04/13/2012 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

Review: The Hunger Games

Jennifer Lawrence nailed the role of Katniss. Her performance was powerful and convincing enough to make the audience emotionally attached to her character. The rest of the cast was great, as well, especially Woody Harrelson. I thought the first half of the film was as perfectly executed as it could have possibly been. The characters are rich and well-developed and the story is very, very engaging. I was so intrigued by the rules and the laws the districts are under and how the Capitol controls them. It's a very interesting concept and director Gary Ross does a good job at introducing it and keeps the story flowing at a good pace.

The second half could have been better. Yes, I understand Gary Ross used shaky-cam to hide the blood and sustain the PG-13 rating. But there really could h...

Rating of
2.5/4 

04/12/2012 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

Worthy of it's massive praise

I am no Hunger Games nerd. That is to say, I read the books, but I am not obsessed by them. I didn't even liked the second two that much. I did, however, like the first book in the series. Quite a bit actually. So, it came as a surprise to me when I enjoyed the movie even more than the book.

In case you have, somehow, missed reading the book(s), The Hunger Games is an annual event that occurs in a not-so-future-future time, when one girl and boy from each district (24 children in all) is randomly selected to battle to the death in a glamorous and ferocious televised event. Katniss volunteers as a tribute when her younger sister, Prim, is selected to be in the Hunger Games. Now Katniss must somehow survive the treacheries of the Hunger Games, and show the Capitol she is no pawn in thei...

Rating of
3.5/4 

04/02/2012 (1 of 5 found this helpful)

This plot should not be background for twilight

This plot should not be background for another twilight. This is serious subject and not something teenage couples should go watch for their romance.
These guys need to take lecture from kubrick how to make provocative film because this surely is not provocative film. Its provocative environment served as background for love story, and i dont think that that is what they wanted. I went to see this film with high expectations. At first i saw its going to contain some bullshit elements but i was able to forgive that because it was still interesting. But later i understood it is going to be one major fake. It sends message and that is not the way you make these films, conclusion is something you have to do and not something that film should "explain" to you. Makers, go watch clockwork orang...

Rating of
1/4 

04/02/2012 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

When the Players Outsmarted the Reality Show

An annual reality television show sets 24 tributes coming from the 12 districts, one man and one woman from each. On the district 12, Katniss Everdeen voluteered herself after her younger sister was picked. Peeta is her male counterpart. Together, they will be representing their district on this survival reality television show.

***

Wow! This is really good. I would say that I was entertained much more than I expected. I love the reality show "Survivor," I know the Hunger Games not that close to it, but still close, that's why I liked it! But, what I liked the most are these points: (1) The story, I'm a student from a media studies department, and I must say, I liked what I saw about the "reality" show. (2) The actors, Jennifer Lawrence has her good acting going, and of course, Stan...

Rating of
3/4 

04/01/2012 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

ANOTHER review of "The Hunger Games"

Unless you’ve been living on the remote outskirts of civilization, you’ve undoubtedly been seeing and/or hearing coverage about the latest best-selling book turned movie, “The Hunger Games”. As someone who, on the advice of a good friend, read the entire trilogy and who looked forward with some hesitation to the film adaptation, allow me to tell you if they made a successful jump from page to screen.

THE GOOD: The film is based on the book “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins---with the follow up novels “Catching Fire” and “MockingJay” to round out the trilogy. The story is set around a young woman named Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) who is growing up in a civilization named Panem. After the existing nations of North America are destroyed by catastrophe, Panem rise...

Rating of
4/4 

03/26/2012 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

Better than expected, but could've been better.

While it's more faithful to the book than most adaptations are, it still gets some things wrong (e.g., failing to really stress that Katniss doesn't know how she feels about Peeta and that the romantic stuff is for the cameras), confuses some things (e.g., Peeta throwing the loaf of bread to Katniss), and leaves some very important moments out (e.g., the bread arriving from District 11). I don't like to rate a movie on how well it holds to a book, though. I think movies should be judged independently. Each deserves a tabula rasa sort of treatment.

This movie stands very well on its own. I only have two main concerns not directly related to what's missing from the book. First, the violence is sort of downplayed with the use of shaky camera techniques and quick cuts. Everyone knows how v...

Rating of
3.5/4 

03/25/2012 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

Well done adaption of a great book

This film did the best it could to squeeze all of the book into 2 hours and twenty minutes. I'm always wondering if I didn't read the books, would I have a good feeling of the relationships, like Katniss and her mother, Katniss and Gale? The majority of the film is spent at the games, but I wish they would have shown more about how hard they have it in District 12. Of course you miss the fine details that you get in the book. Overall it was a good adaption. I would recommend reading the book if you haven't already.

If I had any complaints it would be the hand held camera work in the beginning and the close up shots during the fight at the end. I know the trend in Hollywood for action shots is to make quick cuts and get really close. But its really hard to get a grasp of what is...

Rating of
3/4 

03/24/2012 (2 of 2 found this helpful)

Hungry for More

Over the past few months The Hunger Games has developed it's own gravitational pull - you could not escape it. Based on the hugely popular trilogy by Suzanne Collins, there was a lot of talk when it was announced, even more so as the cast was announced week by week and continued to build as filming took place and, of course, the marketing push inevitably took over.

What this means is the hype was off the chart and expectations reflected this. The Hunger Games is a good movie - it's a great representation of the novel, the casting is phenomenal and the story is gripping. However, while I like the film and do recommend it, there are flaws present that keep it from breaking through to that next level.

I always start with the good, and there is plenty good to go around. First off, Jenni...

Rating of
3/4