I've heard about Battle Royale (2000, Japan) for years, but had never gotten around to watching it. Based on a novel by Koushun Takami, it also spawned several manga series and a second film: Battle Royale II: Requiem (2002). That was an original screenplay but picks up three years after the first film. An American remake and a TV series were announced at one time, but never produced.
The Japanese government has been taken over by fascist politicians, who feel that teenagers are not respectful enough to their elders. To discourage this each year a group of Ninth graders is selected at random, sent to a once-inhabited island for three days and only one survivor is allowed to leave. The students are given no choice with neck collars placed on them which not only track them but can explode if rules are not followed. Each student is given a bag, with some food and water, and one other item. Some of these are weapons and others are random items that might be helpful.
We see how each of the students reacts to the situation, with some attempting to simply survive, while others are more than happy to take part and ensure their own survival. The main story is occasionally halted and we get a flashback or dream sequence involving one or more of the characters. These give a better understanding of why certain characters act in a certain manner.
The book and film were impactful on later projects in all forms of media. Several YA book series and movies (i.e. Hunger Games) were seen by some as rip-offs or homages to Takami's work.
Extremely gory and sometimes overly sentimental. I was only able to see the dubbed version on Pluto TV, which also has additional footage from the Special Edition release. I'm not sure if the ending scene I saw is from the original theatrical release or the Special Edition.
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