Hunger Games Movie Review

The Hunger Games Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Directed by Gary Ross

If you want to read my full summary and review, check out my book review. It’s really that close to the book. Just to put something here, I’ll give you the notes I took while watching with commentary. 

Because the following does have spoilers, I want to say that I really liked the movie. It stayed true to the character, plot and spirit of the novel. The violence was toned down (not a lot) and some subplots were removed, but nothing casual readers or people who never read the books will miss. 

 I read the book and the movie kicked ass. That never happens to me. Go see this one, you will have fun. Oh, but it is 2hr and 20 min, so don’t get the big soda.

*****Beware, Thar Be Spoilers*****

Opening, well done. I really liked how they set the atmosphere of District 12. They made it feel poor and desperate, almost Great Depression era, but at the same time have hints that this is the future.

Shakey cam. Holy crap, the camera floats like a butterfly, stings like a tracker jacker. Some might need vomit bags.

Gets pin, market A part that deviated from the book, she picks up the trademark mockingjay pin in the black market for some bird meat. It does not hurt the story, but eh..

Good touch, Duck There’s a small moment with Prim at the Reaping that kinda broke my heart.

Casting is awesome Everyone fits the parts well.

This looks like I imagined.

Almost not enough time in the rush to arena I kinda wanted to hang out in District 12 some more and get some character development.

exposition, exposition There’s a lot of talky talky that’s repetitive. But it is over quick and does keep reminding you of stuff that they don’t have time to show. They tell the entire story and give it a great treatment at 2hr 20min.

Took out Avox? Another departure that stuck with me and Katniss in the book but was forgettable enough to leave out.

Careers legal Another departure, apparently the Career Districts have stadiums where the train.

Meeting Peeta The meeting of Peeta and Katniss in flashback is changed slightly... I liked the real way, where he sees her starving then burns the bread and throws it out, but just throwing it out works.

 Scenes with Gamemaker Bigum departure from the book they beef up the role of game maker, taking the POV away from Katniss and into how the games actually are controlled, control room and all. I was a little turned off to be away from our heroine, but this pays off awesomely at the end.

Haymitch not... I never finished the thought, but I always imagined Haymitch as a Falstaff type, a big fat drunk with a sense of humor and a heart marked with tradgedy. Harrelson looks like he could go toe to toe with these kids (and kinda does).

Lenny Kravitz, ernest but likeable I guess he was like Jim Varney... Kravitz is not who I imagined as Cinna, but he works and does a great job. He was not as likeable as I would have wanted that character to be, but filled the role well.

Peeta not very charismatic or big enough. I liked the guy they have doing Peeta, but he is not the leader that is described in the book. He’s the arty guy and won me over but I think there could be better decisions made on how he approaches the character in future movies. Also, you would expect the guy that can throw 100lb sacks of flour to be a little beefier.

Cinna hid pig = book Okay I don’t know what the hell this means. Wait, no, I do. Cinna gives her back the mockingjay pin, not pig, just as she goes in the arena. Again, it tracks for story but there’s not a lot of mention of this item at all to be the symbol of the movie.

Did not set up mutated animals well Every time a new animal came on in the Arena, they cut to Caesar explaining what they were. While this happened a few times in the book, I remember mockingjays, tracker jackers, and nightlock being more Chekhov’s Guns in the narrative.

Cesar and the mines I don’t know what the hell this means. Really.

 

Great Rue POV Um... There’s a moment in the movie where the theatre got really dusty and I couldn’t see because my eyes were watering, but I think this scene was handled with wonderful visual style.

J.L. not singer? Our leading lady does not get the big song and dance number, but that’s okay.

Now Rebellion? There’s a couple of scenes implied in Catching Fire near the end. Spoiler Alert?

She stays pretty. Everyone in this movie has the crap beat out of them, but I guess Jennifer Lawrence was allergic to the dirt makeup or something because she stays fairly clean.)

 

VS

These are from about the same point in the movie.

Game makers omnipotent? The things they can do (forest fires, anmial attacks, etc.) seem to break natural laws. 

  

Action too close. All the fights are Bourne fighting. I was wondering half the time who was winning until everybody calmed down enough to die.

Cato long ass speech. There’s a lot of talking by our bad guys that I must have rushed past in the books.

Katniss meets Snow. The meeting in Catching Fire held some weight. That’s been taken away by this meeting some. Not much, but enough to matter.

So that’s all my notes. Overall, a fun experience. So help me God if any of you start that Team Peeta, Team Gale crap.  I'm Team Katniss and you people better just shut the hell up about your dumbass love triangles before I learn to use a bow and arrow.

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