Movie Trailers – Battle Royale

I first saw Battle Royale in 2013; and much like when I saw The Hunger Games the previous year; I could not stop thinking about it. It was an epic film! Based on the 1999 novel of the same name by Koushun Takami, and directed by Kinji Fukasaku; the film starred Tatsuya Fujiwara, and Aki Maeda, as teenagers; who along with the rest of their class, are transported to an island, and are forced to kill each other. And yes, it does sound a lot like The Hunger Games; but there are many differences between the two. But I am not going into that now; as I want to talk a bit about the film’s trailer.

The trailer could be considered as short and sweet. It’s a pretty quick trailer; but best of all; it just gets to the point. But whilst it highlights what the film involves; it doesn’t spoil the plot. Right from the start we get a fantastic scene where the great Takeshi Kitano writes on a chalkboard, and gets straight to the point; that point being; that the kids need to ‘kill each other off’!

Then just as the action kicks off; we get the drum beats from Giuseppe Verdi‘s Requiem Dies Irae; to really kick everything off. What follows is some cast introductions, as well as scenes of guns being fired; a moment highlighting the all-important collar’s around the kids necks, along with yet more ‘encouraging’/’inspirational’ words from Mr. Kitano.

But then to bring the point home (and to remind the audience this is a film about teenagers killing each other); we see the first death, as Mr. Kitano throws a knife at a kid’s head; who then dies; followed by panic from everyone else in the room, but him. His response is actually quite casual. And then that’s where the trailer ends!

It’s sort of the perfect film trailer; as it highlights key things; but doesn’t spoil the story; it features action/drama/intensity, with very graphic imagery; and a killer soundtrack; which perfectly encompasses the entire piece. Yes it is a pretty brutal trailer too; but by not holding back; it does portray the intensity the film carries.

Plus, it sends a message out to the potential viewer; one which says that the audience member in question, cannot possibly complain about the violence in the film, due to the fact, that the film’s trailer; didn’t in any way try to hide it!