The Hunger Games

[fishstick]

I have not read the books and I had not heard about this until movie was released. I saw the movie at home because the enormous hype here and numbers it did in US. Just curiosity. And although I think is a far better movie than Twilights (IMO, a movie filming a stone for 90 minutes would be better than Twilights), I still do not get the hype and excitation about this. The premise of the story is quite interesting, and the first 45 minutes (before games start) attracted my attention, but when games started I bored as hell. When I remember the movie I think Katniss spends the whole time on a tree. I will probably give another chance with CF, but the first part is a very average movie. C+ for me.

 

That`s my beef with the book as well. Set up was brilliant and than games started and Katniss pretty much tried to avoid fight at all costs up until the end and the book`s told from her POV. So we had little in put on other kills. I was hoping the movie would have made it more cinematic but they didn`t. I mena, I understand why she would rather spend most of her time hidden in the trees - she isn`t a trained killer like Careers, she`s a survivalist - but that didn`t make for a compelling read.

 

Which is one of major reasons why CF is a superior book - action is splendid here, stakes are even higher, characters interact (as opposed to watching the sky for new kill announcements), scope is bigger and ending is a jaw dropper.

Edited March 24, 2013 by fishnets

[ChD]

When I first watched it, I wasn't in such a good mood and that might have affected some things... Re-watched it today, the grade didn't jump much. B-

[Crusader]

I haven't read the book and I generally didn't like this movie 

 

The thing is it all starts rather well ( yes even with shaky cam and all ) but once the game starts they make all the wrong choices ... like Fishnets mentioned on the previous page Peeta kills a girl ... that's a pretty big moment for the character yet they decide against it in order to have 2 righteous heroes in the end so one of them can be a male too 

 

Games were boring as hell and the little girl dying left zero impact on me and for anyone else who didn't read the book ... in my theater someone even said 'are we supposed to care cause she's black ?' ... no one got the big deal about that ... I got that its probably cause  the book gives much more to the character but this is a FILM ... its supposed to be viewed as independent from the book 

 

Final 30 minutes are just WTF 

[fishstick]

I had a problem with Cato`s end of the movie speech because:

 

a) it`s out of character for a Career tribute

 

Katniss mercy-killing a douche is more powerful than Katniss mercy-killing yet another poor misunderstood victim of Capitol`s cruel politics.

 

Stop. Sanitizing. Everything. We get that Careers are the way they are because the system forces everyone to be at their worst and they found their way of surviving (by winning at all cost every time) so misplaced sap isn`t necessary to drive the point. We get that Capitol is the villain.

Edited March 24, 2013 by fishnets

[Noctis]

Reading baumer's criticisms were hilarious. Love him, but they were ridiculous. I could come up with a million things about Twilight and he'd deflect it.

[Jessie]

lame answer

Didn't realise it was such a big deal, I'm sure you can cope.

[Jessie]

Re-watched this on Netflix not long ago. It's better than I gave it credit for. I didn't like it the first time because the cinema was full of young annoying teenage girls, it seemed like a fucking pyjama party but watching it in the comfort of my movie/games room with a spliff and refreshment, I actually admired it.B/B+

Edited July 23, 2013 by Jessie

[K1stpierre]

I gave THG an 8.5/10, B+ range (there is only a B or A rating on the poll, so I went with the A to round it up). I'll sum up my points as best as I can:

 

First, things I didn't like:

Honestly, the shaky cam in the actual games didn't bother me. What bothered me was the filming in the first like, ten minutes of the movie when Katniss is running through District 12. Like, the fast cut scenes, the camera moving all over the place bothered me. I hated it, I waited so long to finally see Panem and more importantly District 12 and you never get to see it. Also, there were moments in the film were Ross, I guess he really liked the actors/actresses faces, would have the camera zoom in so close to the characters faces that it was really awkward.

 

Other thing I didn't like was the ending. I felt that the ending was very rushed, like I mean Katniss and Peeta win and then literally the film ends in like 3 minutes. Seriously? I know the movie was 2 hours and 22 minutes long but they could have just added, say, 5 more minutes? For me, they really really really needed the last scene or so that the book had, where Peeta finds out that Katniss did what she did not out of love, but out of survival. That her affections were fake and just for the sponsors. I noticed that my friends/family who didn't read the book thought either A) the romance was awkward; or that it was great to see them love each other so much (technically point A is somewhat right, but for the wrong reason). People who didn't read the book didn't really get Katniss's actions, and the last scene where Peeta finds out would have been a really powerful scene (not to mention some character development for Peeta) and would have made much more sense.

 

I didn't like how small Panem felt to me. Granted, the budget was small, but when I read the books, the world of Panem felt so huge and alive to me. When watching the movie, I couldn't help but feel how small the world looked, since Ross never opened up the movie. He kept the camera also so confined to people's faces or just on two people. It just felt really small to me.

 

Okay okay okay, I'm done ranting, now for what I liked:

I loved loved loved the tone that Ross gave this film. Unlike a lot of people, I'm glad he didn't put songs from the album into the film until the credits rolled. I think having none of the songs, and a lot of the time just complete silence, really made the tone of the movie dark, gritty, and pretty much how I felt when reading the book. He did turn this movie into the usual, teen-girl fan movie, but kept it true to the book. I loved the whole cast, thought everyone was good and pictured them pretty much they way they were depicted. Peeta was okay, I know his character didn't shine in this film, but hopefully CF will develop him more. Jennifer Lawrence and Stanly Tucci to me were the two best in this film. Hands down. Woody is a close contender as well, I really liked him as Haymitch. Yeah, I know he wasn't as much as a drunk in the film as the book depicts, but for the film sake they did kind of needed Haymitch here to fill in the gaps in terms of story wise for the people who have not read the books.

