Hunger Games

Let me begin by getting my fan-girling out of the way.  OH MY GOSH!  THE MOVIE WAS AMAZING!!!  There.  I am better now, and ready to be objective.  Dignity, always dignity.

In all seriousness, The Hunger Games was one of the better book adaptations I have seen.  Though extreme book purists (a category I usually put myself in) may have a problem with the decision to move outside of Katniss' perspective, I thought that the scenes outside of the arena added a lot of depth to the plot and the world of Panem.  Fans can rest assured that the director Gary Ross and producers did not high-jack the story from Collins and have their way with it; in fact she wrote the first draft of the screenplay.  Characters like Senca Crane, Caesar Fickerman, and President Snow, who barely make an appearance in the book, are much more central to the movie.  I believe this was crucial to the casual viewer's understanding of the social and political structure of Panem, in addition to being very good scenes.  These actors (especially Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman) did an impeccable job.  Overall, even though the screenwriters did not chain themselves to the text, it was faithful to the essence of the story as well as the plot.

Okay, now it is time for the gripes.  For the first time, my major complaints are not about the movie itself, but the reaction to it.  I saw it once at the midnight release and once on a weeknight.  What disturbed me most of all was when viewers would laugh or cheer at the death of a tribute.  Do you know who else gets excited about a tribute's death?  That's right, the Capitol.  Part of the blame belongs with the film because it made the careers into the main villains, but that does not change the fact that they were children who died especially horrific deaths (If you would like to read more about this, see the pre-Hunger Games post).  In the end, the writers did try to humanize Cato, but it was too little too late.  I also took issue with the odd little Cato/Glimmer thing going on.  That came out of left field.  Laughing and cheering was not as much of a problem on the weekday viewing.  I understand that it is premiere night, and its exciting, but let's not forget what the book actually stood for.  If you read the book and thought the killing was supposed to something to cheer for, maybe we read different books.  The movie is not meant to glorify the Games; it is meant to condemn them and the society they stand for.  Frankly, I thought the cheering was disgusting.

Moving on to the actual film... Gary Ross was loving the shaky-cam.  If you are easily motion-sick, be forewarned and sit high up and in the center.  In action sequences, it was a good effect and it was not distracting.  It may also be theorized that it kept the viewer from focusing on the acts of violence, which kept it in the range of a PG-13 rating.  This may be true, but many PG-13 movies have a fair amount of violence without using shaky-cam.  Granted, they are not brutally killing children.  In the opening establishing sequence, I found the shots hard to watch.  I heard someone on another site (sorry I forgot which one) say it was like they taped the camera to a chihuahua.  I have to agree with that.  The cutting in this sequence was interesting (and plentiful) and I think it would have sufficed to make the scene visually compelling.  Combined with the shaky-cam, it was a bit dizzying.  As the movie progressed, I am not sure if Ross used less of the shaky-cam, or I became more used to it, but it was less noticeable.  All and all, I wish it was used less in non-action shots, but I did not think it took too much away.

I have talked about the adult actors, so now I will talk about the younger actors.  I was skeptical of the casting choices going in, but the film sold me.  Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss) was excellent, and though Josh Hutcherson (Peeta) was a bit upstaged by her for the most part, he held his own.  Their chemistry was good and the romance believable, even if the pacing made it somewhat rushed.  Book readers will know why believable romance could be a bit of a problem, but there are small signs that Katniss isn't fully in it the same way Peeta is.  These could be missed by someone who wasn't looking for them, but as there was no voice-over (thank goodness!) viewers could not be in Katniss' head.  The signs were subtle, but they were there.  Amandla Stenberg was an excellent Rue.  She was sweet and innocent... exactly what Rue should be.  With what little we saw, Dayo Okeniyi as Thresh was good, but there was not much of it.  I can honestly say there was not a single cringe-worthy performance, and with a younger cast, that is saying something.

Overall, I liked the look of this film (minus the shaky-cam) and I thought the screenwriting was done well.  The actors didn't just fill in their roles, they made them come alive.  It has great re-watch value--the second time was even better than the first.  I give this film an A-

Katelyn

Pre-Hunger Games Predictions

     Well, we promised it, and here it is: Our Pre-Hunger Games post!  Katelyn and I both have tickets to the midnight premiere of the Hunger Games this Thursday, and we are very excited to see this film for ourselves (especially after reading glowing reviews, seeing lovely trailers, and reading lengthy interviews with the actors).  So, the question on everyone's mind: Will the Hunger Games live up to the hype?

     Victoria: I have to say, I have high hopes for this film.  I know trailers can be misleading, but from all the trailers, clips, and photos I've seen of this film, it really looks fantastic.  To go with my high hopes, I have high standards. I am expecting a lot of this film, and I really really hope it lives up to those expectations.  One thing I expect from this film is excellent acting.  From the trailer line "We wouldn't make it five miles." I knew I would love Jennifer Lawrence, and so far as I can tell, it doesn't seem that she will disappoint as Katniss.  Her quote to Vanity Fair and director Gary Ross about Katniss' character I think tells quite a bit about how she will be portraying the character:

"Katniss is an incredible character: she’s a hunter but not a killer, a 16-year-old who’s being forced into the arena. These kids are killing one another only because if they don’t they’ll die. It’s needless, pointless, unjustified violence. It’s heartbreaking. When I auditioned, I told [director] Gary [Ross], “I understand if you don’t hire me, but please remember that after Katniss shoots a bow and kills someone, her face cannot be badass.” So there’s nothing cool about her. It’s not like she looks around the arena and goes, Yeah, I got this. I think she looks around helplessly, and thinks, I made a promise to my sister that I would survive; now I have to kill in order to do so."

