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For book bloggers and book lovers everywhere, The Hunger Games is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated movies of 2012. The book is part of a trilogy that has been loved and treasured by many since its inception in 2008 and thanks to the movie, it has now been immortalised up on the big screen. At around 142 minutes, it’s not a short film but the time seems to fly by when you’re watching it and before you know it, the movie is over and you’re on your feet screaming “Nooooooooo!!!!” or something to that effect ;) I’m going to start by saying that I think Jennifer Lawrence was an excellent choice for Katniss and she shows the right amount of emotion for such a complex character. In fact, I’ll go so far as saying that the entire casting was perfect with one little exception. Whilst I think Jennifer Lawrence makes a good Katniss and Josh Hutcherson makes a good Peeta, I’m still not convinced about the chemistry between the two actors BUT I didn’t let this spoil the movie for me. There’s been a lot of rumblings in the press and on twitter with people complaining that they didn’t think the actors playing the roles of Rue, Cinna and Thresh should be black (WTF?) and I want to go on record as saying what difference does it make if they are? It’s not even something that I thought about other than they were PERFECT choices for the roles and that’s what counts. Suzanne Collins even describes Thresh and Rue as having dark skin in the book so you can’t argue that it “wasn’t supposed to be like that”. I also want to say that whoever hired Lenny Kravitz as Cinna is GENIUS and although his screen time is short, he totally stole the show in my eyes.
This leads me nicely on to the costume design which was outrageously vibrant and deliciously over the top. This fitted in really well with the description of the Capitol although it’s not something I had initially visualised when reading the book. My favourite costumes were Katniss’ outfits as “The Girl on Fire”. I don’t know or care how they created the desired effect but I thought her dresses were breathtaking.
I’m always afraid when well loved books are turned into movies but I can safely say that Gary Ross (the director) has done a great job and the movie is very close to the book. It was definitely smart of him to have Suzanne Collins as an advisor and to be honest; I don’t know why more movies don’t use the writer in this way. It seems obvious to me. One thing I didn’t like about the movie though was the shaky camera work at times, however the director has gone on record as saying that it had a lot to do with the urgency of what is going on and to reflect Katniss’s point of view. I’m also a little bit bitter about 7 seconds being cut from the UK release to secure the rating so I might just be buying the US DVD/Bluray when it’s released. Also, a quick note about the music – I LOVED IT and I’m buying the score as soon as I can which I preferred to the official soundtrack.
Overall, I was really happy with the movie and I’d say a lot of people were too as it made $155 million (£97 million) in its opening weekend and that’s just in the US! I wonder how many of us are going to see it twice...only next time; I want to go wearing a T Shirt with “TEAM PEENISS!” on it ;)
The Hunger Games was released worldwide on 23rd March, 2012. The Sequel Catching Fire is reportedly already in the works.
At a glance:
Pro’s
1. The movie closely follows the book
2. Suzanne Collins was an advisor
3. The costumes and casting are excellent
4. There are two more movies in the works!!!
Con’s
1. SOME shaky camera work
2. SEVEN seconds were cut from the UK release
3. Not sure about Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson’s chemistry
4. On top of the 20 minutes of mandatory adverts you have to watch before the movie starts, the lengthy running time means you have to sit in the cinema for a long time and you will be crossing your legs towards the end of the movie. Unfortunately, I had to pee twice and missed some of the movie :(
As a former film student, my husband and I also commented on the shaky camera work and quick cutting in scenes particularly involving the violence in the games (especially in the beginning) and we discussed that this may also be in regards to keeping the rating suitable (in the U.S. as well) for the audience the movie was directed toward (PG-13 here). We understand that they couldn't focus on that in depth, but we did notice it enough to comment on wishing they hadn't had to do that. But overall, I very much agree with everything you said (including Lenny Kravitz, he was wonderful!). I loved the movie!!
ReplyDeleteI think you're right ;) Thank you for the comment!
DeleteI completely agree with your con of shaky camera, I walked out with a HUGE headache. That killed the movie for me the out of focused zoomed in camera shots, I was tempted to walk out at the beginning. I would have loved to see more wide full view shots vs in your face shots.
ReplyDeleteI also agree the chemistry lacked for me, I really didn't feel pulled into the movie like I was the book.
I've heard a lot of people suffered with motion sickness because of the shaky camera work and some had to leave before the movie had finished! Thanks for your comment Kristina!
DeleteI loved the film and didn't mind the shaky camera work. A lot of it had to be done to get around the violence for such an young audience.
ReplyDeleteEmma, I suspect you're right but for me it meant that you couldn't really tell what was going on AT ALL. Not to worry though, I still enjoyed the movie and I'd still see it again ;) Thanks for commenting!
DeleteGood review Lynsey. It has the slightly grubby, cobbled-together look of a futuristic flick from the ’70s, but that is part of its charm. It’s also a lot better than any of the Twilight movies, which isn’t saying much, but it isn't sappy, mopey, or just plain bad and that’s all that matters.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, I'm not going to say anything about Twilight because I liked the books and the movies but I see where you're coming from.
DeleteYes! I'm not the only one against the shaky camera work. It was too much. I believe if it was blurred or out of focus a bit, it would have been better. I had to press my hand to temple to adjust to it. & well, I like the characters, but I honestly didn't feel a believable connection between ANY of the characters. As much as I liked the movie, I didn't love it. However, just with Twilight getting better at each movie, I think it will be the same for The Hunger Games.
ReplyDeleteI think they should have just showed us it, warts and all but like the director said, he wanted it to show the urgency of the situation. I think you're probably right about the movies getting better and better. Thanks for commenting :)
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