Review of Battle Royale (2000) by Charles R — 12 Aug 2013

This blatant Hunger Games rip-off -- ok ok, calm down, I'm kidding. In all seriousness, the greatness of this movie lies in the fact that while it can't take credit for originating the 'island full of bloodthirsty schoolchildren' nightmarish trope, it still ups the stakes to 11 without resorting to bio-engineered bees or pre-teen notions of 'happy endings' (ala Hunger Games and other neo-dystopian versions of this story.

) 5/5 Twisted, realistically dark (yet not so bad as American torture porn, thankfully), and shamelessly committed to its insane ideas, this sci-fi classic is perfect midnight-movie fare for the masses, not just B-movie enthusiasts.