     This quote proves to me that Lawrence gets Katniss.  I'm also excited to see Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, since I was impressed with him in the trailers and clips I've seen.  I know he's not the most important character by a long shot, but he certainly means a lot to Katniss, and to get that sort of connection across can be difficult.  I hope the film does it justice.  As far as cinematography goes, from the trailers, the film looks beautiful in a destitute way, and that's exactly what I think it should be.  Everything is not a wasteland, nor is it Narnia.  It's broken and sad, but there's still something compelling about it.
     One other thing about the film before I let Katelyn tell her opinion: I admire Lionsgate for their marketing campaign on this film.  Though I've seen at least 4 or 5 clips plus several trailers and a ton of pictures, I have seen virtually nothing of the actual Hunger Games from the film.  They have managed to keep that portion of the film under wraps, and I admire them for doing so.  I absolutely hate when trailers show pretty much the whole film, and Lionsgate made sure that didn't happen for The Hunger Games.  The trailers leave you feeling tense and with a feeling of anticipation.  That is exactly the purpose they are meant to serve.
     I am extremely excited about this film, and I am very confident that it will meet and possibly even exceed my expectations.  I, and the world, will be watching Thursday night ;).

Katelyn:
     I will pick up where Victoria left off:  with the marketing campaign.  They are taking a very interesting angle with their promotions and what not.  They are literally putting fans in the position of a district citizen by allowing them to register for ID cards and joining their district.  I got on to thecapitol.pn while Victoria was writing her bit and registered.  Apparently I am a dockworker in District 4.  Not sure how good I would be at lifting, but it seems much better than a coal mine to me.  The sun, the sea, the spray... a nice view of Finnick.  What is not to like?  Ok, besides the fighting to the death thing.  On these sites, they promote the film like they are promoting the actual 74th Hunger Games with notes about viewing being required for all citizens.  None of the trailers show the actual games, so it is like they haven't happened yet.  There is even a Capital Couture page.  Rather than bombarding us with sneak peeks, they um... "captiolizing" on social networking to do their promotion for them.  At least 5 of my friends have gotten these cards and all their friends see them and think, "hmm... what is this Hunger Games?"  Well played, Lionsgate.  Not only do you have us excited about promoting your movie, you have gained access to our demographic info.  Kudos on clever marketing.  I am not being cynical or complaining, because I think this is a great move on their part. Movie making is a big BUSINESS, as well as an art, so it is not a bad thing that they are promoting this with all they have.

My District 4 ID

Here is what I want to see from the film:

• Gale and Peeta as more than eye candy.  The two male leads are there for more than being pretty and making a nice little love triangle.  They have distinct personalities and reflect the different extremes in Katniss.  Gale is tough to the point of being brutal and Peeta is caring to the point of self-sacrifice.  In a way, who she ends up choosing is a reflection of the side of herself that she chooses to embrace.  She can live in bitterness or love and be loved.  This contrast must be set up early to work.  Gale's dark side is present from the very beginning when he tells Katniss that killing animals isn't really different than killing people so she should have the upper hand.  Filmmakers will be doing the character a great disservice if they make him into stock love interest.
• Bloody Death.  Ok, it is morbid, but the Hunger Games is supposed to be disgusting and horrifying.  Should they turn it into a slasher?  Definitely not.  There has to be a balance, and the emotional component is crucial to this goal.  Going too gory would be disgusting and over the top but making it too gentle defeats the purpose.  It should always be obvious that we are dealing with scared kids, not ruthless adults.  The feeling of the Games must be preserved for the movie to work.
• Rue and Prim.  For Rue's death to have the impact it should, there needs to be setup in the relationship with Prim as well as a decent amount of character development for Rue.  They are more than cute twelve year-olds, they represent the most horrific part of the games.  They are the innocents that would never stand a chance.  Katniss protects Prim's innocence at the cost of her own, and she cannot turn off her maternal instinct.  It seems just from the trailer that the relationship is set up well, so that is reassuring.  Madge's character was axed in the process, but if that is the price that must be paid, it is well worth it.
• Haymitch is NOT just comic relief.  Sure he is a drunk, and does stupid drunk things like fall off the stage.  The reasons behind his drunkenness are dead serious.  He is living proof that the games never end.  He will be haunted by his games for the rest of his life and to make it worse he has to lead two more children to their deaths every year.  This comes in later with the morphlings and Annie.  He is just the first example of the lasting psychological toll it takes.
• The Capitol system is evil, the support team is not.  Effie and the prep team are Capital people through and through, but they do not hate the districts.  They are also not evil people.  They are shallow, gullible, and amoral but as far as they know they are normal.  This comes into play in Catching Fire and Mockingjay.  The Capitol citizens are conditioned to be detached and when they become attached to Katniss and Peeta they cannot handle losing them.  The system (and Snow) are evil.  They are the ones pulling the strings. 

As you can see, my wish list is not very long.  I hope it stays close to the book but is not limited to Katniss' first person.  I have faith in the filmmakers and the actors to do the best they can.  I am looking forward to the end product.

I suppose the only thing left to say is "Happy Hunger Games!  May the odds be ever in your favor."

Coming Soon

Later today, we should be posting several reviews!!  We plan to post our review of The Artist, which we saw last week, and today we are watching Chicago!  Also, we have plans to post a prediction of what we think of The Hunger Games before its release next Friday.  We promise we'll try to be better with posting our reviews from now on!  Forgive our procrastination and laziness!

Thanks,
V+K