Matt Czyz
Supporting Actor
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2003
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- Real Name
- Matt Czyz
(since the new Korean Starmax 2-disc set of BR2 is an all-region affair, and is playable on all Region 1 NTSC players, I wasn't sure which forum to place this. An administrator can move it if need be.)
Battle Royale II: Requiem
dir: Kinji Fukasaku/Kenta Fukasaku
I was absolutely ecstatic when this showed up in my mail the other day as I had been looking forward to seeing it ever since I read that production was underway. When I learned that Kinji Fukasaku died days into filming and his son took over the director's chair, I was more than a bit worried. Still, as there is a snowball's chance in hell of BR2 showing anytime soon in America, seeing the movie on DVD was going to be my only way to watch it. And I loved it.
It's a completely different animal than the first Battle Royale, and the movie knows this. We don't even learn most of the new kids' names, whereas the first movie gave each student (even if just for a few seconds) a chance to grab the limelight. This is a war movie, through and through, and it heavily references American action movies such as Saving Private Ryan, The Rock, and Assault on Precinct 13. Also, watch for cameos by Beat Takeshi and Sonny Chiba.
The DVD set itself is pretty awesome. 2-disc single-width keepcase in a cardboard sleeve. Mine came with a 26-page photo booklet (all in Korean, no English anywhere sadly) and a BR2 patch.
Disc 1: The movie, presented in 1.85 anamorphic widescreen with removable Korean or English subs. A beautiful transfer, with a bit of grain showing up from time to time, but nothing distracting. A lot of the movie is dark, and there is also a lot of smoke in parts, but I did not notice any compression artifacts. Soundwise, this is one LOUD movie. Pretty awesome panning effects, especially when the teacher is writing on the chalkboard, of all things. High, high marks for the the audio and video.
Disc 2: Since this is a Korean release, none of the supplements have English subtitles. Still watchable though are two trailers, an alternate "Piano" scene (which should definitely be watched by fans of the first BR), exerpts of the musical score being performed by the Warsaw Symphony Orchestra, some brief making-of footage, and a 16 picture photo gallery.
Reviews online seem to be pretty split on whether BR 2 is a good movie or not, and I can understand most of the complaints. In my opinion, it's definitely worth checking out and I am glad that I have it sitting next to my copy of the first Battle Royale. Highly recommended.
Battle Royale II: Requiem
dir: Kinji Fukasaku/Kenta Fukasaku
I was absolutely ecstatic when this showed up in my mail the other day as I had been looking forward to seeing it ever since I read that production was underway. When I learned that Kinji Fukasaku died days into filming and his son took over the director's chair, I was more than a bit worried. Still, as there is a snowball's chance in hell of BR2 showing anytime soon in America, seeing the movie on DVD was going to be my only way to watch it. And I loved it.
It's a completely different animal than the first Battle Royale, and the movie knows this. We don't even learn most of the new kids' names, whereas the first movie gave each student (even if just for a few seconds) a chance to grab the limelight. This is a war movie, through and through, and it heavily references American action movies such as Saving Private Ryan, The Rock, and Assault on Precinct 13. Also, watch for cameos by Beat Takeshi and Sonny Chiba.
The DVD set itself is pretty awesome. 2-disc single-width keepcase in a cardboard sleeve. Mine came with a 26-page photo booklet (all in Korean, no English anywhere sadly) and a BR2 patch.
Disc 1: The movie, presented in 1.85 anamorphic widescreen with removable Korean or English subs. A beautiful transfer, with a bit of grain showing up from time to time, but nothing distracting. A lot of the movie is dark, and there is also a lot of smoke in parts, but I did not notice any compression artifacts. Soundwise, this is one LOUD movie. Pretty awesome panning effects, especially when the teacher is writing on the chalkboard, of all things. High, high marks for the the audio and video.
Disc 2: Since this is a Korean release, none of the supplements have English subtitles. Still watchable though are two trailers, an alternate "Piano" scene (which should definitely be watched by fans of the first BR), exerpts of the musical score being performed by the Warsaw Symphony Orchestra, some brief making-of footage, and a 16 picture photo gallery.
Reviews online seem to be pretty split on whether BR 2 is a good movie or not, and I can understand most of the complaints. In my opinion, it's definitely worth checking out and I am glad that I have it sitting next to my copy of the first Battle Royale. Highly recommended.