Yes, I went out and saw The Hunger Games last night. Before I get into my thoughts of the film let me set the stage. I am currently in Fresno, CA with not a whole lot to do. My tractor is being repaired and I am content to lay low. However, one can only lay low in their hotel room for so long before one just needs to get out. So I watched the Pens v. Bruins game at a sports bar near a cineplex. Presently, there's not too many titles that interest me but Hunger Games has been producing a ton of buzz and it's been killing at the box office.
My sister tried to turn me onto the books not too long ago and outside of the fact that I know its a series of books, that's all I know. So I contacted at friend who was familiar with the books & film (my sister left for Hong Kong so I couldn't enlist her opinion) and she informed me that it was worth seeing and since I have no familiarity with the books that I might enjoy the film more. So I had the time to kill and I decided to see the film. Despite my misgivings about seeing films that are geared towards a younger demographic. Yes the theater was filled with teenagers (on a Tuesday night no less!).
To start I would like to say that Jennifer Lawrence is a statuesque beauty with a great deal of talent. I would hope that her career isn't wasted with ridiculous romantic comedies. There were also strong performances from a great supporting cast that included Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley and an unrecognizable Elizabeth Banks. Even Lenny Kravitz (not known for his acting skills) did a nice job as Cinna, the image specialist for the District 12 Tributes (Catniss & Peeta).
The film takes place in the post apocalyptic future where civil strife has turned the country into an oppressive totalitarian regime that forces the remaining 12 districts to send forth a male & female between 12-18 to fight to the death for the television viewing audience. The government makes the districts do this as penance for a failed rebellion. So Catniss volunteers to take her sister's place (she's 12 years old & would probably get killed in the opening seconds) and her partner is a Peeta, the baker's son who just happens to have a crush on Catniss (funny how these things work out). Overall the film wasn't terrible and it was enjoyable though I did check my watch during the more gushy scenes. It's probably a good thing that I never read the books. I was a big fan of the His Dark Materials trilogy but the film (The Golden Compass) wasn't very good and it bombed. As previously stated I thought the supporting cast made the film for me. Sure Lawrence is beautiful but she does a nice job with what looks to be a very physical role (though I will never get over how she retains her freshness despite being very active in the woods for several days, perhaps it's a positive by-product of the post apocalyptic future).
Some of the problems I had with this film (as with most films) is that it didn't seem all too original. The book (written by Suzanne Collins) was published in 2008. Here's some of the films that Hunger Games borrows heavily from:
Those are the 5 that came to right off the top of my head. Sure they are others that deal with teen love under extreme circumstance and the oppressive totalitarian (that's twice I've used this word in 1 segment if you're counting) government. Now the film was enjoyable but it was not a film geared towards my demographic but I'm glad I saw it. I may not take part in the sequels and probably never bother reading the books but the film was ok.
Thanks for your time.
My sister tried to turn me onto the books not too long ago and outside of the fact that I know its a series of books, that's all I know. So I contacted at friend who was familiar with the books & film (my sister left for Hong Kong so I couldn't enlist her opinion) and she informed me that it was worth seeing and since I have no familiarity with the books that I might enjoy the film more. So I had the time to kill and I decided to see the film. Despite my misgivings about seeing films that are geared towards a younger demographic. Yes the theater was filled with teenagers (on a Tuesday night no less!).
To start I would like to say that Jennifer Lawrence is a statuesque beauty with a great deal of talent. I would hope that her career isn't wasted with ridiculous romantic comedies. There were also strong performances from a great supporting cast that included Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley and an unrecognizable Elizabeth Banks. Even Lenny Kravitz (not known for his acting skills) did a nice job as Cinna, the image specialist for the District 12 Tributes (Catniss & Peeta).
The film takes place in the post apocalyptic future where civil strife has turned the country into an oppressive totalitarian regime that forces the remaining 12 districts to send forth a male & female between 12-18 to fight to the death for the television viewing audience. The government makes the districts do this as penance for a failed rebellion. So Catniss volunteers to take her sister's place (she's 12 years old & would probably get killed in the opening seconds) and her partner is a Peeta, the baker's son who just happens to have a crush on Catniss (funny how these things work out). Overall the film wasn't terrible and it was enjoyable though I did check my watch during the more gushy scenes. It's probably a good thing that I never read the books. I was a big fan of the His Dark Materials trilogy but the film (The Golden Compass) wasn't very good and it bombed. As previously stated I thought the supporting cast made the film for me. Sure Lawrence is beautiful but she does a nice job with what looks to be a very physical role (though I will never get over how she retains her freshness despite being very active in the woods for several days, perhaps it's a positive by-product of the post apocalyptic future).
Some of the problems I had with this film (as with most films) is that it didn't seem all too original. The book (written by Suzanne Collins) was published in 2008. Here's some of the films that Hunger Games borrows heavily from:
- The Running Man (1987): A televised battle to the death. Also Richard Dawson's and Stanley Tucci's characters are similar.
- Battle Royale (2000):In the post apocalyptic future, teenagers are sent to an island (or arena) to battle to the death. They are sent there by the Japanese government mostly because teens are big a**holes in the future. Also I believe that the male & female protagonists fall for each other.
- Dragonslayer (1981): the scene where Catniss "volunteers" herself at the reaping to take her sister's place is reminiscent of the scene where the princess rigs the lottery so to offer herself up as the sacrifice for the dragon. In fact the whole "reaping" process is similar. The "winners" face death.
- A League of Their Own (1992): Tell me that the relationship between Lawrence & Harrelson is not similar to the relationship between Hanks & Davis. He's the drunken has been that sees the talent in her, decides that being a drunk isn't a good idea, passes on his knowledge and begins to care about her because of her talent & spirit. Sounds pretty similar to me!
- The Truman Show (1998): You've got the whole "show" being monitored and manipulated by the people in the control room. Wes Bentley's Seneca is very similar to Ed Harris' Christof. Though Ed Harris' role/character was better.
Those are the 5 that came to right off the top of my head. Sure they are others that deal with teen love under extreme circumstance and the oppressive totalitarian (that's twice I've used this word in 1 segment if you're counting) government. Now the film was enjoyable but it was not a film geared towards my demographic but I'm glad I saw it. I may not take part in the sequels and probably never bother reading the books but the film was ok.
Thanks for your time.
1 comment:
I read the books and enjoyed them. I saw the movie, and while I didn't hate it, the only thing I really enjoyed was the North Carolina scenery. I'll watch the sequels on dvd...
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