All Film Reviews

A lot of kung fu film fans have no doubt eagerly been awaiting Vivendi's line of Dragon Dynasty Blu's. Unfortunately, if The 36th Chamber of Shaolin is any indication of what's in store down the line, Vivendi has drastically underestimated the tolerance level of high definition aficionados. Somewhat unbelievably, this is a 1080i transfer, which in and of itself isn't horrible, except that the source elements of this ShawScope (OAR 2.39:1) film vary widely in consistency, and combing artifacts do rear their ugly heads from time to time. Colors (especially reds) bloom repeatedly, leaving large swaths of the screen seeming to literally bleed outside the lines of their colored objects. Even worse, the final 15 minutes or so of the film undergo a rather substantial quality change, with inconsistent contrast and an overall yellow sheen. The entire film in fact looks rather soft, and while some may be excited enough with an anamorphically enhanced Blu that at least isn't downright horrible, my hunch is the more shall we say persnickety videophiles are going to be really, really disappointed with this effort, especially for a film which is so widely beloved. Is it better than a standard def DVD? Probably--a little. Though the fact that I'm even asking that question should be warning enough that there's not enough of a difference here to even really mention.

At the dawn of the new millennium, Japan is in a state of collapse. Unemployment is endemic and school violence is out of control. The beleaguered government retaliates with Battle Royale... Each year, a randomly chosen class is pitted against itself on an abandoned island in a cruel game of survival. The rules of the game are simple: 1) it lasts three days; 2) Each player starts with food, water and a "weapon"; 3) if more than one player survives, everyone dies (by detonating special electronic necklaces; 4) there is no escape. As the game progresses, terror and panic challenge the students' fragile trust in each other. But despite the game's brutality, the adolescent players remain obsessed with their crushes, their petty grudges - and their dreams...

Despite their different family backgrounds, four friends grew up together in the wearisome years of the 70s. But as time goes by, each of them takes a different life paths. After enrolling in college, Sang-taek and Jung-ho return to visit Dong-su(Jang Dong-Geon) and Jun-seok(Yu Oh-Seong), only to find one of them in jail and the other on drugs. Slowly life take difficult turns where friends become rivals in the crime world...

Also Known As:	Memory Island, Those Were the Days, Chin Goo
Director:	Gwak Gyeong-Taek
Country of Origin:	South Korea
Genre:	Drama, Action
Language:	Korean
Subtitles:	Korean
Sound:	DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Release Date:	Feb 24, 2014
Publisher:	Contents Zone
Product Made In:	South Korea
Aspect Ratio:	1.85:1
Case:	Lenticular

Region Code: A, NTSC
 Special Features:
- Audio Commentaries
- Interviews
- Behind the Story
- Location
- Dialect
- Deleted Scenes
- Outtakes
- Marketing
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spot