This review is from: The Hunger Games (2 Disc) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
Firstly I have read the books and I loved them. They were brutal, funny, tragic, romantic and heartwrenching. Everything a good adventure novel should be. So it was I was waiting eagerly for the film. I never got the chance to see it at the cinema; but based on the numerous good reviews I preordered the blu-ray. I really enjoyed the film; but as with many other reviewers I felt that the book was better. The book spent much more time establishing characters and relationships and I really liked that. Obviously, with the book being in first person, everything was from Katniss’ perspective – but that only serves to makes you sympathize with her predicament and those around her more. Her relationships with Peeta and Rue go much deeper in the book and I felt the film foolishly downplayed these moments. Likewise, the other contestants in the games seemed vastly under utilised in the film; and as a result they either became unimportant or impotent. Cato was a fierce and imposing killer in the book – but reduced merely to a brooding bully in the film (albeit one with a sword). Don’t get me wrong – I enjoyed the film and I’m glad I bought it, but I just wish it been a little better. However, I am sure when I watch it again – knowing everything that’s changed or omitted – I will enjoy it much more. I felt the same way with Twilight – hated it on first viewing. I look foward to Catching Fire and Mockingjay!
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Based on the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, it gets the honor of being picked for a Hollywood movie of the same name. I’ve not read the book myself, so this is purely based on my opinion from watching the film.
Set sometime in the future, in the dystopian country, Panem, which was formerly America and the surrounding areas. Divided up into 12 districts, each one individually focused on a particular commodity, from miners to farmers, with the goods being shipped to the wealthy citizens in the capital city, where the rich, dressed in powdered wigs & gaudy outfits, gorge on cakes, sweets & luxuries, while the people of the districts starve.
As the story begins, it tells us of the annual ritual, the hunger games, put in place as a deterrent after the now destroyed 13th district rebelled. The games are made up of 2 children, tributes, from each district (24 total), one boy and one girl, between the ages of 12 and 18, picked by a lottery representative Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) to compete in a televised fight to the death, 1 left standing, across a rural arena. This 74th games is hosted by the egocentric Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci-The Devil Wears Prada) & organised by the oddly bearded Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley-Four Feathers).
The story itself follows the two tributes from district 12, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence-Winter’s Bone) who volunteers in place of her 12 year old sister, a courageous young hunter with a mind years beyond her own age , deadly with a bow & arrow. And Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson –Bridge to Terabithia), a nieve young baker with the strength of someone twice his age. But as the games unfold & new revelations appear, it seems the two star crossed lovers are faced with a heart aching decison, if they survive that is.
Overall, i have to say that i did really enjoy The Hunger Games, not just for the story, but for it being so different from films i’ve seen before, albeit with some influences from past films such as The Truman Show with the arena setting. The first hour of the film revolves around the setting of the story & the introduction of the characters & the build up to the games, with the remaining hour focused on the games itself. As the four preparation days dwindle down, you do feel the tension yourself, as your about to see these young adults, some of which looks like young babes, about to kill each other for the gratification of some rich slobs. Once they hit the arena & you see the fighting it is quite harrowing viewing, although filmed in reasonably good taste, in terms of not seeing anything too gory. But the action itself, is quite reserved, more a game of cat & mouse, as Katniss is singled out by a group banded together, to hunt her down as the strongest rated tribute during preparation with her trainer/mentor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harelson-Natural Born Killers).
The CGI & special effects were very well done, with some nice new ideas. The acting on the whole is very good, with a strong & believable performance from Jennifer Lawrence as the lead. While the support cast oozed with gravitas, from Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Josh Hutcherson, Wes Bentley, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harelson , Liam Hemsworth & stand out of the kids, Amandla Stenberg(Colombiana).
In conclusion, dont come into The Hunger Games thinking it’s going to be all out action, as only a portion of the film is. It’s an interesting look into a possible futuristic existance, but it’s nice to know that the human spirit & courage is never dwindling despite the harshness of any given reality. Recommended.
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This review is from: The Hunger Games (2 Disc) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
Having read all the Hunger Games books I could not wait for this to come out in the cinema but part of me was worried that making such a complex book into a movie would not be possible (lets face it most books are miles better than the movies due to the simple fact they can go into a lot more detail)but I have to say I did not need to be worried in the slightest, I loved it that much I ended up going to see it twice!
The film is set in the future in an american nation called Panem which is split into districts. Each year the capitol of Panem forces each district to volunteer up a boy and a girl to compete in the annual “Hunger Games” as punishment for rising up against the capitol many years ago. As the 74th Hunger Games is about to start Katniss Everdeen finds her 12 year old sister is chosen to compete, knowing she would never make it out alive Katniss offers herself in her sisters place and from then on is put into the arena with all the other tributes to fight for her life. However there is one slight problem – Peeta Mellark, the boy who once saved her life is in the arena with her and how can she bring herself to kill him when she just might be falling in love with him.
This film does the book justice and it actually follows the majority of the book down to the very lines spoken. The acting is amazing from everyone in the film, it is without a doubt Jennifer Lawrence’s best movie yet!
I can’t wait to own such an amazing movie, I’m sure it is going to be one I will watch again and again!
