The Hunger Games - Part 1

[DoomsdayApex]

I caught a late-showing last night and I thought it was a very solid film. The acting was far better than I expected (no doubts about JenLaw at all -- Kravitz, Banks, Sutherland and Harrellson all did a gratifying and commendable job), the CGI was passable, the tone and pacing were worthy and the characters were definitely engaging (for the most part).

My gripe with film, however, came in the form of the shaky cam, the games, the love story (which I loath in films anyway) and the entire third act and ending. They were inbetween lackluster, unappealing, and bland. I expected grains more of material when arriving to these parts of the movie, and I felt let down by the time the credits came on-screen.

I give the film a 8.5/10

Great start, a somewhat disappointing finish.

 

[Blue Sugar]

Loathing love stories in films by definition seems kinda weird to me...

Personally I love great love stories.

 

[Blue Sugar]

I also wish this thread had a rating poll now that it's out. So many other films gets those! Thread starter or mod?

 

[DoomsdayApex]

I don't believe in 'love' inbetween total strangers, per se.

Don't get me wrong, if executed well on film or television, I will find it cute. Like Batman's & Wonder Woman's connection in JLU.

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

I also wish this thread had a rating poll now that it's out. So many other films gets those! Thread starter or mod?

I'll PM Hunter.

 

[danoyse]

Poll is added.

 

[Art_of_Crime]

Loathing love stories in films by definition seems kinda weird to me...

Personally I love great love stories.

I like good love stories too.

I didn't think the Peta/Katniss/Gale love triangle was really anything other than a side plot that clouded up the main plot. That's just me. Personally it made me think that Katniss was a bit of a brat if not a full blown pain in the ass.

 

[jmc]

People got that the 'love' story thing was for the cameras right?

 

[danoyse]

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.

Just for future reference, acting like a whiny child because you didn't like a movie is not acceptable either. Settle down and try discussing this film like a grownup.

 

[dark_b]

People got that the 'love' story thing was for the cameras right?

Peeta didnt know. i felt so bad for him.

but yeah the fake love story was to make it just a little similar to twilight. no denial please.

 

[Brother Jack]

I don't believe in 'love' inbetween total strangers, per se.

Don't get me wrong, if executed well on film or television, I will find it cute. Like Batman's & Wonder Woman's connection in JLU.

I dug the romance because there was a feeling that it might not have been legitimate, that it was a performance that was "apart of the show" to ensure their survivals. It was never really confirmed or denied.

 

[Project862006]

People got that the 'love' story thing was for the cameras right?

havent seen film but yeah in the books it was for the camera's it was a stunt peeta and haymitch thought up to get more sponsors and market d12 more it was to market them as lovers forced to kill to get some sympathy since katniss was'nt really selling well in her interview

 

[DoomsdayApex]

People got that the 'love' story thing was for the cameras right?

Not really (at least by those who didn't read the books).

 

[jmc]

Peeta didnt know. i felt so bad for him.

but yeah the fake love story was to make it just a little similar to twilight. no denial please.

I haven't seen Twilight so can't comment. Nor do I intend to. Ever.

 

[danoyse]

People got that the 'love' story thing was for the cameras right?

Yes, but Peeta wasn't lying about being in love with her.

And by the time it was all over she just assumed she'd go right back to Gale and let whatever that was developing continue. But...that turns out to be complicated too.

But no, the love thing was never the center of the story.

And Peeta knows damn well how to play that up for cameras. Especially in Catching Fire.

 

[MadVillainy]

yeah I got it was for the cameras thats why I didnt like how they changed the ending from the book's

For those who have seen the movie: [BLACKOUT]IN the book's ending Peeta gets upset because he didnt realize that Katniss was acting for the cameras and thought her "love" for him was all real. That also plays a big part in Peeta and Katniss's relationship at the beginning of the 2nd book[/BLACKOUT]

 

[DoomsdayApex]

havent seen film but yeah in the books it was for the camera's it was a stunt peeta and haymitch thought up to get more sponsors and market d12 more it was to market them as lovers forced to kill to get some sympathy since katniss was'nt really selling well in her interview

To be honest, the film alters the 'love' story just alittle.

 

[dark_b]

I haven't seen Twilight so can't comment. Nor do I intend to. Ever.

the denial part was not for you. for everyone who is acting like they didnt try to have some ttwilight triangle inside.


but back to Peeta. poor guy.i hope at the end she is with him.

