Every now and then, I discover a movie that makes me go WOW. A movie that can make me feel a wide variety of emotions. A movie that makes me sympathize and ponder over. A movie that touches on the adolescent psyche and the destruction of an advanced society. A movie I can watch over and over and find something new every time. As of last week, this movie is Battle Royale.
I was never good with movie plots, so anyone interested can just travel to IMDB for an array of viewer-written plots. Long story short, a class of 42 students is selected and sent to a deserted island, where they will remain for no longer than three days. Each student is provided with food, water, a flashlight, a compass, a map, and a random weapon (anything from a MAC-10 to a crossbow to a paper fan; "Maybe you'll get lucky, maybe not."), in addition to their own belongings. They are released onto the island, with the intent that they will kill each other. 42 students begin in this game, but only one will remain. Oh yeah, and there is no escaping or hiding because each student has a collar fastened around their necks which can pinpoint their location to the authorities, so if anyone acts up their collars can be detonated like bombs, killing them in seconds.
The concept of the movie is an interesting one, but at first could not stimulate me enough to want to watch it. It was not conceivable that a movie with a cast of over 42 characters doing nothing but killing each other could be appealing. I am not partial to nonstop action films, I cannot handle gory films, and I do not generally like films with an overload of characters, because this means multiple storylines, which then means too many things would be happening at once, and my brain likes the idea of watching a movie once and understanding what happens then and there. As far as I was told, this movie had all of those characteristics, so initial interest did not spark.
I expected a thin plot line covered with blood and guts, filled with forgettable one-dimensional nerds and Japanese school girls with good hair. I cheated a bit by going to Wiki and reading up on the plot of the movie and I was very confused, mainly because of all the characters with their three or four syllable names which all looked the same to me (two of the girls in the movie are named Yumiko and Yukiko, and another three are named Yuko, Yuka, and Yukie; I rest my case). So, to alleviate my confusion and mediocre expectations, it only made sense to watch the movie and see if things would be different.
WOW. I could chalk up my adoration of this movie to exceeding my expectations, but this movie has so much to offer. It takes a basic storyline and crafts it into a work of art. It draws you in from the beginning and gives life to each of its characters. Its use of flashbacks is minimal, but they are relevant and integrate well into the story. What is interesting is that most of these characters are teenagers, and are portrayed as such with young adolescent minds, thrust into a situation bigger than they are. Sometimes the dialogue seems choppy and out of place, but these are teenagers, most of whom do not fully comprehend everything about life, and that's what makes them so believable.
The name of the game is survival, and each student reacts to the game in a different way, which is even more interesting when some characters have a change in mindset as the game progresses. It poses the question "Could you kill your best friend?" and many of the students build alliances because initially to them this question can be answered with an immediate NO. Still, if the name of the game is survival, and if it really came down to it, what would you do? Would you be the one to die or survive? Would you die fighting or end your life quickly because you could not bear hurting another? Would you kill to save someone else? Many of these questions are presented, and the many responses illustrated in the movie only draw in the viewer more to see the outcomes.
The soundtrack is also incredible, because it is comprised mostly of classical compositions. It is a unique take for this movie, given its story and themes, but the music is so fitting. The calm and serene compositions complement the tension felt throughout the movie, and it's a brilliant combination of visual and auditory senses.
Of course, being me, I did get a touch of yellow fever while watching the movie. As far as my tastes are concerned, it was all about the main hacker guy and the guy who never talked. The guy who was looking for his best friend and his crush wasn't so bad either. However, this information is relevant only to myself.
This movie is NOT for everyone. It is very intense, very disturbing, and very VERY violent. After watching it the first time, there are parts of the movie I can't bear to look at again, and instinctively I turn my head away at every view following. All things included, it is one of the best movies I have seen.
You ever get the feeling that you're in over your head? You ever wonder why you have to feel the way you do when it doesn't benefit anyone, especially not yourself? You ever think about when it will be your time, and that finally that one little tick you couldn't seem to shake off will release itself from you and go elsewhere? You ever feel like you should have learned from your mistakes and soon you can take the higher road, but that other road keeps dragging you back in?
