BATTLE ROYALE 2: SURVIVAL PROGRAM
PLOT-The Japanese government forces a group of high school kids to wage war on a teenage terrorist faction.
VIOLENCE-So many people get shot in this movie that they keep an on-screen tally of who died in the chaotic battle scenes. Lots of explosions, blood spray, limbs blown off...stuff like that. Very violent business here.
SEX/NUDITY-None.
WHY I WATCHED IT-Anyone who has seen the first BATTLE ROYALE knows what an experience it was, and has been eagerly awaiting the release of its equally controversial sequel.
THE DOPE-Imagine SAVING PRIVATE RYAN crossed with APOCALYPSE NOW, with a cast who are all under 18 years old, and you're getting a rough idea of how BATTLE ROYALE 2 plays out. Now mix in some very anti-American politics and let simmer for over 2 hours. Nothing can prepare you for how mind-blowing the first movie was, so I figured it would be hard to top that with a sequel. Part 2 is just as violent, if not more so actually, but rather than just try to recapture the glory of the original, it pushes your buttons even more. As an American, I understand why the BATLE ROYALE films will never see a release here. After all, we are very sensitive about seeing high school kids shoot one another. It happens here all the time, and it's a huge problem that our leaders don't seem to want to do anything about. Now we're getting to where BATTLE ROYALE 2 picks up. The opening scene shows two skyscrapers shake and fall to the ground in an explosion, followed by several other buildings around it toppling as well. Right away you know what the intention there is, and some people are already very mad about that image.
The kids who survived the first battle have formed a terrorist group, and have declared war on the adults who forced them into combat, making them kill their own classmates for some twisted game controlled by a government who had run out of ideas as to how to solve the problems of its nation's troubled youth. Another unsuspecting busload of students are fitted with the special exploding collars, are given weapons, and are instructed to invade the island hideout of the rebel group and kill them all. Somewhat dissapointingly, the scene where the students arrive by small boats to invade the island is directly ripped off from SAVING PRIVATE RYAN in just about every way you can think of. The filming style is the same, the setup is the same (gunfire hails down upon the unprepared soldiers, killing most of them before they even reach the sand), and the desired effect is the same. True, it is intense, but it's such a shameless ripoff that it takes away from the power of the movie. This bugged me but it was over after awhile.
I won't give away anything else about the events that unfold from that point on, except to say that if you're a nationalist (not to be confused with patriotism; although some don't understand the difference) you will be pretty pissed off by this movie. While never directly referring to "America", when the characters talk about "other countries" who solve problems by jumping to violence and war, you know who they mean. Us.
The theme of the BATTLE ROYALE films is basically a statement on how uncaring adults can be toward children, and the mentality of a government filled with old men who can send their nation's youth, their future and hope, to some far away place to have their heads blown off in the name of bullying, money and power plays. A twisted system of beliefs that values the rights of unborn children and yet turns an uncaring shoulder away from the thousands of babies that need to be adopted, of kids that are starving or cannot get a good education or healthcare because of where they live.
Never wonder why these films will never see a U.S. release.
I do like the film, aside from the PRIVATE RYAN lift and the very obvious computer-generated blood sprays. It'll be interesting to see how fans of the first one will react to it though, particularly these days.
NOTES-Winter 2003 saw a DVD release of this in Japan, but I have no idea when it will be available otherwise. Like the first one, you're just gonna have to keep your eyes peeled.
(February 2004)