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Solid Four-Star Film of a Five-Star Book,
Firstly I have read the books and I loved them. They were brutal, funny, tragic, romantic and heartwrenching. Everything a good adventure novel should be.
So it was I was waiting eagerly for the film. I never got the chance to see it at the cinema; but based on the numerous good reviews I preordered the blu-ray. I really enjoyed the film; but as with many other reviewers I felt that the book was better.
The book spent much more time establishing characters and relationships and I really liked that. Obviously, with the book being in first person, everything was from Katniss’ perspective – but that only serves to makes you sympathize with her predicament and those around her more. Her relationships with Peeta and Rue go much deeper in the book and I felt the film foolishly downplayed these moments. Likewise, the other contestants in the games seemed vastly under utilised in the film; and as a result they either became unimportant or impotent. Cato was a fierce and imposing killer in the book – but reduced merely to a brooding bully in the film (albeit one with a sword).
Don’t get me wrong – I enjoyed the film and I’m glad I bought it, but I just wish it been a little better. However, I am sure when I watch it again – knowing everything that’s changed or omitted – I will enjoy it much more. I felt the same way with Twilight – hated it on first viewing.
I look foward to Catching Fire and Mockingjay!
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|Let them eat cake,
Based on the book The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, it gets the honor of being picked for a Hollywood movie of the same name. I’ve not read the book myself, so this is purely based on my opinion from watching the film.
Set sometime in the future, in the dystopian country, Panem, which was formerly America and the surrounding areas. Divided up into 12 districts, each one individually focused on a particular commodity, from miners to farmers, with the goods being shipped to the wealthy citizens in the capital city, where the rich, dressed in powdered wigs & gaudy outfits, gorge on cakes, sweets & luxuries, while the people of the districts starve.
As the story begins, it tells us of the annual ritual, the hunger games, put in place as a deterrent after the now destroyed 13th district rebelled. The games are made up of 2 children, tributes, from each district (24 total), one boy and one girl, between the ages of 12 and 18, picked by a lottery representative Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) to compete in a televised fight to the death, 1 left standing, across a rural arena. This 74th games is hosted by the egocentric Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci-The Devil Wears Prada) & organised by the oddly bearded Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley-Four Feathers).
The story itself follows the two tributes from district 12, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence-Winter’s Bone) who volunteers in place of her 12 year old sister, a courageous young hunter with a mind years beyond her own age , deadly with a bow & arrow. And Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson –Bridge to Terabithia), a nieve young baker with the strength of someone twice his age. But as the games unfold & new revelations appear, it seems the two star crossed lovers are faced with a heart aching decison, if they survive that is.
Overall, i have to say that i did really enjoy The Hunger Games, not just for the story, but for it being so different from films i’ve seen before, albeit with some influences from past films such as The Truman Show with the arena setting. The first hour of the film revolves around the setting of the story & the introduction of the characters & the build up to the games, with the remaining hour focused on the games itself. As the four preparation days dwindle down, you do feel the tension yourself, as your about to see these young adults, some of which looks like young babes, about to kill each other for the gratification of some rich slobs. Once they hit the arena & you see the fighting it is quite harrowing viewing, although filmed in reasonably good taste, in terms of not seeing anything too gory. But the action itself, is quite reserved, more a game of cat & mouse, as Katniss is singled out by a group banded together, to hunt her down as the strongest rated tribute during preparation with her trainer/mentor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harelson-Natural Born Killers).
The CGI & special effects were very well done, with some nice new ideas. The acting on the whole is very good, with a strong & believable performance from Jennifer Lawrence as the lead. While the support cast oozed with gravitas, from Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Josh Hutcherson, Wes Bentley, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harelson , Liam Hemsworth & stand out of the kids, Amandla Stenberg(Colombiana).
In conclusion, dont come into The Hunger Games thinking it’s going to be all out action, as only a portion of the film is. It’s an interesting look into a possible futuristic existance, but it’s nice to know that the human spirit & courage is never dwindling despite the harshness of any given reality. Recommended.
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|Finally, a movie that follows the book!,
Having read all the Hunger Games books I could not wait for this to come out in the cinema but part of me was worried that making such a complex book into a movie would not be possible (lets face it most books are miles better than the movies due to the simple fact they can go into a lot more detail)but I have to say I did not need to be worried in the slightest, I loved it that much I ended up going to see it twice!
The film is set in the future in an american nation called Panem which is split into districts. Each year the capitol of Panem forces each district to volunteer up a boy and a girl to compete in the annual “Hunger Games” as punishment for rising up against the capitol many years ago.
As the 74th Hunger Games is about to start Katniss Everdeen finds her 12 year old sister is chosen to compete, knowing she would never make it out alive Katniss offers herself in her sisters place and from then on is put into the arena with all the other tributes to fight for her life.
However there is one slight problem – Peeta Mellark, the boy who once saved her life is in the arena with her and how can she bring herself to kill him when she just might be falling in love with him.
This film does the book justice and it actually follows the majority of the book down to the very lines spoken.
The acting is amazing from everyone in the film, it is without a doubt Jennifer Lawrence’s best movie yet!
I can’t wait to own such an amazing movie, I’m sure it is going to be one I will watch again and again!
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