 

[MadVillainy]

Peeta is def. my favorite character. I actually wouldnt mind having the whole serious written from his perspective. His relationship with his parents, his uncertainty, his unrequited love story really makes me wanna know the events from his view

 

[Poeman]

I really like the film...never read the books, but now I will. I grew up on harry potter and this film I was wprried was going to be too twlight-ish. Thank goodness it wasnt. Im a fan.

 

[DoomsdayApex]

Peeta is def. my favorite character. I actually wouldnt mind having the whole serious written from his perspective. His relationship with his parents, his uncertainty, his unrequited love story really makes me wanna know the events from his view

Peeta struck a cord with me immediately as well. His combat skills weren't exactly on par with the rest (like Cato's) but his other 'hidden' talents and wits kept him alive.

 

[danoyse]

Peeta didnt know. i felt so bad for him.

but yeah the fake love story was to make it just a little similar to twilight. no denial please.

No denial. I've read all of the Twilight books and The Hunger Games books and I've seen all of the movies (so far).

So I can you that Hunger Games love triangle is nothing like the love triangle in Twilight. If they were trying to win over Twilight fans with that, they would have failed. They're nothing alike.

The difference between them (besides Twilight strictly being a love story and Hunger Games being a science-fiction story with a romance), is that there's actual tension in the love triangle.

In Twilight, Jacob and Edward are hopelessly in love with Bella, who can never do anything wrong and both of them would die for her. You know they're the most important people in her life and that she'll up with one or the other.

In Hunger Games, it's a budding romance between Gale and Katniss, but it's more of a practical one - they have more important concerns in their lives to really develop it further. Peeta loves Katniss, she doesn't realize he's telling the truth, she does wind up developing feelings for him after everything they go through.

The problem was that Stephanie Meyer was such a bad writer that you always know Bella is going to choose Edward and that all of these characters would still be around by the end of the story.

With Hunger Games, 'who will Katniss choose' is never the focal point of the story, and you really can't tell as the story goes on which one (if either) she'll end up with - or if either boy will even survive through the end of the story.

Twilight didn't invent the love triangle. Hunger Games just does it better.

 

[Infinity9999x]

havent seen film but yeah in the books it was for the camera's it was a stunt peeta and haymitch thought up to get more sponsors and market d12 more it was to market them as lovers forced to kill to get some sympathy since katniss was'nt really selling well in her interview

Well....

Spoiler

They thought it up, but Peeta also really did have a crush on Katniss. He also made Haymitch agree that the strategy would be that they focus on keeping Katniss alive and not Peeta. That was one thing I wanted to see them explain at the end of the movie as well

 

[Infinity9999x]

No denial. I've read all of the Twilight books and The Hunger Games books and I've seen all of the movies (so far).

So I can you that Hunger Games love triangle is nothing like the love triangle in Twilight. If they were trying to win over Twilight fans with that, they would have failed. They're nothing alike.

The difference between them (besides Twilight strictly being a love story and Hunger Games being a science-fiction story with a romance), is that there's actual tension in the love triangle.

In Twilight, Jacob and Edward are hopelessly in love with Bella, who can never do anything wrong and both of them would die for her. You know they're the most important people in her life and that she'll up with one or the other.

In Hunger Games, it's a budding romance between Gale and Katniss, but it's more of a practical one - they have more important concerns in their lives to really develop it further. Peeta loves Katniss, she doesn't realize he's telling the truth, she does wind up developing feelings for him after everything they go through.

The problem was that Stephanie Meyer was such a bad writer that you always know Bella is going to choose Edward and that all of these characters would still be around by the end of the story.

With Hunger Games, 'who will Katniss choose' is never the focal point of the story, and you really can't tell as the story goes on which one (if either) she'll end up with - or if either boy will even survive through the end of the story.

Twilight didn't invent the love triangle. Hunger Games just does it better.

Agreed. While reading THG, my question was not "who will she end up with?" It was "Will the guys she love be ALIVE at the end of the series?"

 

[Blue Sugar]

I also love Peeta as a character. He is quite unique as a male protagonist in that he is so vulnerable and not the strongest or best skilled. That's also why I can relate to him so much. I also relate to that unrequited love of falling for someone without even knowing her/him.

Spoiler

That's why the ending to the book and film is so sad, him realizing Katniss just played for the cameras.

I actually think the change in the film to make it more uncertain and subtle worked well. Loved the dialogue.

"I think we should forget it all"
"But I don't wanna forget..."