Watching Battle Royale was interesting because I wasn’t expecting the concept of the movie as I’ve previously read the novel in an African American Lit course. It was shocking that so many people were open to the Battle Royale Act introduced in the movie because of the violence and murder of the teens. The state of the world in the movie was less than great so it’s not hard to imagine why some people would be okay with this barbaric way to reduce the population. Nonetheless, I thought it was a great and subtle way to depict a dystopia because it was the most extreme display of cruelty and dehumanization that isn’t normally seen (outside of movies like The Hunger Games). The element of unfairness between the bags with some students having full-blown military grade weapons or hunting gear while others are equipped with gag objects like pot lids or binoculars is a great reflection of some people getting dealt with a bad hand that leads to their demise and others having the tools needed for life or success in the palm of their hand. The collars added to the theme because they highlighted the idea that there will always be some form of oppression by those in charge regardless of the tools or help given to you by them.
