Monday, March 3, 2014

Battle Royale 2 (2003)

If you have watched the 2000 film Battle Royale, then you should probably watch its sequel which promises even more brutality and violence, but with disappointingly less suspense.

Battle Royale 2 takes place after the first film. Nanahara Shuya, one of the two survivors of the previous game, is now the leader of a terrorist group named "Wild Seven", said to be the one responsible for the many bombings in Japan in his fight against the corrupt adults. This time the rules of the game have changed. Instead of having the students kill each other with only one lone survivor in the end, the goal now is to kill Nanahara Shuya to end the game.

Delinquent students, including Kitano Shiori, daughter of Kitano Takeshi the teacher in BR 1, woke up inside the bus on a field trip with collars around their necks. The same fear is prevalent as in BR 1 when the students were suddenly thrust into a situation where they have to fight for their own life. That is, until they were informed of the new rule.

The students are forced to wear military uniforms and were later sent to the Wild Seven island base via boats. A lot of students died and only a handful survived and came to face Nanahara Shuya. It was then that they suddenly faced a dilemma on whether to trust this terrorist leader who was responsible for the bombings that killed most of the students' parents. In the end though the remaining students switched to Shuya's side and as the military storms the island, the Wild Seven and the students join hands to fight the military.

Maybe I'm missing out a lot. I don't think I understand very well what's going on in the film or what happened in between BR 1 and 2. There are just too many unanswered questions (and I hope I can find the answers in the manga... Anyone read the whole manga, please let me know.)

I mean, in just a span of three years, Nanahara Shuya and Nakagawa Noriko, both high on the wanted list merely for breaking the rule in the previous game, were still alive and apparently have gone somewhere in the Middle East to train under known terrorist groups??? And I also wonder what keeps the military from bombing the island where the Wild Seven stay. They already know that the Wild Seven adopted the island as its main base and yet they had to send a group of innocent teenagers to go out there and confront the terrorists when USA simply had to press a button to release a nuclear missile and finish off Wild Seven without all this drama??? (Well, if that happens then we don't get to see this film...) And here's the thing that bewildered me: all girl students except Shiori were led to a tunnel by the other Wild Seven members which apparently leads to the mainland since how then will they be able to end up in the Middle East in the end? Also, they have to cross many borders and it's such a wonder how they are able to do so and with a vehicle no less. I don't know if maybe I'm just thinking too much but there are many things that are not explained so I'm hoping to see BR 3 soon (if ever they will create a third movie) and I am EXPECTING it to provide the answers to my questions.

Nevertheless, the film is a bold attempt to raise awareness on the evils of USA, how it can wield its power and bomb any nation on earth that defies their wishes. I don't know where Shuya's war against adults fit in the anti-US stance but anyway... I really hope they make another kickass BR 3. And I hope to see more girls in action. Those who are really kickass like Shiori and Saki Sakurai unfortunately died. That's just too sad. Tsk.

Watch the movie HERE.

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