The Hunger Games - Part 1

[MadVillainy]

Are they still planning on splitting the last book into to/splitting the series into 4 movies?

 

[matrix_ghost]

Are they still planning on splitting the last book into to/splitting the series into 4 movies?

Wouldn't be surprised if Lionsgate would move forward with that or go even go the 3-d route with the sequels.
It's all about improving the BO revenue.

 

[dark_b]

i hope not. it doesnt have to be like HP didnt have to be.

 

[Project862006]

i keep hearing tons of people hated the 3rd book and its ending tho lol

 

[MadVillainy]

i hope not. it doesnt have to be like HP didnt have to be.

Exactly. If anything though I think they should film Catching Fire and Mockingjay back to back and have one released in November and one in the summer. IF anything

i keep hearing tons of people hated the 3rd book and its ending tho lol

Yeah I didnt hate it, but its no where as good as the first one or even the 2nd one. Theres a whole lot of nothing happening in the 3rd one, that and [BLACKOUT]my favorite character is basically sidelined for a majority of it[/BLACKOUT]

I think the ending was actually really good. Not all sunshine and rainbows. A lot better than "The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well."

 

[Mandalore464]

If you had been somewhat realistic in terms of how you rated the movie, people might listen to you. But the fact that you gave this movie a 1 out of 10, in effect saying it's one of the worst movies of the year, and one of the worst movies you've ever seen, pretty much completely undermines anything you have to say. From an acting and techincal standpoint, even if you absolutely hate the concept, THG was no-where near the level of some of the films that get churned out.
So, in effect, by trying to make a point, you basically ensured that no one would take you seriously. Had you rated this more reasonably, people might have been willing to give you some credit, but instead you made yourself come off as an internet hipster who wants to go against the grain for the sake of going against the grain and rate this extremely poorly just because.

First of all, there's the fact that I couldn't care less what I come off as on an internet message board.

Secondly, my rating was as realistic as that of the guy who gave it a 9/10. It's an opinion, and is non debatable.

I was bored to hell for every single second of the movie, what am I supposed to think about it?

It was good technically? Youropinion I guess. Here's mine : Shoddy camera work, lazy editing and choppy fight scenes. That is everything I hate about films nowadays. This one had it all. Not everybody can shoot the Hurt Locker, which had proper immersive handheld camera work.

This movie is nothing but another commercial trend like Twilight was. The big studio exec know the books are a big success and the movies will be easy money so they just make it happen, no matter what it's really worth.

I wasn't prejudiced in the slightest when I went to see it last night, I didn't know the books even existed before the movie was announced as an adaptation. I don't care about going against the general flow : Harry Potter is great, at least in its book form, and a couple of the films are also good and highly enjoyable. I'm the biggest Star Wars fan (no offense Hunter if you ever read this post), yes even the prequels. I love Nolan's Batfilms more than Burton's. How's that for not being against something fashionable just for the sake of it?

The Hunger Games, the movie, was a worthless piece of junk in my opinion. Yes, I expected I would come under fire from a lot of people by posting my opinion, which was in no way disrespectful at first, but so what? I needed to vent after sitting through this horrible movie and this looked like the place to do it.

Now, I never said it was one of the worst movies I've ever seen, it's not even on my Top 10 *****list.

Just know for future reference that I do hand out 0/10 for movies I really don't give a damn about.

 

[Drizzle]

Are they still planning on splitting the last book into to/splitting the series into 4 movies?

I hope not. Neither half of Mockingjay would work well as a stand-alone movie.

I'm also wondering what big name stars they're going to get for the sequel. I can tell that every young actor in Hollywood is going to campaign for the role of Finnick.

 

[Speedball]

From what I gathered the second and third books are not about the tournament at all.

It's about the Games and the second book. I'm not really going to spoil huge plot details.

Spoiler

The second book is about the 75th Hunger Games, also known as the 3rd Quarter Quell. They only happen every 25 years and there's always a twist when it comes to them. Haymitch won the 50th, and the twist during that game was there were 48 kids. The 75th has past victors returning. And there has only ever been one female victor from District 12. However, the rebellion truly begins in this book. The arena for the 50th games was really effed up, and so is the one in the 75th.

 

[Speedball]

Never disputed any of that, I just noted how funny it was that the only times he was seen after the first act was in Jacob Black like reaction beats....why no reactions of him with a knife at her throat and such?

