The Hunger Games
Synopsis
May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor.
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. The world will be watching.
Cast
Jennifer Lawrence Josh Hutcherson Liam Hemsworth Stanley Tucci Elizabeth Banks Woody Harrelson Willow Shields Wes Bentley Paula Malcomson Amandla Stenberg Lenny Kravitz Alexander Ludwig Isabelle Fuhrman Donald Sutherland Leven Rambin Sandra Ellis Lafferty Rhoda Griffis Raiko Bowman Toby Jones Kimiko Gelman
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I had a genuinely open mind about this thing. I liked Ross' Pleasantville, I enjoy Jennifer Lawrence. I even rewatched Winter's Bone and Battle Royale to get me amped up for this thing this week.
This is well reviewed? This is going to be massively successful at the box office? Do people need a Twilight alternative so badly that they will embrace this wimpy piece of shit? The script is thoroughly weak, everything feels artificial and stilted, nobody has any chemistry with anyone, it excuses its way out of most of its own violence in some very creatively pathetic ways. Many of its concepts and world-building elements are horribly explained, or not explained at all. And it's without an ounce…
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After leaving the theatre I felt confused, annoyed and, above all, bored.
The first question that sprang to mind was: 'Ok, so why are they called The Hunger Games?' This could of course (and probably has) have a lot to do with my limited IQ, but I just missed it I guess. My buddy tried to explain it to me, but he also wasn't really sure. Then someone behind me said: 'It's explained in the books.' Right. I haven't read the books, I went to this film so I don't have to read the books. Could it perhaps be that this film has a really bad script? I mean, what's up with all the food rationing? What's up with all…
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I'll start this by stating yes I have read The Hunger Games trilogy. I really liked the first and second book, but I found the third to be a bit of a letdown.
Now for my review of the first film. Having read The Hunger Games I was naturally curious if the film would do it justice, and for the most part I would say it's a good adaptation. My biggest issue which was big enough for me to only give the film 3 stars is the extreme lack of character development. You expect details to be left out when a novel is adapted for a film, but there's little to no character development for most of the characters you come to know very well in the novels. It really hurt the overall experience for me, but overall the film was entertaining and worth watching.
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I should say this movie is probably not meant for me; it is meant for those who read and loved the books. That said, wow, what a piece of shit this was and it's a complete failure as a film for those of us who have not read the books. It is completely humourless, which would be fine if the drama had any sort of impact, but it doesn't and if you are going give this pseudo-Running Man/Fifth Element style to the world and the games, how do you not have anything to lighten things up? I suppose Banks and Tucci were supposed to do that, but their characters were flat and irrelevant (just like everyone else in the film)…
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Unlike most reviews I’m going to try and not mention Battle Royale (that doesn’t count) during this review because that film was not the first to explore this concept and The Hunger Games will not be the last. The film has strongly divided opinion (no doubt the record breaking box office has increased expectations for the movie) but I sit somewhere in the middle.
It is tough knowing how to judge a film like this; do you compare it to films in general or other cash-in Young Adult fiction movie adaptations? If it is the former then The Hunger Games comes up a little short. The cast were perfectly decent and Jennifer Lawrence provides some class when traditionally teenage leads…
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Jennifer Lawrence - have my babies.
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All of the kids try to kill each other so the girl hides in the woods.
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My review for this is slightly bias, as I had read the book beforehand, which seems to make any movie slightly a disappointment. The movie, however is a fantastic and solid adaptation. The primary actors do a good job and it is very well put together. My main complaints come from some of the backstories that they had to gloss over. Adaptations need to cut these out or explore them more, but trying to go somewhere in the middle leaves the audience annoyed. The biggest problem with the plot really lies in the ending, when you realize in the grand scheme of things nothing was really accomplished and this is all a setup for a trilogy. As a standalone film, though, this is a very solid, entertaining, and exciting venture.
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It's definitely not the same film once you've read the books, but I think they executed it pretty well. Pun intended. Character development is still lacking - but that seems to almost always be the case if you read the book first.
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A história é genial, mas não foi tão bem desenvolvida no filme quanto eu esperava. Os atores são, claramente, muito qualificados.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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I wouldn't let myself watch this until I had read the books. And while I've had the first book for years I just got around to reading it two weeks ago. I ended up reading all three books in one day and then thought "Now I can watch the movie!". Maybe it's because I locked out the real world for a day and fully immersed myself in Panem but I found this adaptation disappointing. I'm sure my best friend telling me that it was great also didn't help because my expectations were so high.
I'm not sure how such a small book couldn't have fit into a two and a half hour film properly. The pacing was so fast it…
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As a huge fan of the books, this adaptation did not disappoint. Gary Ross did an excellent job showing us the world of Panem and depicting what was going on outside of the games, which the reader does not fully get in the novel. Jennifer Lawrence is captivating
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Can never fully give myself over to this movie, despite it having at least a half-dozen good ideas, not the least of which is Stanley Tucci's hair. Whole thing feels too overworked and weighed down for what should be more thrilling. Too dark to be fun but not dark enough to be really functional satire -- Katniss is never confronted with anything like an actual moral dilemma. Should work, but it never really does. Overactive mindless camerawork doesn't help.
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Was really looking forward to this movie but was a bit disappointed in it. It was fairly entertaining but found myself a bit bored at times.