REVIEW - THE HUNGER GAMES

Before I get into this I feel like I should make it clear that I’ve never read any of the Hunger Games trilogy from Suzanne Collins, and honestly, I don’t have any plans to in the future. Maybe those books are awesome. Maybe they answer every nitpicky thing I found annoying about the movie in a way that would blow my damn mind. Maybe they have everything I felt the movie was lacking and then some. Maybe they’re the absolute greatest books in the history of books. I dunno. It’s possible. I guess? This isn’t a review of the books. Nor is it a review of the fantastic multi-media book/movie experience. It’s just a review of the movie. That’s all. Nothing more.

Basically what I’m saying is don’t come back at me with the “well, if you’d read the books you would know…” thing. I hate that thing. The movie should stand on it’s own as an experience. Tossing that line my way will get you stitches, sucka.  It’ll get you a sandwich of the knuckle variety. It’ll get you a Katniss arrow in the butt cheek. It’ll get you a magic fireball in the face. It’ll get you a Peeta…

Um…

Actually it won’t get you anything Peeta related because Peeta is basically an ineffectual doofus.

I don’t hate The Hunger Games.

There’s a sentence I never expected to write.

Actually, I think it’s a pretty decent flick.

There’s another one.

It’s not the greatest movie I’ve ever seen. There are still a few frustrating plot holes and there are things that bugged me. It doesn’t have the conviction to really sink its teeth into any of the ideas it brings up, and instead settles for a glossed over, obvious, and mostly silly solution, but it’s certainly nowhere near what I would call a bad movie.

Set in a future where a single boy and girl from twelve “districts” are chosen to battle to the death on live television, the film tells the story of a girl named Katniss Everdeen who takes her sisters spot in the latest version of the “Hunger Games” and does her damndest to not only make it out alive, but shake up the system as well. It’s fairly straightforward. The class warfare stuff is laid on pretty thick. The voyeuristic reality television stuff is even thicker. I don’t mind any of that. In fact, I was really sort of digging the movie early on. Sure, it’s obvious, but so what? Obvious doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It’s corny, but at least it has a point. I actually enjoyed that the wealthy elite all looked like they’d been digging through Lady Gaga’s wardrobe. It makes sense.

In fact, now that I think about it an obviously talented, yet oversimplified and unfortunately polished for mass consumption mess of a performer like Gaga has a lot in common with this movie.  But I’ll get to that later.

I’ve read some complaints about the way Gary Ross directed this thing, and honestly, I don’t understand them. Truthfully, I think he might have been the only thing keeping the movie together. If nothing else the man understands pacing – mostly. He does an adequate job of building tension where tension needs to be built and despite a few notable flubs and eye-rollingly poor CGI sequences here and there, visually the movie looks solid. Jennifer Lawrence is decent in the lead as well.

She’s a puffy-faced dynamo that one.

I can’t really say the same about the rest of the cast. I’m looking at you Liam Hemsworth. Bigger role in the sequel? That’s gonna be rough.

The character of Peeta was not only a letdown, but might be the most worthless, wimpy sack of nothing in the history of the movies. Dude was essentially a futuristic version of Mr. Magoo. His biggest win was confusingly convincing some of the other contestants to “wait her out” when Katniss was up in a tree for the fifteenth time. Good job, kiddo. Ten minutes later he’s about to chug back some poison berries with an idiotic grin, literally turning himself into a rock in order to hide, and falling ass-backward in love with a girl that is mostly into him because the situation calls for it. If future movies decide to take the “love triangle” route I’ll be sad. Enough with the love triangles, people. I’d rather have seen the hapless dork chug back those berries and choke on a mouth full of poison.

The magic fireballs, super mosquitoes, and hologram dogs didn’t exactly fall into the column of “awesome stuff” either, but whatever. They were goofy, the whole thing was goofy, so what? Even if it was difficult to take the technology or the…ug…training sequences seriously at least they worked within the framework of the film. 

At it’s most basic I suppose my biggest issue with The Hunger Games is one of missed opportunities. It’s a hodgepodge of ideas that have been done before and done better. It’s watered down. It’s simple. It tackles significantly complex issues through the eyes of a twelve year old. That doesn’t make it a bad movie though. It is what it is and it’s not really anything more. Which is fine. I guess.

I’d love to have seen an adult version of The Hunger Games. I won’t get to, but it would have been nice. As it stands this is a kid’s movie. Everything is delivered in easily digestible bites. It’s a gateway drug for youngsters who might one day, hopefully, be interested in seeking out films with similar themes that also have a bit more depth to them.