They could have done that, or they may have filmed it that way and changed it. I think cutting away from the immediate action would have taken away from the urgency of the situation.

 

[obin_gam]

It's about the Games and the second book. I'm not really going to spoil huge plot details.

Spoiler

The second book is about the 75th Hunger Games, also known as the 3rd Quarter Quell. They only happen every 25 years and there's always a twist when it comes to them. Haymitch won the 50th, and the twist during that game was there were 48 kids. The 75th has past victors returning. And there has only ever been one female victor from District 12. However, the rebellion truly begins in this book. The arena for the 50th games was really effed up, and so is the one in the 75th.

Ah, that sounds awesome!

 

[MadVillainy]

Yeah but before that, imo, the book wasnt that interesting. Gale has a bigger role and he's not that interesting. The civil uprest bits are cool, but the lover triangle really isnt

 

[Project862006]

I hope not. Neither half of Mockingjay would work well as a stand-alone movie.

I'm also wondering what big name stars they're going to get for the sequel. I can tell that every young actor in Hollywood is going to campaign for the role of Finnick.

i'd be shocked if they dont go After Armie Hammer for Finnick i think he is a very good choice

 

[Speedball]

Ah, that sounds awesome!

I've got 40 pages left, and I know what the last line of the book is, and it better be the last line of the second film too.

 

[Speedball]

i'd be shocked if they dont go After Armie Hammer for Finnick i think he is a very good choice

Him or Garrett Hedlund would be great for Finnick.

 

[L.A.]

Omg I watched it last night and the projector died right when they were shooting arrows at the main girl when she was climbing the tree

 

[Brother Jack]

Saw the film last night in a packed theater. I really liked the movie, though I did have some issues with it. Actually, the biggest thing was the overuse of shaky cam in the cinematography. I understand Ross was going for an intimate, TV-esque approach to the visuals but I think he went overboard with the closeups and chaotic camera movements. It worked for the action scenes mainly due to the obscuring of the violence (which was quite unsettling for me, surprised that this stuff is considered appropriate for young children). But it was a hindrance to the slower, establishing sequences.

The two leads did great jobs in really well written and multi-layered characters. You don't see that very often in films of this nature.

 

[SuperSpideyGirl]

I finished the first book last night and thought it was really entertaining. I'm probably going to see the movie next weekend but it's nice to know it's getting good reviews and doing well at the box office.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

It's about the Games and the second book. I'm not really going to spoil huge plot details.

Spoiler

The second book is about the 75th Hunger Games, also known as the 3rd Quarter Quell. They only happen every 25 years and there's always a twist when it comes to them. Haymitch won the 50th, and the twist during that game was there were 48 kids. The 75th has past victors returning. And there has only ever been one female victor from District 12. However, the rebellion truly begins in this book. The arena for the 50th games was really effed up, and so is the one in the 75th.

That does indeed sound awesome, can't wait to see it (or possibly read it earlier).


The Hunger Games was a pretty good movie. I love how human and down to earth Jennifer Lawrence is as Katniss. Katniss isn't completely confident, and she's not always strong, but she is when she needs to be. I also liked Peeta. And jmc is right. If any of you are thinking that this is just another tween story, then I suggest you look at this story through different lenses because this is a move that people of all ages can enjoy.

I wish the ending was stronger, though. I felt like it a bit anticlimatic. I heard it was different in the books, and from the description of the ending in the book, I'm glad it was changed because it would have felt contrived personally.
8.5/10

EDIT: YES! Jmc changed his avy! t:

 

[Art_of_Crime]

Watching this movie I could not get over how many young kids were there wearing tshirts, and mocking jay pins. Is this the new Twilight or what?

It also really amazes me to see the wide array of people that like this so much. Its kids killing each other in a sadistic reality TV show.

Its been a while since I read the books and I forgot what a not so subtle indictment of current society this series is.
Kind of made me want to watch "The Running Man" and "Battle Royale" again.

 

[Project862006]

^has alot to do with a strong female heroine who does'nt need help from a man

 

[The Guard]

First, I should start by saying that while I like a lot of the concepts in this series, I find the books to be pretty average, mostly melodramatic fare. I read them for fun in about a week.

This is a good movie. It hits the points it needs to hit, handles them with a fair amount of respect and maturity, and tells a fairly entertaining story.

