Battle Royale (2001) Review

I don't usually watch foreign films. It's not the different language that I don't like, more lack of famous faces. But, an ultra-violent action-drama similar to the hunger games that has praise from Tarantino. Sign me up. And it looked it damn good, too. But let's get one thing right in that description- it's not that violent at all. And yes, I probably would have liked it more if was more violent. Battle Royale was a complete disappointment. It's thousand times better than the hunger games and it gets a lot right, (and the hunger games seems to be a total copy of it) but it screws up. It sets the scene up well. We know which characters to root for, and which not to. We're disturbed a little, but eager to watch the fights. And we're betting on who dies and who doesn't. But it's confusing as hell and doesn't mean a thing. Yes, it was entertaining and sometimes cool. But a good 75% of the movie takes place in the dark and we can't see a thing. And the list of characters is so large, which the percentage we are introduced to is so little. So constantly, I'm thinking who the hell are these people? When it's finally done, the finale ruins it all. It doesn't explain much and it's completely strange. Maybe next time I'll stick with the American movie.
Movie Rating: B-