written by well-known U.S. comic book writer/artist Keith Giffen. Giffen took A LOT of liberties with the adaptation, primarily injecting his sardonic humor into the proceedings, as you pointed out. Sometimes it worked, at others it was too much and took you out of the story. Still, I found the overall reading experience of the manga pretty riveting, despite Giffen's occasional heavy-handedness. That being said, I completely understand the frustration of someone who had read the orginal version. Full disclosure -- I was an editor at TOKYOPOP for years, and I disagreed with this approach and made it absolutely clear to any adaptation writers I worked with that they were not to take liberties with the narrative. As I saw it, the job of the adaptation writer was to try and understand the intent and tone of the original creator, then try to convey that as clearly as possible in a vernacular easily digested by an American audience. But that was just my approach. Others took a more liberal one. Oops, got carried away there, didn't I? Anyway... say what you will, but I still say that for a non-Japanese speaking/reading person, the T-POP adaptation of BR is a must-read! CC
-
All a film like Battle Royale is a body count and young cast. This film is a glorified dead teenager movie and nothing more. And I HATE dead teenager movies. (Though I have a soft spot for Freddy Kruger) The only genera I hate more is torture porn. And Battle Royale is the movie that bridges the two generas. They only leave me depressed. I'm depressed by the callous attitude toward human life. I'm depressed by the lack of imagination. And after the huge death toll the movie doesn't even have the bravery to follow through with the logical outcome of its own premise.
-
Battle Royale is one of my all time favorites. It's brilliant, hilarious, a great satirical black comedy. If you think it's just a "glorified dead teenager movie" you missed the point.
Top Talkbacks
- Spoilery early review of MAN OF STEEL!! -- 182 total posts 150 posts
- Holy Crossover!! Magneto’s Boy Quicksilver To Speed About In Whedon’s AVENGERS 2 And Singer’s X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST?? -- 269 total posts 57 posts
- A review of Refn and Gosling's ONLY GOD FORGIVES, direct from Cannes!! -- 68 total posts 49 posts
- Green-Band and Red-Band trailers for the new Jason Sudeikis & Jennifer Aniston VACATION ripoff, WE'RE THE MILLERS are here!! -- 116 total posts 24 posts
- Papa Vinyard thinks that HANGOVER: PART III was a paycheck grab for a buncha people who are already rich!! -- 197 total posts 22 posts
- Harry dives into STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS' spoilers to reveal the truth behind the blockbuster we're seeing! -- 1424 total posts 17 posts
- That rumor about Sony selling SPIDER-MAN? Don't you believe it for a second! -- 444 total posts 16 posts
- Ron Howard's latest trailer sure is a RUSH!!! -- 45 total posts 16 posts
- The METALLICA THROUGH THE NEVER Teaser! -- 200 total posts 15 posts
- Next on the Reboot assemblyline? TIMECOP!! -- 155 total posts 13 posts