The violence is appropriately handled. It never seems anything but what it is...violence. A lot of it is glossed over, but then, so was a lot of the book's. The results of the tracker jacker's are disturbing, and I noticed Katniss shot what's his face in the chest, rather than through the neck. Not big on a certain character pulling out their own spear. That was kind of silly and cliche. The deaths do have pretty much no impact, but this is also a problem of the books. We don't know much of anything about the characters who die, and so they are just deaths. A lot has been made of

Spoiler

Rue's death

, but it's just a death scene. We never get to know them very well, there's no buildup, little tension, and the death itself is fairly tame There's nothing particularly special about it, other than

Spoiler

Katniss using the flowers, and showing District 13

. Nothing worth crying over.

Jennifer Lawrence does indeed give a good performance, and has a select few very nice moments, but there's really nothing here to rave about. Close up after close up does not a brilliant performance make. She has about two levels, and three expressions. I wasn't a huge fan of her performance in WINTER'S BONE, and here, she gives a very similar performance. There's subtley to it because there has to be given the lack of dialogue, but there are also quite a few shots of her just sitting there looking naturally expressive, because that's just how she looks. Yes, she uses her yes, but she doesn't USE them. She looks where she needs to be looking, but there's no real depth to her performance beyond what's overtly there. I have yet to see anything from her that tells me she's any better than the average well trained actress. And I find it ridiculous to suggest she should be up for an Oscar for this. I get it. She's 21. But she's 21 and a professional actress. She's not that good. That said, she's appropriate for Katniss, and does a solid job with the character. She needs to learn to saty "Damn you" with some more conviction.

Josh Hutcherson's Peeta is appropriately physical, and otherwise, I felt he was really just kind of there. He has a few nice moments, but again, not really special. I imagine he was cast for his "everyman" feel and his "charisma", which was a joy to watch during the Caeser Flickerman interview, and which will become more important in the sequel.

Woody Harrellson's had a nice, understated and humourus turn as Haymitch. I thought the subtle approach to Haymith worked, and Harrelson DID bring some fantastic subtleties to his performance. The little moments, like Haymitch watching the Capitol children, that's the stuff that makes this film a good one.

Lenny Kravitz makes a good Cinna, and I wanted emotional moments from him, and a better, more introspective entrance.

Elizabeth Banks makes a decent Effie, though I thought her role was quite small, and was sad to see Effie disappear about a third of the way into the movie.

Wes Bentley makes a sleazy, subdued Seneca Crane, showing emotion only when he can be in true control. I loved the additional scenes between Snow and Seneca. I loved Seneca's final scene. Loved it.

Donald Sutherland makes a good president Snow. There's no ambiguity to Snow on paper, but Sutherland managed to make him more than just pure evil.

Cato and Clove were appropriately cast, bringing a bit more "jock" than "warrior" to their tributes, which was a nice touch. Cato and Clove make for lousy villains, but then, they're not really the villains. Cato's "turn" at the end came a bit abruptly and with awkward dialogue, and it would have been nice to see more seeds of that. Foxface looked okay. The actress that played Rue was a bit precocious for my taste.

Katniss's mother was all right, though I feel like the bits with her mother were a little awkward and I honestly don't even know why they bothered. I would have preferred to see her "healing" side more than her broken nature. There simply won't be time to make any development of it work well.

Prim's not the best actress. She was apparently cast because she can scream, because she couldn't do much else.

Gale, as he is through much of the books, is kind of useless. There's nothing about him worth liking except that he's handsome. That he gets immediately jealous of Katniss for kissing Peeta...eh. It's just very thin.

Actionwise, the film is really quite average, though occassionally exciting, and usually satisfying. I was glad that the muttations dropped the "these are the dead tributes" angle. That was always a bit much.

Storywise, I think they did about what they could in two and a half hours. I do like how they handled the exposition issue in places, such as explaining the tracker jackers, and introducing the tributes and their Districts. Some of the story is rushed, and some of it is very well paced, and I think they made the right choices and sacrifices for the most part. The dialogue is pretty average, but then, it was never that impressive in the books, either. I've seen people complain that the games felt too long. Well, i's a movie called THE HUNGER GAMES. The games is the point. The movie is about building to the games, and then there's a little bit of denoument after the games. The games is supposed to be the central focus. It's like whining that in BATMAN BEGINS, Batman spends too much time fighting crime.

