The Hunger Games (Ross, 2012)

[kaytee]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/4S9a5V9ODuY&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/4S9a5V9ODuY&rel=1</a>

[shariqq]

I'll watch the trailer once I get home. I am quite interested in this movie, and looking forward to see how it looks.

The Hunger Games is quite a popular trilogy, and also the name of the first title of the series. It's a young-adult series (but don't think Twilight). When I first heard about it, I think 2 years ago, it was described to me as a Running Man + Survivor mix, and that it is written so well that I should pick the first book when I have enough time to read it through.

But, like with many book & movie suggestions I get, I put this in my virtual "to do" list, and just didn't do it yet. Considering it has a built-in loyal (nerdy) audience and the production so far looks interesting, I hope it turns out to be a good movie.



Synopsis: The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world. United States of America has collapsed, and a new country stands in its place, Panem. The country is controlled by a fascist government located in the rich city of Capitol. Each year, the Capitol hosts a televised show called "Hunger Games", whereby a boy and a girl are selected from each of the 12 districts of Panem to compete in a survival game. So 24 teens in total compete for survival in the wilderness. The last person standing wins the Games, and is given special housing with comforts in the Capitol, and the families of the district (s)he belongs to gets extra rations.Each district has its own state of wealth (or lack of), which District 1 being the richest and District 12 being the poorest.

These Hunger Games have been going on for decades.

The book/movie focuses on one such year when sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen of District 12 competes for the Games.

Director - Gary Ross (Seabiscuit, Pleasantville ). Haven't seen either, so can't say much about him.

Cast:
Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, competing in the Hunger Games as the female tribute from District 12.
Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, competing in the Hunger Games as the male tribute from District 12.
Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy, past victor of the Hunger Games from District 12.
Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, the consultant for District 12 tributes at the Capitol.
Lenny Kravitz, the stylist of District 12 tributes. He ensures they look the part for the TV audience.
Donald Sutherland as President Snow, heads the Capitol.
Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, a reporter who covers the games, does interviews with tributes, etc.

[shariqq]

Not to get too excited or anything about, but currently this is tracking at 100% after 26 reviews.

[animatedude]

this is slowly going up in my most hated franchises ever!

first, i don't like how suddenly retarded pre-teens become the center of attention for Hollywood with horrible franchises like Twilight...and now this.

second, they turned the Twilight books into like what 5 movies or 6? and now they are going with 4 movies with this franchise what's next?...argh.

third, i avoided reading about The Hunger Games for months until last week when i happened to be watching Gary Ross first film, BIG......the idea of it sounds absurd and everything i hate about reality TV shows....and trust me you don't know how much i hate reality TV shows.

whatever happened to the guy who did Pleasantville? that's right...he is making money right now.

[ozzylogic]

Masonry > Technology? Really?

[theoddball]

Zzzzzzzz.....

[theoddball]

Prediction: This will attract a lot of Harry Potter fans who are 'graduating' (in both book and film format) to a young adult series, now that HP is over.

[shariqq]

Erm.. a lot of Harry Potter fans are beyond the "Young Adult" age group now, since the book series started a long long time ago.

That said, The Hunger Games books has a huge fan-base of its own, but beyond the demographic of the target audience, the others weren't too aware of it. Now, with a movie coming out and the millions of $$$ pumped into the marketing machinery, it is suddenly a property that more people are aware of.

I wouldn't be too quick to judge the movie franchise because of Harry Potter and Twilight. It is easy to be stereotypical that way. Movies tend to have a life of their own apart from the books (see what the LotR movies did for a generation who weren't even aware of the books). This movie is, after all, getting a very strong positive word from critics (grown-ups).

[fizz]

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen has enough tenacity for you to want her to win the menacingly titled sport of Hunger Games. The film though falls short of its lofty ambitions, though it does surprisingly well in setting up the premise and allowing us to get to know its leading lady by slowly and gradually letting the plot advance.

Hunger Games is based on a book targeted at young adults and the film adaptation, by extension, though it tries not to, has both the desire to please this demographic and franchise-building on its agenda. Set in a future world where food is scarce, we are introduced to the concept of Districts (there are 12 in total) from each of which a young boy and girl are annually chosen (as ‘tributes’) to take part in the titular games in a lethal fight where only one survives. When Katniss’ sister is chosen in the draw (they are from the coalmining District 12), Katniss volunteers herself as a tribute instead and is taken, along with Peeta, the male tribute, to prepare them for the games and try to win sponsors who can help them survive by making generous donations when needed (i.e. potential plot contrivances).

