Arrow Video - Battle Royale LE - The Reviews
 

With some screengrabs surfacing on the web clearly we're not too far away from reviews starting to pop up on the web, in print and through other mediums. Please feel free to put links to coverage here.

I am eager!

I'm sure you won't be shy posting up a link once your review is ready? ;)

Of course not.

Did Toei provide the master for this one Almar? I take it the same HD master was used as the basis for both the DVD and BD versions? The old DVDs look terrible in comparison to the BD, but I'd be interested to see how the new DVD transfer measures up.

Well get on with it, chop chop ;)

I'm waiting for the full retail version, it isn't ready yet, I can be patient.

Here's the first review I found

w w w.dvdactive. c o m/reviews/dvd/battle-royale-limited-edition.html

I think anyone expecting a transfer like Transformers was deluding themselves and/or haven't seen the previous DVD releases.
You can wait for the Anchor Bay release next year but I doubt they will get a better source to work with, and by then the Limited Edition will be sold out and selling at 2-3x current price.

It would have been even better without the DNR though.

But until something with the heavy grain intact pops up this will do.

I don't know that DNR has been applied. Was it ever supposed to have heavy grain?

There's some suggestion that this is no more than an upscaled transfer over on AVSForums. Can anyone involved with the disc production or promotion cast some light on the origin of the transfer? AVS can be useful, but hyperbole is that forum's speciality and I'm still not 100% convinced.

Yeah, it was shot on 35 mm, so the lack of both filmgrain and fine-details, plus the smudgy softness, is a clear sign of heavy DNR.

After the DNR use on the "Inferno" disc and now this one, I´m a little worried about the coming BD:s from Arrow. The fine-details always suffer when DNR is used as they get whiped out with the filmgrain, and fine-detail is THE advantage of high-def and why we upgraded to Blu-Ray.

Even though the City of the Living Dead disc had the grain intact, all the highdef extras packed on the same disc gave the movie itself a lower bitrate with heavy artifacting in the grain compared to the B.U. disc.

I´m thinking about skipping Battle Royal for the moment.
Sure the extra swag you get with the Arrow releases are awesome, but I always put the transfer of the movie as top priority over extras. I hope Deep Red and the other future Argento BD:s are DNR free. If not I go for the coming Blue-Underground discs instead.

Hey folks - I've been talking to Fran at Arrow who has been pouring himself into this release for months. Toei supplied an HD CAM SR which then went through further restoration work including days of hand repair restoration through the UK company Eyeframe.

Why not just get the limited set and judge for yourself. If you don't like it then you can sell the it later, minimum get back what you paid if not more, then order the Anchor Bay release.
No guarantees that they'll have better results.

I know what DNR is, but unless one actually knows how the film was originally supposed to look I don't think it's as easy as making sweeping statements like that. I've had people telling me that it didn't look particularly grainy (or good) theatrically, but since I never saw it...

It doesn't have the same kind of look as some other titles that suffer from 'heavy' DNR either (*cough* Predator*), which is why I was interested in the source. I'm not saying it wasn't filtered, because I just can't tell for sure, but if it was one assumes that it was Toei who did it because they don't have the best reputation. However, I'm more concerned by the claims that it's an upscale. Unfortunately just because it was supplied on an HD CAM SR it doesn't necessarily mean it's actually an HD master. Optimum's release of Escape from New York came on the same format, and that's widely accepted to be one of the worst transfers on the format (and a probable upscale).

The problem when relying on third-party materials is that you have no real control over their quality. I would hope that Arrow didn't ask the restoration company to do any additional filtering though.

Me, well I'm happy enough that it looks considerably better than the DVD, even if it could be better.

All of these judgements before anyone has seen the film in motion seems a bit premature. Japanese films are notoriously hit and miss when it comes to optical quality, often they aren't sharp and there isn't much in the way of grain or fine detail to begin with. I'll judge when I see it for myself.

Yeah, I heard a lot of the material, of older movies, coming in "HD" form from Japan is upscaled, like lot´s of the Anime stuff, plus movies like "Versus" released by Media-Blasters etc. It´s like they don´t want the rest of the world to have quality transfers that people from japan can import much cheaper than the Japanese discs. It was the same with DVD where Japan had fantastic versions and the rest of the world got soft and smeary, almost VHS quality, transfers :(

Japan is not the only ones cheating with upscaled stuff, most of the BD:s of classic Hong Kong movies from "Fortune Star" like "Police Story" etc. are also upscales. :(

Really pisses me off that they gave Arrow such lacking materials to work with. BUT I might still get it in the end until something better comes. It IS better than any of the DVD:s out there. I´ll wait for a few more reviews and comments from you guys before I decide.

I have seen it in motion.

I was mostly referring to everyone talking about the quality based solely on caps.

Indeed, I will not pass judgement until I see it properly for myself. Screen caps can be deceiving little s***s at times...

I've asked someone I know to provide me with DVD caps from the new release so that I can compare the two. The BDs should show more detail than upscaled DVD captures. If they don't, there could be some truth to the upscale claims.

Not too long for this one now...

Do let us know your findings, even though the BD caps don't look too bad it isn't the leap in picture quality I was hoping for.

hope mine from HMV gets shipped tomo!
but I am having it sent to me home so wont be able to take a look till 18th!!

Just done my review on my Blog ..HERE....
Its a very good set, cant wait to get my other copy from Amazon so i can have the great packaging, postcards etc..

review of SD and Blu editions at DVDBeaver.

Was looking forward to seeing this, and I have to say that going by those grabs, the Blu-Ray looks to be an significant improvement over the DVD - I'll reserve final judgement for when I'm watching it myself, though.

Including grabs from the various DVD releases also puts into context how good this release looks, and even though I don't pay much attention to screen grabs, I'm optimistic that this will be a fantastic release. :cool:

HMV posted my copy today :D!

And another review makes its debut:

"If you’ve yet to see this modern classic then shame on you, Japanese cinema really doesn’t get any better than this. On blu-ray, well, it positively shines. Kinji Fukasaku combines intelligent social commentary with raw unadulterated action, throwing in the occasional Japanese schoolgirl for good measure. We all have our favourite movies, and there’s never been a better time to rediscover one of the all time greats on blu-ray for the first time."
:: View topic - Battle Royale: Blu-Ray Review

First Review of the Battle Royale: Parents' Day comic book:

Be warned though, it does contain spoilers:

Cinemusings - Rot Your Brain

really??
I pre-orderd mine as soon as HMV listed it and mine aint shipped yet :(

I just got a dispatch email from HMV too, woo-hooo!

Nothing from Amazon yet... although they tend to dispatch on Fridays.

My one is on it's way from HMV, AWESOME!!!!

Mine too, whoop whoop! Bring on the Battle

Mine dispatched this morning from Play. Can't wait :D

mine been sent!!
no viewing till next Saturday as Its been sent home!

Amazon has mine ready for despatch. Next week Battle Royale in HD will be mine :dance:

My HD BR copies have yet to arrive but my DVD orders came this morning and the wait has been well and truly worth it.
The best packaged and most generously packed Arrow release yet imo and somewhat heavy to hold too! A definite delight for inclusion in all our collections and a simply stunning edition of Kinji Fukasaku's kill-or-be-killed classic.:clap:

Battle Royale review from blu-ray.com

Battle Royale Blu-ray: Limited Edition