 

I, personally, loved the score. I liked that it wasn't overally dramatic like super hero level score, because that is not what this story is about.

 

I actually liked how they changed Cato's character at the end, and actually made him a bit more vulnerable. I felt that this would be more realistic of a 16 year old boy (I don't care how much training you've gone through, when you know you are probably going to die anyone will break down, especially at a young age). Not to mention, it seemed to me that what he was saying at the end was that I think he knew that the Capital wanted "The star cross lovers" from 12 to make this whole time, and never him and Clove (that's just how I take it) and he knew he fell for it. I don't know, I just liked how the film showed that Cato was after all not really the villian (as the book mentions) of these games, but the capital themselves are to blame. Cato was just another puppet, and he knew it.

 

There's a lot more I could go on, but I'll stop here. I'm soooooooo excited for CF.

[LexJoker]

Till the games begin = 3.5/5After that = 1.5/5Overall 2.5/5

[peludo]

Till the games begin = 3.5/5After that = 1.5/5Overall 2.5/5

Pretty agree. The premise is quite interesting, but when games start it drops like a rock

[fishstick]

That's how the book is. Fantastic set up but games are a huge letdown. Something that CF corrects tremendously.

[K1stpierre]

That's how the book is. Fantastic set up but games are a huge letdown. Something that CF corrects tremendously.

Really? I disagree, I thought the games in the book were really good. Problem is that your in Katniss's head, so you don't ever really have dull moments or ever really notice it (in my opinion). Not to mention they took away parts like Katniss's almost dying of dehydration, changed how some tributes died (clove for example), and some parts were sped up too quickly in the movie version. When watching what Katniss is doing in terms of a movie, I guess it would look boring since we only see the physical aspect of her being just in a tree, whereas in the book we get lost in all of the thoughts.

[peludo]

That's how the book is. Fantastic set up but games are a huge letdown. Something that CF corrects tremendously.

I hope it turns in that way

[K1stpierre]

I hope it turns in that way

Yeah, I will say that CF arena is....hmm....without spoilers....I'll just leave it as deadly.

[fishstick]

I hope it turns in that way

 

THG was bogged down by Katniss POV because we didn't see kills that she didn't witness. And considering that she was sitting on a tree for a good measure, that's a lot off-screen kills and action. OTOH, since CF game is quite different, lets just say no sititng on a tree, we see a lot because she is much more involved.

[K1stpierre]

THG was bogged down by Katniss POV because we didn't see kills that she didn't witness. And considering that she was sitting on a tree for a good measure, that's a lot off-screen kills and action. OTOH, since CF game is quite different, lets just say no sititng on a tree, we see a lot because she is much more involved.

Lol. There's no time this time around for her to be in trees anyhoo. Very excited to see this game on the big screen.

[iceroll]

I just watched the first Hunger Games again in preparation for seeing Catching Fire in IMAX.

 

It was still as great as the first time I watched it, maybe even better.  I think people are too quick to dismiss Gary Ross' movie and call Francis Lawrence's version a completely improvement.  The first one hit all the rights notes for me, and it set up the story in such a great tone and setting for the second one to come and delivery a kick-ass movie from where the first left off.

 

I understand some people's annoyance with the shaky cam but for me it felt like I was more immersed in Katniss' first person perspective and it was a good way to show the brutality of the games without explicitly detailing the deaths of the children, which would have gotten it a harsher rating than PG-13.

 

I'd still rate both movies an 8.5 right now, with the beginning of THG being better than the beginning of CF and arena scenes for CF being much better than the arena for THG.

 

 

Rue's death and the subsequent uprising in District 11 is still my favorite scene of these two movies so far.

[Jessie]

The problem with the first movie for me was the fact they were all kids. Its hard to feel any sense of danger from a few snotty nose kids lol. If one of them ran up to me with a knife, i'd probably laugh.

[Lordmandeep]

The buildup to the games was amazing.When Katniss was going up the tube you really were worried about her.

[K1stpierre]

I rewatched it right before going to see CF the for the first time and boy, do the graphics in CF make THG look terrible. But, that was to be expected, when you have almost if not more than doubled of the first film's budget. My feelings are still the same with THG. It's an overall good adaptation. The important elements and themes Ross did great, and he really captured the tone of the book. He made it serious, dark, and at times chilling. The casting he chose again, was spot on. Perfect casting (and yes, I do like Josh but I do agree he didn't live up to expectations in THG). However, Ross himself bring about the only complaints I have with the film. The shakey cam isn't what bothered me so much, but how he shot the entire movie in close up, tight shots of people's faces. I mean, the worst filming in this movie is still the very beginning when we first see district 12, I mean. Ugh. Terrible filming. No need for the camera to be shaking at that point. All of the close up scenes in people's faces really made the world of panem feel small, which bothered and dissapointed me. After seeing THG for like, the 50th time (literally), I still have no clue of how Panem looks like which consists of The Capital and the districts. Hell, I never even had a sense for what district 12 looked like, which completely sucked. The main issue in THG was that I was never able to see anything.

 

CF on the other, takes all the positives from THG, and fixes all the negatives and just completely turns a 180 on it. CF is phenomenal.