The films first half is a neat combo of sports film – Woody Harrelson as their drunk mentor, Lenny Kravitz as their stylist and a barely recognizable Elizabeth Banks as their escort – and mock reality TV. But the cracks soon start to show once we are let in on a romantic subplot which panders to its faithful legion of fans and, once the games have begun, to a blunt, ineffective match. A lot of scenes feel like they are inserted to fill in those unfamiliar with the source – at one point Stanny Tucci’s character, the host of the reality TV show that airs the preparations and the eventual games, actually starts a sentence with “for those of you who don’t know…”.

In actuality, the premise of the film is supposed to be both shocking and ugly but the film never makes this apparent. It is nothing like the brutal Japanese film Battle Royale for example, because its viciousness is severely diluted by its PG-13 rating. Even in the thick of battle, Katniss’ survival is helped by innumerable script or plot coincidences (the rules are changed for example or deaths are purely accidental or mostly off-screen) and the finale is both anti climatic and a letdown. None of this is likely to harm the film’s success; its target audience will ensure this, putting the odds greatly in its favour.

Rating: Somewhere between Poor and Average

[shariqq]

Haha! That last line is a master stroke!

I mostly liked the movie, but had issues with it too. What I liked about it most was that, finally, Hollywood delivers a big-budget "blockbuster" movie that does not assume the current generation to suffer from the ADD. This is no MTV style fast-cuts, flashy and breathless action-oriented movie. It is shot with hand-held cameras, spends time with the protagonist, and doesn't once go into *epic* mode (floating cameras, special effects-based money shots, etc.). Not that all that is necessarily a bad thing, but all of it had become a formula for the *blockbuster* movie. This movie comes across as one where the director decidedly makes it into a personal story of the lead character. I liked that.

The plot goes through shallow motions that are a dead give-away to the fact that it is aimed at the "young adult" audience - none more obvious than the contrived love-triangle and the reduction of the boy-tribute of District 12 to the "damsel in distress". Girls are going to be lapping this up.

Jennifer Lawrence as the lead is wonderful to watch. The movie is entirely focused on her, hardly ever leaving her out of a scene. Displaying the right combination of strength and vulnerability, her Katniss is easy to root for (even though we know from the onset that nothing bad will really happen to her). The scene where she steps on stage for the first time is excellent. She is vary, yet attempts to be likeable (if the audience likes her, she gets more sponsors = external help while in the game arena). The moment when she steps on stage is shot with a close-up of her, showing the audience in the background - rather than showing it as a grand entrance on stage.

I liked it for the way the movie is made and for its performances (plural for the ever trustable Woody Harrelson). But it could have been shorter by a good 15 minutes, and the movie could have been better by taking some liberties with its source -- after all, the books may have been for one demographic, but the movie is aimed at a wider audience.

My Rating --> 3.5 of 5 :: Good

[fizz]

The screening I attended had me cringing. It was full of girls between 12 and 18 (any of whom would be ripe for selection as a tribute had we been in Distric 12!) and they were cheering, clapping and yes, sobbing at all the appropriate bits. It was quite clear that the film "connected" with them and it was all the more annoying for me because, when the games began, the plot holes were obvious. Alliances? Really? Death by poisonous berries? *Eyes roll*.

Gary Ross is a good director and he doesn't pander to things that other films in this genre would, but calling it sci-fi or thrilling is a disservice. It is none of those things and all the so called "shocking" deaths were a joke. I'm not for teenage brutality and it doesn't turn me on, but when a film is about a fight to the death and all it gives you are pretty young boys and girls running around in a field, you have to ask how idiotic audiences have become. I like what the director has done in bits, but hate that it is being held up for what it is rather than being ridiculed for what it isn't. This is, I hate to admit, just a slightly better version of the Twilight syndrome.

[animatedude]

i saw the first Twilight and although it was rubbish i liked the ending and i can see myself watching the rest of the movies no problem because ultimately it's a love story i can relate to but i'm avoiding this Hunger crap because it has all the ingredients that i loath, preteens+reality TV shows+Game shows and Steven Soderbergh on second unit Aaahhh!

[kaytee]

I would have liked a more raw and gritty final act especially when the whole hunger game started. They talk about it being this huge phenomenon and it still did not live up to the expectations. I didn't not feel like they were in any danger at any time except that of them being killed. Im ok with plot holes if the ride is enjoyable and here the ride was just bland thus the holes stood out.

[kaytee]

If Hunger Games was directed by other directors the posters would look like this...some of them are real funny...

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20419951_20579776,00.html#21135314

[shariqq]

lol! Hillarious, especially the ones with Terrence Mallick and Werner Herzog!