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The Hunger Games - Film Review
Mar. 25th, 2012 07:14 pm[According to the news...The Hunger Games made a record breaking 155 million in its debut.
Also everyone wore hoodies today in support of the unarmed black teen who was killed in Florida by a white neighborhood watch volunteer.]
So, went and saw The Hunger Games after church today. The audience looked like the cast of The New Girl, Gossip Girl and Vamp Diaries...basically all 20-30 something couples. Few little girls. And a lot of men. It's not a Twilight audience, more reminiscent of Harry Potter, actually. And The Hunger Games...is in some respects more haunting than Harry Potter. It's not as nice a film or as comforting. I used to call Harry Potter my comfort books, I would not say that about the Hunger Games.
The audience was quiet though and not a lot of text messaging. Also, very crowded. Reminding me of why I don't like movie theaters. There's no leg room in them. Also you have to wait in line for the bathroom.
Prior to the film listened to an absurd exchange:
Gal: Whose your favorite character? Mine's Peeta.
Guy: Well...while I read the books, about halfway through the reading, my brain stops registering words and it just becomes a film inside my brain, so I can't remember the names and they get reduced to three syllable words if that.
Gal: That's interesting...
Guy: So who is Peeta again?
(The rest was muddled).
The movie though was quite good, a lot better than expected. I always go in with low expectations - because films adapted from books that I enjoyed or loved often don't work or live up to expectations. The film in my head often doesn't match the film onscreen, although I'm not like the Guy above, I see the words. It's Not the music video I half-expected from the trailers and hyped-up soundtrack. There's no Taylor Swift ballad or a Rap number. There are no songs at all during the movie - outside of the one that Katniss sings. I'm guessing they role during the credits, which I did not stay for.
In some respects I prefer the film to the book - it's more compact, less meandering, and we get more focus on what is happening outside of Katniss. First person close pov can be ponderous at times. So, the satire comes through a bit more as a result of not being hampered by the first person close pov. The Hunger Games is also an example of how you can balance emotional and satirical elements without becoming offensive (to the very people you agree with) or muddled. Having seen others attempt to do the same thing...and either fail on the side of "over-kill" or are far too subtle/muddled ...the Hunger Games filmmakers hit just the right balance. (Joss Whedon and Ryan Murphy should take notes.)
( Film Review for the Hunger Games - somewhat vague plot spoilers )
Also everyone wore hoodies today in support of the unarmed black teen who was killed in Florida by a white neighborhood watch volunteer.]
So, went and saw The Hunger Games after church today. The audience looked like the cast of The New Girl, Gossip Girl and Vamp Diaries...basically all 20-30 something couples. Few little girls. And a lot of men. It's not a Twilight audience, more reminiscent of Harry Potter, actually. And The Hunger Games...is in some respects more haunting than Harry Potter. It's not as nice a film or as comforting. I used to call Harry Potter my comfort books, I would not say that about the Hunger Games.
The audience was quiet though and not a lot of text messaging. Also, very crowded. Reminding me of why I don't like movie theaters. There's no leg room in them. Also you have to wait in line for the bathroom.
Prior to the film listened to an absurd exchange:
Gal: Whose your favorite character? Mine's Peeta.
Guy: Well...while I read the books, about halfway through the reading, my brain stops registering words and it just becomes a film inside my brain, so I can't remember the names and they get reduced to three syllable words if that.
Gal: That's interesting...
Guy: So who is Peeta again?
(The rest was muddled).
The movie though was quite good, a lot better than expected. I always go in with low expectations - because films adapted from books that I enjoyed or loved often don't work or live up to expectations. The film in my head often doesn't match the film onscreen, although I'm not like the Guy above, I see the words. It's Not the music video I half-expected from the trailers and hyped-up soundtrack. There's no Taylor Swift ballad or a Rap number. There are no songs at all during the movie - outside of the one that Katniss sings. I'm guessing they role during the credits, which I did not stay for.
In some respects I prefer the film to the book - it's more compact, less meandering, and we get more focus on what is happening outside of Katniss. First person close pov can be ponderous at times. So, the satire comes through a bit more as a result of not being hampered by the first person close pov. The Hunger Games is also an example of how you can balance emotional and satirical elements without becoming offensive (to the very people you agree with) or muddled. Having seen others attempt to do the same thing...and either fail on the side of "over-kill" or are far too subtle/muddled ...the Hunger Games filmmakers hit just the right balance. (Joss Whedon and Ryan Murphy should take notes.)
( Film Review for the Hunger Games - somewhat vague plot spoilers )