Recently I had the pleasure of showcasing cult classic Battle Royale to a couple of co-workers who’d never seen the film before. Geek media, especially media that is not well known in popular culture, is always a trip when you hand it off to a new audience, and it’s even better when it’s a piece of cinema that’s garnered a small, but loyal, following.
For those who haven’t seen Battle Royale, think Lord of the Flies (where a class of boys trapped on an island with no rules turns to savagery) with a dash of 1984 (where dystopian society turns to extremes to maintain order) thrown in. The entire premise of the movie rests on a question posed to the audience about what happens to rather innocent school culture when faced with extreme situations. The students in the film are drugged, brought to a remote island, and forced to kill one another until one survivor remains, part of an overall effort by their society to make better, more respectful children.
The cool part about exposing new people to this kind of dystopian, cultish effort is the fact that films such as Battle Royale are unabashed in their cheesy, cliche-laden presentation. It creates a kind of charm that is infectious to geeks, who take a sort of pride in liking the obscure and the unpopular. From the count of students being killed to little twists such as an accidental poisoning leading to a schoolgirl gun fight, the film marches along to the tune of its own drum. It’s blatantly violent, sometimes hilarious at inopportune moments and has made stars out of certain actors/actresses (hello Chiaki Kurayama, pre-Kill Bill) who have shined in brief moments. These are the kinds of things that geeks love to share with either other geeks or even better, an uninitiated audience of “normals” who have no idea what to expect.
Of course, there’s always the notion that showing geek media to people sometimes backfires (I’ve had people want the movie turned off after a certain part involving a head, a grenade, and resulting creative weaponry), but honestly, that’s kind of the appeal to showcasing a small, culty movie to people – you never know what you’re going to get. Personally, the laughter and “WTF” moments I got from the people I showed it to this time were proof positive that I’d succeeded in creating more converts. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they turned around and showed it to others to get the thrill of watching others react to it. Sharing is caring, indeed.