I actually think the world needs more movies like The Hunger Games.

This movie is certainly a hell of a lot better than the other big thing the kids and the soccer moms galore seem to be drooling over these days. Twilight is a movie for dunderhead, boy-obsessed nincompoops who want to leave their brain in the car when they head into the theater. You’ll need your brain for The Hunger Games. You don’t necessarily have to bring put it in your head, but you’ll have to buy it a ticket and you’ll need to bring it in with you. You can keep it on you lap.

Maybe you can set your drink on it.

-STEVEN

For a second opinion check out John's HUNGER GAMES REVIEW

REVIEW - THE HUNGER GAMES

I’m prefacing this review with the fact that I have not read any of these books, and have a limited idea of what they are about. With that said, it shouldn’t matter, but it felt like it did matter, just a few times in the movie; nothing too big, though.

The Hunger Games is set in a dystopian future where war has left the world in tatters, what’s left of society is segregated into 12 “districts”, and the “hunger games” itself is a competition where two kids from each district are forced to compete to the death in a confined jungle “arena”.

That’s the plot of this movie, and I like it; it’s essentially a parabolic tale of society’s affinity for voyeurism and sadistic competition. I haven’t seen the movie people claim this rips off (Battle Royale), but it seems similar to other movies like The Running Man and Death Race, where mortality is exploited for reality television. On top of that, though, The Hunger Games has layered on a very clear--and literal--representation of class warfare, with its caste system of “districts“ where one class of affluent people is dependant upon and oppressive of the lower class. All of that is great, and the film actually presents that world very well, so it feels similar to something like Children of Men (without the subtlety), and I was even reminded of the city of Ba Sing Se on Avatar: The Last Airbender; that’s just me. Those are great comparisons, in my opinion, and I mean them to be complimentary.

For some reason Gary Ross is not directing the sequel, and I don’t know why. There is no problem with the direction of this movie. The shaky cam adds to the idea that we’re seeing reality unfold, so I don’t get why everyone was so unsatisfied with the job he did. Everything that he was responsible for worked here. The pacing is good. The staging works, even though parts of the “futuristic” settings and wardrobe feel like a bad ‘80s music video, and there are some moments where the action looks like kids playing in the park. Other than those small things, the movie is directed very well.

Jennifer Lawrence is great. Her performance as Katniss Everdeen made me believe that she’s not some great hunter or warrior, but she has the strength of character to persevere. She’s reluctant to play their “games”, both those of the competition and the pomp and circumstance which surround them. Everything about her seems authentic, except for anything that has anything to do with Peeta.

Therein lies the singular problem I have with The Hunger Games, and it’s what makes me fearful for the future films in this series. Why the fuck does Peeta even exist? The only purpose that character serves is to show how great Gale is, by comparison. Everything about Peeta says the character we’ve been shown that Katniss is should have nothing to do with this Peeta jerk. He has absolutely no reluctance toward playing the politics of these games. He willfully joins the other tributes to hunt Katniss. He’s a creep, and don’t even get me started on the fact that he can camouflage himself entirely, using only what exactly? Mud and berries? Oh, but he decorated cakes! Forgive me. Anyway, his presence and that entire love story completely ruined the end of this movie, for me, because it made absolutely no sense. What really makes me hate Katniss and Peeta together is that it’s a parallel to something the movie is actually meant to deride. Within the movie, the show’s producers (or whatever they should be called) decide to exploit the “relationship” between Katniss and Peeta for *spoilery reasons that I‘m not going into*. The show’s producers create an “angle” with this relationship, and that’s precisely what the movie is doing with the relationship. The relationship is unnecessary, and we know Katniss should not have anything to do with Peeta, but the movie makes it happen, anyway, just so it has another plot device.

Like I said, I haven’t read the books, but I would guess the sequel sees the Katniss/Peeta storyline turn into a Katniss/Peeta/Gale triangle where, for some reason, Katniss actually can’t choose between the two of them. If so, I do not look forward to seeing Twilight redux, where Katniss is turned into some imbecilic Bella Swan with a bow and arrow.

Whether or not the sequel will be any good, The Hunger Games does happen to be roughly 95% of a really good movie… if only Peeta was, I don’t know, killed to death. Definitely recommend checking it out.

-JOHN

For a second opinion check out Steven's HUNGER GAMES REVIEW