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The Hunger Games film review

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  • The Hunger Games film review

    So I saw the Hunger games today (my time). And man oh man, it was good. For the unfamiliar, The Hunger Games is a series of books about a post-apocalyptic world called Panem, which is where North America used to be. Panem itself has 12 districts, plus a Capitol. As a result of the events which triggered the current state of Panem, every year, a teenage boy and girl are selected from each of the districts and put into a deathmatch style event. That's the BASIC summary anyway.
    I'll break my review down into categories:

    Adaption: For what is essentially a teen novel, it is EXTREMELY faithful in terms of book-film adaption. Character names are all kept, even the minor characters. There are no attempts to diverge from the plot and any changes that ARE made are either cosmetic changes (for instance, in the books, one characters suit is green, in the film it's purple and so on) or changes that are necessary to take the book to the screen (for instance, in the film, we see events that occur from the main character's point of view, but at the same time, we also see her mentor meeting with people to sponsor the main character so she receives medicine and soup among other things) or even minor changes that aren't really relevant to the plot (for instance, in the book, Peeta's leg has to be amputated, in the film, no mention is made of it, but it doesn't affect the plot). Basically the plot is otherwise dead-on.

    Cast/Characters: The cast were pretty dead on. No shirtless moments for me to drool over, instead I could laugh at some of the costumes that were created for the characters. The characters in the Capitol are all meant to be flamboyantly dressed. They didn't disappoint. Katniss (main FEMALE character) seemed a tad forced in one or two scenes, rather than handling things confidently, but it seemed to add to her character overall.

    Visuals: For those wanting to see the visuals, this also does not disappoint. CGI was kept to a minimum as far as some scenes went, or if it wasn't CGI, it was very nicely done. In addition, because the point of the game is to create hazards for the contestants, so they'll fight to the death, but also survive whatever the gamemarkers throw at them, you can actually SEE the CGI being made in a couple of cases .

    Costuming: I touched on this earlier, but in the books, the characters in the Capitol are meant to basically resemble peacocks and parrots, with brightly coloured outfits and outlandish ideas (for instance, facial tattoos). They definitely did not disappoint, creating a ton of costumes for the extras that showed up. The other districts all seemed to look the same, but I think this best symbolised the differences between the Capitol and the rich and poor districts. The tribute parade and the costumes to fight in were also extremely accurate and best reflected the environment they were being put in. Tell you what though, I would really like to see a case of fake fire on the back of a helmet or a cape sometime!

    I definitely think this is a film worth seeing. Down here, it's being described as beating out Twilight by a mile, simply because of the fact that Katniss is easier to relate to on a human level (yes, she can shoot. But she's not born with a special ability to shoot, nor is she gifted with a special bow that gives her 100% accuracy) and the interactions between her and Peeta are ones we can all relate to (he likes her, she's confused about him). Also it doesn't seem as vapid as Twilight.

    Don't bring the kids along to it though: down here it was rated M, which while it's not a restricted category, it's generally on-par with the PG-13 rating over in the states. It's not as graphic as you think though: the extent of the graphic sequences is Katniss receiving a few deep cuts, people getting shot with arrows and spears and a scene where people are getting stung by what are basically genetically engineered wasps.
    Last edited by fireheart; 03-24-2012, 11:25 PM.
    The best professors are mad scientists! -Zoom

    Now queen of USSR-Land...

  • #2
    I also saw it and agree. Not at all a bad adaptation. A great movie overall.
    Driver Picks the Music, Shotgun Shuts His Cakehole.
    Supernatural 9-13-05 to forever

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    • #3
      Shameless plug -- Large parts of that movie were filmed in and near where I live. Some scenes were filmed at the city reservoir and others were filmed in a state forest nearby.
      Drive it like it's a county car.

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      • #4
        Quoth Lvl_9_Gazebo View Post
        Shameless plug -- Large parts of that movie were filmed in and near where I live. Some scenes were filmed at the city reservoir and others were filmed in a state forest nearby.
        I suspect that the reservoir scenes were the District 12 or 11 scenes and the state forest was the arena.
        The best professors are mad scientists! -Zoom

        Now queen of USSR-Land...

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        • #5
          Quoth fireheart View Post
          I suspect that the reservoir scenes were the District 12 or 11 scenes and the state forest was the arena.
          I haven't seen it, so I wouldn't know... but in addition to filming it here, they also filmed parts in a town about an hour and a half away. I think some of the District 12 scenes were filmed there -- if it looks like a grubby, faded little town, they probably were. As for the arena, I do think the forest is where those scenes were filmed. Supposedly there were waterfalls involved and if so, that's definitely where they were filmed.

          All I know is that people are already starting to make a fuss over coming here to go on filming location tours. It might mean a big boost for local tourism.
          Drive it like it's a county car.

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          • #6
            Quoth Lvl_9_Gazebo View Post
            Supposedly there were waterfalls involved and if so, that's definitely where they were filmed.

            All I know is that people are already starting to make a fuss over coming here to go on filming location tours. It might mean a big boost for local tourism.
            Yep.

            And I don't blame them. It's definitely a better read than Twilight. Next thing you'll know, they'll start trying to copy all the outfits that Katniss wears in the film (seriously, her dresses are AMAZING)
            The best professors are mad scientists! -Zoom

            Now queen of USSR-Land...

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            • #7
              The only thing that bothered me was that you don't really get a solid idea of how bad things are in the districts like you do in the book. Maybe they'll focus on that in the next movie but I feel like it was a missed point.
              "I've found that when you want to know the truth about someone, that someone is probably the last person you should ask." - House

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              • #8
                Looking forward to seeing this, read the 3 books (actually almost done re-reading).

                Thanks for the review!
                "Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory." _Ed Viesturs
                "Love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle" Steve Jobs

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                • #9
                  Wargh!! There's a six-week wait for the books at my library. T_T Wanting to go see film but Housemate is dubious. I'm past the era of having to go see films alone
                  "...Muhuh? *blink-blink* >_O *roll over* ZZZzzz......"

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                  • #10
                    I saw the movie on Sunday afternoon. I love this movie-wow!!!! Can't wait to get the books!!

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                    • #11
                      Quoth Greenday View Post
                      The only thing that bothered me was that you don't really get a solid idea of how bad things are in the districts like you do in the book. Maybe they'll focus on that in the next movie but I feel like it was a missed point.
                      From memory, they do focus on it in the second book. It wasn't mentioned so much in the first book. One of the funniest scenes in the second book is when Katniss and Peeta are at a party in the Capitol and they see all of these glasses full of what looks like water. Peeta picks up a glass and is about to drink it, when the Capitol residents he's with look at him like he's nuts. Turns out that the "water" was actually an emetic.
                      The best professors are mad scientists! -Zoom

                      Now queen of USSR-Land...

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                      • #12
                        Oh good....I'm going to see it tomorrow with my hubby. I'd been meaning to read the books for ages, and finally picked up the first one last Friday at the store....read it twice, then got a friend to give me a ride after work on Monday (we don't have a car) to pick up the second, which I have now read twice...lol.

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