The sets tended to be fairly unique, if a bit generic in places. Wanted to see more of the exterior of the Capital, but what we got to see was a nice tease. The wooded settings were great, as was the arena itself, though I wasn't a big fan of the design of the Cornucopia. I can't remember if it was designed that way in the book.

There are some wonderful costumes and makeup in this, and there are moments where it's a visual feast, and then it returns to the harsh world of the arena and the Districts. I liked that, though apparently in the future, they live in the depression and wear depression era clothing from the 30's and 40's. I did hate the Peacekeeper's outfits. It just didn't fit the tone and the era of technology they were trying to portray, and they didn't look the least bit threatening, even in action. We get it, you think you're making LOGAN'S RUN and every scifi movie from the 60's. Good work, you made it look even more generic.

Decent effects for the most part, though some of the "fire" was iffy. I never really pictures Katniss with "wings" so much as an entire outfit that was in flames.

The score was up and down for me. It fit the film for the most part, but there were a few awkward, more modern choices.

Director Gary Ross does a decent job. He gets solid performances out of most of his actors. At first, I found the cinematography at the beginning of the film jarring, until I finally realized that they were making some kind of a statement about reality TV. And then I still found a lot of it jarring. I thought he showed a lot of respect for the source material, and handled much of the film without being too slavish or spending too much time on concepts and key moments. For instance, I liked that the tech was just there, in the background, doing what it did, and that it was not explained or dwelled on. Except in the gamemakers room, where an obsession with technology makes sense. I liked spotting the tributes as they rode in on chariots, rather than being slowly introduced by name. Good shot choices there.

There were several points where I thought editing/filmmaking choices were a little awkward, such as Cinna's entrance. I found picking and choosing when to show Gale, the districts, etc, somewhat awkward structurally, as were the flashbacks to Gale giving Katniss bread. Yeah, it's not that important that it needs to be shoved in at the first opportunity, or even seen. I also found the choice to include

Spoiler

Katniss' father's death via hallucination

a tad awkward. I don't think the movie felt particularly authentic in places, mainly outside the games, and maybe that was the point. I felt like there was a bit too much greenscreen and variance in sets and tones outside the arena for it to feel like a cohesive world. And I do think there could be better ways to end the film then on

Snow walking up the stairs

. Much better ways. And why didn't they hold up the

Spoiler

Nightlock berries before eating them? The radical nature of their actions is lessened somewhat when its just suicide.

I just wasn't all that impressed with the direction. A lot of directors could have made this movie, and made it just as well.

Overall though, I was satisfied. I'd give it a 7/10 or so. It's an enjoyable movie, and well above average, but there's room for improvement. The Hunger Games is not a subtle film, but it is an entertaining one. This is not a deep movie. The books weren't deep either. I've basically told myself that this is all just set up. The most important and most interesting things will happen in the sequel, and the third film, that this is all just set up. This was a decent adaption, but I expect more for CATCHING FIRE and MOCKINGJAY.

 

[Art_of_Crime]

^has alot to do with a strong female heroine who does'nt need help from a man

There is nothing wrong with that. I respect strong characters. I was just surprised to see tweens, old women, one of my wife's friends that is a mega christian, to the point where she would pee on a harry potter book if she didn't think the devil could swim, and dozens of other assorted people at the same movie.

I will say that Katniss makes Bella the doormat and poster girl for abusive relationships look even more pathetic. If that were possible.

 

[Lunar_Wolf]

The Hunger Games

-Didn't give a rats behind about any of the contestants
-The man with the wiggly beard had a weird beard; I wanted to shave it. I was also expecting Donald Sunderland to open his mouth while pointing at it.
-Fight scenes looked like they were filmed by someone with Parkinson's.

 

[Art_of_Crime]

The Hunger Games

-Didn't give a rats behind about any of the contestants
-The man with the wiggly beard had a weird beard; I wanted to shave it. I was also expecting Donald Sunderland to open his mouth while pointing at it.
-Fight scenes looked like they were filmed by someone with Parkinson's.

I wish. I wish. I wish that people would STOP making movies with the wobbly camera!!!!!!!

 

[Blue Sugar]

I think the way they did the cinematography was great. The slightly grainy and unpolished style really helped it with not becoming too shallow or speculative, which is a risk with a gruesome story like this. Loved the downplayed lightning and the out of focus stuff too.