The Hunger Games - Movie Review

As promised, today I will be giving you my thoughts and opinions regarding the movie, The Hunger Games.

Director: Gary Ross

Writers: Gary Ross (screenplay), Suzanne Collins (screenplay), and 2 more credits »

Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth

The blurb about the movie I found online was pitiful, but frankly if you don’t know what the book/movie is about by now, my question to you would be:  Where the heck have you been?  Just in case though, here’s the sad little intro:

Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the latest match.

This doesn’t even begin to describe the story line, but that is kinda the entire tone of the movie.  Before I get into what I didn’t like, let’s start with what I did.

1.         The costumes.  Wonderful job on the outfits.  The wild and crazy colors of the Capital people was just what I had imagined.  Maybe a bit over the top here and there, but nothing that I would complain about.  Katniss’ fire costume and dress….AWESOME.  I was wondering how well they would pull that off and the answer is, without a doubt, fantastic job IMO.  I was a bit annoyed at the lovely, girl fitted leather jacket Katniss wore as that was suppose to be a left over bit of wardrobe from her dad, and I am pretty certain he didn’t have a tiny waist and hips, but all in all, 5 snaps on the costumes.

2.         The backdrop of the “sections”.  I thought the director did a great job showing the poor conditions and the utter desolation of the people that lived there.  Poor, hungry, cold, and tired.

3.         The games.  Gory and violent and just what I was hoping for.  The books were violent.  The books were gory.  I didn’t want the production to be sugared up just for audience sake.  I wanted to see the violent and heart wrenching moments of desperation and desolation.  They pulled it off very well. 

4.         Rue.  I think, thanks to all the horrible media hype on this one character, that I need to mention her.  I LOVED her.  She was small and petite and cute and wonderful and just, do you hear me, JUST want I was wanting in the character.  Someone I could like and be sad over her death.  That was her part.  I don’t give a flying flip what her skin type was and that it didn’t match what some though the character in the book should be.  So what?  I loved her.  I hope to see her in the future as she was enchanting.

5.         Even though the “game room” and the like was not part of the book, being that the book was a 1st person POV of Katniss, I really liked that part of the movie.  It was entertaining and innovative. 

As with most reviews you have to take the bad with the good.  So the things I was not impressed with:

1.         One of my big erks in book to movie productions is the lacking of needed information.  This was one of those movies.  I understand that there is a time crunch in movies, but there is basic information that you need in order to understand what is going on.  I know first hand, that if you have not read the book, you will be confused several times during the course of the movie.  My husband who had not read the books, spent the movie whispering to me, “What are the names in the list for anyway?  Why is Prim’s only in once and Katnisses 24?  Why are there fences around the sections.  Why, why, why, why.”  They were too fast in trying to explain away the reason for everything.  A few more minutes here and there, could would have made a huge difference in this movie.  Even a moment to actually explain who the heck Haymitch was and why he was the mentor would have made a difference.  There was like a one second blip about him and it was severely lacking in substance. 

2.              Speaking of Haymitch.  He was to sober throughout the movie.  There was like one lousy moment of the drunk.  That was it.  I love Woody Harrelson, and I am not saying he did a bad acting job.  I am saying their portrayal was not what I wanted. 

3.         They didn’t “show” the real Katniss in this movie.  The first book she is suppose to have feeling for Gail (Liam Hemworth – Lord is this guy cute.  Where has he been?) and pretend to be in love with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), right?  The movie made it seem as if she really was in love with Peeta.  They missed the mark on that entirely.  How can you have a love triangle without the triangle? 

Well that’s about it for my “review”.  I enjoyed the movie greatly.  I am just very happy I had already read the book, as I would have been LOST otherwise.  Maybe I just see it that way because I have read the book and I think some of the left-outs were important.  I would be interested to know if any of you have seen the movie without first reading it and what you thought about it.  Am I wrong that it was confusing? 

ctny