Battle Royale Limited Edition [4K Ultra-HD] [Blu-ray]

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Increasingly it feels like we’re living in a world where someone would think Battle Royale would be a good idea. Sent to a remote island under the guise of a field trip, they awake (after having been gassed) in a warehouse under military guard and are told by their old teacher Kitano (played by Takeshi Kitano, aka Beat Takeshi) that they have three days to fight each other to the death. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority for consumer credit activities Firm Reference Number 656489. I do feel that its strongest impact is with audiences closer to the age of its protagonists, but it is still a watchable piece of entertainment. The dialogue is clear, as conveniently the bullets stop flying when someone has something meaningful to say.

Having seen the film on both DVD and regular Blu-ray I can say that there is a definite difference here, and whilst some of the darker scenes do have a slight bit of grain to them, overall they look fantastic. Overseeing the carnage is Beat Takeshi Kitano (Sonatine, Hana-bi, Zatoichi) as the teacher pushed to the edge by his unruly charges. Battle Royale is an iconic film from the start of the 21st Century, which still manages to make an impact even though the formula has been repeated and revisited by many lesser films since. Coming of Age: Battle Royale at 20 lasts 42:25 and is a retrospective featuring notable film journalists. I have to say that there is an aspect of the film which does benefit from this, little moments of space to breathe between the mayhem, and more opportunities to touch base with the first film.For its inclusion in this box set, both Requiem (the Original Theatrical Version, which runs 132:49) and the longer Revenge Cut (the Special Edition Director’s Cut, which runs about 19 minutes longer at 151:50) were remastered digitally from the original DI and are available here in 1080p HD on separate Blu-rays ( Requiem on Disc Three and Revenge on Disc Four). There was no way I was NOT going to like a Blu-Ray version of this masterpiece, but even so Arrow Videos have absolutely wowed me with their considered and generous treatment of the release. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH).

The rules are straightforward; each student gets a kit bag of equipment to complement anything he or she may already have, as well as one random weapon.

Battle Royale II: Revenge seems to share a transfer with Requiem; certainly I couldn’t see a difference. They awaken in an abandoned school room on a deserted island, surrounded by armed soldiers and awaiting them at the head of the class is their old teacher Kitano, the lesson of the day, “kill each other”. Doesn't really make much difference, it just sticks out like a sore thumb when the rest of the film has been polished to such a shine. The question now remains, having quadruple-dipped on Battle Royale over the years, do I want to get it on UHD as well?