Koushun Takami had a genius idea and hence we got this movie and the whole genre of dystopian. Battle Royale is highly daring and different movie. It is filled with bloodshed and gore, but it is entertaining. It never gets dull. Most of all, its similarities with Hunger Games kept me hooked. Some things seemed to have been incorporated exactly into the story of Hunger Games. Anyway, there is nothing happy about this film. The whole plot can be summed up as children killing children in outright sick ways. But again, those are the exciting parts. This movie should only be watched by those who don't mind bloodshed. If you do mind it, then please skip this film altogether. I have almost nothing to criticize about in the plot. But some characters were over-written (like the teacher), and ended up being funny- because they were so, so dramatic. Drama can be both good and bad so some aspects of this were outright bad. The direction is flawed and the editing could have been better. But maybe because it had a lot going on in the film that I wasn't really bored. This is a big thing because I am an easily bored person. This is one of those movies which you have to watch before judging. It is not at all disappointing. But the movie left me feeling drained so I am not going to rewatch it. If this interests you, go and watch it- it won't let you down.