Detractors might tell you that the plot itself is uninventive, the plot being, a boy and a girl from each of 12 districts are chosen each year to represent their district in a "fight to the death". Chosen ones fighting to the death, sure, that's not "original" anymore. Show me a movie that is. Matrix? No, the storyline of Matrix wasn't original at all - it's how it was told that made it cutting edge, new and exciting. I'm not saying The Hunger Games was cutting edge, or new and exciting, but it sure was powerful. It's not about how original the story is, it's about how well the story is told. Look at any movie about war, none of them are original, yet some of them are better than others...a movie these days is always going to remind you of another one, whether the director intended it to or not...but how well done this movie was, the movie you just watched, is what matters.
Okay, back on topic - I hadn't read the book, and I hadn't seen too many previews so I didn't know what to expect, except that Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) is good with a bow and volunteers for the games in the place of her sister Primrose Everdeen.
The Plot: Tight, without giving away spoilers, I thought it was well done. Gary Ross, the director, didn't hand feed everything to the viewer, but there were no gaping holes either. Without giving spoilers, it's hard to explain just how very powerful I felt the plot was. From the reaping, through the training, to the beginning of the games to the end of the movie...Of course, I must also include that I've seen other young adult books to movies fail miserably, but although I haven't read the book yet, I have a feeling that the book is powerful as well.
Slight disclaimer - there was one sequence of scenes that felt out of order during the Arena scenes. They "worked" but I do feel that they would have been better had they been swapped.
Okay, back on topic - I hadn't read the book, and I hadn't seen too many previews so I didn't know what to expect, except that Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) is good with a bow and volunteers for the games in the place of her sister Primrose Everdeen.
The Plot: Tight, without giving away spoilers, I thought it was well done. Gary Ross, the director, didn't hand feed everything to the viewer, but there were no gaping holes either. Without giving spoilers, it's hard to explain just how very powerful I felt the plot was. From the reaping, through the training, to the beginning of the games to the end of the movie...Of course, I must also include that I've seen other young adult books to movies fail miserably, but although I haven't read the book yet, I have a feeling that the book is powerful as well.
Slight disclaimer - there was one sequence of scenes that felt out of order during the Arena scenes. They "worked" but I do feel that they would have been better had they been swapped.
Acting: It wouldn't matter a whit that the plot was tight if the actors couldn't act their way out of a box. In this case...Jennifer Lawrence and the rest of the crew were amazing. Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane was very fun to watch, Lenny Kravitz as Senna with the glittered eye shadow was just great. Perhaps the most fun to watch was Amandla Stenberg as Rue. The only hiccup I felt was Josh Hutcherson who played Peeta Mallark, it just felt like Josh/Peeta was all over the place sometimes. During the movie I wasn't sure if that's how he was supposed to be so it wasn't too much of a distraction, but it did feel off, which is why I mention it. Not Josh's fault either, because whichever mood Peeta was "in" Josh was acting it well. I'll stop with the acting section now otherwise, I could just keep going down the list of everyone who was involved in the movie and say "yeah, they did a great job..."
Overall: Like I said above, it's an extremely powerful movie. A lot of it because it was left unspoken/unseen, off screen; a scene at the end involving Wes Bentley/Seneca Crane comes to mind. Implied rather than outright shown, and think that's a powerful weapon in storytelling. Hopefully Lionsgate does make Catching Fire (and then Mockingjay) and hopefully it's just as good. Would I recommend The Hunger Games movie? Definitely - although I know that someone else might not like it as unequivocally as I do.
Overall: Like I said above, it's an extremely powerful movie. A lot of it because it was left unspoken/unseen, off screen; a scene at the end involving Wes Bentley/Seneca Crane comes to mind. Implied rather than outright shown, and think that's a powerful weapon in storytelling. Hopefully Lionsgate does make Catching Fire (and then Mockingjay) and hopefully it's just as good. Would I recommend The Hunger Games movie? Definitely - although I know that someone else might not like it as unequivocally as I do.
Go now - and may the odds be ever in your favor....
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