Rent Battle Royale II: Revenge (2003)

Only recommended for fans of the original. - Battle Royale II: Revenge review by CP Customer

The idea behind the original 'Battle Royale' was an extremely clever one. Society is in a state of near collapse, with violence among the nations youth spiralling out of control the government introduce a radical new measure, the Battle Royale Act. The act dictates a randomly chosen school class be taken to a deserted island and forced to fight each other to the death, the act states only one pupil will survive the punishment and he or she will return home, not as the victor, but as the ultimate proof of the lengths to which the government is prepared to go to curb the tide of juvenile disobedience. In 'Battle Royale 2' the rules have changed, the chosen students are equipped with full assault gear and ordered not to kill each other, but to stop the threat from Shuya , (the survivor of the first film), who is now the leader of a terrorist group known as the 'Wild Seven' who are now fighting the government. Though 'Battle Royale 2' isn't exactly a bad film, its biggest problem is it just can't live up to the brilliance of its predecessor. In the previous film, the drama was on a personal, subtle and easy to relate to level, schoolchildren losing close friends, classmates being killed, people confessing their crushes, and new friendships forming in dire circumstances. In 'Battle Royale 2', the drama is more hard nosed and in your face, dealing with terrorism, war and genocide. Every scene is chaotic, there are far too many characters to keep track of, none of which are as memorable as the original cast. Another aspect missing was the stabilising presence of Takeshi Kitano, his role in original film was an integral part of the story and his calm acting style brought a clever balance to the chaos. Even though Kitano makes a brief appearance, unfortunately this film doesn't have that kind of central character and suffers badly because of it. Unless you're a huge fan of the original 'Battle Royale', then 'Battle Royale 2' has very little to offer, and everything that's good in this movie can be seen in its far more superior predecessor.