<P> Bootleg copies of the film imported from China and South Korea have widespread availability in North America . A Special Edition DVD of the film was carried to a limited extent by retailers such as HMV and Starstruck Entertainment in Canada and Tower Records in the United States; the legal status of this edition is not clear . Also, the film's UK distributor, Tartan Films, released an all - region NTSC DVD version of the film that is available in North America from specialty outlets . One widely available Hong Kong import is a special edition without English subtitles that contains both films . Battle Royale and its sequel are available on Netflix, a major home - entertainment distributor in the United States, and it has been aired uncut on Showtime . </P> <P> An official DVD and Blu - ray edition of the film (and its sequel) was released in North America on March 20, 2012 by Anchor Bay Entertainment . The film is available in a standard edition featuring the two films and a 4 - disc Complete Collection that features both the Special Edition (labelled the Director's Cut) and the theatrical version of the first film, the sequel, and a disc of behind - the - scenes material . </P> <P> The film was highly acclaimed by critics in the Western world, with an 87% rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 45 reviews with an average rating of 7.5 / 10 . The site's consensus reads, "Battle Royale is a controversial and violent parable of adolescence, heightening teenage melodrama with life - or - death stakes ." Robert Koehler of Variety commented, "Given the most basic characters to work with, the mostly teen cast attacks the material with frightening gusto, and Fujiwara dutifully invokes the voice of inner moral conflict . Production is exceedingly handsome and vigorous, offering no sign that Fukasaku is slowing down ." He stated that, "returning to his roots as Japan's maestro of mayhem, Kinji Fukasaku has delivered" one of "his most outrageous and timely films", comparing it to "the outrage over youth violence" that Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange "generated in early -' 70s Britain" and featuring some of "the most startling scenes of mayhem since the movies of the wild and bloody' 70s ." Jason Korsner of BBC News gave Battle Royale four out of five stars, stating that it is "a heart - stopping action film, teaching us the worthy lessons of discipline, teamwork, and determination, but wrapping them up in a deliberately provocative, shockingly violent package ." BBC users gave the film five out of five stars . Almar Haflidason of BBC also gave the film five out of five stars . In a review for Empire, critic Kim Newman gave the film four stars out of five . He compared it to Lord of the Flies in how it makes audiences "wonder what they would do in the same situation", but wrote that Battle Royale gives "even harder choices for its school - uniformed characters ." He concluded that, "Some will be uncomfortable or appalled, and the mix of humour and horror is uneasy, but this isn't a film you'll forget easily . And, seriously, what would you do?" </P> <P> The Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw gave the film four stars in September 2001, choosing it as the best film of the week . He praised Takeshi Kitano's performance as the teacher and some of the scenes as "a stunningly proficient piece of action film - making, plunging us into a world of delirium and fear ." He notes that, among "the hail of bullets and the queasy gouts of blood, troubling narratives of yearning and sadness are played out . It is as if the violence of Battle Royale is not a satire of society at all, but simply a metaphor for the anguish of adolescent existence ." He concluded that, while some "will find the explicit violence of this movie repulsive", it "is a film put together with remarkable confidence and flair . Its steely candour, and weird, passionate urgency make it compelling ." Bryant Frazer of Deep Focus gave it a B+ rating and called it "a vicious take - off on reality TV that turns a high - school milieu dominated by cliques and childish relationships into a war zone ." British critic Jonathan Ross stated that "if you want to catch a wildly original and super-cool slice of entertainment before it gets remade and ruined by the Americans, then I suggest you try hard not to miss it" and concluded that "it's a wildly imaginative example of just what can be achieved in a teen movie ." In 2009, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino praised Battle Royale as the best film he had seen in the past two decades, stating that, "If there's any movie that's been made since I've been making movies that I wish I had made, it's that one ." </P>

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