Battle Royale minus humor plus cheese

Rating: 3/10 (5 August 2012)

I do not know the book this movie is based on, but I sincerely hope that it is much better (and have been told that it is) than its adaptation. As it stands, the movie is a PG13 version of Battle Royale, with a hint of Running Man, a touch of Truman Show, minus any irony or humor, with a lot less gore (to keep it PG13 no doubt), and a lot more cheese.
The one thing that might have set it apart from its many predecessors would have been the political and social background story which is hinted at in the brilliant but short performances of Tucci and Banks, but gets drowned out by the tedious, incoherent, and unconvincing attempts at action and cheesy teenage romance of the Twilight variety.
Even though the "action" is clearly intended to carry the movie, given the amount of time devoted to it, it is largely vapid PG13-type stuff, where the heroine MacGyvers her way out of a tight corner by dropping a hive of waspy insects onto her assailants --- who, in spite of being in a fight for their lives, guard her, and themselves, by collectively taking a nap at the foot of the tree their opponent is trapped in. Common sense isn't the strength of any of the contestants, which gallivant unguardedly and noisily through woods they know to be full of people out to kill them, and spend quite a bit of time publicly (and noisily) emoting when disagreeable stuff happens. Gimmicks abound, many of which easily predictable as they are introduced hamfistedly one by one during the preparation and training phase.
Movie making is a business, and much of the revenue comes from young people, and there is every reason to believe that this movie is successfully catering to their tastes and preferences. Unfortunately for the rest of us, this means that all the interesting commentary on our own lives and societies that the source material might have contained is only a small subtext to a teenage drama that has been done before, better, sharper, and more convincing. The scenes with Tucci (equipped with dental enhancements that accentuate everything he does) and Banks (also in magnificent costume) are the highlights of this film, degrading the main action to mere filler for the teens. Unfortunately, for more than two hours, that's just not enough.