As pretty much everyone in the world knows (no exaggeration, whatsoever), The Hunger Games was released this week after much anticipation.  In short, mostly people were scared that Lionsgate (they own the rights to Twilight) would fuck up as badly as they did last time.

Well, have no fear little ducklings, this wasn’t the case.  While we did have a somewhat emotionless heroine leading the way at times, at least she was supposed to be that way…unlike a certain other actress we know of…

For those who don’t know the storyline…screw it.  I’m not going to tell it to you.  Go out and buy the fricking book will ya?  Or at the very least, do what any other lazy person would do and find a review of the book and read it (I suggest mine).  OK.  Everyone up to date?  Drum roll please…

What They Got Right:

  • Most of the casting.  Woody Harrelson, gold.  And while some people were expecting Cillian Murphy in gold eyeliner, I kinda dug the look on Lenny Kravitz, being the rock god he is and all.  Plus, Liam Hemsworth as Gale?  Perfection!  Now even when Gale is a bit of an arse later in the series, his good looks will make up for it.
  • The storyline.  So often film adaptations of books suck.  Badly.  Particularly when they are as well-known and current as The Hunger Games.  Yet, I felt that they stayed true to the original storyline, and only strayed when it would have been too grotesque for film (Cato taking hours upon hours of dying, for example).  Saying that, Suzanne Collins was one of the screen writers so that could explain a lot.
  • The emotional aspects.  OK, I cried.  I didn’t bawl, per say, but a few little tears may have found their way down my cheek. Sob sob.  The scene where Rue died was truly heart-wrenching, especially when it was combined with the rebellion in District 11.  If any scene in the film encapsulated what it would be like to lose a child, that one did it.
  • The scenery-everything was exactly how it should of been.  Authentic and real.  District 12 distinctly showed it was the poorest District; the arena was just how I imagined it, and; the Capitol was the perfect mix of weird, wonderful, but borderline realistic.

What Didn’t Work:

  • Peeta.  Sorry Josh Hutcherson but you really just don’t do it for me.  OK, so I’ve never been too much of a fan of Peeta (the boy loves bread a little too much), but I felt that this casting choice wasn’t great.  In the books Peeta is so weak and needy, I felt that they could have boosted up his credibility just a little bit by casting someone a bit, well, manlier. On top of that, I felt that there was no chemistry between Peeta and Katniss, which was really disappointing because it felt so apparent in the novel. Plus it weirded me out that he was shorter than Jennifer Lawrence.
  • Woody Harrelson’s hair.  What the heck?  How do they get something so right, like the transformation of Elizabeth Banks into Effie Trinket, and then put THAT on Woody’s head?  Is Haymitch meant to go around with a dead animal on his head?  Did I completely miss that plot line?  No?  Well then, why?  WHY?
  • Camera Shots-for the most part these were fine.  But during the action scenes, and right at the start, they were jerky and all over the place.  I understand it’s to help convey emotion, but at the same time, it made me feel nauseous.  Plus, when there is action, I would like to actually watch said action.
  • Some acting.  Overall I thought the acting was quite good (Stanley Tucci, you could never disappoint me), but there were moments when it fluctuated.  We went from almost silent, still moments, to sudden declarations of love.  Plus, every conversation that Katniss and her sister, Primrose, had seemed to end with Primrose screaming hysterically.  Understandable given the plot of the film, but still.

So there you have it.  One down, two to go.  I’ll admit, I’m already excited for Catching Fire, partially because Liam Hemsworth will be in it more, but also because of the next arena, AKA the Ticking Time Bomb of DOOM (I may have paraphrased).  Also, any suggestions on who should play Finnick?  I vote for Aussie Xavier Samuel; he’s attractive, bronze-y looking, plus he and Liam can keep each other company by talking about football (or something…).

What did you think of the film?  Did it live up to your expectations?  Have you read the books as well? Please let me know!

the hunger games

You all get to live! Hooray!-(image taken from http://www.cdn.buzznet.com)